How To Draw Midi In Ableton

ten. Editing MIDI Notes and Velocities

A MIDI prune in Alive contains notes and controller information for playing a MIDI instrument. This musical instrument can be a virtual instrument in a MIDI runway's device concatenation (see Chapter 19) or an external synth fed via the rails's output routing (see Chapter xv). The MIDI clip (see 4.7) provides the device with a musical score to play, specifying note pitch, length, position and dynamics (referred to as velocity in the MIDI lexicon). MIDI is equanimous and edited in Alive's MIDI Note Editor.

ten.1 Creating an Empty MIDI Prune

MIDI clips are created:

by recording on a MIDI track (see Affiliate 17) ;
or by capturing MIDI (see 17.ten) ;
or by double-clicking an empty Session slot in a MIDI track;
or by selecting an empty Session slot in a MIDI rail and choosing the Create menu'south Insert MIDI Clip(s) command;
or by double-clicking on the rails display of a MIDI rail in the Arrangement View;
or, in the Arrangement View, by selecting a timespan in a MIDI track and choosing the Create menu's Insert MIDI Clip(due south) command.

10.ii The MIDI Note Editor

To bring up the MIDI Annotation Editor, double-click a MIDI clip to open up the Prune View. You can then cull from whatever of the iii Clip View tabs past clicking their tab headers, or using the following central combinations:

ALT-ane switches to the Notes tab/console
ALT-2 switches to the Envelopes tab/panel
ALT-iii switches to the Note Expression tab/console

Depending on which Prune View tab/console is chosen, the Clip View will bear witness dissimilar information. You tin read more virtually these tabs/panels in the Clip View chapter (come across Chapter 8).

When the Notes tab/console is visible, the MIDI Note Editor is divided into two editing windows: the upper MIDI Note Editor and the lower Expression Editor lanes (consisting of the MIDI Velocity and MIDI Chance Editor lanes).

While the Velocity Editor lane is shown past default, both information technology and the Chance Editor lane (described in detail below) tin be shown or hidden via the lane selector toggle buttons at the left. Underneath the lane selector toggle buttons, a triangular toggle button allows showing or hiding all enabled lanes at once. When both lane selectors are hidden pressing the triangular toggle button will show both lanes at one time.

These Buttons Toggle the Visibility of Velocity and Chance Editor Lanes.

The Velocity and Chance Editor lanes can be resized individually via their split lines, or simultaneously resized past dragging the split line between the lanes and the MIDI Note Editor.

It is also possible to resize the velocity, probability, and per-annotation expression lanes using the mousewheel/compression gesture while holding the ALT key.

The Control Bar'southward Depict Fashion Switch.

Switch to Depict Style past activating the Control Bar'due south Draw Mode switch or by pressing the B key. Y'all can now draw MIDI notes into the MIDI Note Editor with the mouse. Deactivating Draw Mode allows notes to be selected and moved effectually via clipboard operations or by clicking and dragging, either vertically to alter their transposition, or horizontally to change their position in time. MIDI notes can also exist added and deleted by double-clicking when Draw Mode is inactive.

The "Draw Style with Pitch Lock" toggle in the Record/Warp/Launch preferences lets you choose between two different ways of using Depict Way. When enabled, drawing MIDI notes is constrained to ane unmarried primal track (or pitch) at a time, while holding the ALT key allows freehand melodic drawing. When disabled, Depict Mode defaults to freehand melodic cartoon, and holding the ALT key enables pitch-locked drawing. The melodic Describe Mode tin exist used to erase notes, when drawing starts on an existing note. When the MIDI Note Editor is focused, the "Depict Mode" entry in the Options and context menus displays the currently selected state of the "Draw Style with Pitch Lock" preference, as "Pitch Lock On/Off".

Provided your MIDI track'southward device chain contains an musical instrument (see Affiliate 19), activating the Preview switch in the MIDI Editor allows you to hear notes equally you lot select and move them. If the MIDI track is armed, activating Preview also allows y'all to step record (run across 17.3.4) new notes into the clip. Note that the Preview switch's on/off country applies to all MIDI tracks in the Live Ready.

After drawing a few notes and moving them around, you will probably desire to know how to become around in the MIDI Note Editor. And then, before we get into detailed editing information, nosotros volition first explain MIDI Editor navigation.

Note Scale Position Is Shown Vertically and Shell-Fourth dimension Horizontally.

The MIDI Editor has both vertical and horizontal navigation. Forth the horizontal centrality lies a time ruler, which shows note position along a musical timeline. The vertical axis contains the note ruler, displaying octaves C-2–C8, and a representation of a piano keyboard (the piano gyre). Note that if the Preview switch at the meridian of the pianoforte roll is activated, you can listen to the results of your piano curl playing.

To smoothly change the time-zoom level, click and drag vertically in the fourth dimension ruler. Drag horizontally in the fourth dimension ruler to gyre from left to right. While scrolling up and down using the mousewheel, yous can hold the CTRL(Win) / CMD(Mac) modifier to zoom horizontally, or you tin can hold the ALT modifier to zoom vertically.
Click and drag vertically in the note ruler to modify which octaves are shown, or drag horizontally to modify the vertical zoom size of MIDI notes and the keyboard.
Click and drag over one or more notes to select them, or over a portion of the editor's background to select a range of fourth dimension. Then, double-click on the note ruler or time ruler to automatically zoom in on your selection. If nix is selected, double-clicking the notation ruler will zoom in on the area from the lowest to the highest note in the clip, while double-clicking the time ruler will zoom out to evidence the time between the kickoff and last note. You can change the notation selection using the CTRL(Win) / ALT(Mac) modifier in combination with the up or down arrow central.
To zoom in and out effectually the electric current pick, utilize the figurer keyboard'south + and - keys.
The Prune Overview just beneath the MIDI Editor can also be used for navigation. Information technology always shows the complete contents of the selected MIDI prune. The black rectangular outline represents the function of the prune that is currently displayed in the Editor in a higher place. To scroll, click within the outline and drag left or right; to zoom in and out, drag up and downwards.
Change the length of what is shown in the Editor by dragging the left or right edges of the outline in the Clip Overview.
To chop-chop change what is shown in the Editor, click on a section that you want to examine in the Clip Overview, then drag downwardly to zoom in, or scroll by dragging left and right.

The Control Bar'due south Follow Switch.

The expanse displayed in the MIDI Notation Editor can be prepare to scroll with playback using the Follow switch from the Control Bar. Follow will intermission if y'all brand an edit in the MIDI Note Editor, and will start again once you end or restart playback, or click in the Organisation or clip scrub area.

When Permanent Scrub Areas is enabled in Live's Wait/Experience Preferences, clicking in the scrub expanse below the vanquish-time ruler starts playback from that point, rounded by the global quantization setting. (Tip: activating the Options bill of fare's Chase MIDI Notes command allows MIDI notes to play back fifty-fifty if playback begins after the MIDI note's start time.)

When the Permanent Scrub Areas preference is off, you tin can all the same scrub past Shift-clicking anywhere in the scrub area or in the crush-time ruler. Learning nigh the loop/region controls (meet eight.4) and associated shortcuts can also be helpful in getting around in the MIDI Editor and playing selections quickly and easily.

As yous work with MIDI, you lot may notice yourself needing extra screen space. Y'all can click and drag vertically on the window split between the Session or Organisation View and the Prune View to enlarge the MIDI Editor.

Enlarge the MIDI Editor past Dragging the Window Split Between Session and Clip Views.

x.four Editing MIDI

x.4.i Not-Destructive Editing

Yous can e'er return your MIDI clip to its previous state by using the Edit menu'south Undo command. Furthermore, if the MIDI clip beingness edited originated in a MIDI file on your hard drive, none of your editing will alter the original MIDI file, as Alive incorporates its contents into your Live Fix when importing.

