The CyberPlayer MIDI Sequencer is a full-featured yet easy-to-use software application for the recording, overdubbing, playback, and storage of Standard MIDI Files. CyberPlayer is your music-making interface to the CyberSynthｪ synthesizer. Use it to record, overdub, and playback your musical compositions and existing Standard MIDI File sequences.
What Is a Sequencer?
A sequencer records and plays back MIDI information as a ﾒsequenceﾓ of MIDI data events. When recording incoming MIDI information, it remembers the pitch of the notes (note-on value), when the notes are played (note-on location), how hard notes are hit (key velocity), and how long notes are held (note duration). It also records how the notes are modified in real-time (controllers such as mod wheel and sustain pedal), and which sounds are playing (program changes).
Once this MIDI data is recorded, its various attributes can be easily modified. The entire process is similar to using a word processing application, which sequences letters into words and paragraphs, forming a complete document. CyberPlayer is like a word processor in that it sequences notes into phrases and parts, and allows you to easily manipulate the data using Edit commands (such as Copy and Paste) to form a complete composition.
Basic Sequencer Concepts
A sequencer does not record the actual sound of the music like a tape recorder. It only records information about notes (such as timing and control information) that represent the music. Therefore, the music can be edited in much more powerful ways than a tape recorder would allow. For example, you can select different sounds after recording, such as changing a piano part to a harpsichord. You can change the tempo without affecting pitch, or transpose the pitch without affecting the tempo. Or, construct a piece of music by rearranging an existing verse and chorus into a verse-verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure using Copy and Paste commands.
A sequence can have up to 16 unique sound layers. These layers are called tracks. Each track has its own MIDI channel, note information, and sound program. A composition with multiple instrument parts is built up by recording the first track, then overdubbing additional parts onto other tracks while listening to the first track. This process can be repeated as desired, producing a complete musical arrangement.
CyberPlayer saves and loads its sequence files in the Standard MIDI File format for compatibility with other sequencer platforms. CyberPlayer also has a General MIDI (GM) mode that locks the drums to track 10 and selects the GM Bank. Any GM-compatible sequence will play with the correct sounds selected automatically.
Editing Sequences
Once recorded, sequence data can be easily changed using CyberPlayerﾕs extensive editing capabilities. The entire sequence, an individual MIDI event, or anything in between can be selected and modified. This section explains how recorded MIDI data is edited and gives a few editing examples.
Editing Conventions
The attributes of individual MIDI events are modified in the Track and Conductor windows. Multiple MIDI events on a track (or tracks) are batch processed using items in the Edit and Process menus.
Editing a batch of MIDI data on a track (or tracks) within CyberPlayer involves three steps, regardless of the type of edit being performed:
1. Entering an Edit Range to select the portion of time to be affected by the edit.
2. Selecting one track or multiple tracks for editing.
3. Selecting the editing function to be performed.
Edit Range
The range of time in bars, beats, and ticks between the edit start and edit end points is called the edit range. Performing an editing function only affects selected track data within the edit range.
Edit range locations are entered in the Edit Range window by typing values for bar, beat, and tick in the Edit start and Edit End boxes. Click the Entire Sequence button to automatically enter the full sequence length into the Start and End boxes.
You can avoid the Edit Range window altogether by Option-clicking the Edit Start or Edit End boxes (in the main expanded window, not the Edit Range window) to automatically enter the Location Display value into the Start/End boxes. Control-Option-click to automatically enter the entire sequence range.
Entering Edit Range Locations
To select the beginning of a measure, enter the bar number, beat 1, and tick 0. To select the end of a measure, enter the next highest bar number, beat 1, tick 0. For example, to select the first eight measures for editing, enter 1:1:0 (bar 1, beat 1, tick 0) for the Edit range Start value, and 9:1:0 (bar 9, beat 1, tick 0) for the End value.
Track Selection
Once an edit range is entered, a track is selected for editing by clicking once on the track name. A track name is highlighted to indicate that the track is selected. Select multiple tracks by Shift-clicking on track names.
Executing A Function
When an edit range is entered and a track (or tracks) is selected, items from the Edit or Process menus can be selected. Use the Edit menu to cut, copy, paste, merge, or clear selected tracks. Use the Process menu to modify the selected data.
Undo/Redo
When an edit is performed, the original unedited data is retained in a temporary data storage buffer called the Clipboard. Choosing Undo from the Edit menu after performing an edit restores the sequence back to the way it was just before the edit was performed. After performing an Undo, the Undo menu item changes to Redo. Therefore, if you decide you like the edit after all, you can ﾒUndo the Undoﾓ using the Redo function. This is different from the Revert function because Revert reloads the last saved version from disk, overwriting what is in memory. Revert discards all changes since the last save and cannot be undone.
Editing Examples
Here are a few editing examples to help you learn how to manipulate your MIDI arrangements.
Example 1: Copying a Track
This technique is useful for strengthening a particular part by layering additional sounds.
To copy the track:
1. Click the Edit Start display box (or choose Edit Range from the Edit menu).
The Edit Range window opens.
2. Click the Entire Sequence button, then click OK.
This automatically enters the full sequence length as the edit range.
