Reference Guide

633
Extracting MIDI timing information from audio
AudioSnap (Producer and Studio only)
Extracting MIDI timing information from audio
Extracting MIDI timing information from audio allows you to:
• Double an audio rhythm with a MIDI instrument.
• Replace sounds in an audio clip (commonly used for drum replacement).
• Notate the rhythm of an audio clip.
• Align lyrics with an audio rhythm.
After you extract the timing information from an audio clip, the timing information is copied to the
Clipboard as MIDI note events. You can paste the MIDI notes to a new MIDI track or use the
Clipboard as a source for the Groove Quantize command.
To extract MIDI timing from an audio clip
1. Select the Smart tool in the Control Bar.
2. Assign the track’s Edit Filter control to Audio Transients.
3. Press A to open the AudioSnap palette.
4. Select the audio clip whose rhythm you want to extract.
5. Do any necessary quantizing, and disable any transient markers that you don’t want to extract
(see “Quantizing audio” on page 625 and “To disable a transient marker” on page 601).
6. With the clip still selected, click the AudioSnap Options button in the AudioSnap palette to
open the AudioSnap Options dialog box.
7. In the Convert to MIDI Note box, choose C3. This is the note most drum synths use for the bass
drum. If your favorite synth uses a different note, choose it now.
8. Choose a Note Velocities option: either accept the extrapolated velocities in the audio clip (the
Vary With Pulse Level option), or set a constant velocity for the notes in the Set All To Same
Value field.
9. Click OK to close the AudioSnap Options dialog box.
10. Click the Copy As MIDI button .
This adds the extracted groove to the Clipboard.
SONAR copies the audio rhythm to the Clipboard as a MIDI clip, with the same pitch assigned to
each note.
You can now paste the MIDI notes to a new MIDI track, use the Clipboard as a source for the
Groove Quantize command, or save the extracted groove as a Groove Quantize file.
To paste the extracted MIDI timing to a MIDI track
1. Click the track number of a MIDI track to select it.