Performer
If the Arranger Window is the panoramic view of your project, then the Performer is the workshop. It's in this pianoroll style canvas where dedicated midi users do much of their work, shaping and molding a midi performance with the primary tool of their trade.
The Performer (PR) is, using the same analogy, a complete toolset. Any midi data can be inputted, edited, or removed, in the PR. The PR can hold several parts at a time, doing away with the need for multiple PR windows, one for each part. For example, in the picture below you can see in the controller lane for volume, with some faint lines running across the drawn volume swell. These are the current volume settings for inactive parts you've loaded into the PR. They serve as a guide when you're editing controller data across multiple parts, and make it easy to "match" data you're inputting across those parts.
The Performer contains 5 essential sections.
The Menu section
In the Menu region, there are the menus for PR related options and functions. On the right of this bar is a text box showing current patch loaded for the active part. When you have program change flags for the part, it will change accordingly.
**The Transport section**
The transport section contains all the essentials for managing transport state, the midi panic button, and values for the part, or active note you're working with.
The Tool icons:
Pointer The pointer is your default to navigate and select with.
Pencil The pencil can be used to draw notes in the main canvas and draw events in the controller lanes. Hold the SHIFT key with the pencil, and draw any curve or shape you want.
Eraser The Eraser tool removes events you click on.
Linetool The line tool, used in the controller lanes, is used as a click once, click again tool to create smooth sets of events. After selecting the line tool, you click where you want the line to start, and then move the mouse to where you want the line to end, and click again. This draws a line across events, and modifies them accordingly.
step input This toggle button (CTRL + F8) turns step inputting on and off.
Speaker The speaker button turns on and off the ability to hear the currently active note.
Multipart The multipart button shows or hides any ghosted parts or notes in the main canvas.
The Transport icons:
Universal return (Shortcut ** U ** ) This is the universal return tool. This function enables you to set a playback position with the cursor (PB), start playback, and when you press stop, the PB will return to the position you set automatically. A highly useful feature for tweaking and editing the same phrase until it's what you want. To turn it off, press CTRL + U, and the PB cursor will behave normally.
Loop This is the loop function tool.
Left Indicator This is the left indicator icon, used for positioning the left indicator in the ruler, and usually associated as one of a pair with the right indicator. Both indicators form a section within your project, that can define adding new parts, performing functions within a specified section, and importantly, are your indicators for punch in/out recording.
Right Indicator This is the natural partner of the Left Indicator.
Home (Shortcut Home ) This function is to return the playback cursor to the start of your project.
Reverse (Shortcut CTRL + Left Arrow) This function moves the playback cursor back in the timeline, by grid, according the the snap value you have set.
Forwards (Shortcut CTRL + Right Arrow) This function moves the playback cursor forward in the timeline, by grid, according the the snap value you have set.
Stop (Shortcut SPACE as a toggle with the play function) This function stops playback.
Play (Shortcut SPACE as a toggle with the stop function) This function starts playback.
Record (Shortcut toggle R on/off ) This function arms and dis-arms the global record state, and arms a selected track as well, if the track is not armed already.
Solo Button As the name says, this is the solo button for the track you're working in. (shortcut is S , the same as the solo function in the main Arranger window)
Panic (Shortcut P ) This function is Midi Panic, and it sends an all notes off message globally, immediately stopping any midi events playing at the time. Highly useful for cutting off hanging midi notes, if the sampler or synth fails to responds to normal note off events, or the event was lost, for some reason.
The Orchestra Pit
It's here in the Conductor tab of the Orchestra Pit that we notice a similarity with the main arranger window resource centre tab "Patch Sequencer". This section, and that tab, are linked, and any changes made in the Performer (PR) Patch Sequence will reflect in the Resource Centre tab. In the above picture, you can see there are a set of tabs already loaded with some checked, ready to use the Patch Sequencer. (You can find our more about the Patch Sequencer and how it works, in the Patch Sequencer page of this manual)
The Performer canvas
The PR canvas is your canvas, ready for your creative input. It's here that notes are entered,edited, and removed, program changes are entered (in the ruler bar)and removed, and is a direct picture of where you are in the timeline.
The controller lanes
The controller lanes are your window to expression. In the controller lanes, with the pencil tool (shortcut is ** D ** ) you can draw curves, lines, edit events of all types and any function that is CC editable. By default, the PR opens with Volume and Velocity lanes open, but with the CTRL button at the bottom of the controller lane section, you can popup a menu to add more lanes. Each lane has an S and a X in its header. S opens the menu to change the CC type, and X closes the lane.
**Some useful commands**
There are some shortcuts in the PR that will help speed up your workflow, and enhance your midi editing experience. Here's a few:
**Universal return** (Shortcut is **U** )This shortcut gives you the opportunity to start the playback cursor from the same spot in the timeline, when turned on. It's particularly useful when you want to play over the same section, tweaking as you go, and hearing the result. Simply position the PB cursor where you want play to start, then press **U**. Each time you press stop, the PB cursor will return to the same point. When you're ready to move on and select a new universal position, simply press **U** again, and move the PB to a new location, repeating the process again, if desired. you can reset the position at any time, even during playback.
To turn the Universal Position function off, press CTRL + U .
