MIDI Piano Roll

Plays and records MIDI events and displays MIDI notes in a Piano-Roll style.

You can load/record up to 32 MIDI files in the same module and switch between them in real time.

Most of the parameters like reading position, loop-start, loop-end, can be driven by other modules (like random generators), to create unusual loop sequences.

CC (Control Change) Mode

The Piano Roll can be used to draw CC curves (8 curves per MIDI file are available), choose the mode CC curve 1, 2...8:

Draw the CC curve in the bottom area (in violet on the figure)

Select the CC curve value (none, CC1, CC2,...CC127).

If you record Control change with an external source, use the edit controls mode mode. Each Control change is on its number line (same as note number), here the CC 10 can be edited:

If you have several CC recorded, select a part of the edition with the mouse or several parts (with [Shift+mouse]), keep Shift pressed and move the mouse up/down.

midifiles

Up to 32 MIDI files can be loaded at the same time and selected by the num file parameter or affected by a MIDI/key learn on the following buttons:

Current pattern number is visible in the bottom left corner.

zooming

To Zoom vertically use the mouse wheel in the piano area (1), to Zoom horizontally, use the mouse wheel in the bar numbers area (2).

monitoring

Enable this option if you want to monitor the MIDI notes you are manipulating.

loop section

You can adjust the loop size and position in this area.

adjust note Velocity

You can adjust the note velocity in the bottom area.

select several notes

You can select several notes with the [shift] key, for example to move or copy this group.

more precision

For a more precise adjustment, select the notes you want to change and move the mouse with the [shift] key pressed.

edit quantization

For better editing precision, choose the edit quantize mode.

the time position, press the [alt] key.

manipulate events array in the Piano-Roll

The events inlet gives a direct access to events of the Piano-Roll in order to create unusual patterns. The array is a set of elements with the following structure.

• beat position
• event duration
• MIDI message
• MIDI data1
• MIDI data2

Events are sorted by increasing beat position.

basic example

For example the following array [1,0.5,144,62,98] contains only one MIDI event.

• beat position = 1 (first beat)
• event duration = 0.5 (half a beat-8th)
• MIDI message = 144 (MIDI-NOTE-ON)
• MIDI data1 = 62 (MIDI note 62: D5)
• MIDI data2 = 98 (velocity)

see MIDI-implementation.

The following array [1,0.5,144,62,98,2,0,176,48,102] contains two MIDI events:

event 1

• beat position = 1 (first beat)
• event duration = 0.5 (half a beat-8th)
• MIDI message = 144 (MIDI-NOTE-ON)
• MIDI data1 = 62 (MIDI note 62: D5)
• MIDI data2 = 98 (velocity)

event2

• beat position = 2 (second beat)
• event duration = 0 (no duration)
• MIDI message = 176 (CONTROL-CHANGE)
• MIDI data1 = 48 (CC 48)
• MIDI data2 = 102 (CC value)

simple patch

the MIDI Get Events Pianoroll.pat patch of the /library/help patches/ gives an example of how to get MIDI information from the event outlet.

Settings

show piano-roll

Displays the Piano-Roll window.

midi in

MIDI input flow(s).

midi out

MIDI output flow(s).

gain

Gain applied to the MIDI Notes.

pitch

Transposition applied to the MIDI Notes (in half-tones).

reverse

Plays the MIDI file in reverse mode: the cursor position moves from right to left. NOTE-ON events are transformed into NOTE-OFF NOTE-OFF events are transformed into NOTE-ON.

channel out

MIDI channel of the MIDI output.

chan filter

Let passes only messages witch correspond to the channel filter. all channels: no channel filter, chan 1: only from channel 1, chan 2: only from channel 2

• etc.

play loop

Play the MIDI file in loop mode.

loop mode

Synchronization options.

