How to edit or delete midi notes in midi track layers?

[Michael John]

Using Studio One 6.0.2.91029 Artist:

I have a vst on a track and have created many comping midi note layers. Is there a way to edit or delete midi notes on individual comp layers? I would like to delete measures in many track layers. Not the main track- only in some comp layers.

Highlighting a layer with mouse does not select the midi notes in a layer, it activates them to the main track. Thanks

 

[soundofdrums]

You’d need to activate the layer you want to edit, make the edits and then activate your main layer again (or whichever other layer you want to edit)

 

[Michael John]

You’d need to activate the layer you want to edit, make the edits and then activate your main layer again (or whichever other layer you want to edit)

That works thanks. But how do I keep the main track unchanged when activating layers to edit those layers? My main track is a mix of comping takes I selected and want to keep, but now I want to edit and clean up several midi note layers.

When I activate a layer the main track is replaced with that layer. Which lets me edit the notes of that layer. When I'm done with editing notes in many layers I want my main track as it was back. How?

 

[soundofdrums]

If you activate the layer you want to edit by using the arrow in the expand layers view it’ll just promote that layer up and move your comp layer back down into the inactive layer list. It shouldn’t overwrite it

 

[soundofdrums]

You could alternatively expand layers to tracks which would turn all of your layers into independent tracks. You could then just put them in a folder and mute them when you don’t need them and keep your comped track as the main working version.

 

[Michael John]

If you activate the layer you want to edit by using the arrow in the expand layers view it’ll just promote that layer up and move your comp layer back down into the inactive layer list. It shouldn’t overwrite it

Working, thanks! I had a hard time finding which layer my main track was on when I promoted a layer to edit it, because I have over 100 midi layers.

Question- when I promote a layer and edit it, which layer does the main go into? So I can locate it and promote it back to top.

 

[soundofdrums]

Good question, I actually don’t know. Just trying it quickly and I can’t seem to see a pattern, I imagine there must be a sensible reason for where they go.
You can rename your comp layer so it makes it obvious where it is…

 

[Michael John]

I'm finding that comp layers are not meant for lots of note editing but mainly for comping takes to the top. Even though you can edit a layer when it's promoted/activated, it's too confusing to try and track what layers you've edited. A promoted layer disappears when it becomes active. Because it disappears, layers are not meant for note editing.

So I will use the Unpack layers to tracks function to then do detail editing of take layers.

I'm use to Cakewalk comp layers working also as actual tracks at same time (they are new tracks but under the main track). Studio One layers are not new tracks until you unpack them. It's a great feature in Cakewalk to comp using actual tracks.

 

[lokeyfly]

That works thanks. But how do I keep the main track unchanged when activating layers to edit those layers? My main track is a mix of comping takes I selected and want to keep, but now I want to edit and clean up several midi note layers.

When I activate a layer the main track is replaced with that layer. Which lets me edit the notes of that layer. When I'm done with editing notes in many layers I want my main track as it was back. How?

What I do in such cases, where I might need to revert back before edits is easy.
Simply first, before you edit anything, right click on the track and select (Duplicate Track (Complete). Mute, the 1st track, or turn off the sound for those events to edit. Use the 2nd duplicated track to create your edits. You always have the initial track to revert back to.
If you dont wish to create a duplicate track, you can duplicate event(s) on the same track, and slide that past the end of the song as a reference.

 

[soundofdrums]

What I do in such cases, where I might need to revert back before edits is easy.
Simply first, before you edit anything, right click on the track and select (Duplicat Track (Complete). Mute, the 1st track, ir turn off the sound for those events to edit. Use the 2nd duplicated track to create your edits. You always have the initial track to revert back to.
If you dont wish to create a track, you can duplicate the event(s) on the same track, and slide them past the end of the song as a reference.

Or fill the scratchpad full of the 100 midi tracks…

 

[lokeyfly]

Or fill the scratchpad full of the 100 midi tracks…

Sure, however you wish. I also duplicate a track a lot when audio comping, so that I can revert back, or simply compare to the original. Reference points are always a great way to bank off of, or even use, partly.

 

[SwitchBack]

Working, thanks! I had a hard time finding which layer my main track was on when I promoted a layer to edit it, because I have over 100 midi layers.

Question- when I promote a layer and edit it, which layer does the main go into? So I can locate it and promote it back to top.

100 layers is a lot. If you use layers as intended it would mean you made 100 attempts to play a piece of music. Doesn't that make it awfully hard to select the best sections for your compound main layer?

Anyway, just to make sure, you know you can 'expand layers' (small ≣ icon in the left margin of the track header) to expand all layers at once? Once expanded you can colourise layers, e.g. make your compound layer red for easy finding. You can also change the order of the layers, e.g. drag your compound layer to the top of the list for quick finding. And your compound layer isn't going into a layer but it is a layer just like the others.

Only one layer can be active, and then edited. If sections of that layer are used in your compound layer then those sections in there will change with them, as intended by design. You can bounce your compound layer for a fixed version and then continue from there, as you see fit.

Here's a video visualising the process, with a few additional tips and tricks. It's for vocal tracks but midi works the same.

 

[Michael John]

That video and others I've seen never show a way to preserve the main track so you can go back after doing lots of comping from many layers. I can easily have over 100 comp take layers when writing complex midi piano parts. And find after many comps I would like to go back to compare at any point. Often find I liked what I had done before and want to back to it- but preserve all comp takes.

I don't want to Bounce layers to tracks as you can't comp with separate tracks.

I found that I can Duplicate the main track at any point and it copies the main track to a new layer. However it asks for a name but applies autoname and I have to right click to rename it. I might rename it as "Keep1" so I can find it later. I can then do more comping and listen to Keep1 again later by activating Keep1 or any duplicate I made. The problem is remembering to do this and that it takes four keystrokes. Would be nice to have a quick way to Duplicate the main track with one button push and autoname/number with a unique name like Save or Keep etc

The reason I wanted to be able to delete measures inside a layer was that somehow all 100+ layers duplicated themselves and I needed to delete the duplicate measures. I must have pressed D when whole track was highlighted. not sure

 

[SwitchBack]

I don't want to Bounce layers to tracks as you can't comp with separate tracks.

Quick reaction to this ^ one: True, you can't comp separate tracks. But you can add a new layer to your layered track, and then drag the bounced track in there. Problem solved.

As for deleting measures layered tracks are locked together in time. So deleting a section from the active track will delete that section from all layers too. Sometimes nice, sometimes not.

 

[BobF]

100 layers is a lot. If you use layers as intended it would mean you made 100 attempts to play a piece of music. Doesn't that make it awfully hard to select the best sections for your compound main layer?

Anyway, just to make sure, you know you can 'expand layers' (small ≣ icon in the left margin of the track header) to expand all layers at once? Once expanded you can colourise layers, e.g. make your compound layer red for easy finding. You can also change the order of the layers, e.g. drag your compound layer to the top of the list for quick finding. And your compound layer isn't going into a layer but it is a layer just like the others.

Only one layer can be active, and then edited. If sections of that layer are used in your compound layer then those sections in there will change with them, as intended by design. You can bounce your compound layer for a fixed version and then continue from there, as you see fit.

Here's a video visualising the process, with a few additional tips and tricks. It's for vocal tracks but midi works the same.

I don't do much MIDI comping, with audio I'd say 3 or 4 takes is where I stop. I couldn't imagine doing 100+ takes, then trying to comp a single track out of it. Not a criticism, I just can't get my around 100+ take comping.