| KeyKit :: Tools :: Group |
The Read item in the File menu lets you read things into the Group tool. For example, the "Read->Standard MIDI File" item will prompt you for the name of a Standard MIDI File. "Read->Snarf" will load the Group tool with the current contents of the Snarf buffer. "Read->Recorded" will load the Group tool by looking at the Recorded variable, which records MIDI input. If you choose the "(2b space)" variation of this item, the Recorded MIDI input will be searched backwards until a two-beat space is located, and all MIDI input from that point forward will be grabbed and loaded into the Group tool. Likewise for the "(8b space)" variation, except that it looks for an eight-beat space.
The Group tool maintains a set of tracks. The merged contents of all tracks is always displayed in the track named Merged. The View->Tracks menu item controls what tracks are displayed. For example, selecting View->Tracks->All will cause all tracks to be displayed. Other items in the View menu control the region (time-wise) of the music that is displayed. For example, View->In lets you zoom in to get more detail. After invoking View->In, you are expected to sweep out an area within one of the tracks in the Group tool. The mouse cursor will change to a left-right arrow, to give you a reminder that you are expected to sweep out a horizontal area. The area you sweep out will then fill the display.
The View->Pan item lets you move left and right within the phrase. After invoking View->Pan, you are then expected to press the left mouse button and drag the mouse. You will see the phrase within the Group tool move left and right as you drag the mouse left and right.
New tracks can be added with the "File->Add Track" menu. For example, a new blank track can be added with "File->Add Track->Blank." If you play back some part of the music in the Group tool, and play something along with it on your MIDI input device, you will often want to add your overdubbed input as a new track. This is done with with "File->Add Track->Last Overdub." Note that you don't have to do anything in preparation for adding an Overdub track. Every time you play back something in the Group tool, KeyKit is recording MIDI input, and if you happen to play something you like, you can immediatly save it as a new track.
At the upper-left corner of each track (including the merged track) is a menu button, and the menu it reveals is called the "track menu." The items in a track menu apply only to the corresponding track. For example, the Unshow item in the track menu will cause that track to be removed from the display (though it still exists, and its music will still be shown in the Merged track. The Showonly item will cause only that track to be display (in addition to the Merged track, which is always shown. If you want to go back to seeing only the Merged track, select Showonly in the track menu for the Merged track.
The text within the track menu buttons are the track names. You can change a track name by using the Label item in the track menu.
Within each track window, the 2 mouse buttons (left and right) are used for a variety of operations. Instead of being fixed, the meaning of each mouse button can be changed, and in practice you should expect to change their meanings often. The meanings of the mouse buttons are assigned with the 3 menu buttons in the upper-right corner of the Group tool. Each mouse button actually has three meanings - one when the shift key is pressed, one when the control key is pressed, and one when no keys are pressed. The keys that can modify the mouse button meanings are called "modifiers". The leftmost of the 3 menu buttons in the upper right corner of the Group tool controls the "modifier" that currently applies to the other two menu buttons - the modifier value can be Normal, Shift, or Control. When the modifier is set to Shift, then the other two menu buttons will control the meanings of the left and right mouse buttons when the Shift key is pressed. Likewise, when the modifier is set to Control, then the other two menu buttons control the meanings of the mouse buttons when the Control key is pressed. And when the modifier is set to Normal, then the other two menu buttons control the meanings of the mouse buttons when no key is pressed. The label of each button reveals the current meaning of that mouse button (for the current modifier setting). To change the operation of a button, you select the operation you want from the corresponding mouse button menu, and from then on that mouse button (combined with the appropriate modifier) will perform that operation.
The default operation for the left mouse button, when a Group tool is first created, is "Aud Sweep" (where Aud is short for Audition ). This means that when you press and drag the left mouse button within a track window, you will be sweeping out the audition area. Try it, making sure that the mouse is within a track window when you start sweeping. While you sweep, you will see vertical bars that indicate the audition area. When you release, there is no visible indication of the current audition area (though someday there probably should be). The default operation for the right mouse button is "Aud Play" - to play the current audition area. So, if you use the left mouse button to sweep some part of the music, and then press the right mouse button, you should hear that music played via MIDI output, and you should see the notes flash as they play. To stop the playback, press the right mouse button again. This shows that "Aud Play" is a toggle - it starts and stops playback.
Now, try changing the meaning of the left mouse button. Use the menu button labeled L:, and select Pick->Sweep. From then on, the left mouse button will sweep out the current Pick. The term Pick refers to the selected notes of the music that will be affected whenever an Edit operation is used. Try using the left mouse button to sweep an area of the music. After you sweep, you should see the notes in that area turn red. The notes of the current Pick are always drawn in red.
The View->In menu item lets you zoom in to get a closer look at the music. After you select this item, the mouse cursor will change to a left-right arrow, meaning that you are then expected to sweep out an area within one of the tracks. Do this. You should see the display redrawn with that area of the track filling the display. Note that View->In changes the meaning of the left mouse button only temporarily - it then reverts to the operation specified in the L: menu button. View->Out will return to viewing the entire piece of music.
Zoom in on part of the music, so that you can easily see individual notes. Pick a few notes (i.e. make sure the left mouse button is set to Pick->Sweep, and then sweep the notes). Now, select Edit->Delete, and the notes in the current Pick will be removed. Do it again - pick some more notes and delete them. Now, select Edit->Undo. You will see your last deletion undone. Select Edit->Undo again, and you will see your first deletion undone, so your music is back to its original state. The Undo operation can undo the last 32 editing operations, by default, and you can easily increase this number, subject to memory limitations.
The Edit->Undo item is one of the most common menu items to pull off and make into a real button. It's important to realize that when you do this, that Undo button will only affect the Group tool from which you pulled it - it will not affect any other Group tools that are on the screen. This is true of any of the buttons that you pull from menus in any given tool. There is currently no visible or other indication of the relationship between pulled-off buttons and the tools they control, so it's obviously a good idea to position the buttons in ways that make it obvious as to which tool they belong.