How to handle veloctiy in MIDI editor?

[HowlsWithWolves]

I am testing the free version and now come across the step where I want to modify velocity (that's the loudness of a note, right?). I have seen that I can either enter the velocity value after clicking on a note and drag the velocity handles if I open the velocity window below. But that is a bit tedious if I want to do a fade in of a clip for example.

I have then found the controller window where you can also edit a velocity parameter. In a very strange way I can draw a coarse curve freehand. Because of the freehand (why no cubic splines or even just straight lines from A to B?) the velocity curve is a bit of a mess but it works.

My first question is: how are these 3 input methods related? The first two seem to be linked, so when I change the value there it's the same after in the other. The controller however seems to be a different thing. Leading to the next question.

What happens when the values differ between midi window note (let's say 80 )and controller (50)? Does the controller override the other (velocity is 50?)? Are they combined (velocity is 50 from 80?)?

And the final question: How can I delete/reset the controller data? I have only managed to delete the whole clip!

I have read the user guide but it doesn't answer these questions, so any hints would be much appreciated.

TIA Chris

[Watchful]

Officially, velocity measures how hard you hit the note on a keyboard; generally, a harder hit results in a louder sound, but by no means is that always the case. Velocity can even control the filter, color, timbre, or any aspect of sound based on how it's programmed.

An individual note will have a unique velocity; three notes in a chord, for example, can each have a different velocity. As a result, you can change a single note (click on it in the MIDI editor and changes its value in properties), or you can draw in a trend of notes with the pencil. If you draw in a value over a chord, though, all three or four notes of that chord wind up with the same velocity, which you may not want. You've discovered both these methods. And you can drag a handle as a third way to control the velocity up or down, exactly as you've also discovered.

But the best way to control volume (by itself) is through master automation. The problem with treating velocity as volume is you'll never get a perfect, even fade out: some instruments even at 0 velocity still give off a faint sound! Look into using automation on the master volume to really fade in or fade out.

To your questions: as a convenience, Waveform will "hold" the last value you typed in under the impression you'll be entering in a series of notes at the same velocity. You can change these after the fact.

The fastest way to reset these is to use the controller window, and use the pencil to draw in new values, or you can select a batch of notes and drag their handles down to 0. There's no one way to do it: whatever works faster or easier for you.

If, however, I had a bunch of notes entered in from a keyboard, their velocity values could be all over the place; sometimes, I want those to have the same value as some plugins play different effects at different velocity values. I would then select all those notes with my mouse in the edit window, and then use the properties pane to set them all to 64, for example.

I'm not sure if this answers or even helps--but if anything is of value, it's to be very careful about using velocity to control "volume" of a note. Different instruments do different things, and you can produce some very unwanted results that way.

[pough]

velocity (that's the loudness of a note, right?)

Sometimes. No VST (or patch in a VST) is under any obligation to obey velocity or have 0-127 line up logically with volume. A good modern real-drum machine will probably work as you expect but an emulation of an old analog drum machine might simply do note on or off without any velocity control.

For example, MicroTonic (synth drum machine) allows you to set how much velocity affects the oscillator, the noise, and the modulator independently from 0% to 200%. It will almost never behave as expected if all you want to to is use velocity for volume.

My first question is: how are these 3 input methods related? The first two seem to be linked, so when I change the value there it's the same after in the other. The controller however seems to be a different thing.

The first two are the same thing. I don't know what you're referring to for the third thing. By my count the controller section has 132 things it can control and none of them are named Velocity. I might have just missed it, though.

And the final question: How can I delete/reset the controller data? I have only managed to delete the whole clip!

Use the eraser tool. It's to the left of the line tool that you can use to draw nice even lines of notes or controller/velocity data.

If you're wanting to fade in the volume, your best bet is to automate a volume plugin. Note that you can add a second audio plugin to handle automation chores, freeing up the first to remain a relative volume control. That's what I usually do when I want to automate volume.

[Watchful]

The first two are the same thing. I don't know what you're referring to for the third thing. By my count the controller section has 132 things it can control and none of them are named Velocity. I might have just missed it, though.

The three ways to edit velocity in the OP's experience:

1. Edit the value in the Properties pane
2. Open the controller window and drag the little flag up or down.
3. Open the controller window and draw them in with a pencil.

I think there's a fourth way: using the mouse up or down, right? I disabled that feature because I've reassigned it, I think, but think there's a way to do that way when clicking on a note in the MIDI editor.

Velocity isn't assigned an official MIDI CC number since it's a performance dynamic, but you can view velocity settings from the same window (along with pitch bends, mod wheels, etc.).

[HowlsWithWolves]

Thanks for all the answers esp. clearing up that velocity is not loudness. As it literally means speed it makes more sense in the context of how hard you hit a key.

I will look into master automation. It sounds like what I wanted in the first place, but I haven't found that yet.

[Watchful]

It's easier than it sounds! The manual does a really good job of walking you through the step, too.

[Peter Widdicombe]

It might be nice to have a nice simple volume fade on MIDI clips, akin to what we have on audio clips...

