Note(s) Tab

The Note(s) tab of the Note Properties window is shown in the following figure.

If multiple selected notes have different properties, these properties are displayed as dashed lines. Any changes made in these or other properties apply to all selected notes.

This tab contains the following settings:

• MIDI Note

  Defines the pitch as a note name and octave. Use the up-down arrows to change the note name. Enter an octave value in the range from 0 to 10, or use the up-down arrows to select a value. MIDI note values range from C# 0 to G10, which are equivalent to MIDI numbers 1 through 127. Though you can enter the MIDI note C0, it has a MIDI number of 0, and DirectMusic Producer does not play this pitch. Also, if a pattern encounters a low chord in a segment, low notes may be transposed below C#0 and will not play.

• Scale Function

  The three values below the note and octave boxes define the basic functionality of a note. As you enter notes in a pattern, their scale function is calculated according to the chord for composition. Scale function indicates how the note is performed against a chord or scale. For example, a 5# against a D Major chord is performed as an A#, and a 3b against a D minor chord is performed as an E. Use the Dia box to set the note's function in the diatonic scale; the Chr box to set its function in the chromatic scale; or the unlabeled box to change its position in the scale.

• Velocity

  Represents the speed at which the signal from a pressed MIDI piano key is sent, and is usually translated as volume. Enter a value in the range from 1 to 127.

  The text box labeled with a plus/minus sign specifies a range within which the velocity can vary randomly. Values can range from 0 to 127. If you specify a value of 10 for a note that has a base velocity of 100, the velocity of the note when played varies between 95 and 105. Randomness can make the performance sound more realistic.

• Playmode

  Specifies how the selected notes are transposed according to the underlying chord. For information about the options in the Playmode list, see Play Mode. The Default setting specifies that the play mode for the notes is the same as the default play mode for the part, set in the Part Properties window.

• Start Time, End Time, and Duration

  Defines the note start time, end time, and duration, expressed as bar (measure), beat, grid, and tick values. They can be used for one or more selected notes.

  The two text boxes under Random specify a range within which the start time and duration can vary randomly. This value can be in the range from 0 through 1650. A value of 100 results in a randomization of up to 50 ticks in either direction, and a value of 1650 results in a randomization of up to 825 ticks in either direction..

• Map to Chord

  Determines the bar and beat location of the chord that notes map to. This is particularly effective when a note occurs in anticipation of a chord change. For example, a note starting on the second half of beat 2 and sustaining into beat 3 should usually be mapped to beat 3. The default setting is the beat of the start time for the note.

  Note   The mapped beat should not be more than a second after the note start time, because DirectMusic normally prepares notes only a second before they play. However, applications can extend the prepare time in the playback of your file, making it possible to extend the distance between note start and mapped beat. For more information, see DirectX Audio Help in the DirectX SDK documentation.

• Override Inversion Group

  Contains settings for creating and defining groups of notes that override the Inversion Boundaries set in the Part Properties window. It can be used for one or more selected notes. All notes belonging to the same group are shifted together if the first note played in the group lands outside the inversion boundaries. For example, if you create a pattern with a chromatic run from C4 to C5, you can set the upper inversion to C5. Over a 2 C chord, the scale plays as expected all the way to C5. Over a 2 B chord, the scale plays as B4 to B5, nearly an octave higher. If the chromatic run is from C4 to G4 in the pattern, with an upper inversion boundary of G4, then the scale plays as B3 to F#4 when played over a B2 chord.