Reference Guide

739
Controllers, RPNs, NRPNs, and automation data
Editing MIDI events and continuous controllers (CC)
Controllers, RPNs, NRPNs, and automation data
SONAR projects contain a lot more information than the notes and digital audio files that are at the
heart of your work. Controllers, RPNs, and NRPNs (xRPNs, for short) are special types of events
used by MIDI software and hardware to control the details of how MIDI music is played. Automation
data are used to adjust volume, pan, and other parameters of MIDI and audio tracks on the fly while
playback is in progress.
SONAR lets you enter or edit controller, xRPN, and automation data in several ways:
• Using envelopes in the Track view
• Using the Piano Roll view and Inline Piano Roll view
•Using the Insert > Series of Controllers command
• Editing controller events in the Event List view
Editing data in the Track view’s Clips pane or the Piano Roll view gives you great flexibility. You can
examine the controllers in graphical form and edit them even while recording or playback is in
progress. This means you can loop over a portion of your project and hear any change you make on
the next loop.
For more information about automation, see “Automation” on page 1001 and “Mixing” on page 829.
For more information about the Event List view, see “The Event List view” on page 742.
See also:
“Adding and editing controllers in the Piano Roll” on page 695
Controllers
Controllers are the MIDI events such as volume, sustain pedal, and pan that you use to change the
sound while you're playing. You can enter controller 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.
Note: MIDI envelopes you create in the Piano Roll view and MIDI envelopes you create in the
Track view Clips pane are actually separate envelopes, even if they control the same parameter.
Both kinds of envelopes are visible in the Clips pane, and should generally not be used to control
the same parameter. You can convert Piano Roll view envelopes to Track view envelopes by
selecting the time range and tracks that the Piano Roll envelopes occupy, and using the Track
view Clips > Convert MIDI Controllers to Envelopes command.