10.4.two Scales, Folding and Looping

By highlighting certain notes in the piano ringlet of a MIDI clip, Calibration Mode allows you to easily write melodies inside a chosen scale. Scale Mode tin can be toggled with the Scale button in the corresponding clip tab/console. To the correct of the Scale button, Root Notation and Calibration Name choosers permit setting a root notation and calibration for the selected clip(s).

When a selected clip has Scale Mode enabled and a scale is selected, notes belonging to the calibration are highlighted in the piano whorl. By default, key tracks belonging to the selected scale are highlighted in the MIDI Note Editor, and the root note is indicated by a prominent highlight in the piano roll. Scale highlighting can be toggled on or off, by pressing the 1000 shortcut fundamental while the MIDI Note Editor is in focus, or via the Highlight Clip Scale context menu and View menu entry.

Key Tracks Belonging to the Selected Scale Are Highlighted.

Newly-created MIDI clips inherit the previously edited or viewed clip calibration, even if they take Scale Mode disabled. When editing multiple clips with different key and scale settings, any foreground clip with Scale Mode enabled will update the global setting that is used to create new clips.

When a selected clip has Scale Mode enabled and a scale is selected, pressing the Scale push button to the right of the Fold push button will only show key tracks belonging to the called scale. Any key tracks containing notes not in the electric current calibration will besides be displayed.

You can set a preference for spelling a prune's notes with flats, sharps, or both, via the pianoforte ringlet'south context menu. When Scale Mode is not enabled, this setting applies to all notes, but when Scale mode is enabled, this preference but applies to notes which are outside of the chosen scale; notes within the scale will maintain their proper accidentals. An additional "Auto" pick automatically selects flats or sharps based on the position of the root notation in the circle of fifths.

Setting a Preference for Spelling a Prune'south Notes.

An important feature of the MIDI Note Editor is the Fold push button, located in the upper left corner. Activating this button volition immediately hide all rows, or key tracks, that do not contain MIDI notes in each MIDI clip. This means that the available key tracks in each prune in your Set volition differ, depending on which notes exist in that clip.

This is very useful when working with percussion kits, for example, which are oftentimes mapped out along a keyboard in sections corresponding to percussion type (east.g., snares grouped together two octaves down from hi-hat cymbals, etc.). When working with a MIDI file created by such a mapping, sometimes only ane or 2 of each type of percussion sound is used, and it becomes unnecessary to view the entire keyboard range. (Note: folding the MIDI Note Editor is not possible when editing multiple clips (encounter 10.5).)

The Fold Button Extracts Fundamental Tracks Containing Notes.

When editing MIDI, y'all might find that you want to modify which part of the clip you are listening to, or loop the clip in order to listen to it repeatedly. Y'all can employ the loop/region markers (see 8.2.5) for this.

Apply the Loop/Region Markers to Select a Specific Region of the Clip to Play.

If Fold is deactivated on a track containing a Drum Rack (run across 20.6), the MIDI Note Editor but shows rows with notes corresponding to a pad with devices on information technology. If Fold is activated, only rows containing notes are displayed.

Tip: Selecting the loop brace in a MIDI clip and pressing CTRL-D(Win) / CMD-D(Mac) doubles the length of the loop brace and zooms as necessary to show the unabridged loop. Whatsoever notes to the right of the loop will exist moved, so that they maintain their position relative to the stop of the loop.

10.four.iii Grid Snapping

Most functions in the MIDI Note Editor are subject to grid snapping (see 6.nine). But when adjusting events with the mouse, the grid is "magnetic"; event positions can exist moved freely up to the previous or next grid line and then volition snap if you go along to drag. You tin can hold downwardly the ALT(Win) / CMD(Mac) modifier while performing an action to bypass grid snapping.

Note movements will also snap to an "beginning," which is based on the original placement of the note relative to the grid. This is useful for preserving a groove or loose playing manner that yous do non necessarily want to "ready direct."

ten.iv.4 Editing Notes

Editing in the MIDI Note Editor is similar to editing in the Arrangement (see half dozen.8). In both cases, your actions are pick-based: you select something using the mouse, then execute a card command (e.g., Cut, Re-create, Paste, Duplicate) on the choice.