[pough]

It might be nice to have a nice simple volume fade on MIDI clips, akin to what we have on audio clips...

What would it be fading?

[HowlsWithWolves]

Clearing up that velocity is something completely different than volume was a big help. I was able to reset/delete the volume data in the controller.

I am using a couple of Spitfire instruments and I found that they make a different sound at low or high velocity, like when you blow the flute/horn differently or use the bow on a string instrument. That's a great discovery for me

Something I found today is that I can do a "fade in" of the velocity. When I have notes selected little blue squares show on the top edge of the window where the velocity handles appear. When I move those, the velocities get dragged along the imagined line between the square I am moving and the other square enclosing the selection.

Something else I found by chance is that I have double notes on the same location. I saw that some of my orange notes where lighter than the others, although all velocity data was the same. When I deleted one, there was another hiding behind it.

What does a double note in the same location do? Does it stack up volume or something? And can I clean up all double notes?

I have had a look at the volume and pan in the mixer section on the right. It seems that the volume I set there is for the whole track. How can I manipulate the volume over time in a track?

[pough]

[HowlsWithWolves]

awesome thanks!

[Watchful]

Something I found today is that I can do a "fade in" of the velocity. When I have notes selected little blue squares show on the top edge of the window where the velocity handles appear. When I move those, the velocities get dragged along the imagined line between the square I am moving and the other square enclosing the selection.

Also a neat effect for percussion, especially orchestral percussion. Take a series of rapid notes from a clacker, and draw a roller coaster with the pencil across the velocities, and the dynamics will rise and fall with your drawn curves. I love that effect.

quote=HowlsWithWolves post_id=8075541 time=1617730245 user_id=506091]Something else I found by chance is that I have double notes on the same location. I saw that some of my orange notes where lighter than the others, although all velocity data was the same. When I deleted one, there was another hiding behind it.

What does a double note in the same location do? Does it stack up volume or something? And can I clean up all double notes?[/quote]
The only time this happens to me is when I use a multichannel MIDI keyboard, especially the Yamaha Montage. On that keyboard, a sound can have multiple parts. Recording a track when I have a multipart sound select records the same number of notes over each other, each with a different MIDI channel.

In other words, if I record a MIDI part while I have a four-part sound selected, I get four copies of the same note, all stacked. But each is assigned a different MIDI channel. I've gotten much better about choosing a sound with only one part if I'm controlling a plug in! Otherwise, I have to go in and edit like crazy. I've asked for a "select all notes on this MIDI channel" (that way, I can select channel 1, copy it, delete everything, and paste--resulting in just one channel of notes per clip, but so far this hasn't been implemented.

If you're not using a multichannel keyboard, I don't know what would be doubling your notes.

And by the way, you don't want that: it eats up polyphony on your plugins, and could very easily cause phasing issues as Waveform tries to play both notes at once.

[HowlsWithWolves]

The double notes thing: I have just ordered a midi controller keyboard today so, no it wasn't a keyboard thing. Right now I am just mouse-clicking the notes into the editor. I am guess I have either copy&pasted this mess or maybe the culprit was when I duplicate-dragged a clip in the track to a new location.

To clean this up I will just suck it up and go over each clip and clean it up manually and count this as a valuable beginners lesson I am having way too much fun at this stage so it's fine!

The video pointed out by pough is gold! Never would I have guessed that automation meant this. I came across this both in the UI and the manual but didn't go into it, as for I would have expected some sort of script that speed up repetitive tasks. I would call this volume editing! I guess there is a reason in music production history and that's also something I have to learn. This all seems like a new language I have to get to know.

If any of you have a good video explaining stuff like gain, attack, decay, reverb, delay etc. I would appreciate that very much. Whenever something with these in it pops up I just close it again as I have no idea what's going on.

BTW thanks to you all. Feels great to be in this community. My first project I am working on is at least 50% done and I look forward to share it when it is in good shape so you can see what you helped to create

Chris

[Watchful]

You're very much welcome here and look forward to your contributions.

Keep an eye on Zane's video channels: he uses Waveform for a majority of demonstrations and really shows off its horsepower in simple terms. I like his videos better than the official Tracktion ones because they go much deeper with useful features.

[Peter Widdicombe]

ADSR - Attack, decay, sustain, release. Easiest way to understand this is to try one simple one.

New track. Load 4OSC onto it. default * patch is a simple sine wave.
Play it. MIDI if you have it, or just use the virtual keyboard. Get an idea what the default is.

In the bottom, there is an ADSR curve with 3 points on it.
ATTACK is the first point. Drag it to the extreme right, and when playing note you hear the effect of a FAST attack. Drag right, and you hear the sound fade in at different rates.

Take the second one and drag right. Not much different. Move it DOWN and you now hear decay, even while the note is held. Bring it back up halfway. That is the SUSTAIN level. The line between the 2 is the DECAY.

Final block is the RELEASE - what happens when you release the key (how long to final sound)

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This is on VOLUME, but you have the same thing, conceptually, for pitch or filtering.