Sequencer: Edit MIDI files
Go to menu Window => Sequencer => Main/Recorder.
Open MIDI File Greensleeves.mid.
You'll see 16 lines representing the 16 channels. On the right, the dark blocks indicate where the notes are. On the left you see the instrument settings. In the middle there are knobs that let you adjust the volume and other effects.
Click on the Play button.
While the MIDI file plays, the current barnumber is highlighted.
Drag the volume button (column "v") in channel 1 up and down, notice how the volume of the melody changes.
Also drag the volume of channel 10, 11 and 12 up and down.
In the Instrument column on the left, click on "BrasSect" in channel 1 and change it to 56-Trumpet.
Then click on Play.
Now right-click on the events column in channel 1, in the popup list select Event List.
As you can see, the instrument settings are stored in MIDI events in the sequence, just like notes.
The instruments must be defined before the notes start to play, so they are placed at the start of the first bar.
Press on the D-key of your computer keyboard until all the blue events on the top of the list are gone.
Close the eventlist.
You can see that the first 4 cells in the instrument settings are empty now.
Also the nobs nolonger have a white indication mark, but a less brighter blue mark.
That indicates that the setting is not defined, the indicator points to a default value.
Go to menu => Edit = > Undo and repeat that until the instruments on channel 1 are back as they were.
Right click on the events column in channel 1, in the popup list select Piano Roll.
Point the mouse to the second note.
In the upper right corner you see the values for this note, it is a G5 with a length of 1:0432.
Move the mouse to the right side of the note, it's shape will change in a left-right arrow.
Now drag it to the left until it is half it's original size and click on Play.
Notice that the second note now plays shorter.
Click on stop and now point the mouse to the middle of the same note and drag it down from G5 to E5 and the next note from A5 to E5.
Click on Play, now it starts with 3 the same notes, but it still sounds nice.
Dragging with the right side of a note will make it longer and shorter, dragging with the left side moves it left and right and draggin with the middle area will move it up and down. Sometimes a not is to short for seperate areas, then you can only drag it shorter and longer.
Point at the short high note in bar 3, notice that the pointer will not change to a up-down shape.
Drag it to the right to make it longer, now drag it up to E6 and make it shorter again.
Press Play.
Notice the higher short note and click Stop.
Point at a note with the V-key pressed down and scroll the mouse wheel, the velocity of the note will change.
Right click on the note and hear the change in velocity.
Click on the + and - buttons in the lower right corner, notice how they effect the horizontal and vertical size of the notes.
Press the D-key, the mode will temporary change to delete mode as long as the d-key is pressed.
Point the mouse to the third note, keep the d-key pressed and click.
The note disappears.
Now point to the place where the deleted note was, keep the i-key pressed and click.
A selection window for the note length appears, click on the quarter note, that is the third note on the first row.
A new note appears. If it is not exactly on the right place then drag it there.
Place a few notes halfway in between the vertical lines, then change the Grid from None to Quarter and do it again.
Notice that now the notes will automatically snap to the beats.
Change Length to 1/4 and insert some notes.
Now you don't need to select the note length each time.
Go to menu Window => Sequencer =>EventList.
Change "Show event types:" from "All" to "Marker, Lyrics, Text", you'll see that the lyrics are including in this MIDI file.
Change the event types back to All and change the selection for Channels from All to 1.
Scroll to the top of the list.
When you click on an event in the list it will highlight, if it is already highlighted then it will activate the element that you clicked on.
Click on Ticks in the first event.
The barnumber part of the ticks will highlight and a scroll-control will appear.
You can change the barnumber with the scroll-control or you can type the new value.
Click on the beat part or the ticks part to change that with the scroll-control.
Change the ticks to 1:01:0001 and press return or click anywhere on the window.
The event will now have moved down the list.
Change the channel from 1 to 2.
The event now disappears because it is no longer within the current selection.
Click on the first event to activate it and then press the i-key.
The event has now doubled (the d-key will delete an event).
Click on the Type in the first event.
A window appears with a lot of options.
Note, Patch and Controller are what you will be using most, select Patch.
Click on Value1 and select 11-Vibraphone.
Press Play again.
Go to menu Window => Sequencer =>Staff.
Change Channel to 1.
Right click on a few notes to hear them play.
Drag the third note (with the word "my") down to the lowest line (E5), but before you release it ensure that it is brown coloured (drag it left or right until it is) and that it has no preceding # or b (drag it up and down).
Click Play.
Press the d-key and keep it pressed, you will see the Mode change from Modify to Delete.
With the d-key pressed, click on the third note, it will disappear.
Now keep the i-key pressed.
The Mode will change to Insert and when you point to the horizontal lines, an extra note will appear.
When it is halfway inbetween the notes and rests it is grey, when it is on the same spot as a note or rest it is brown.
With the i-key pressed, point the note until it is at the same spot as the rest with the word "my" (note must be brown coloured) and has the pitch A5 (listed in the upper right corner).
Then click and select the third note on the first line (1/4) in the popup window.
If you insert a lot of notes with the same length you can change Insert from Variable to 1/4 note.
Insert a new note at the same spot (must be brown) as the one you just inserted but now with the pitch E5.
Now there are two notes on the same stick.
Click Play and notice that the third note plays with a harmony.
Change the Grid from 1/16 to 1/4, keep the i-key pressed and move the extra note from left to right.
Notice that there are no longer grey-notes between the quarter notes.
Because the grid is 1/4, you can't insert in between the 1/4 notes, only after the half-notes it is still possible to place an inbetween note.
Change both the Grid and the resolution to 32.
See how confusing that looks, the length of the notes it displayed more correct now, but it is quite unreadable. That is why the resolution of the displayed note-symbol length is by default 1/4.
Keep the l-key pressed, point at the second note and use the mouse scroll wheel to adjust the length from 1:0432 to 2:000.
Go to menu Edit => Transpose events, select Semitones -5 and click OK. Now all the chords are changed and when you click on play everything is played lower.