Multi-channel instruments best practices

[jkoseattle]

I would like to create a multi-channel EastWest instrument that consists of a bunch of different brass articulation patches, one on each channel.

Then I would like to have that instrument represented in a single "Brass" track in CbB.

I want to write my brass part all on the single track, and then select certain notes to go to the channel containing the articulation I want.

For example, say my instrument has a legato patch in channel 1 and a staccato patch in channel 2. My brass line contains both legato and staccato notes in it, so some notes need to route to channel 1 and some to channel 2. Making these changes needs to be relatively fast because I'd like to be able to switch back and forth a lot to experiment with different sounds.

I'm also hoping I can somehow distinguish notes by channel via different colors or something, so I can quickly see which channel and therefore which articulation, is being played by a given note in PRV.

How is this accomplished?

[abacab]

Everything in a Cakewalk MIDI track gets routed to a single MIDI channel.

The piano roll view lets you edit and distinguish between tracks.

I think that if you intend to use one track per instrument, you will need to  insert the keyswitch notes at the desired time. Or else use multiple tracks, one for each articulation.

 

[jkoseattle]

Ah ok, I was afraid of that. EastWest Play has a lot of real estate devoted to adding in multiple instruments on different channels, it seems disappointing that CbB can't take a little more advantage of that. 

I often edit multiple tracks in PRV and can see how that method could work, but what would make it much more usable would be two things, which I've mentioned in previous posts as potentially great features:

1) A Randomize color feature. Usually I don't care what color my tracks are. What I care about is that the colors are different enough that I can tell them apart in PRV. I want to be able to tell CbB "make the colors of all the tracks I'm looking at in PRV different enough  that I can tell them apart"

2) The ability to select notes and move them to a different track right in place. Currently I have to cut and paste, which would even be ok except for the fact that the Now time has to be exaaactly at the start of the selection or else CbB pastes it to wherever the now time is. So annoying.

[bvideo]

It's possible to turn off the rechannelizing of a midi track so that the channel numbers of the notes in the track are not modified when sent to the synth. Then you can use all 16 channels in one track, if that helps you access all the articulations. Look in the MIDI track strip for the Channel parameter and set it to "none". When you need to change the channel numbers of individual notes, you can use the "Event Inspector Module" in the control bar to operate on selected notes.

OTOH for 2) moving notes in place can be done while holding shift when dragging selected notes.

[jkoseattle]

On 11/3/2019 at 9:46 PM, bvideo said:

It's possible to turn off the rechannelizing of a midi track so that the channel numbers of the notes in the track are not modified when sent to the synth. Then you can use all 16 channels in one track, if that helps you access all the articulations. Look in the MIDI track strip for the Channel parameter and set it to "none". When you need to change the channel numbers of individual notes, you can use the "Event Inspector Module" in the control bar to operate on selected notes.

OTOH for 2) moving notes in place can be done while holding shift when dragging selected notes.

Interesting. That works. I have channel input set to None all the time anyway, but Event Inspector will work. I'm used to using keyswitches most of the time, but in this case the patches I'm using cross multiple instruments.

Also, I think I wasn't clear on my other need. I know about holding down shift to move notes in time, but what I would want (in a situation where I'm displaying multiple tracks in PRV) is to select some notes in one track, then simply move them to another track without changing their place in time. The only way I know of to accomplish this is to ensure the Now time is set to the beginning of your selection, which can be tricky. Maybe there is a shortcut for moving the Now time to the start of the selection? IOW the start of the green bar?

[abacab]

On 11/4/2019 at 12:46 AM, bvideo said:

It's possible to turn off the rechannelizing of a midi track so that the channel numbers of the notes in the track are not modified when sent to the synth. Then you can use all 16 channels in one track, if that helps you access all the articulations. Look in the MIDI track strip for the Channel parameter and set it to "none". When you need to change the channel numbers of individual notes, you can use the "Event Inspector Module" in the control bar to operate on selected notes.

Good to know! I never paid attention to the "none" selection in there, as I have always wanted to send the track to a specific channel in a multi instrument.

But that is one thing for sure about Cakewalk, there are many ways to do things!

The main downside to that method is that you would then need to edit the event list to change the default MIDI channel numbers for individual selected notes in the track to make them go to their designated instrument parts/articulations. But it is possible.

[bvideo]

On 11/5/2019 at 8:38 AM, jkoseattle said:

...

Also, I think I wasn't clear on my other need. I know about holding down shift to move notes in time, but what I would want (in a situation where I'm displaying multiple tracks in PRV) is to select some notes in one track, then simply move them to another track without changing their place in time.

...

Give a try holding shift while dragging the notes up or down to another track.

[jkoseattle]

Oh, ok, I'm talking about doing this in PRV

[bvideo]

OK, right. I was thinking of the per-track PRV