PT 110: Lesson 4: Working with MIDI & Virtual Instruments: Review and Discussion Questions

/ 7th March 2021 / Comments Off on PT 110: Lesson 4: Working with MIDI & Virtual Instruments: Review and Discussion Questions / Pro Tools, PT110
  1. What timebase do Audio tracks to default to? MIDI tracks? Instrument tracks? By default Audio tracks are sample-based, MIDI and Instrument tracks are tick-based
  2. Which ProTools timescales are absolute? Which are relative? What is the difference between absolute and relative timescales? Sample-based are absolute, tick-based are relative. Absolute timescales remain static and reference fixed measures of time (Samples, Minutes:Seconds, Timecode, Feet+Frames). Tick-based tracks conform to session tempo and reference the relative timescale of Beats| Bars
  3. How do audio clips respond to tempo changes on a sample based track? How do they respond if you change the track to tick- based (without using Elastic Audio)? They will remain static on a sample-based track – if you change an Audio Track timebase to tick-based, the start of the audio clips will become fixed to the Bars |Beats ruler and the start of the Clips will move relative to the sample timeline when tempo or meter changes occur
  4. Pro Tools provides 960 ticks per quarter note; how many ticks does it provide per half note? How many per eighth note? 1920. 480
  5. Why might you want to render a MIDI performance as audio? What are some of the available options for rendering a virtual instrument’s output to an audio file? To make edits or processing in a way that you can’t with MIDI, to save processing power. 1. Drag-and-Drop rendering. 2. Track Freeze
  6. What are some of the different options available for viewing data on MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Edit window? What kinds of operations can you perform in each view? Blocks, Clips view – displays MIDI data for arranging and assembling. Notes View – displays MIDI notes as small individual segments in piano roll style of editing. Velocity View – displays MIDI note attack velocity. MIDI Volume, MIDI Pan and Control Graph views – display automation playlists (Pitch Bend, Aftertouch, Program Change, SysEx) and CC Control line graphs (Mod Wheel, Breath, Foot Control, Expression, Sustain).
  7. Where are the MIDI input and output controls located for MIDI tracks in the Mix window? Where are they located for Instrument tracks? For MIDI: VIEW > I/O view – MIDI INPUT SELECTOR and MIDI OUTPUT SELECTOR. For Instrument: VIEW >Instrument view
  8. What does the MIDI Thru option do? How is it enabled? It allows incoming MIDI data to pass through a track to its MIDI output. OPTIONS > MIDI Thru
  9. What is the Default Thru Instrument setting used for? How can you change the Default Thru Instrument setting? It allows you to preview or audition any MIDI clip in the Clip List. SETUP > PREFERENCES > MIDI tab
  10. What keyboard modifier would you use when clicking on a MIDI clip in the Clip List to audition it? What is required for this process to play sound? opt-click. SETUP > PREFERENCES > MIDI tab – Default Thru Instrument – Follows First Selected MIDI track. Then in EDIT or MIX window select the MIDI track you want to to use as sound source.
  11. How is editing MIDI different from editing audio? How are MIDI notes affected when deleting a selection or trimming a clip compare to how audio waveforms are affected? When cutting, clearing or trimming a selection that includes a MIDI note’s start point the entire note is removed. Conversely, when cutting, clearing or trimming a selection that includes the note’s end point but not its start point the entire note remains and overlaps the end of the clip. When removing and placing MIDI clips with overhanging notes the notes move with the clips. When placing a MIDI clip with overhanging notes next to another clip the overhanging notes extend into the adjacent clip.
  12. What are some of the functions of the Pencil Tool when editing MIDI notes? In many ways the Pencil [f10] is a universal tool for MIDI. It becomes a Grabber Tool when placed over the middle of a MIDI event. It becomes Trim Tool when placed over either end of a MIDI event. opt-click = Selector Tool when not positioned over a note. ctrl+click = Marquee Grabber for selecting individual note and note ranges. cmd+click = Velocity Trimmer when placed over the middle of a note.
  13. What setting determines the Default Note Duration when adding notes with the pencil tool? How can the setting be changed? Current Grid Value. DEFAULT NOTE DURATION in the Edit window Tool bar
  14. How can you select a range of MIDI notes using the on-screen keyboard? Clips view: TAB TO TRANSIENTS allows you to move through subsequent MIDI notes (opt+TAB move to previous) shift+TAB = MIDI note selection. Notes / Velocity Views: Left/ Right arrow (shift+Left/Right extends note selection).
  15. What process can be used to transpose MIDI notes? What modifier can you use to transpose a selection up or down by an octave at a time? Select MIDI notes – Up/Down arrow chromatic or ctrl+Up/Down diatonic (based on Active key on the Key Signature ruler). shift+Up/Down octave. +opt to duplicate selected notes while transposing them, leaving the originals intact.
  16. How can you edit MIDI note velocities from the computer keyboard? Velocity view – Select MIDI note cmd+UP/DOWN (velocity +/- 5) cmd+shift+UP/DOWM (vel +/- 15)
  17. Describe some different ways of deleting notes on a MIDI or Instrument track. What track views allow you to delete notes? EDIT > CLEAR, DELETE , opt+Pencil = Eraser, double click with Grabber or Pencil. Notes / Velocity views.