Hither is how selection works:

Clicking a annotation selects the annotation. Multiple notes tin can be selected in unison: "rubber-ring" select more than one note with one mouse motion by clicking in empty space, and so dragging to enclose the notes in the dotted line that appears. Esc deselects all selected notes.
Clicking into the background of the MIDI Note Editor selects a point in fourth dimension, represented by a flashing insert mark.
Clicking and dragging in the groundwork selects a timespan. Press Enter to toggle the selection between the timespan and any notes that begin within it.

After placing the insert marking, you tin can manipulate information technology using your computer keyboard.

Printing the left or correct arrow keys to move the insert marker to the left or right, co-ordinate to the grid settings. CTRL(Win) / ALT(Mac) plus the left or correct arrow keys moves the insert marker to the next annotation boundary.
Concur down Shift while pressing the arrow keys to extend or retract the selected timespan by moving the insert marker. ALT(Win) / ALT(Mac) plus Shift while pressing the pointer keys extends or retracts from the opposite side of the selection.
The insert marking tin exist moved to the beginning or terminate of a MIDI clip by pressing the Habitation or Terminate fundamental, respectively.

As we have seen, notes in the MIDI Notation Editor can be moved both horizontally (changing their position in time) and vertically (changing their transposition). They tin be moved either past clicking and dragging, or with the pointer keys on your estimator keyboard. Notes moved with the arrow keys are always subject to grid and get-go snapping, while notes dragged with the mouse tin be freely moved until reaching the previous or next grid or offset signal. If you lot are playing the clip while you edit notes, yous tin listen to them play in their new assignments every bit you modify them.

Several key modifiers also apply to note editing:

To transpose selected notes by octave, hold downward Shift while pressing the up or down arrow keys.
Shift plus the left or right pointer keys extends or retracts the duration of selected notes, according to the grid settings. To extend or retract notes without snapping to the grid, also concur ALT(Win) / CMD(Mac).
To change the selection to the next annotation in the same key track, hold CTRL(Win) / ALT(Mac) while pressing the left or right arrow keys. CTRL(Win) / ALT(Mac) plus the upward or down arrow keys moves the selection to the next note in time.
To nudge notes without snapping to the grid, concur ALT(Win) / CMD(Mac) and press the left or right pointer keys.
You can apply the Shift modifier to click and add individual notes or boosted "safe-band" selections to your current option. You can as well remove a single annotation from your option by holding downward Shift and clicking on it. Holding Shift and clicking on the piano curl adds all notes in a unmarried key rails to the electric current selection, or removes them if they were already selected.

Selecting a note (or notes) makes it subject to commands from the Edit menu, such as Copy and Paste. Notes in the clipboard will be pasted starting at the location of the insert marker. You lot can also utilize the CTRL(Win) / ALT(Mac) modifier to click and elevate copies of notes to a new location. If you click and drag to motion notes but then determine that you would like to copy them instead, y'all tin printing the CTRL(Win) / ALT(Mac) modifier even after starting the drag.

When editing or drawing, you may sometimes place a new note on tiptop of one that already exists. If the new note overlaps with the showtime of the original annotation, the original notation will vanish. If the new note overlaps with the "tail" of the original, the original note'southward length will alter so that it lasts just until the new note's showtime.

10.4.5 Changing Notation Length

Clicking and dragging on a annotation's left or right edges changes its length. As with note positions, notation lengths can be adjusted freely up to the previous or adjacent grid line but will be quantized when dragging further unless the ALT(Win) / CMD(Mac) modifier is held downwardly.

Tip: To set up a group of notes to the same length, select them all, grab the end of the longest one, drag them all down to zippo length and so extend them.

