Is there a sequencer ...

I sequence my music by drawing notes onto a piano roll with a mouse

All the sequencers I have used recently (Reason, Ableton, Reaper) will only let you view the piano-roll for one track/channel at a time.

If I could view multiple piano rolls at the same time (stacked vertically on the screen) then it would be easier for me to adjust melodies and harmonies that are in different tracks/channels.

(I spend a lot of my time in the Reason sequencer switching between different tracks to work out the intervals between notes played by different instruments - it would be much better if I can view several at the same time)

ideally said tool would also have re-wire so I could then use it to drive Reason.

Please advise,

Pro Tools

In Cubase, you can open as many MIDI editors as you like and arrange their windows as you see fit. I imagine this to be the case in Logic as well. Cubase is cool because you can edit multiple parts in the same window and switch between them with the little parts list. Very handy, indeed.

Yeah, Logic does it, but the amount you'll be able to see is quite small when you stack all of them up. I hope you have a large screen.

well, even if I only have room to stack two of them it will still make things a lot easier.

thanks.

any freeware ones?

bt: there are some widescreen monitors out there that you can rotate 90 degrees, and they will adjust the image to compensate... could work nicely for stacking

i think reaper might let you do this, but i'm not sure because I don't use it as a sequencer.

If you're using Reason, use the Matrix pattern sequencer to create the melodies and harmonies, then edit them before sending them to the track.

  OneToThirtySix said:

If you're using Reason, use the Matrix pattern sequencer to create the melodies and harmonies, then edit them before sending them to the track.

innovative idea, but the Matrix can't do chords (ie each Matrix device is a 'monophonic' sequencer), so although they are stackable, I'd lose more than I was gaining usability wise.

  mrx said:

i think reaper might let you do this, but i'm not sure because I don't use it as a sequencer.

i tried it, and as far as I remember it couldn't do it, but I don't have it to hand right now

  zazen said:

innovative idea, but the Matrix can't do chords (ie each Matrix device is a 'monophonic' sequencer), so although they are stackable, I'd lose more than I was gaining usability wise.

Ah, I thought you were referring to a lead melody for one device, then a harmony on another.  Polyphony is a bitch.  Hmmm . . . I'll think about it more.  I know there's a way to link multiple Matrix sequencers to a single device, which might also help.

Digital Performer, Protools.

  OneToThirtySix said:

Ah, I thought you were referring to a lead melody for one device, then a harmony on another. Polyphony is a bitch. Hmmm . . . I'll think about it more. I know there's a way to link multiple Matrix sequencers to a single device, which might also help.

I don't think I could seriously use the Matrix to sequence a whole track, its so limited compared to the main sequencer. I'd be pulling my hair out.

OK it sounds like the major DAWs are what i need (cubase, logic, protools etc)

Still holding out for a freeware one though ...

I should probably mention that Pro Tools sucks when it comes to easily editing MIDI. Logic is far superior, and it even has a score editor. Editing scores are way easier than multiple piano rolls, if you can notate music. I cant speak for Cubase, though.

i really want to use logic, but its stuck on mac only still i guess? id rather shag my sister than use a mac, logic or not.

  zazen said:

If I could view multiple piano rolls at the same time (stacked vertically on the screen) then it would be easier for me to adjust melodies and harmonies that are in different tracks/channels.

 

(I spend a lot of my time in the Reason sequencer switching between different tracks to work out the intervals between notes played by different instruments - it would be much better if I can view several at the same time)

always wondered about this, good point!

If you're stuck on pc then cubase is the key, you can multi part edit as mentioned earlier and you can also show mini key editors (but you can stretch them to make them bigger...) on the midi track in the sequencer/arrange/project window, with full editing functionality.

the button to press is the little midi editor looking button above and too the left of the midi channel number on the track name panel.

i have the same problem. matrix is definitely too limited. not sure i could get used to vertical sequencing in a a tracker.

isn't there a way to use more matrices at the same time by merging the cv cables with a spider cv merger?

edit: just gave it a shot, but no luck, all it does is raise the pitch, no polyphony

  welcome to the machine said:

If you're stuck on pc then cubase is the key, you can multi part edit as mentioned earlier and you can also show mini key editors (but you can stretch them to make them bigger...) on the midi track in the sequencer/arrange/project window, with full editing functionality.

 

the button to press is the little midi editor looking button above and too the left of the midi channel number on the track name panel.

 

thanks, was just browsing this thread and now i got something to show for it! :)

anyways, when you have two overlapping piano rolls and open one, cubase will show the overlapping notes at like 50% opacity. i always wish i could do this to a greater extent -- like, use colors that blend properly so you can see multiple layers. when they overlap, they do so intelligently... for example: layer 1 blue, layer 2 yellow, if they overlap you get a green note. maybe be able to "crossfade" between two chunks of midi, just for a quick peek if you want to work on one part while referencing the other.

i'd also want to be able to do this for CC lanes.

honestly, this all goes back to analords for me. i noticed he'd have some 3-part acid harmony, but it wasn't a polysynth...he was tweaking velocity, cutoff, etc for individual notes in the chord. i found that inspiring and immediately went to try it out, only to be annoyed that i couldn't stack midi AND CC lanes intelligently...

anyways, yeah, wttm's suggestion is a goodun. ALMOST what i want, closer than i had before.

  welcome to the machine said:

If you're stuck on pc then cubase is the key, you can multi part edit as mentioned earlier and you can also show mini key editors (but you can stretch them to make them bigger...) on the midi track in the sequencer/arrange/project window, with full editing functionality.

 

the button to press is the little midi editor looking button above and too the left of the midi channel number on the track name panel.

 

yeah, that looks like what I'm after.

the more i think about it, the more essential this feature seems to be.

Will 'Cubase Essential 4' do? Or do i need the more souped up versions?

(I'll probably just use Cubase to drive Reason and VSTs)

sonar allows you to see multiple parts on one piano roll. very useful

Logic will allow for you to:

open up seperate piano roll windows for each midi region you create.

double click in one piano roll editor which will make all other midi region events from other tracks appear in one window. (double click to show all midi events in all regions and double click again to see only the events on that particular channel or region)

otherwise, Pro Tools and Cubase will display it more according to what you are looking for. I think energyXT will do the same also.

  sysex said:

Logic will allow for you to:

 

open up seperate piano roll windows for each midi region you create.

 

double click in one piano roll editor which will make all other midi region events from other tracks appear in one window. (double click to show all midi events in all regions and double click again to see only the events on that particular channel or region)

you can also then go to 'view' and notes as region colours or similar then the notes will appear as the same colour as the region they are from, rather than velocity so its easy to tell them apart

grrr, why did apple have to steal logic?