Appendix C. Logical Editing

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Appendix C. Logical Editing

Logical editing is another way of editing MIDI data. Using this method, you create specific parameters for Cubase to look for and then decide to change them, delete them, or move them. This is for the MIDI-savvy user , because you need to know how MIDI messages work to fully understand how logical editing works.

The Logical Editor affects events differently, depending on the location from which you launch it, but it always performs the tasks in the same way. For example, if you are in the Project window and have not selected any MIDI parts, it performs edits on all the parts for the selected tracks. On the other hand, if you have a part selected, it looks for and edits only events in that part. Finally, if you are in MIDI Editor, the Logical Editor performs its modifications on the events selected in this part or all events if none are selected.

You may use already created logical edit presets included with Cubase, or you may create your own and save them. Logical edits are stored as separate files on your hard disk and are common to any project.

Let's take a look at an example to begin describing how this interface works. You may refer to Figure C.1 to see what the following example is describing.

Figure Figure C.1. The Logical Editor used to transpose notes between C2 and G4 up a fifth.

Suppose you want to transpose notes that are between C2 and G4, up a perfect fifth. You can start by defining a function. Functions are what you want to do with the events you edit logically. In this case, you want to transform notes. So, in the upper-left corner of the interface, you select Transform from the drop-down menu (functions in this list are described later in this appendix).

What do you want to transform? In this case, once again, you want to transform notes. In Logical Editor terms, this is the target. To correctly target what you want to transform, you have to define it by using a filter, which tells Cubase what to look for, a condition that needs to be met, and parameters within the filter that should be applied. In our example, the target for your filter is a type that is equal to notes. That's why you see "Type is" under the Filter Target, "Equal" under the Condition, and "Note" under the Parameter column.

Now, do you want to transform all notes? In our example, we only want to transform the notes between C2 and G4. This is a second "target" you want to apply to the Logical Editor, so you add a second line using the Add Line button. If, at the end of the first line, you have a Boolean expression with the word "And," this tells Cubase to look for the target set in the first line and the second line. Events must then match both targeted conditions for the logical editing to occur. We then apply a filter to our second target, saying we want notes, but the pitch is important in our editing. So, Cubase filters certain pitch values. Because we want only pitch values between C2 and G4, the condition that needs to be met is set to "Inside Range." By selecting this type of condition, you can enter a note value in the Parameter 1 and Parameter 2 columns . These parameters correspond to the Pitch Inside Range values, which in this case are C2 and G4.

At this point, we've told Cubase to target a type of event that is equal to notes and the pitch value must be inside the C2 and G4 range. From this point forward, you tell Cubase what to do with these targeted events. This part occurs in the lower portion of the window.

Changing the pitch of these notes corresponds to the value 1 in the MIDI message because the pitch is the first value passed by the Note On message. You can, therefore, select this as the target for your action in the Action Target column. Now, what you want to do is transpose these notes up a perfect fifth. In other words, you want to add seven to each value passed on. This refers to MIDI note numbers . For example, a C2 note is equal to the MIDI note number 48. If you add 7 to this value, you get the note value 55, which is G3a perfect fifth above C2. The operation you want to apply in our example is "Add" and the Parameter 1 value is 7.

All that you need to do from this point is click the Do It button to apply this logical edit to the selected events or parts. What the Logical Editor affects depends on the location from which you launched the editor and if any events were selected. The Logical Editor edits a selected track, a selected part, or a selected range of events in a part, depending on the point at which you launch the Logical Editor.

Remember that using the Logical Editor allows you to modify events in a way that normally takes much more time if done manually in one of the editors. The previous example is just one of many ways you can transform MIDI events quickly and effectively, not to mention the creative aspects of the Logical Editor. For example, creating a textured melody using a copy of the MIDI events, transposed a third above but using a velocity level set at 25 percent of the original version, simply adds color to this melody without having it stand out. The following sections allow you to get an understanding of these principles, and you can decide how you want to apply them.

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