User Manual

TOOLS
333
POINTER TOOL
The Pointer tool produces the standard
‘cross-hair’ selection cursor for ‘marquee’
selections over multiple events and and
‘finger’ selection cursor for selecting and editing
individual events. For example, you could select
several measures of notes by positioning the cross-
hair cursor over an empty portion of the data grid
and dragging out a selection box over the desired
events. Here’s a summary:
The Pointer tool can use different selection modes,
which will change what kinds of selections are
made in some places; see “Choosing a Pointer tool
selection mode” on page 526.
I-BEAM TOOL
The I-Beam tool allows you to make time
range selections in any graphic editor,
regardless of the material you are
dragging over to make the selection. Time range
selections in the Sequence Editor are much easier
with this tool, especially when you are making
selections that begin in the middle of soundbites.
As usual, you can hold down the Shift key while
using the I-Beam tool to extend or shorten the
current selection. Shift-click other tracks to add
them to the current selection without changing the
start and end times. To make a time range selection
that matches the duration of a soundbite or MIDI
note, double-click the soundbite or note with the
I-Beam. To temporarily get the I-Beam cursor
when another tool is selected, hold down the “ i ”
key.
Here are some further details about double-
clicking with the I-Beam to create time range
selections.
Selecting soundbites with the I-Beam tool
If, using the I-Beam tool, you double-click a
portion of a soundbite that is partially covered by
other soundbites, you’ll select the entire soundbite,
even the parts that are covered. However, if you
hold down the Option/Alt key while double-
clicking it with the I-Beam tool, you’ll only select
the portion of it that you clicked, as determined by
soundbites that cover it on either side of where you
click.
Double-clicking a soundbite with the I-Beam tool
can also cause Digital Performer to immediately
begin looping playback around that soundbite. For
details, see “Looping a soundbite” on page 200.
Selecting MIDI notes with the I-Beam tool
If you double-click a MIDI note with the I-Beam
cursor in a MIDI Editor, you aren’t really double-
clicking the note itself. Instead, you are clicking a
location in time for all pitches in the track. Doing
so creates a time range selection that is determined
by any notes of any pitch whose duration crosses
the time location you clicked.
Here’s an example: if you double-click a MIDI note
in a MIDI Editor, you’ll get a time range selection in
the track that matches the duration of the note. If
the note’s duration overlaps the duration of another
note (of the same pitch or a different pitch), then
you can double-click it with the I-beam tool in two
places: where it overlaps, or where it doesn’t
To do this: Do this with the Pointer tool:
To select an event Click it with the ‘finger’ cursor.
To select several events Shift-click each one.
To select a region of events Drag a selection box over them
with the cross-hair cursor. To
get the cross-hair, position the
cursor over an empty cell.
To select all events within a
time range
Drag in the time ruler.
To duplicate an event Option/Alt-drag it.
To move an event Drag it with the finger cursor.
To move several events
together
Select them, grab one with the
finger tool and drag.
To change the duration of a
note (only available where
note durations are displayed)
Position the cursor over its
right edge until you see the
‘hand’ cursor and then drag it.