MIDI Editor: notes always aligned at the "ceiling"

[_Stevie_]

When I initially open the MIDI editor for an item, the notes are always aligned at the ceiling of the editor. This is very unpleasant. It would make more sense to have them always displayed in the center.

Is this maybe a setting I am overlooking?

[_Stevie_]

I guess this behavior is intended then?

[Klangfarben]

This really irritates me as well. Can't think why this would be intended behavior and I can't see any prefs that would change this.

[_Stevie_]

Same here and it provokes so much unnecessary scrolling around.
Maybe I should report this as well.

[o_e]

Originally Posted by _Stevie_

When I initially open the MIDI editor for an item, the notes are always aligned at the ceiling of the editor. This is very unpleasant. It would make more sense to have them always displayed in the center.

Is this maybe a setting I am overlooking?

I try to reproduce, can you please describe more detailed what exactly lead to this behaviour? You open a MIDI-item whith notes in it initially??

[_Stevie_]

This happens for example, when I record a MIDI item in the arrangement and then open the MIDI editor.
@Klangfarben: is it the same for you?

[o_e]

Originally Posted by _Stevie_

This happens for example, when I record a MIDI item in the arrangement and then open the MIDI editor.
@Klangfarben: is it the same for you?

I'am just back in my studio and I can not reproduce what you describe. I opened Reaper, record MIDI into a new item, than doubleclick the item, looks normal to me..Maybe I'am missing something?

[MaXyM]

have you recorded high enough note?

[vitalker]

I doubt there is any setting for this. It irritates me too.

[_Stevie_]

Okay, so we have people were this happens and people where it doesn't.
This is really strange. I will check if the behavior persists with a portable install.

[o_e]

Originally Posted by MaXyM

have you recorded high enough note?

Thanks, now I can reproduce it(for me it starts at C5)..

[foxAsteria]

If you have a single line of notes in the upper or lower octaves zoom is broken: https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=126650

[_Stevie_]

Happens to me also with multiple lines of notes.

[Tod]

Hi Stevie, for me it opens opens in the last view positon that I closed the midi editor in.

I know of no setting for this.

[xpander]

Here too the highest note is not aligned at the top, the view is the same as it was the last time I closed the MIDI editor. By using one MIDI editor per item, each item would keep their own view/focus they had on last close. Since I use always one editor per project, there cannot be different individual views, only the last closed one.

There is an action to zoom to content in MIDI editor, but depending on how wide apart the MIDI events are, further zooming would still likely be needed.

MIDI editor: "Zoom to mouse position using previous zoom level" action
https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=181435

[_Stevie_]

Just to be clear, what I'm doing is:

- record a MIDI item in the arrangement
- after record, I'm opening the MIDI editor (first time for this item!)
= the result is that the notes are aligned at the top of the MIDI editor

Of course, when I scroll down (as in the GIF), next time, the scroll view will be remembered. But it's this initial time, when I open the MIDI editor, that I have to put the notes in place.

I also have set my MIDI editor to "project".

[Tod]

Okay, yes Steveie, if I record a fresh new midi item and open it, the top note shows at the top.

In all honesty I don't record midi this way so it doesn't pertain to me. However, even if I did can you explain why that's so bad.

My thinking being, that when I open the midi editor I'm going to see all the notes I recorded, rather then having to scroll to find them.

Now I know you are very good with this Stevie, you know what you're doing, so I know you have your own good reasons.

[xpander]

Originally Posted by _Stevie_

Just to be clear, what I'm doing is:

- record a MIDI item in the arrangement
- after record, I'm opening the MIDI editor (first time for this item!)
= the result is that the notes are aligned at the top of the MIDI editor

Thanks for the steps Stevie. Yes, I get that too the first time I open a newly recorded MIDI item, given that I don't open any older item before it.

[_Stevie_]

Of course, glad to explain:

I agree, it's a good thing, that the MIDI is not out of screen.
However, having the MIDI centered in the middle (as see on my GIF, when I scroll the notes in view) would be even better.
Why? Because it leaves enough room at the top and the botton.

Maybe I just recorded some violin arpeggio, that I want to double one octave above. So, it would be great to have the octaves above in view, without having to scroll.
Or I have another note in mind, that I want to add on top of the chord, that I just recorded, etc...

I hope this makes sense

[Tod]

Originally Posted by _Stevie_

I hope this makes sense

Yes it does when you put it that way, it's better in the middle then at the top under most circumstances, and if I were to record midi like you do I'd probably be wanting the same thing.

I don't know if Reaper 6 is going to address most of our midi complaints, or even some of them, but I hope so.

[_Stevie_]

Care to elaborate how you handle MIDI recording? Maybe I can learn something and adopt it.

But yeah, I also hope that most of the MIDI stuff will get fixed for v6.

[Tod]

Originally Posted by _Stevie_

Care to elaborate how you handle MIDI recording? Maybe I can learn something and adopt it.

But yeah, I also hope that most of the MIDI stuff will get fixed for v6.

I strictly use full song midi items so that I can have track based midi. I could never work with midi items split up here and there.

To be honest though, I record all my own midi and don't use midi loops at all.

I also do all my midi recording in the midi editor using "Record: MIDI overdub/replace>Record: MIDI overdub". I usually record in small sections, fixing and editing as I go.

I'm hoping Reaper 6 will have track based midi, but I'm not holding my breath.