10.4.6 The ...Time Commands in the MIDI Editor

The standard clipboard commands similar Cut, Re-create and Paste only impact the currently selected notes (or the notes inside a time selection). But, as in Arrangement editing (run into half dozen.x), at that place are "... Time" commands that act upon the entire MIDI clip by inserting and deleting time.

Note that these operations do non change the clip start/end position or the loop brace settings.

Duplicate Time places a re-create of the selected timespan into the clip, along with any contained notes.
Delete Time deletes a selection of time from the MIDI clip, thereby moving any notes on either side of the deleted area closer together in the timeline.
Insert Fourth dimension inserts as much empty time as is currently selected into the clip, earlier the choice.

10.iv.7 Quantizing Notes

There are three options for quantizing MIDI notes in Live. First, y'all tin can quantize MIDI notes as you tape them (see 17.5). Secondly, as previously mentioned, yous tin can motility notes so that they snap to the visible filigree lines. Finally, you tin select a note or notes and choose the Quantize command from the Edit carte, or apply the CTRL-U(Win) / CMD-U(Mac) hotkey. The outset time you lot practise this, you will see a dialog box with several quantization options. This will quantize using default settings, or the settings that y'all previously applied.

To accommodate your quantization parameters, open the Quantization Settings dialog from the Edit menu.

Using the options presented here, you can select either the current grid size or a specific meter value for quantization and prepare either the note start or end (or both) to be quantized. Quantizing the note end volition stretch the note then that it ends at the chosen meter subdivision. You tin besides quantize notes without giving them that "quantized" feel using the Amount control, which will move notes only past a percentage of the set quantization value.

10.4.eight Editing Velocities

To change velocity for a MIDI note, click and elevate on the associated marker in the Velocity Editor. Velocity values will be shown numerically in the Velocity Editor'south lane header. To help y'all locate the velocity marker belonging to a MIDI notation that may be stacked vertically with others, Live highlights the velocity marker for whichever note your mouse is hovering over.

As in the MIDI Note Editor, you tin can select multiple velocity markers to change past clicking with the Shift modifier held down.

Tip: To set a grouping of notes so that they all have the same velocity, select their markers in the Velocity Editor, drag them up or down to either maximum or minimum velocity, and and so adjust velocity to the desired value.

As we saw before, Draw Mode allows drawing identical velocities for all notes within a grid tile. While in Describe Way, velocity drawing is express to only those notes that are currently selected. To draw markers individually (every bit you would desire to with a crescendo, for instance) deactivate grid snapping with the CTRL-4(Win) / CMD-4(Mac) shortcut, or simply hold downwards the ALT(Win) / CMD(Mac) modifier.

Drawing Identical Velocities (Left) and a Crescendo (Right).

Tip: To draw a velocity ramp with notes that are all in the same central track, click a key in the piano roll to select all notes within the desired key track. Make sure Draw Mode is activated and draw the ramp into the Velocity Editor. This will affect only the selected notes.

Tip #2: To draw a linear velocity ramp across a pick of notes, showtime select the notes that should be afflicted (using the Shift modifier to select non-adjacent notes if necessary). Brand certain Draw Way is activated and draw the line into the Velocity Editor while belongings the CTRL(Win) / ALT(Mac) modifier.

Each note in the MIDI Notation Editor displays its velocity past the amount of shading in that note's color — light notes play softly, and vice versa. To alter the velocity of notes without the Velocity Editor open, click whatsoever selected note and drag vertically while pressing the ALT(Win) / CMD(Mac) modifier.

While pressing the CTRL(Win) / CMD(Mac) key, vertical movements in Draw Style correspond to velocity changes. This means that, with ane horizontal move and one vertical motion, you tin can describe multiple notes and their velocities without releasing the mouse push button. If you lot change velocity with this vertical movement, Live will remember the alter and use your new velocity on any notes that you draw afterward.

Velocity values can also be entered manually by first selecting the velocity marker, and then typing the numerical value on the estimator keyboard and hitting the Enter key. Holding the Shift key allows fine-tuning the values of selected velocity markers. When using the up or down arrow keys with CTRL(Win) / CMD(Mac) held downwardly, the values of selected velocity markers are incremented by +/-10.

