Basic summary:
- All notes you record via MIDI or import via a MIDI file in 2.2 onwards will remember its position relative to its quantized displayed position
- The ‘Preserve Note Positions’ preference controls whether this position is also used during playback (maybe the name is slightly misleading, now that the feature is more full implemented)
– If this is on then this means it will play back as you recorded it
– If this is off then this means it will play back as notated - Even if this option is off, you can still use the re-quantize function, as the original timing data is still stored in the note.
- If the option is on then re-quantize won’t change what you hear
- Because it only stores offsets from the quantized position it means that if you copy and paste elsewhere then it should retain the rhythmic feel of the original.
- If you want to remove these timing variations then select the notes and choose Play > Reset Playback Overrides’, and it will now play back as notated.
- Preserve note velocities will use the velocities you recorded, which means that dynamics in the score will be ignored.
The main 2 use cases:
- If you use MIDI recording just as a means of getting notes into the score, you probably want ‘Preserve note positions’ and ‘Preserve note velocities’ off
- If you use MIDI recording to capture a performance and you want to hear the same timing and dynamics during playback then set the Preserve options to on.