[vitalker]

Originally Posted by _Stevie_

But yeah, I also hope that most of the MIDI stuff will get fixed for v6.

It won't be fixed.
Just live with it.

[dave_t]

I've noticed this - it's not a solution but I've also noticed that the minute you zoom in or out vertically, the notes "jump" to the vertical middle of the editor window. so I find myself doing a tiny zoom almost automatically.

As I type "almost automatically", it makes me think it could be automated. Create a custom action that zooms in vertically one step and then out one step, and assign it to a key?

$0.02

Dave_t

[_Stevie_]

Originally Posted by Tod

I strictly use full song midi items so that I can have track based midi. I could never work with midi items split up here and there.

To be honest though, I record all my own midi and don't use midi loops at all.

I also do all my midi recording in the midi editor using "Record: MIDI overdub/replace>Record: MIDI overdub". I usually record in small sections, fixing and editing as I go.

I'm hoping Reaper 6 will have track based midi, but I'm not holding my breath.

Ah, now I understand your workflow. But since I'm doing mostly film work, it's more of an advantage to have small MIDI building blocks. That way, I can re-arrange a musical theme very quickly by moving blocks around.

@vitalker: nooooooooo

@dave_t: yeah, I have noticed this as well. But strangely, this doesn't always work. I created a script that will quickly zoom in/out vertically. But sometimes, the notes only move down by a little bit. Not sure why this is.

[Klangfarben]

I think just as a general rule, when clicking on a midi item it should do the following things:

1) Automatically center notes of selected item vertically
2) Set horizontal zoom level so all notes of the item are in view

There is never a time I don't want those things and it is a constant source of frustration that Reaper doesn't do these things by default.

[xpander]

Originally Posted by Klangfarben

I think just as a general rule, when clicking on a midi item it should do the following things:
1) Automatically center notes of selected item vertically
2) Set horizontal zoom level so all notes of the item are in view

Those two together = View: Zoom to content. No?

[Klangfarben]

Originally Posted by xpander

Those two together = View: Zoom to content. No?

I think so? But the question is how to incorporate into the workflow.
Like Stevie, I have midi items all over the place. That's just how we work
in the film/tv world. In my case, the midi editor is on a second screen and
always open.

If I click on a midi item, I need those two things I listed above to happen.
If they don't happen it means I have to click on a midi item and then hit a
keystroke, which may not seem like much but when you edit midi all day long
it's excruciating and slows the workflow down.

I could set it up as a mouse modifier, but it would have to be something
other than left click. And if it was right click it would have to be a right
click + modifier as right click needs to be reserved for well, right click
stuff.

So the question then becomes how do I simply click on a midi item and have
it center vertically and show all the notes in the item automatically? From
reading the forum there's a lot of people irritated by zoom issues when
opening the midi editor. And I guess that's the part I don't understand.
Why would this actually not be the default behavior?

It also confuses me because I don't understand how Reaper is currently
centering and zooming in the midi editor. What would be the use case for not
displaying all the notes in the midi item when you click on it? What would
be the use case for not centering the notes vertically and jamming them at
the top instead and displaying some notes above those and out of view? I
understand some people like Tod might have one long midi item for a whole
song but I don't think that would be the norm for most composers.

At the very least I think there should be an option in the prefs to
automatically zoom to content when clicking on a midi item or when the
midi item is displayed in the editor immediately after recording it.

[Tod]

Originally Posted by _Stevie_

Ah, now I understand your workflow. But since I'm doing mostly film work, it's more of an advantage to have small MIDI building blocks. That way, I can re-arrange a musical theme very quickly by moving blocks around.

Actually I did a lot of film scoring back when I was using Sonar. I could record my midi items any where, it didn't matter because it was track based.

Back then I never gave it a thought and didn't know anything about being "track based". It was a rude awakening when I switched to Reaper and took a while to figure out what was going on.

I'm with you, for working with film, being able to place midi items anywhere at any time is very important. And it's really nice when you can open the midi editor and it's all there, ready to edit, any way you want with no divisions.

[xpander]

Originally Posted by Klangfarben

In my case, the midi editor is on a second screen and always open.

If I click on a midi item, I need those two things I listed above to happen. If they don't happen it means I have to click on a midi item and then hit a keystroke, which may not seem like much but when you edit midi all day long,it's excruciating and slows the workflow down.

I could set it up as a mouse modifier, but it would have to be something other than left click. And if it was right click it would have to be a right click + modifier as right click needs to be reserved for well, right click stuff.

So the question then becomes how do I simply click on a midi item and have it center vertically and show all the notes in the item automatically?

Well, if left or right click (or doubleclick) + modifier is OK, I think there's a way. Stevie has a script sr_Open MIDI editor and zoom to content, which is available via ReaPack I guess? That script works in the Main arrange, but would need couple of changes.

Since you have the MIDI editor always open, the first Open MIDI editor action is redundant. Also, that script will zoom to the whole MIDI item horizontally, but not vertically. Simply changing the following line;
reaper.MIDIEditor_OnCommand(editor, 40726) -- Zoom to project loop selection
into
reaper.MIDIEditor_OnCommand(editor, 40466) -- Zoom to content

would zoom like you want. I've tested it and while this already works, there's no need for setting the loop either. So just checking the active MIDI editor and then doing the zooming to content works. I don't want to post a script hacked like this though, maybe Stevie or somebody else can publish an "official" version of this if needed?