• free loop: the sequence is played in a loop mode.
• cycle: the sequence is played at each beginning cycle.
• bar: the sequence is played at each beginning bar.
• loop on bar: the sequence is played entirely as in loop mode, and then, at the end, restarts at the beginning of the next bar.
• loop on beat: the sequence is played entirely as in loop mode, and then, at the end, restarts at the beginning of the next beat.
• step by step: the sequence is played manually step by step when the next step button is pressed.
• ppQ slave: the sequence is played according the ppQ position input.

auto restart

Auto restart when master-synchro-panel restart.

play

Plays the current MIDI file.

stop

Stops the playing of the MIDI file.

play button mode

Determines the play button behavior. play-replay: first click plays the MIDI file (once) second click restarts the MIDI file play-stop: first click plays the MIDI file (once) second click stops the MIDI file.

on activation

Determines what happen when the parent patch is activated. do nothing: when parent patch is activated nothing is done, play once: when patch activated the file is played once.

after playback grid action

Determines what happens when the sample or MIDI sequence reach it's end.

• do nothing: nothing is done.
• next grid section: the grid goes to the next section.

rec

Starts or stops the recording of MIDI input.

clear

Clears the MIDI events.

rec mode

Recording mode, rewrite: clears old events and records MIDI notes as they are played, overdub: overdub record mode: keep the previous recorded notes.

quantiz

Quantization of the recorded notes.

• no : no quantization.
• 1/4: quantization on beat.
• 1/8: quantization on eighth notes.
• triplet: quantization on triplets.
• 1/16: quantization on sixteenth notes.

st rec quantiz

Quantization of the start/end recording.

• no: the recording starts/ends immediately after the rec button is pressed.
• cycle: the recording starts/ends immediately after the beginning of the next cycle.
• bar: the recording starts/ends immediately after the beginning of the next bar.
• 1/4: the recording starts/ends immediately after the beginning of the next beat.

start position

Start reading position.

end position

End reading position.

position

Current position in beat.

max position

Maximum position of the current MIDI file. It is the length of the MIDI file in beat.

num file

Current MIDI file number. You can change it in real time.

short filename

Gives only the name of the file, without the path and extension.

add file name

Click to add a name to this MIDI file.

midi thru

Let pass input MIDI event thru the module. Helpful if you want to hear what you are recording.

is playing

Sends 1 value when the module is playing.

is recording

Sends 1 value when the module is recording.
Remember that, with the st rec quantiz option, the recording can start/end after the rec buttons is pressed. It can be helpful to know exactly when the module is recording.

starting

Sends 1 value when the reading position restarts from the beginning of the loop.

undo

Undo the last record or clear MIDI file.

events

Gives a direct access to MIDI events of the Piano-Roll. See above.

next step

In forward mode, plays the MIDI file from the current position to the next NOTE ON event. In Reverse mode, it plays backward from the current position to the previous NOTE OFF event. See reverse.

reset next step pos

Resets the next step reading position (in step by step mode) to the beginning.

save to file

Prompts for a file name and saves the midi file.

load from file

Prompts for a file name and loads a midi file.

save to file direct

Saves the file with the file name without prompt.

load from file direct

Loads the file with the file name without prompt.

file name

Name of the file to save or to load.

caption

Displayed caption of the object. Click to enter a new name.

saved in preset

Determines if parameters of this object are saved in the preset-panel.

fade preset

Parameters of the this object can cross faded when you recall a preset in the grid.

Other Settings

hint

Hint text displayed on mouse over.

background

background color

Background color of the control.

Blue background color example.

transparent

Determines if the background of the control is transparent or not.

Example, the first module is transparent.

remote highlight color

Background color when the control is modified by a remote (MIDI,OSC,etc.).

image file

Optional Filename of the background image.

Example on an panel-xy-pad.

image fit mode

Force the image file to adapt its displayed size to the size of the object.

• proportional: the image keeps its proportion ratio and is left aligned,
• scaled: the image is scaled to the object size,
• original: keeps the original size
• clipped: the image is clipped to the object size, and centered,
• scaled: the image is scaled to the object size taking into account the border-size of the control.

svg filename

Name of the svg file to draw in background.

svg fill color

Color used to fill the svg.

svg stroke color

Color used to draw the contour of the svg.

svg stroke width

Width of the stroke used to draw the contour.

svg margin

Margin used to draw the svg file.

svg keep aspect ratio

When the svg is stretched to the destination size, determines if it keeps its aspect ratio or is stretch to fit to the target rectangle.

border

show border

Displays or not the border of the control.

8 pixels border on an panel-xy-pad.

border width

Sets the border width of the control in pixel.

