I have MIDI improvisations that were recorded without a click. When I look at them in the Score view they are a mess of 16th and 32nd notes with lots of ties an small rests. I know I can change the sound with Time Warp but how can I also get it to look like readable notation?
Thanks!
Don’t change the MIDI, change the quantization settings in the score editor. Click on the blue rectangle at the left of the track in the score editor to bring up the score settings.
See this video for more info:
Thanks johncmurphy. I tried your suggestion but had mixed results. If I have a passage that has what essentially are 16th notes mixed with 8th notes but that start about 1 32nd note from the downbeat I guess I need pe-rmeasure or per-note display quantize, I’ll try that but the video in your link follows the grid but - just not precisely. My track will not line up to the grid.
Your best bet is to read the docs so you can understand what you can expect from the Score Editor.
Your first step, however, must be to use either the TimeWarp tool, or the function “Merge Tempo from Tapping” (or a combination of both 
), so that the Cubase grid will eventually match up with your improvisations. No amount of quantizing can sort out the score legibility problems if the grid (i.e. bars and beats) doesn’t line up with what you actually played. Once you have done that (there’s plenty of documentation about those two functions, and many additional posts in here), you can then use Cubase’s Score Display Quantize functions to clean up the way it looks .
That’s how I imagined the process. I’ve tried TimeWarp and Merge Tempo from Tapping without usable results. It’s probable because I don’t totally understand the tools yet but thanks for verifying that I’m on the right track.
One thing that, if I remember correctly, doesn’t get mentioned in the documentation, is that it is advisable to switch all your tracks from Musical Timebase to Linear Timebase, before starting to use those tools (especially with “Merge Tempo from Tapping”… including the track that you used for the “tapping” itself .
I promise you, that, once you’ve gotten the hang of it, they both work really well. I’d recommend using quarter-notes as timing base.
Unless your MIDI performance is WAY off, as in, not anywhere near lining up with the tempo and measure markings in Cubase, you should not have to mess with the TimeWarp tool to get the score to look right. The score editor is intended to make the sheet music readable, even if the underlying MIDI is a mess.
For the situation you described, I would open the Score Settings, set the Display Quantize for notes to 16th, and then play around with the Interpretation Options (right below Display Quantize). Checking “No Overlap” often works, if not, try playing with the Syncopation settings. Remember to keep hitting the Apply button to see your results.
If all else fails, use the Quantize Tool to correct individual measures, or even individual notes within the score.
When I recorded this track I just opened Cubase and started playing. I had no click and didn’t know what the tempo was set to. Would that qualify as “way off”?
Re: Timewarp and Merge Tempo I’ve collected a few instructional posts and linked to them in my sig, if you haven’t sorted through your problems you may find them helpful …
If you have recorded music (audio or MIDI) without any regard for the tempo settings in Cubase, then you probably will need to use the TimeWarp tool to line up the downbeats with the measure numbers at the top of the track in Cubase. Use this for gross adjustments to the MIDI data, until you have all of the MIDI notes in their correct measures.
Once the MIDI notes are basically in their correct places, with a few being a little early or late, or a bit too long or short, then you can play with the score editor settings to make them look nicer, without actually altering the underlying MIDI data.
That’s the whole point of the TimeWarp tool and “Merge Tempo from Tapping”… it doesn’t alter the MIDI, it merely shifts Cubase’s grid to line up with the original playing.
Great info from all! alexis your links are extremely helpful. I now think understand the processes and options. Now I just need to do some experimentation. Thanks again to all.
Dean
Have you thought about playing it again, to a click? Might just saves a whole load of time!
and halve the tempo… works wonders
If you want a rubato feel, playing to click wont work. The time warp thing is just the ticket.
DG