Pattern tool

The Pattern tool lets you paint with a pre-selected MIDI pattern. To define a pattern, simply select any existing MIDI data that you want to use. The selection can be a clip, a portion of a clip, MIDI events in the Piano Roll view, or a MIDI file in the Media Browser.

The Pattern tool makes it very easy to clone existing data and paint frequently-used patterns.

Figure 102. Use a MIDI file in the Media Browser as a pattern.

A. Drag to the right to paint the selected MIDI file B. Select a MIDI file in the Media Browser

Figure 103. Use existing MIDI notes as a pattern.

A. Selected pattern B. Two repetitions drawn C. Drag to the right to paint the selected pattern

To select the Pattern tool

Do one of the following:

Click the Pattern tool button in the Control Bar.

Press T to display the Tools HUD, then select the Pattern tool.

Press F9.

Note: The F9 shortcut key cycles through all Draw tools (Freehand/Pattern/Line/Sine/Triangle/Square/Saw/Random). If another Draw tool is selected, press F9 again until the Pattern tool is selected.

To paint a pattern with the Pattern tool

1.	Select the Pattern tool .

2.	Locate and select the pattern you want to paint.

In order to use the Pattern tool, you must first define a selection. The selection can be a clip, a portion of a clip, MIDI events in the Piano Roll view, or a MIDI file in the Media Browser. The most recent selection always defines the current pattern.

To select MIDI notes in the Piano Roll, drag with the right mouse button over the notes you want to select.

3.	Drag from left to right in the Piano Roll view or Track view to “paint” the selected data. When painting with the Pattern tool, the mouse pointer looks like a paint roller: .

The location you initially click to drag defines the first note in the pattern. After the last event end time is reached, the pattern repeats until the mouse button is released.

To transpose MIDI patterns

When painting melodic MIDI patterns in the Piano Roll view, you may want to transpose the pattern while painting. To do so, hold down the SHIFT key while painting. The pitch you click to start the painting gesture defines the first note in the pattern. If the pattern starts with multiple overlapping notes, the pitch you click defines the lowest note.

Figure 104. Hold down the SHIFT key to transpose the pattern while painting.

A. Selected notes B. Hold down the SHIFT key and click where you want the first note to appear, then drag to paint and transpose the selected pattern

 

Tip: You don’t have to select an entire clip when painting a pattern. You can select specific notes within a clip, or, for example, all notes of a specific pitch (click the corresponding key on the Piano Roll view keyboard). You can easily build chords or double percussion instruments by transposing specific notes.

To save MIDI patterns to the Media Browser

If you frequently use specific MIDI patterns, save each pattern as a separate MIDI file that can be accessed from the Media Browser. You can very quickly create your own custom library of favorite and common patterns.

1.	Create a new folder on your hard disk named \My Patterns, then open the folder in SONAR’s Media Browser and save the folder as a Content Location preset (see To save a Content Location preset).

2.	In the Piano Roll view, select or draw the pattern you want to save.

3.	Drag the note selection to the Media Browser.

4.	Rename the MIDI file with a descriptive name, if necessary (see To rename media files in the Media Browser).

The MIDI pattern is saved to the Media Browser and available for future use. Simply select the saved MIDI file in the Media Browser the next time you want to paint that specific pattern.

 

See:

Pattern tool

MIDI editing enhancements

Piano Roll enhancements

New features