8 pixels border on an panel-xy-pad.

border color

Border color of the control.

a yellow border on an panel-xy-pad.

border OFF color

Border color when the control is OFF.

a black OFF border on a switch.

border ON color

Border color when the control is ON.

a white ON border on a switch.

round size

Thickness of rounded corners.

Example on a panel-shape.

don't draw selection border

Enables or disables the drawing of a border when the control is selected with the mouse.

caption

show caption

Displays or not the caption.

Example on a fader.

caption horizontal align

Caption alignment of the control, left, center or right.

caption vertical align

Vertical alignment of the caption, center, top or bottom.

Example on knob: Center, top and bottom.

Example on switch.

caption font size factor

Size multiplication factor applied to the caption font.

Example on switch.

caption font

Font name of the control caption.

Example with 3 different fonts on switch.

caption font color

Color of the caption font.

Example on switch.

caption font italic

Italic style for caption font.

Example on switch.

caption font bold

Bold style for caption font.

Example on switch.

caption font underline

Underline style for the caption font.

Example on switch.

frames

frames count

Number of frames in the background bitmap. See create your own knobs and faders.

frames alignment

Determines if the frames used in the background bitmap are aligned vertically or horizontally. See create your own knobs and faders.

global

mouse editing enabled

Determines if the control can be modified by the user. When OFF, the mouse interaction and modifications are disabled so the user can't change the value.

receive mouse info

When ON, the control receives mouse information (often called hit-test). This is useful when you want to detect mouse interactions on overlapping controls. Only the top control with receive mouse info ON will get the mouse events.

is visible

Sets or get the visibility of the control.

global color

Global color of the control. Usine will choose the best contrasted colors according the global color.

ignored in parent global color

When ON the global color of the control is not affected (is isolated) when the parent control global color changes.

design template name

Name of the snapshot (which contains the visual properties) loaded when the object is created. By default the snapshots files are located in /Resources/Templates/Design or /Config/Templates/Design.

z order

Determines the Z-order of the control

• normal: the Z-order is the control creation order
• front: the control appears always on top of all other controls
• back: the control appears always behind all other controls

Example with the first knob on top.

opacity

Opacity value of the control.

blur softness

Blur amount applied to the object.

Example of blur.

location

display location

Determines where the object is visible.

• invisible: the object is invisible.
• ctrl panel: in the control-panel.
• parent ctrl panel: in the control-panel of the parent patch if it exists.
• top ctrl panel : in the control-panel of the top parent patch (main patch) if it exists.
• container : in the container of the current patch.
• parent container : in the container of the parent patch of the current patch.
• top parent container: in the container of the top parent patch of the current patch.
• pop up window: visible in the popup.
• top header: visible in the top top-header-panel.
• toolbox: visible in the toolbox-panel.
• workspace: visible in the workspace-panel.
• additional container: visible in an additional container, identified by a number. See bellow.

additional container

Sets the control as an additional container so any other control can be placed into that container. The additional container is identified by a number.

a button inside a listbox

also visible in interface builder

When ON, will also be visible in the interface-builder-panel.

mouse tab settings

Settings related to mouse, touch screen and drag&drop.

mouse & gesture

mouse dwn

Gives the mouse state of the control:

• 1 if the mouse is pressed
• 0 otherwise.

mouse wheel

Gives the mouse wheel speed and direction, -1,-2,-3,...=forward, 1,2,3,...=backward.

mouse wheel enabled

Enables or disable the mouse wheel action.

dbl click

Sends a 1 value if the user has [dbl-clicked] on the control.

mouse active

Determines if the mouse is active on the control.

mouse x

Gives the mouse X position on the control in relative coordinates from 0=most-left to 1=most-right.

mouse y

Gives the mouse Y position on the control in relative coordinates form 0=top to 1=bottom.

bitmap

bitmap in

Background bitmap input.

bitmap out

Background bitmap output.

touch pressure

Pressure value on touch-screens.

gesture

Gesture information.

reset

auto reset

When ON, the value of the control is reset automatically on mouse up.

drag & drop

drag enabled

Enables the drag on this control.

allow drop

Enables or disables the drag&drop possibilities on this control.

drop file name

Name of the dropped file.

