User Manual

CHANGE KEY
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window. Each key change affects the spelling of
notes to just before the beginning of the next key
change. Key changes only affect the display of note
pitches; they do not change the actual MIDI data in
your sequence.
If there is no key signature entered at the beginning
of the sequence, the default key is C major (no
sharps or flats).
It is possible to put key changes in the Conductor
track of a song, but they will have no effect on the
spellings of notes in sequences contained in the
song. Only key changes in the Conductor track of
the sequence will affect notes within that sequence.
TYPES OF KEY SIGNATURES
Key signatures in Digital Performer actually have
two components: the standard key signature (up to
seven sharps or seven flats), and note-spelling
assignments for non-diatonic notes (notes not in
the basic scale of the key). A key has five non-
diatonic notes; Digital Performer allows you to
decide how each of them will be spelled. In the key
of D, for instance, you can name the note that lies
between B and C sharp either B sharp or C natural.
You can choose from three types of key signatures:
■ Major: Any key from C sharp major (7 sharps) to
C flat major (7 flats)
■ Minor: Any key from A sharp minor (7 sharps)
to A flat minor (7 flats)
■ Custom: You can choose a signature with 7
sharps to 7 flats and call it what you wish. This is
useful for modal key signatures: C Phrygian, for
example, has 4 flats. The key signature name is only
for your reference: only the key signature itself is
displayed on the staff in the QuickScribe Editor.
INSERTING KEY SIGNATURES
To insert a key signature or add a key change, keep
these guidelines in mind when using the Change
Key window (Project menu>Conductor
Track>Change Key) .
Specifying the sequence or song to insert a key
change into
If a Tracks window is active, the key insertion will
apply to that sequence. If the Chunks window is
active, the key insertion will apply to the
highlighted Chunk or, if no Chunk is highlighted,
to the current play-enabled Chunk. If an edit
window is active, the key insertion will apply to
whatever sequence it belongs to.
When you open the Change Key window (Project
menu>Conductor Track>Change Key), the name
of the sequence in which the key change will be
placed is displayed at the top of the dialog box.
Specifying the From and To locations
These locations specify the starting and ending
locations for the key change. Click on the fields and
enter the desired measure|beat|tick values. If you
have just entered a key change, the From location is
automatically set to the previous To location. Click
on the end of sequence button to change key from
the From location to the end of the sequence.
Choosing note spellings
Click on each note in the spellings list to select it
and choose the desired spelling from the available
ones displayed.