Cubase SX/SL 2 Power!

Logical Editor Parameters

Let's take a closer look at the parameters found in the Logical Editor. The following paragraph contains the logic established by the Logical Editor. If you don't understand what this means right away, don't panic, just read on as each of these terms is described in the following sections. By the end of this appendix, you'll probably get it.

A function is applied to a target . This target is defined by meeting certain conditions , which serve as a filter mechanism to achieve this desired target . After a target is identified, you can apply an action to a parameter through an operation .

About Functions

The function determines what you want to do inside the Logical Editor. When selecting certain functions, you need to define an action in the bottom half of the editor, whereas other functions only need to have a target, for example, the Delete function. The functions available in the upper-left corner of the Logical Editor include:

• Delete. Deletes the targeted notes that pass through the filters.

• Transform. Transforms the targeted events that pass through the filters. The transformation is set by the values set in the Action section (or processing stage found in the lower half of the window). This doesn't add any new events; it just changes the existing ones.

• Insert. Adds the targeted events that pass through the filters. The transformation is set by the values set in the Action section. This adds new events to the part(s).

• Insert Exclusive. Adds the targeted events that pass through the filters, while deleting the events that do not pass through the filter.

• Copy. If you launch the Logical Editor from the Project window, it copies the events that pass through the filters out of the part or parts and then creates a new part or parts with the extracted events only. You cannot use this function if you are not launching the Logical Editor from the Project window.

• Extract. If you launch the Logical Editor from the Project window, it cuts the events that pass through the filters out of the part or parts and then creates a new part or parts with the extracted events only. You cannot use this function if you are not launching the Logical Editor from the Project window.

• Select. If you launch the Logical Editor from the MIDI Editors, it simply selects the events that pass through the filters for future processing directly in the editor, after you have exited the Logical Editor. You cannot use this function if you are not launching the Logical Editor from the Editor windows .

The best way to understand all of this is to look at some of the presets. Load them and look at how they change the values in different parts of the window. Because the preset names are pretty descriptive, you'll get a good sense of what's happening.

About Filter Target

This field tells the Logical Editor what to look for.

• Position. Requires you to enter a position in the Parameter 1 (and Parameter 2 field if you choose a range in the Condition column). For example, you might want to select notes between Bar 3 and Bar 4.

• Length. Requires you to enter a length value in the Parameter 1 (and Parameter 2 field if you choose a range in the Condition column). For example, you might want to select only quarter notes.

• Value 1, 2, and 3. Usually added as a second line in the targeted filter area because the value they represent depends on their type. For example, if you add a first line that reads, Type is Equal to Note, then on the second line, Value 1 automatically represents the pitch. If you select Value 2 instead, this automatically represents the velocity of the note, and Value 3 represents the Note Off velocity. In other words, the type selected determines what the value represents.

• Channel. Specifies a specific channel for your transformation. You enter the channel number in the Parameter field. If you set the condition to a range, you then add this range to both Parameter fields. For example, to select all events between Channel 4 and 7, the line should read as follows : Channel Inside Range 4 and 7.

• Type (from the Filter Target column). Chooses what type of MIDI message you want to target. Parameter 1 offers you the following choices: note, polyphonic pressure, control change, program change, aftertouch, and pitch bend messages.

• Property. Chooses events for which a specific property is either set or not set. These properties include the following options: an event can be muted, selected, or locked. For example, you can target all events that are not muted in a part by entering the following information: Property is not set to muted.

About Conditions

As you have just seen in the Filter Targets, the condition column varies depending on the targeted events. For example, choosing the Type target offers different conditions than if you select the Property target. Generally speaking, the conditions are similar to mathematical conditions.

As a practical example, suppose you want to find events that are not between Bars 5 and 9 of a project. You would choose the Filter Target Position, with a condition that reads Outside Range. You would then proceed to the Parameter fields and enter 0005.01.01.000 in Parameter 1 and 0009.01.01.000 in Parameter 2. You could even specify a range within a bar using the Inside or Outside Bar Range condition. In this case, a bar range display appears, allowing you to drag a range within a bar to determine this range. The values corresponding to this range are added to the Parameter 1 and 2 columns .

About Boolean Expressions

The Boolean expression column is used when more than one line is present in the target area for the Logical Editor. If you want Cubase to include events targeted in one line and the other, use the "And" Boolean. If you are trying to achieve one or the other, select the "Or" Boolean.

Figure C.2 displays an example of Boolean expressions in use. In this case, notes with a velocity ranging from 0 to 64 "Or" 100 to 127 will be targeted. Notice the Boolean expression between the first and second line is "And." This tells Cubase that you are looking for Note events, but wait, there's more, you also want it to look for notes with specific velocity values.

You will also notice the braces at the beginning of line two and at the end of line three. These allow you to set boundaries, as in a mathematical formula. For example, 2 + 3x4 is not the same as 2 + (3x4). If you were to have these braces, defining that the velocity needed is one of the conditions; tdhe other condition is the length. In the same way here, we want to find notes that have a velocity of 0 to 64 or 100 to 127, and then we could add a fourth line stating that the length has to equal 1.000. The end of the third line would have the "And" Boolean expression.

Specifying an Action

After you've determined what the target is, you can specify the type of action you want the Logical Editor to apply to those targeted events. This is done in the second (lower part of the window) section of the Logical Editor.

The Action Target column holds the same options as the Filter Target. That's because you can apply an action to the same types of events that you can target. However, it doesn't mean that if you targeted the note events with a certain velocity, that you will necessarily apply an action to the velocity of those events. You could change the position of those events, for example. How the action is applied is determined by the Operation column. As with the Condition column in the previous section, the Operation column holds different options, depending on the Action Target column's selection.

If we take the target specified in Figure C.2, for example, we could select notes with a specific velocity and apply the actions specified in Figure C.3. As we can see, the position of the notes is changed by adding 200 ticks to these notes. Furthermore, their length is modified by setting a random length value between 600 ticks and 1000 ticks (there are 480 ticks in each quarter note).