User guide

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15 Introduction to MIDI Editing
This chapter provides an overview of where you can best edit
different types of MIDI events in Logic Express.
Logic Express offers several MIDI event editors: the Score, Piano Roll, and Hyper Editors,
and the Event List and Transform window. Each editor provides a different view of MIDI
events and offers unique editing functions. These differences make particular MIDI
editing tasks easier, and you will often switch between multiple editors to get a part
just right. The following outlines the strengths of each editor:
 Score Editor: Used to create printed notation. Ideal if you like working with dots,
dashes, and lines.
 Piano Roll: Perfectly suited for making changes to the pitch and length of MIDI note
events. Note events are represented as horizontal rectangles on a grid. The length of
the rectangle is directly proportional to the note length. The pitch of the note is
indicated by the vertical position of the rectangle, with higher notes being placed
towards the top of the screen.
 Hyper Editor: Useful for creating MIDI drum parts, and altering the levels of individual
note events. It can also be used to create and edit MIDI controller information,
allowing you to draw curves that result in a filter sweep in an external synthesizer, for
example.
 Event List: Shows all MIDI event types as a list. This is the go to editor when you need
to make precise changes to any aspect of a MIDI event.
 Transform window: This is not really an editor, in the same way that the other
windows are. You use the Transform window for MIDI processing tasks, using
mathematical variables. While this might sound a little overwhelming, you can use
the Transform window to create a crescendo in a region, double or halve the speed
of notes in a region, and more. Many processes are available as presets, or you can
create your own.
Important: You can not perform any event editing operations—in the Arrange area or
the editors—unless the MIDI data resides in a MIDI region that exists in the Arrange
area!