clear drop file name

Clears the latest dropped file name.

vertical mouse

When ON, move up-down to rotate a knob, left-right when OFF.

touch screen

touch hi precision

Mode of the precision factor. Can be disabled or for touch screen only or always (touch screen and mouse).

precision factor

Precision factor when the control is modified with a touch screen. Hi values for hi precision on touch screen.

mouse mode

Behavior of the control when it is modified with a touch screen.

circular mouse

When ON, the mouse wheel acts in circular mode.

keyboard arrows

keyboard arrows enabled

Determines if the control can be modified with the [arrow] keys of the keyboard.

focus & cursor

mouse over

Sends a 1 value when the control is hovered with the mouse.

mouse cursor

Determines the type of mouse cursor for the control.

• default
• none
• arrow
• cross
• beam
• size NESW
• size NS
• size NWSE
• size WE
• up arrow
• hour glass
• drag
• no drop
• H split
• V split
• multi drag
• SQL wait
• no
• app start
• help
• hand point
• size all

  selection

  selected

  Sends 1 when the control is selected.

remote tab settings

Settings related to remote control assignation and learn.

general

clear all learn

Clear all the remotes assignations.

remote active

Enables or disables the remotes assignations.

inverse

Inverse the values received during the learn.

quantize

Quantization applied when state or value changes.

• no quantization,
• cycle,
• Bar,
• beat,
• 1/8,
• 1/16.

active mode

Determines when the remote assignations are active.

• always
• if rack is ON
• if rack is selected
• if patch is ON
• if patch is selected

bind buses

clear bind bus

Clear the current bind assignation.

binding

Set or get the bind name assignation.

bind controls

bind ID

ID of the bind control.

bind caption

Caption of the bind control.

clear bind control

Clear the current bind control assignation.

MIDI

start midi learn

Click on this button and move your MIDI controller to assign it.

device name

Name of the device associated to the MIDI learn.

channel

MIDI channel used for the MIDI learn.

control num

MIDI Control message number (ie. Control Change, Note, etc) used for MIDI learn.

control type

MIDI message type used for the MIDI learn.

• None,
• NOTE OFF,
• NOTE ON,
• POLY AFTERTOUCH,
• CONTROL CHANGE,
• PROGRAM CHANGE,
• CHANNEL AFTER TOUCH,
• PITCH BEND.

midi mode

Choose between the 3 MIDI assignation modes in Usine.

• Absolute The controller sends a MIDI message with a value between 0 and 127 (typically rotary knob, fader). If you create a MIDIlearn NOTE ON on a switch, the value is set to 1 while the key is pressed and set to 0 when released. If you create a keylearn on a switch, the value is set to 1 while the key is pressed and set to 0 when released.
• Relative The controller sends a MIDI message with a positive value when you turn right and negative when left (typically endless knobs)
• Toggle The control toggles its minimum / maximum value each time it receives the learned code. Typically, if you want to assign a MIDI NOTE ON message, to an on/off parameter, for example, start playing a wave file while playing a MIDI keyboard note, you can toggle it on or off, when the same note is played again. On List box or integer faders, the Toggle mode increases the current value until the maximum is reached. Then restarts from the minimum value.

mackie mode

The control react as defined in the Mackie Control protocol. (when the control receives a MIDI message, the MIDI message is sent back to the controller to update its display/leds/fader position).

motorized

Only if you have motorized MIDI controllers connected. Force Usine to send MIDI messages to the connected remote devices and get a MIDI feedback.

soft take over

Soft Take Over if a control is moved on screen and it no longer matches the hardware control, the control will not update until the hardware control matches the onscreen value.

sysex

System exclusive chain used for MIDI learn.

Key

start key learn

Click on this button and press a key (or a key combination ie. [ALT+E]) on your keyboard to assign it.

key

Key used for the key learn. Can be a key combination like [ALT+E], etc.

key mode

Determines how the Key learn affect the control, absolute or toggle.

shortcut

Key code value of the key learn.(ex: A=65)

mapping

mapping curve

Curve type used for the mapping, log or exp, power curve, linear.

mapping curve coeff

Mapping curve coefficient.

mapping range max

Maximum range of the assignation.

mapping range min

Minimum range of the assignation.

