Latest revision as of 15:10, 27 August 2019

Playing Notes with the Computer Keyboard

Note: The following explanation applies to QWERTY type keyboards, as shown below. The Z-key may be positioned differently on other types of keyboards.

In Renoise and Redux you can use your computer keyboard to play, record and edit notes. This virtual keyboard is always enabled and has the following layout, with the blue keys representing the current octave, green keys the upper octave and red the octave above that:

Note Off

In addition to the normal musical notes, there is also a Note-Off command to signal that the previous note has stopped. When recording live, this is automatically entered into the Pattern Editor as the note is released. Otherwise it is recorded manually with Caps-Lock or the A key.

You may find it useful to watch our video covering both Note-Off and NNA.

A Note-Off command will trigger an instrument's release element(s), which can be:

Playing Note-Off Layer samples.
Finishing loops of samples which have the Finish Loop option enabled.
Advancing AHDSR or Envelope modulation devices to their Release phase.
(Renoise only) Any custom release events from Plugin or MIDI instruments.

Octave Settings

By default, the lower keys (ZXCVBNM) are set to octave 3 and the upper ones (QWERTYU) use octave 4. To play lower and higher octaves than this, you can change the "Oct" setting in Renoise with the Transport Panel, or "Octave" to the left of the keyboard in Redux's full Editor mode. You can also use the / and * buttons located on the numpad (alternatively, use "Left Ctrl + [ or ]"). Be aware that the octave setting also applies to the MIDI master keyboard input.

Note Velocity

In Renoise, this option is found in the Transport Panel, while in Redux, it is to the left of the keyboard when in full Editor mode. When enabled, the computer keyboard will play and record notes at the velocity set in the value box. When disabled, all notes will be at maximum velocity.

Computer Keyboard Limitations

To simply edit and record notes in the Pattern Editor or Phrase Editor, the computer keyboard will do the job just fine. You can even use the computer keyboard for Recording and Editing Notes as the song is playing (Renoise only). Unfortunately, most computer keyboards do not allow all key combinations to be pressed at the same time, nor are they velocity sensitive. So when the accurate recording of "live" playing is essential, the use of a MIDI keyboard is highly recommended. See the Setting Up MIDI Devices section for full instructions on how to configure a MIDI keyboard in Renoise.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-= Playing/Recording Notes with the Computer Keyboard =
+= Playing Notes with the Computer Keyboard =
-'''''Note:''''' The following explanation applies to QWERTY type keyboards (See layout). The Z-key may be positioned differently on other type of keyboards.
-In Renoise you can use your computer keyboard to play/record and edit notes. This virtual keyboard is always enabled and has the following layout, with the blue keys representing the lower octave and the lighter green keys the upper octave:
+'''''Note:''''' The following explanation applies to QWERTY type keyboards, as shown below. The Z-key may be positioned differently on other types of keyboards.
-[[image:vvoois_renoise_keyboard.png|frameless|800px|center]]  <br style="clear: both" />
+In Renoise and Redux you can use your computer keyboard to play, record and edit notes. This virtual keyboard is always enabled and has the following layout, with the blue keys representing the current octave, green keys the upper octave and red the octave above that:
+[[image:2.8_renoisekeyboard.png|frameless|800px|center]]  <br style="clear: both" />
-== Octave Settings ==
-By default, Renoise will use octave 3 with the lower keys (ZXCVBNM) and octave 4 (QWERTYU) for the upper ones. To play lower and higher octaves than this, you can change the ''"Keyb. Octave"'' setting in the [[Transport Panel]] panel or use the keyboard shortcuts located on the numpad. Note that the octave setting also applies to the MIDI master keyboard input.
+== Note Off ==
+In addition to the normal musical notes, there is also a Note-Off command to signal that the previous note has stopped. When recording live, this is automatically entered into the Pattern Editor as the note is released. Otherwise it is recorded manually with Caps-Lock or the A key.
+You may find it useful to watch [https://youtu.be/n5QGreldOzo our video covering both Note-Off and NNA].
+[[image:3.2_note-off.png]]
+A Note-Off command will trigger an instrument's release element(s), which can be:
+* Playing [[Keyzones#Note_On.2FOff_Layers|Note-Off Layer samples]].
+* Finishing loops of samples which have the [[Waveform#Loop_Controls|Finish Loop option]] enabled.
+* Advancing [[Modulation#AHDSR|AHDSR or Envelope modulation devices]] to their Release phase.
+* ''(Renoise only)'' Any custom release events from [[Plugin]] or [[MIDI]] instruments.
-If you are using Renoise on a notebook or on a keyboard which has no numpad, you can also use the shortcuts, '''''"Left Control + ["''''' and '''''"Left Control + ]"''''' (the two keys next to P) to change the octave. Alternatively, you can change the shortcuts to something else through the [[Preferences#Keys|Keys panel]] in the ''"Edit->Preferences"'' menu.
+== Octave Settings ==
+By default, the lower keys (ZXCVBNM) are set to octave 3 and the upper ones (QWERTYU) use octave 4. To play lower and higher octaves than this, you can change the ''"Oct"'' setting in Renoise with the [[Transport Panel]], or ''"Octave"'' to the left of the [[Redux_main_screen#Keyboard |keyboard]] in Redux's [[Redux_main_screen#The_Full_Editor|full Editor mode]]. You can also use the / and * buttons located on the numpad (alternatively, use ''"Left Ctrl + ''[ or ]''"''). Be aware that the octave setting also applies to the MIDI master keyboard input.
-== Velocity value ==
-By default, the velocity used to record notes in the pattern editor is set to maximum value.
+== Note Velocity ==
-To change the default value, alter the velocity value in the box next to the computer keyboard icon in the Pattern Editor Control Panel right beneath the pattern editor. '''Note''':It is important that you have enabled the "Velocities" option in the "Record&play" filter of the [[Preferences#MIDI|midi preferences]] for this option to work. The velocity values are routed back as a midi command into the midi input handler.
-[[Image:2.7_pattern_editor_control_panel_computer_keyboard_velocity.png]]
+In Renoise, this option is found in the [[Transport Panel]], while in Redux, it is to the left of the [[Redux_main_screen#Keyboard |keyboard]] when in [[Redux_main_screen#The_Full_Editor|full Editor mode]]. When enabled, the computer keyboard will play and record notes at the velocity set in the value box. When disabled, all notes will be at maximum velocity.
 == Computer Keyboard Limitations ==
-To simply edit and record notes in the [[Pattern Editor]], the computer keyboard will do the job just fine. You can even use the computer keyboard for [[Recording and Editing Notes]] as the song is playing. Unfortunately, most computer keyboards do not allow all key combinations to be pressed at the same time, nor are they velocity sensitive. So when the accurate recording of "live" playing is essential, the use of a simple MIDI master keyboard is highly recommended. See [[Setting Up MIDI Devices]] on how to configure your MIDI master keyboard.
+To simply edit and record notes in the [[Pattern Editor]] or [[Phrase Editor]], the computer keyboard will do the job just fine. You can even use the computer keyboard for [[Recording and Editing Notes]] as the song is playing ''(Renoise only)''. Unfortunately, most computer keyboards do not allow all key combinations to be pressed at the same time, nor are they velocity sensitive. So when the accurate recording of "live" playing is essential, the use of a MIDI keyboard is highly recommended. See the [[Setting Up MIDI Devices]] section for full instructions on how to configure a MIDI keyboard in Renoise.

Playing Notes with the Computer Keyboard: Difference between revisions