3. Select the track to be copied (the source track) by clicking once on the track name.
Make sure the track name is highlighted indicating it is selected.
4. Choose Copy from the Edit menu.
This copies selected track data within the edit range into the Clipboard.
5. Select a destination track by clicking once on the track name.
Make sure the destination track name is highlighted, indicating it is selected.
6. Choose Paste from the File menu.
This moves the data from the Clipboard onto the empty track.
7. Click the Play Enable button for the destination track.
Now the same MIDI data is on both tracks. Click the Play Enable button for the destination track and select a different program on one of the tracks to layer two different sounds.
Example 2: Doubling the Length of a Track
This is useful if you have a 4 bar bass line on a track that you want to repeat so that it will be twice as long.
To double a trackﾕs length:
1. Click the Edit Start display box (or choose Edit Range from the Edit menu) to open the Edit Range window.
2. Enter 1:1:0 (bar 1, beat 1, tick 0) into the Edit Start box, and 5:1:0 (bar 5, beat 1, tick 0) into the Edit End box, then click OK.
This selects the first 4 bars of the sequence as the edit range.
3. Select the track to be doubled in length (the source track) by clicking once on the track name.
Make sure the track name is highlighted indicating it is selected.
4. Choose Copy from the Edit menu.
This copies selected track data within the edit range into the Clipboard.
5. Click the Edit Start display box (or chooseEdit Range from the Edit menu) to open the Edit Range window again.
6. Enter 5:1:0 (bar 5, beat 1, tick 0) into the Edit Start box, and 9:1:0 (bar 9, beat 1, tick 0) into the Edit End box, then click OK.
This selects the second 4 bars as the time destination for pasting.
7. Make sure that the source track is still selected.
Make sure that its track name is highlighted, indicating it is selected.
8. Select Paste from the file menu.
This moves the data from the Clipboard onto the track at bar 5. The track is now 8 bars long, with the first 4 bars repeating once.
Example 3: Copying and Pasting a Section With Multiple Tracks
Imagine that you have an 8-bar chorus section starting at location 17:1:0 that you wish to repeat twice at location 49:1:0. The following technique allows you to copy and paste all tracks that comprise the chorus.
To copy a sequence section with multiple tracks:
1. Open the Edit Range window and enter 17:1:0 into the Edit Start box, and 25:1:0 into the Edit End box, then click OK.
This selects the 8 bars where the chorus occurs as the edit range.
2. Choose Select All from the Edit menu.
This highlights all the track names indicating that all 16 tracks are selected for editing. (Shift-click to select/deselect certain tracks if you donﾕt want to copy all 16 tracks.)
3. Choose Copy from the Edit menu.
This copies selected track data within the edit range into the Clipboard.
4. Click the Edit Start display box (or choose Edit Range from the Edit menu) to open the Edit Range window again.
5. Enter 49:1:0 into the Edit Start box, and 57:1:0 into the Edit End box, then click OK.
This selects the 8 bars beginning at 49:1:0 as the time destination for pasting.
6. The source tracks should still be selected.
Make sure that the track names are highlighted, indicating that they are selected.
7. Choose Paste from the File menu.
This inserts the data from the Clipboard onto the tracks at bar 49.
8. Open the Edit Range window again and enter 57:1:0 into the Edit Start box, and 65:1:0 into the Edit End box, then click OK.
This selects the 8 bars beginning at 57:1:0 as the time destination for pasting.
9. Choose Paste from the File menu.
This inserts the same data, which is still in the Clipboard, onto the tracks at bar 57. The chorus section now repeats twice at location 49:1:0.
Example 4: Transposing an Entire Sequence
Imagine that you have a sequence that you want to sing along with but the key is too high for your singing range. The following example demonstrates how to transpose the sequence down a minor third.
To transpose a sequence:
1. Click the Edit Start display box (or choose Edit Range from the Edit menu) to open the Edit Range window.
2. Click the Entire Sequence button, then click OK.
This automatically enters the full sequence length as the edit range.
3. Choose Select All from the Edit menu.
This highlights all the track names indicating that all 16 tracks are selected for editing.
4. Open the Transpose window by choosing Transpose from the Process menu.
5. Enter ﾒ-3ﾓ half steps into the Transpose value box, then click OK.
The entire sequence pitch now plays a minor third lower. You can choose Undo from the Edit menu if you donﾕt like the editing results.
Example 5: Quantizing Part of a Sequence
Imagine that you have a rhythm section that sounds great everywhere except at bars 9 and 10, where the timing falls apart. The following example demonstrates how to quantize it to automatically correct the timing of the notes.
To quantize part of a sequence:
1. Open the Edit Range window and enter 9:1:0 into the Edit Start box, and 11:1:0 into the Edit End box, then click OK.
This selects bars 9 and 10 as the edit range.
2. Choose Select All from the Edit menu.
This highlights all the track names indicating that all 16 tracks are selected for editing. (Shift-click to select/deselect certain tracks if you donﾕt want to quantize all 16 tracks.)
3. Open the Quantize window by choosing Quantize from the Process menu.
4. Select a note value for quantizing, then click OK.
Notes selected for editing are shifted to a timing grid based on this value. The note timings in bars 9 and 10 are now rhythmically perfect.