OSC

start OSC learn

Click on this button and use a control of your OSC device to assign it.

OSC message

OSC message used for the OSC-learn.

OSC mode

Choose here between 2 modes, real OSC values received or force the values into the [0..1] range.

OSC tag order

This option is utilized to choose which tag to use when receiving multiple values simultaneously like in an XY values.

timecode

time code OFF

Time code learn, used to switch off a switch control.

time code ON

Time code learn, used to trig an action or to switch on a switch control.

VCA

vca

Name(s) of sources VCA's. One control can be controlled by several VCA at the same time so the VCA values are multiplied together.
To enter several names use comma separated string like VCA1,VCA2,VCA3.
See use-vca for more info.

clusters

cluster name

Name(s) of the owner cluster(s). One control can be in many clusters at the same time, but be aware that you could have conflicts (different value sent at the same time).
To enter several names use comma separated string like CLUSTER1,CLUSTER2,CLUSTER3.
See use-clusters for more info.

DMX

DMX universe

Universe number assigned for remote.

DMX channel

Channel number assigned for remote.

size tab settings

settings related to size and position of controls.

orientation

rotation angle

Rotation angle of the control.

is vertical

Rotates this control in vertical position.

zoom

zoom scale

Zoom scale of the control.

can zoom

Determines is the control can be zoomed with the wheel mouse.

Size & positions

top

Top position of the control in pixels.

left

Left position of the control in pixels.

height

Height of the control in pixels.

width

Width of the control in pixels.

percent

position percent x

Horizontal position in % [0..1] relative to the parent panel.

position percent y

Vertical position in % [0..1] relative to the parent panel.

height percent

Height in % [0..1] relative to the parent panel.

width percent

Width in % [0..1] relative to the parent panel.

resize grip

resize grip enabled

Determines if the control can be resized with the resize grip.

Interface Builder position

interface builder top

Top position in pixels in the interface-builder-panel.

interface builder left

Left position in pixels in the interface-builder-panel.

interface builder width

Width in pixels in the interface-builder-panel.

interface builder height

Height in pixels in the interface-builder-panel.

floating panel

floating x

Determines if the control is movable on X axis.

floating y

Determines if the control is movable on Y axis.

floating constrain to parent x

When ON the control stays inside the parent on X axis.

floating constrain to parent y

When ON the control stays inside the parent on Y axis.

resizable panel

resizable left

Determines if the control can be resized on its left hand.

resizable right

Determines if the control can be resized on its right hand.

resizable top

Determines if the control can be resized on its top hand.

resizable bottom

Determines if the control can be resized on its bottom hand.

physics

physics enabled

Enables physics-engine in this panel.

physics speed

The physics speed of the control in physics-engine.

init with random speed

When ON, the physics-engine starts with a random speed for each child controls.

same masses

When ON, all controls have the same masses in the physics-engine.

ignored in physical engine

The position control is not affected by the physics-engine.

friction

Friction factor in the physics-engine.

elasticity

Energy conservation coefficient on collision.

gravity x

Gravity factor on the X axis.

gravity y

Gravity factor on the Y axis.

reset pos x

Position of the object when the physics engine is reset on X axis.

reset pos y

Position of the object when the physics engine is reset on Y axis.

reset positions

Process to reset the position of the control in the physics-engine.

angular speed

Angular speed of the control in the physical engine.

collide

Sends a 1 value when the control collides with another control or a border.

collide info

Gives information about the collide state in the physics-engine.

• 1001: top of the parent,
• 1002: right side of the parent,
• 1003: left side of the parent,
• 1004: bottom of the parent.

speed x

Speed vector value on the X axis in the physics-engine.

speed y

Speed vector value on the Y axis in the physics-engine.

minimize

minimized

Determines if the control is minimized or not.

reorganization

auto reorganize

Automatically reorganize positions of controls in the panel.

reorganize margin

Left margin used in reorganization, in pixels.

reorganize interspace H

Horizontal interspace between controls used in reorganization, in pixels.

reorganize interspace V

Vertical interspace between controls used in reorganization, in pixels.

auto resize options

auto resize

Resizes panels automatically when child controls are moved or resized. Switch it OFF if you use floating panels inside.

auto resize margin

Margin in pixel used for the auto resize option.

force reorganize

Forces the reorganization of controls in the panel.

fit standard size

Adjust the panel width to a multiple of the default rack width.

align to grid

snap to grid

In unlock mode, snap the control to a grid.

grid size

Grid size in pixels when snap to grid is ON.

curve tab settings

Settings related to automation curve recording and playback.

curve

auto record on click

When ON, the automation recording starts automatically when click on the control.

delete curve

Deletes the automation curve.

is playing record

Sends 1 value when the control is playing a recorded automation curve.

header toolbar

show toolbar

Displays the toolbar with its icons.

Example ON and OFF

toolbar size factor

Height of the toolbar % of the global height.

Example toolbar size on a panel.

header

show header

Displays or not the header on the panel.

Example on sequenced-lines.

header height

Height of the header in pixels.

header color

Background color of the header.

solid header color

Determines if the header is drawn as a plain bar (HH5 style) or as small bar in the upper left corner.

plain ON

plain OFF

Cursor

show cursor

Displays a small cursor indicator at current position.

cursor color

Color of the cursor.

cursor width

Cursor width in pixels.

2 and 8 pixels cursor on a data-generator-sequenced-steps.

cursor opacity

Opacity of the cursor.

Grid

show grid

Displays or not a grid on the panel.

Example with 8 x 4 grid.

grid lines full span

Displays a full grid when ON or just small ticks when OFF on the panel.

Example OFF and ON.

grid color

Color of the grid.

Example with a Yellow grid on a data-generator-sequenced-steps.

horizontal divisions

Number of vertical tick of the grid.

Horizontal division set to 8 on a data-generator-sequenced-steps.

vertical divisions

Number of horizontal tick of the grid.

Example of 4 vertical divisions.

Common Settings

info

show manual

Opens the web browser to display information or help about the selected object, if it exists.

For more details about information/help creation, see create-help-file.

description

Description of the module for internal help purposes only. The description is not displayed in the interface.

ID's

visible only in god mode, see setup-panel-tab-expert.

unique ID

Current private ID for this control used to identify the object.

preset ID

Current private preset ID for this control used for presets.

recreate ID

If you experience difficulties in Polyphonic mode, try to recreate new id(s) with this button.

repair ID s

Each Patch shared on the local network uses its own ID (identification number). If you experience issues of Patches that don't send information to the good target, this button will rebuild all these id's.

Object Remote Address

absolute

Absolute remote address. see objects-address.

local

Local to the current patch remote address. see objects-address.

user addr

User defined remote address. see objects-address.

See also

• MIDI Randomator
• MIDI Step Sequencer Groove
• MIDI Keyboard
• MIDI Step Sequencer Melody
• MIDI Send all notes OFF (SUB-PATCH)
• MIDI Delay Feedback Pitch (SUB-PATCH)
• MIDI Freez (SUB-PATCH)
• Output MIDI
• Output MIDI ID
• Output MIDI Global
• Output MIDI to Usine
• Output MIDI Name
• Input MIDI Global
• Input MIDI
• MIDI
• MIDI Filter Multi
• MIDI Delay
• MIDI Filter
• MIDI Decoder MSC
• MIDI Unpack
• MIDI Generator Random
• MIDI Accumulator (SCRIPT)
• MIDI Get Message
• MIDI Piano Roll
• MIDI Generator Random NOTE ON
• MIDI Generator Sequenced Step
• MIDI SysEx Editor
• MIDI Set Polyphony Max (SCRIPT)
• MIDI Split
• MIDI Transpose Example (SCRIPT)
• MIDI Mix Matrix
• MIDI Expand Voices (SCRIPT)
• MIDI to Array (SCRIPT)
• MIDI Swing
• MIDI Auto Harmony (SCRIPT)
• MIDI Mix Selector
• MIDI Arpeggiator (SCRIPT)
• MIDI Make Monophonic (SCRIPT)
• MIDI Mix with Max Polyphony (SCRIPT)
• MIDI Generator Create
• MIDI Mix Dispatch
• MIDI Generator MSC
• MIDI Dispatcher (SCRIPT)
• MIDI Transformer (Pitch, Gain, Length)
• Usine Trace MIDI