NOTION Music Forum

Yesterday I tried to work with the SequencerStaff for the first time. I guess I had a feeling one could use it as a midi editor. I started by recording a drum beat using Addictive Drums and tried to edit my beat afterwards.

After a while I found it a bit frustrating, since I realized that SequencerStaff can't really do what a normal midi-editor can. I can't add notes with keyboard (essential in beat-programming). I didn't find a way to see the velocity value of the note nor could I change it with mouse (only keyboard shortcut with no feedback of the new value, only color). No visible grid to show how much I was offbeat when recording...

I wish SequencerStaff (being called "Sequencer" staff) would grow to be a better midi editor, since I think that's what it's designed for. Currently I find it really cumbersome to edit midi data on it. It could do so much better (grid, smaller steps when moving notes, numeric values when editing velocity, adding notes.

I also see really big potential in this Overlay mode. And I also realize how close in some way it is to SequencerStaff and they share functionality. So I guess it's only inevitable that these two eventually grow closer and closer to each other, if not merge.

How it would work could be that the checkbox "SequencerStaff" could just enable the notes to be viewed as midi blocks as it does now and after that you would just use the functionality of the Overlay mode to edit the midi data.

Hi possu,

For recording notes and events that are "musical" try recording them on a regular staff, but use the sequencer overlay mode. You can then use Step Entry and all available voices to define your pattern (since you mentioned you were recording drums). For CC changes, incidental Keyswitches etc, use the sequencer staff. Rest assured we will continue expanding the functionality of both.

Lubo Astinov

astinov wrote:Hi possu,

For recording notes and events that are "musical" try recording them on a regular staff, but use the sequencer overlay mode. You can then use Step Entry and all available voices to define your pattern (since you mentioned you were recording drums). For CC changes, incidental Keyswitches etc, use the sequencer staff. Rest assured we will continue expanding the functionality of both.

Lubo Astinov

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll try to do it on the notation-side.

This is something I didn't realize in the manual:

"By clicking and dragging on the end points of the bars you can adjust the note’s start and end times as well as “when” the note starts in the measure."

I worked all day in Notion today and found that one by accident. You can adjust the ends, but you can ALSO adjust the start of a note, therefore changing the offset of a note and create your custom groove/performance.

AND! Since performance is now separate from notation, I realized that when you record a performance and switch to Overlay mode, you can see the offsets in the notes (the colorful bars may start before or after the actual note.

THIS IS SOOOOO THE WAY TO GO!!! Thanks!!! Can't wait to see what comes next!!!