Notes editor

JJazzLab embeds a Midi notes editor which is used to edit user tracks or song part custom phrases.

Melodic track

Drums track

Simplified score

For now the score panel (above) uses a simplified musical notation: notes positions are just aligned with the editor notes, without any embellishment. The score panel is not editable.

Opening the notes editor

Edit a user track

The notes editor is automatically opened when you add a user track. For existing user tracks, click the edit button in the track overview component, as shown below.

Rhythm tracks can also be edited with the notes editor by cloning them first as a user track :

Edit a Custom phrase for a song part

In the song structure editor, click the top-left button of a Custom phrase rhythm parameter:

Then select the phrases you wish to customize and press Edit to open the notes editor.

Moving and zooming

You can move the editor by pressing ctrl + dragging in the top ruler as shown below:

You can use the main application zoom sliders in the lower right corner, or use ctrl+mouse-wheel for horizontal zoom, ctrl+shift+mouse-wheel for vertical zoom.

Use ctrl-F to zoom to fit width.

Playback of the edited phrase

Use the toolbar button, or press ctrl-shift-SPACE, to start the playback in loop mode of the edited phrase, or of the playback loop zone if it is set.

Start playback button

Playback loop zone

A playback loop zone can be set by mouse dragging in the top ruler. Use shift+click in the ruler to extend the loop zone. Click in the ruler to remove the loop zone.

Snap to grid

Use the Snap to grid button (or press G) to snap notes to the grid when you draw/move/resize them. The size of the grid can be set using the drop-down list (1/4=quarter note, 1/8=quaver, ...):

When you move or resize notes with the Select tool, you can temporarily reverse the "snap to grid" setting by pressing alt.

To change the position of existing notes, use Quantize.

Edit tools

You can use 3 tools to modify notes: select tool, draw tool, erase tool. The 2 first edit tools are sensitive to the snap to grid settings.

Tools can be selected using buttons from the notes editor top toolbar, or by right-clicking in the editor:

Use the select tool to select, move, resize, copy (ctrl-C), delete notes (press delete). Drag to select several notes. Use ctrl-drag notes to duplicate notes. ctrl-shift-I invert the notes selection.

If one or more notes are selected, pasted notes are aligned with the first selected note. If no notes selected, pasted notes are aligned to the left side of the notes editor.

Use the draw tool to draw notes, and the erase tool to erase notes.

Changing notes velocity

Notes color vary with their velocity. There are several way to change notes velocity, as shown below.

Using the main editor panel

First select the notes to change. Then either use the velocity spinner in the toolbar, or use alt + mouse-wheel or alt + page up/down.

Using the velocity panel

Click or mouse-drag on notes to adjust their velocity.

Quantize & humanize notes

Use the Quantize button or press Q to move the selected notes start position on the current grid. If no note selected, all notes are quantized.

Check the Iterative box to perform iterative quantize : notes are gradually moved towards the grid. This is usually recommended to avoid a too mechanical sound.

You can also humanize all or selected notes. Humanization introduces slight random variations in the notes start position and velocity.

Once you clicked the Humanize button, you can adjust the humanization parameters and see the different results.

Example

This bass line is very uniform: all notes have the same velocity and are quantized. This sounds too "robotic".

We can use the Humanize dialog to improve this, as shown below.

Importing notes

You can import notes by dragging an external Midi file into the editor. You can also drag from an individual track in the mix console.

Importing a Midi file in the editor

If the imported Midi file contains notes from several Midi channels, then JazzLab only imports the notes which match the editor Midi channel.

If the imported Midi file only contains notes from a single channel, then JJazzLab imports the notes with the channel updated to the editor Midi channel.

Mouse shortcuts

Notes	ctrl-click	select multiple notes
Editor	drag	select multiple notes
Notes	drag	move/resize
Notes	ctrl-drag	duplicate notes
Notes	alt-drag	move/resize with snap-to-grid setting reversed
Notes	alt-wheel	change velocity
Editor	wheel	move editor up down
Editor	shift-wheel	movbe editor left right
Editor	ctrl-wheel	zoom horizontally
Editor	ctrl-shift-wheel	zoom vertically
Editor	ctrl-drag	Move editor
Ruler	drag	set playback loop zone
Ruler	shift-click	extend playback loop zone
Ruler	click	remove playback loop zone

Keyboard shortcuts

Selection	Key	Action
Notes	alt-up/down	change velocity
Notes	ctrl-C/X/V	copy/cut/paste notes
Notes	delete	delete notes
Notes	ctrl-shift-I	invert notes selection
Editor	ctrl-F	zoom to fit notes
Editor	Q	quantize
Editor	G	snap-to-grid
Editor	A	auto-scroll during playback
Editor	S	solo the edited phrase
Editor	H	hear the selected notes
Editor	Home/End	Move editor to start/end
Editor	ctrl-alt-space	play the edited phrase
Editor	ctrl-Z/Y	undo/redo