Velocity values tin be randomized past commencement clicking in the Velocity Editor lane, which will change the Randomize Range slider to an integer value. Clicking on the Randomize push will so randomize velocity values for selected notes (or notes with selected markers). If no markers are selected, values for all notes volition be randomized.

The Randomize Range slider, at the right of the Randomize button, allows specifying a randomization range that can exist applied to velocity values. The slider's randomization value can be typed as a number with the keyboard, and triggers randomization when validated using the Enter key. Velocities values will be randomly increased or decreased past a value between zip and the number shown in the Randomize Range slider.

The Velocity Range slider gives further control over the range of each note by increasing the range for each note's velocity. Velocity values will exist chosen randomly from within the range specified. For example, a note with a velocity value of 60 in combination with a Velocity Range of +20 will exist played with a randomly chosen value between threescore and 80. Positive values volition increment velocity, while negative values decrease it.

Holding CTRL(Win) / CMD(Mac) and dragging vertically on a velocity mark reveals a horizontal handle, which, when dragged up or down, sets the maximum or minimum velocity range value. The velocity range is indicated by the shaded area between the horizontal handle and the velocity mark. Double-clicking the velocity marker will reset the range to 0.

By default, the Velocity Editor allows you to adjust note-on velocities. Just you tin toggle the editor to show annotation-off velocities via options in the editor's correct-click(Win) / CTRL-click(Mac) context menu.

The Velocity Editor Showing Note-Off Velocities.

Note-off (or "release") velocity is a somewhat esoteric parameter, and is merely supported past certain devices. Ableton's Sampler instrument (see 26.7), for instance, provides annotation-off velocity as a controller for a variety of parameters.

10.4.9 Editing Probabilities

The Chance Editor allows setting the probability of a MIDI note occurring in a playing prune. The Chance Editor lane is hidden by default and can be shown by clicking on its toggle button on the left.

To modify probability for a MIDI note, click and drag on the associated marker in the Chance Editor. You can elevate a note'due south probability mark up and downwardly to modify the probability value between 0-100%. (To help you locate the probability marker belonging to a MIDI annotation that may exist stacked vertically with others, Live highlights the probability marker for whichever note your mouse is hovering over.) Probability changes volition be shown numerically in the Chance Editor's lane header.

Probability values can also be entered manually by first selecting the probability marker, and then typing the numerical value on the computer keyboard and pressing the Enter primal. Holding the Shift central allows fine-tuning the values of selected probability markers. When using the upwards or down arrow keys with CTRL(Win) / CMD(Mac) held down, the values of selected probability markers are incremented by +/-10.

To randomize probability values, first click in the Risk Editor lane. This will alter the Randomize Range slider to a percent value. Clicking on the Randomize button will and so randomize probability values for selected notes (or notes with selected markers), depending on the focused lane. If no markers are selected, values for all notes volition be randomized.

The Randomize Range slider, at the right of the Randomize push, allows specifying a randomization range that can be applied to probability values. The slider's randomization value can be typed every bit a number with the keyboard, and triggers randomization when validated using the Enter key. Probability values volition exist randomly increased or decreased past a value betwixt cypher and the number shown in the Randomize Range slider.

Notes with probability values less than 100% will display a small triangle on their upper-left corners, which will but be visible if the key track height is expanded enough; otherwise, it will be subconscious.

10.4.10 MIDI Note Stretch

When multiple notes or a range of fourth dimension are selected in the MIDI Annotation Editor, Note Stretch markers volition appear, allowing notes to be scaled proportionally in time. The markers are a pair of downwards-pointing indicators that snap to the beginning and terminate of the selection.

By clicking and dragging one of the markers horizontally, the selected notes will move and stretch so that they continue to occupy the same proportion of fourth dimension that they did when they were initially selected. As with notes, Note Stretch markers tin can be freely moved until reaching the previous or next filigree or kickoff point, later which they volition snap to the MIDI Note Editor'southward grid lines unless the grid is not shown or the ALT(Win) / CMD(Mac) modifier is held while dragging.

