Instruction Manual

484 Editing MIDI Events and Controllers
Controllers, RPNs, NRPNs, and Automation Data
data from within SONAR, or record them from external devices such as
MIDI keyboards.
Controllers let you control the detail and character of your music. Say
you’re playing a guitar sound on your synthesizer, but it sounds lifeless and
dull. That’s partly because a guitar player doesn’t just play notes one after
another—he often bends or slides on the strings to put emotion into his
playing. You can use controllers in the same way, creating bends, volume
swells, and other effects that make sounds more realistic and more fun to
listen to.
Your computer can work the controllers on your electronic instrument by
sending MIDI Controller messages. The MIDI specification allows for 128
different types of controllers, many of which are used for standard
purposes. For example, controller 7 is normally used for volume events,
and controller 10 is normally used for pan. Every controller can take on a
value ranging from 0 to 127.
The Piano Roll toolbar contains several dropdown lists that let you choose
the controller you want to see and edit. The contents of these lists depend
on the output and channel settings and on the instrument assigned to that
output and channel. Different instruments use controllers in different ways.
See the online help topic: Instrument Definitions.
Note: SONAR has automatic searchback for all continuous controller data
to ensure that the correct controller values are in effect regardless of where
you start playback. Suppose you start playback halfway through a project.
SONAR searches back from that point to find any earlier controller values
that should still apply.
RPNs and NRPNs
RPNs (Registered Parameter Numbers) and NRPNs (Non-Registered
Parameter Numbers) are similar to controllers, except that both the
parameter number and data value can be any number between 0 and
16,383.
When RPNs and NRPNs are transmitted via MIDI or stored in a standard
MIDI file, they are converted into four separate controller messages.
SONAR detects incoming xRPN messages from MIDI inputs or files and
reassembles them into a single RPN or NRPN event. This provides the
convenience of single RPN or NRPN events in SONAR plus compatibility
with existing files, equipment, and software. The following table shows the
controller numbers SONAR uses for RPN and NRPN events: