Sequencer window

One Man Band reads and writes standard MIDI files that can come from and go to any other sequencer or DAW or Aranger keyboard. There are 6 different views available for working with these files from different perspectives. Because styles are in fact also MIDI files with an additional style data segment (the CASM), styles can also been read and written in the sequencer where you can change the MIDI data while the style segment stays unchanged. Tweaking files in batch to adjust to a specific synthesizer as described at the bottom of this page, is typically an operation that also could be used for styles.

The
Main/Recorder view shows an overview of the 16 channels with control knobs for each channel. For convenience a virtual midi keyboard is added that can be operated with the mouse or computer keyboard, it also shows the played notes while playing a sequence. Here is where you record tracks.

The
Arranger view shows the styles, variations, chords and multiovoices defined in the sequence. Here is were you edit your style arrangements.

The
Eventlist view shows all the details like notes, controllers, patches.

The
Piano Roll is a well known format for viewing notes.

In the
Staff view you can select a channel or show all channels in parallel. You can print the MIDI file in staff.

The
Karaoke view lets you add karaoke lyrics to the MIDI file that can be played both in the Karaoke window, the Live window (from a preset) and all other MIDI karaoke players.

Edit menu

Single event mutations like adding, deleting or editing a single event can be undone unlimitedly. Batch mutations like Generate and the edit menu actions can also be undone but only the last one and previous single event mutations will be erased from the undo list by a batch mutation.

Cut, copy and delete events can be done with filters. You can use these options also to exchange parts of the sequence with the style editor.

Clear bars will delete all the events in the specified range.

Insert bars will move all the events after the specified start point for the specified number of bars (meassures). Thus a gap is created.

Delete bars will delete all the events in the specified range and move all the events after the specified range backwards to close the gap.

Quantize events will adjust the timing of note events to the specified interval.

Transpose events will increase/decrease the pitch of note events

Adjust events will change the Value2 property of selected notes and controllers.

Slide events will increase/decrease the ticks value of events in a specific bar range.

Switch channels will move all events in one channel to another.

Import MIDI file will insert a MIDI file at a specified starting point in the sequence.

Process bar triggers

This edit menu action provides a way to fix MIDI files that were recorded without a metronome or any previous recorded track. You can't use such a MIDI file to add accompaniment or print it as staff because the tempo is not synchronised with the bars of the MIDI file. This can be fixed without having to remove the tempo variations that are in the recording. First record a channel with one note at the start of each bar of the recording e.g. a drum beat. That is beat the drum in the same pace as the recording not the same pace as the bars counting in the display of the sequencer. Then select menu edit>Proces bar triggers. The edit action goes in two steps that you might do simultaniously or you might skip the first step.

The first step is to snap the bar triggers (your added drumbeats) to notes of the recording if possible. Specify the channel were you recorded your bar triggers. Specify the channel of the original recording in "Snap to notes on channel". If there were recordings on more channels then choose the melody. Select a "Snap to notes resolution". If it is too small then inaccurate timed bar triggers will miss corresponding notes of the original recording. If it is too large then notes will be placed on bar boundary that are actually not on bar boundary. Check the "Snap bar triggers to notes" and the "Create bars" option and press OK.

As a result your recorded bar triggers will be snapped to the notes of the original recording, which is more or les a quantize of your bar trigger recording. After that as a result of the "Create bars" option the notes of the original recording will be placed on bar boundaries and a tempo marker will be added at each bar to restore the original tempo variations in the recording. The recorded bar triggers will be removed. The resulting MIDI file can be used to add accompaniment or print staff.

Humanize

Add some variety to a MIDI file with this edit action. With a value from 0 (not) to 10 (much) you can now and then change the bass patch for a bar, make a note pitch an octave higher or lower, change a note velocity, change the timing of a note (not for notes that start at the bars) and change the lenght of a note.

Tweak

Playing a MIDI file on a different synthesizer than it was recorded on often brings the need to do a lot of adjustments or tweaking to get the sound right. This edit action will save you a lot of time by automating this process.

The selection for a rule specifies which notes and controllers are included in this conversion rule. That can be a specific channel or parts of channels that are played with a specific (patch/msb/lsb) instrument. You can specify that the selection should be moved to another channel and/or be played with a different instrument. You may also specify a prefered note-pitch range for this instrument and select wether to delete or transpose notes outside this range.

For notes and controllers you can create conversion tables. Typically for drum notes each pitch (=druminstrument) would be replaced or deleted. For instrument notes you may want to adjust the velocity to match the loudness with the original synth. Sysex messages can be filtered out by specifying their first hexadecimal positions.

A single file conversion will do the conversion on the MIDI file that is currently loaded. A multifile conversion will load each file in the "From folder" do the conversion and save it in the "To folder". You can import and export specifications for a note conversion table a controller conversion table or the complete set of rules.