When the mouse is between the Notation Stretch markers, a "pseudo" stretch marking will announced. Dragging this stretches or compresses the material between the fixed markers without affecting the material outside of them. The pseudo stretch marker has the same grid snapping behavior as fixed markers.

When notes (but not time) are selected, i marker can be dragged beyond the boundary of the other, which volition "reflect" the club of the stretched notes in relation to their initial sequence; this is sometimes referred to equally "retrograde" behavior.

Adjusting the Note Stretch markers will too adjust the timing of any of the clip'due south linked prune envelopes. Unlinked clip envelopes are not affected.

x.4.11 Cropping MIDI Clips

MIDI data that is outside of the loop brace can be deleted past ways of the Crop Clip command. Simply right-click(Win) / CTRL-click(Mac) on a MIDI clip in the Session or Organization View and select this option. Unlike cropping audio clips (see eight.2.8), cropping a MIDI clip does not create a new file on disk.

10.4.12 Deactivating Notes

To conciliate, or mute, a note (or notes) in the MIDI Editor, select information technology and press 0. The Deactivate Annotation(southward) command will mute the note, making information technology appear gray in the brandish. Printing 0 again to reactivate notes. You tin can de- or reactivate all of the notes in a single key track at once past clicking a key on the piano whorl and pressing 0.

10.4.thirteen The Transform Tools

In addition to the editing possibilities within the MIDI Note Editor itself, the Notes tab/panel's transform tools (meet 8.3) offer a number of ways to apace manipulate the notes within a MIDI clip.

ten.5 Multi-Clip Editing

In the MIDI Note Editor, y'all tin can view notes in multiple MIDI clips at the aforementioned time. This helps you to come across melodic and rhythmic relationships between different clips when creating and refining musical ideas, and allows you to edit material across separate tracks and scenes more quickly. In addition to editing notes beyond multiple clips, you can as well modify various parameters for the selected clips.

When multiple MIDI clips are selected:

The notes from these clips volition be shown together in the MIDI Note Editor. Yous can select and edit notes from multiple selected clips at the same time, or utilize Focus Way (see 10.5.one) to edit notes in a single clip while notes from other clips are yet in view.
Loop bars volition appear above the MIDI Note Editor. Each loop bar represents a different clip in the current selection, and the colors of the loop bars match the color of the clip. Clicking on a clip's note or loop bar switches to that prune for editing.

Multi-Prune Loop Confined in the MIDI Note Editor.

You lot can adjust the loop length for any single prune by clicking and dragging its loop bar marking. You tin can also select and edit loop bars from any of the selected clips simultaneously, by clicking or dragging their loop markers while pressing the CTRL(Win) / CMD(Mac) key. Using the Shift key allows yous to select contiguous loop confined. (Notation: With Focus Mode enabled, information technology is not possible to select more than 1 loop bar at a time, and any existing multi-selection is ignored.)
Y'all can indistinguishable selected loop confined using the right-click(Win) / CTRL-click(Mac) context menu option.
The title bar will evidence the name of the prune selected for editing. This can be particularly useful for identifying different clips with the same colour. (Note: if a clip has no proper name, the title bar will brandish the name of the track containing the clip instead.)
Certain controls in Clip View (see 8.1) appear when multiple MIDI clips are selected and are editable for all selected clips. These controls include Loop settings, Clip Time Signature, Prune Groove settings, and Scale Mode settings.
Fold and Fold to Calibration settings can all be edited for all selected clips.
Randomization of velocity and probability values is only e'er applied to a single clip at a time. It is not possible to randomize these values for all notes in all selected clips.
Yous tin can resize the loop bar region by clicking and dragging straight above the multi-clip title bar's scrub area.

Annotation that multi-prune editing works differently depending on whether you are working in the Session or Arrangement View. These differences are explained in dedicated sections for the Session View (see 10.5.2) and the Arrangement View (run into 10.5.3) farther downwardly in this chapter.

