help on transposing

[simmo123]

Hi all, i'm having a bit of a problem transposing this particular midi
its an oldie but i would really like to perform this one, its been done by an Aussie group way back its called "looking for an echo"
an American group i think done it originally. My problem is there are two key changes which with my limited vocal ability i am only able to get away with the first change in around (measure 53) which goes from G to Ab the 2nd change comes in at (measure 65 ) which is the problem one because i want to continue in Ab until the finish of the song,i have managed to transpose it but i am left with some notes on the instruments that are out of tune,
i have slowed down the tempo to try to change th offending notes through view/ staff on my cakewalk sonar le without success so if any one is able to take this on iwill be most grateful,i am able to email it if required,heres hoping,simmo

[simmo123]

Simmo again, had a slight senior moment, the keys required were C up to the first change then the rest of the song in Db "thats all folks" simmo

[JohnG]

Hi Simmo,
If it's just a couple of notes that are wrong what I'd do is go into the "list view" locate the offending notes one by one and then change the note numbers of those few notes. Are you familiar with working at that level though? Even in piano roll view you should be able to drag the notes up or down a semitone or two or more. I'm using Cakewalk pro 9 but I imagine Sonar must be similar.

If you still have problems let me know and I'll have a go. Although this is really right up JazzCat's street. I'd suggest you send her the 2 files, the original and the one you've modified so far, together with your explanation. May I suggest a PM to her as she deals with so many forums that she doesn't always pick up on new threads.

Good luck,
JohnG.

[simmo123]

Hi Johhn, wow!!! that was quick, yes John i have been playing around with it for a while there are a few instruments involved,strings ,guitars etc i haven't quite got the skills required at this stage, i have transposed a lot of my stuff already & i find i have been able to do it just by splitting the tracks altogether & then making the key change bypassing the drum track of course in one swoop but because there is one measure between the actual change of key where the notes step up this is where my problem lies, as you say this may be a time to contact Jazzcat, i thank you for your advice John i always look forward to your most interesting articles as well as some really classic quotes.
I must admit even in my short time with mm i from knowing just about nothing about midi i have come on in leaps & bounds while at the same time i'm learning how to operate my new toy sonic cell,so thanks again John, kind regards simmo ;D ;D ;D

[JohnG]

Another thought occurred to me, if you've been using "staff view" you can still drag the notes up and down as necessary. If this isn't accurate enough try right clicking on the note and you should get a complete breakdown of the note's attributes, timing, pitch, velocity, duration. You can "fine edit" the details right there, and maybe pull those notes back into tune.

The problem may be that you haven't put in a key change in the file, or the one that's there is incorrect, so the notes don't appear correct. When you display the score in staff view how many sharps or flats do you see at the left hand side? You may need to "insert-meter/key change" at the measure where the new key is, or modify the one that's already there. You should see a little 4/4 icon up in the menu bar which allows you to see the ones that are already in the file. Whilst these don't actually affect the notes being played they will affect what you see in staff view so notes that may appear to be correct are either in the wrong place on the stave or don't show a # or a b where they should.
Hope that helps,
JohnG.

[simmo123]

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Hi again John, well with a little bit of perseverence immanaged to work it out,i copied the same three measures in an earlier part of the song which was not subject to any transposing changes then removed the problem three measures then pasted the new part in its place, once this was done all i had to do was alter the keys where required, i hope i explained it well enough for you at the end of the day it all worked perfectly & i learnt a lot in the process, so many thanks for all your help John. Next project is the joining of the midifiles, i will get back to you shortly on this .
best wishes ,simmo ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[JohnG]

Great stuff, well done Simmo.
One gets a great feeling of satisfaction when you achieve the end result and have learnt a lot in the process. Look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards, JohnG