CTRL + RETURN The ctrl + return action performs a specific task in the PR, and that is move the focus around what we consider to be the working trio of panels, being the patch list, patch sequencer, and main canvas. From inside either the patch sequencer, or main canvas, you can insert patches in the timeline where the PB cursor is located. It is more than reasonable to assume that when inserting patch changes in, for example, a song length part, you need never leave the patch sequencer when inserting patches in the timeline, for the entire length of the part. CTRL + return will enable you to rotate from panel to panel quickly, without using the mouse, if so desired. And this function proves highly useful when adding patches to the PS from the patch list. Add the patches you want, with the I key, then press ctrl + return to move the focus to the PS, and start adding patche to your masterpiece. Both the patch list, and the patch sequencer can be navigated with the up and down arrows. Note that pressing left or right arrows moves the focus back to the main canvas automatically.
Zoom and Scroll The zoom and scroll features in the PR are excellent, and easy to use with few shortcuts to learn. In summary:
Vertical Zoom -- CTRL + SHIFT + PgUp/Pgdown .
Horizontal zoom -- CTRL + PgUp/PgDown .
Scroll canvas up and down -- SHIFT + PgUp/PgDown .
Scroll canvas horizontally -- H/L (left/right).
Note movement navigation -- ALT + left/right/up/down arrows
** Working in the Performer (PR) **
The PR will be familiar to experienced users as a matrix or pianoroll style editor. Notes are entered in the main canvas, and underneath that, the user can use and add controller lanes to edit CC data. The PR opens with the Volume, Velocity, and modulation CC lanes visible by default. To add additional lanes, press the ** CTRL ** icon at the bottom of the window, and a new lane will appear, which is Velocity by default. Press the ** S ** button in the header, and a list of possible CC lane types will appear. This list is initially populated with lane types you specified for the instrument set when you built the .idf file, but you can add any type you want from the sub menu. You can remove a lane at any time by pressing the ** X ** button.
On the left of the window, in the Orchestra Pit, is your bank and program change (patch) menu tab, called the Conductor . This is laid out in 2 panels vertically, which are firstly the group and patch lists you built in your .idf file in a tree format, and under that the patch sequencer. To add a patch to your patch sequencer (PS), simply select the required patch, and either doubleclick it, or press the ** I ** button. You can quickly build up sets of your favourite patches in the PS, as well as organising them in any order you like with the up and down arrows, or deleting them from the PS altogether. This system of bank and patch management has proved to be highly efficient here at the OpenOctaveProject, and puts your entire sample lib collection at your fingertips. Inputting many bank and patch changes across many tracks is a time consuming task, and our unique system, designed and built by the OpenOctaveProject team, seeks to reduce that workload as much as possible.
In the patch list above the PS, you can audition your patches first. We added this particularly for users of large sample libraries, who may be used to a familiar set of patches, and don't always remember the sound or effect of those patches they only use occasionally. Simply single click the patch and it will load, then try it out. Remember you will hear the last patch loaded, so if you want to go back to a patch, for comparison, as an example, you single click on it.
More about the Patch Sequencer, and it's powerful functions can be found on the Patch Sequencer page in this quick start manual.
** Step Inputting **
For any serious midi user's toolbox, Step Inputting is an essential addition. When confronted with a phrase you wish to write that is beyond effective or physical input from a midi keyboard when live recording, Step Inputting takes over, and enables you the chance to bring any phrase or complex set of notes to life. In OOM2 it's a simple process. Press the
**Step Input** toggle button (shortcut is **CTRL + F8** ) to enable it, and then set your grid size with the numerical keys, 1-7. When you enter a note, the playback cursor will advance to the end of the newly entered note, ready for the next entry. Simple. Using the grid size integers to determine the length of the note about to be inputted, the user can, with a little practise, enter notes at speed, and quickly build up a song, entirely within the PR, using step input note entry, live record right in the PR, and manipulation of CC data in the controller lanes to make that masterpiece sound more real.
Adding program changes
If there's a workflow function that can be done badly, or as an afterthought, it's adding program changes to a timeline. We put a great deal of thought into ours, and as a result, have a highly efficient system that takes much of the manual work out of adding, editing, and removing program changes, or as they are more commonly known, patches.
The process, like so much of OpenOctaveMidi's structure is simple, and user friendly, and this can be done with the mouse, or using qwerty shortcuts. In the case of simply adding a patch, using the mouse, select the patch in the PS, and then click in the timeline where you want the patch to be added. For shortcut users, click on the patch in the PS, then press ** \ ** (backslash). This will add the patch at the PB cursor.
Any patch that's added appears in the top strip of the timeline, as a flag.
(Picture of patch flags in the timeline)
Now we've added the patch, we may want to remove it. Click on it with the mouse, and press delete, and for shortcut users, position the PB cursor directly under the flag, and use the shortcut CTRL + \ . If you want to move the patch along the timeline, for example after you've moved the corresponding note, then select it with the mouse left button, and holding the button, drag it left or right. Note: We are currently working to provide a shortcut set to carry out these functions, but they're not ready yet.
A simply, efficient, and fast way of managing your program changes, as you edit, resulting in much less manual work.
Multiple Parts in the Performer
OOM, unlike many other programs, has a multi-part PR. Users can open multiple parts in one instance of the PR, compared to many commercial and opensource DAWs that require you to open a separate PianoRoll or matrix style instance for each part, or equivalent of a part.
We've taken this a big step further, and built tools that enable the user to work entirely in the PR, without referring to the Composer at all. The pianoroll interface has been around for quite some time now, and many users "read" pianoroll as easily, for example, as they read notation. We've concentrated on making it as easy as possible to work this way.
Work in progress....