10.v.1 Focus Mode

Focus Style allows you lot to select a single prune to edit while viewing multiple clips. Focus Mode can exist toggled via the Focus push button or the N keyboard shortcut. Property N while editing with the mouse toggles Focus Way momentarily. Multi-clip editing functions differently depending on whether Focus Mode is enabled or not.

When Focus Manner is enabled:

The active clip'south notes will exist shown in that clip'due south color, while the inactive clips' notes will be shown in gray.
The active prune'due south loop bar volition exist shown in black, while the inactive ones will exist shown in gray.
The proper noun of the active clip is displayed below the loop bars.
Hovering the mouse over an inactive prune's notes or loop bar will reveal that clip's color, helping y'all to cull a different clip in the electric current option to edit. Clicking on a prune'southward note or loop bar switches to that clip for editing.
The loop length controls and Notes tools are bachelor for editing the agile clip.
Enabling Scale Way displays the root note and scale proper name for the currently selected clip.
If Fold to Calibration is enabled, key tracks for all scales through all selected clips volition be folded. Enabling Fold will disable Fold to Scale and instead fold all cardinal tracks across all selected clips.
The Transpose, Reverse, Capsize, Legato and Duplicate controls in the Notes tab/panel only applies to the agile clip.

When Focus Style is disabled:

All notes are displayed with their prune's color, as all notes are agile.
A clip's loop bar volition turn black when clicking on information technology, which then allows yous to randomize Velocity or Adventure for notes within that prune by first-clicking. The non-selected loop brace will display the color of its clip.
Enabling Scale Mode displays the root note and scale name for the currently selected clips simply if they are the same across all clips. Otherwise, an asterisk is shown where different root notes or scale names are chosen.
The Transpose, Reverse, Capsize, and Legato controls in the Notes tab/console apply to all selected clips. Annotation that at to the lowest degree i annotation must be selected in lodge for the Opposite, Invert, and Legato controls to function.
The Duplicate, Play at Half Tempo and Play at Double Tempo functions can exist practical to multiple notes across selected clips.
Notes can be cut or copied from multiple clips and inserted into the same set of clips, as long as the clip selection/foreground clip has not inverse, or into a unlike clip once that new prune has been selected.
Annotation editing functions (e.m. copy, cut, paste, delete) can be used when working with note selections beyond clips and loop boundaries.
Fourth dimension in the MIDI Note Editor can be selected across loop and clip boundaries.

10.five.2 Editing in the Session View

In the Session View, you lot can select and view upwards to 8 looped MIDI clips at the same time. In the MIDI Note Editor, loop bars are ordered vertically (first by track, and and so by scene).

If multiple clips of different lengths are selected, the MIDI Annotation Editor volition testify every bit many loop iterations equally necessary for the clips to realign. Loop points are represented by blackness vertical lines in the MIDI Annotation Editor. Clips with a start marker set earlier the loop start are represented by a bar at the top of the MIDI Note Editor.

While multi-clip editing is useful for looking at clips across dissimilar tracks, it tin can also come in handy when you need to compare and edit multiple clips within the aforementioned rail. For instance, you lot can create evolving blueprint progressions past adding notes to a clip, so making a variation to the clip in the post-obit scene and then on, while maintaining an overview of the other clips in the rails.

x.5.3 Editing in the Organization View

In the Arrangement View, information technology is possible to select and view MIDI clips from up to eight tracks, across a selection of time. In the MIDI Note Editor, loop confined are ordered vertically by track and horizontally by time.

Notes can be drawn continually across clip boundaries, except in Focus Mode.

The MIDI Notation Editor will non testify silence before or after the choice of clips – instead, information technology will fit its display range to prove the outset of the first clip up to the end of the final clip in the selection. If the option contains looped and unlooped clips, the Loop button will announced half colored.

Source: https://www.ableton.com/en/manual/editing-midi-notes-and-velocities/

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