Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Why won't that STUPID Track Split Right???

To split a track... or REGION in the track, here's a hint that's learned "the hard way" since not generally in the manuals. Most manuals say something like (1) "You can split a track." Duh.
(2) Manual: Select the region you want to split; But no instructions on how. My previous hint does, but I'll repeat it quickly below.
(3) Manual: Move the "playhead" over the point where you want to split; another duh, though "red line" or "marker" might come to mind sooner than "playhead."
(4) Manual: Choose Edit > Split. But it doesn't tell you why that option might be grayed out in the Edit menu; my previous hint fully describes the the most common answer, but the problem is eliminated in the following hints.

WHY WON'T THAT STUPID TRACK SPLIT RIGHT?
(1) FIRST, you have to highlight the track name.... not simply the track, which you're already smart enough to know you'd have to select. 'Twould be nice if manuals mentioned that 'track name' thing!
(2) WHERE do you put the red marker? (Sorry, "playhead" isn't in my vocab today.) Ensure that you're in "Score" mode and not "Piano Roll"... it works either way but is a lot easier to see in Score. Put the marker right after the measure bar, but just in front of the first music note. It's ok if it touches the note.

WHY DID MY NOTE DISAPPEAR????
Another question not answered in standard manuals. Deep frustration is rewarded in sharing hints one has learned with other musicians like you: If a note disappears on either side of the split, there are two easy fixes.
(1) Hit UNDO. Well, Edit > Undo or your computer's quick key, like apple-Z. That removes the frustratingly wrong splitting.
(2) Use Enhance Timing to "quantize" the notes in both the measure before and the measure after where you want that split to go. That is, select (highlight, turn them green) all quarter notes. "Enhance Timing" changes to say "Align to". Select 1/4 Note for quarter notes, and so on.
(3) By quantizing both sides of the split, you should now be able to return to Edit>Split.... after you remember to highlight that track name yet again, sigh.

AAAGHHHH!!! THE NOTE IS STILL DISAPPEARING!!!
Excuse me. That's a quote I've used a few times. Here's how to resist the urge to repeat it yourself:
(1) By quantizing above, the first note in the 2nd measure should be in its proper place.
(2) So if the track split still makes a note(s) disappear, most likely you have a note (or more) that's too long in the first of the 2 measures around the place you want to split. If a note goes past the measure bar, it will indeed disappear when you do a track split. Easy solution:
(3) Now it's time to go into Piano Roll, though it's easiest to have the red marker at the place you want to split first... makes it easier to find the right place. You will probably immediately see the note(s) in the first of the 2 measures that is so long it extends into the 2nd measure.
(4) Just grab the end of each note that's too long and shorten it. Then return to SCORE mode.
(5) Try Edit>Split again; this time, the split should be right along the measure bar.

GRRrrrrrr..... Note still disappearing? Tell your computer you're going to win.
(6) Return to Piano Roll. Select all the notes in the measure. Do Edit > Cut. Well, you might want to do a File > Save first:)
(7) Try the split again. If it worked right, now all you have to do is to
(8) return to that first measure and do Edit>Paste. Notes should all be there now. If not, there's always Pray-And-Repeat :)
Much Joy to you in music... despite the sometimes-frustrations of missing hints in instructions.
©2018, 2011 DianaDee Osborne

Reprinted 26 January 2018

1 comment:

  1. Thank you...the simple hint to highlight the header saved me hours of fiddling!!!

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