Imported MIDI file not on grid

Hi there,
I imported a MIDI file into Cubase 6.0.2 and all the MIDI tracks do not stick to the grid. Is there any option I can choose somewhere or anything I can do with Timewarp?

thank you

Not a solution, I’m sorry, I just was going to ask about the same issue. Not importing but copying and dragging midi events, the moved parts don’t follow tempo changes in my tempo track. It happens the same with markers, they don’t stay at their bar position when I make changes in the tempo track. Anyone knows how to fix this behaviour? It worked fine back in Cubase 5…

I’m not sure what is happening in Stiller’s case (it may depend upon the method of importing the file), but in maglbatalla’s case, it would seem that the MIDI track in question is set to Linear Timebase rather than Musical Timebase (a “clock” icon instead of the “quarter-note” icon)

Thanx, vic! I’m checking wether I’m on musical mode or linear.

Hi Stiller. Have you looked at your MIDI File prefs? You may have your Import options set for “Import to Left Locator” which would potentially place the MIDI in odd places (depending where your left locator is, obviously). Also, go to your Transport prefs and see if you are set up to view sub frames or not. If you are not, check that option. Then open both your MIDI File session, and the session you are trying to import the MIDI into and see if they have the EXACT same start time- to the sub frame. I have seen cubase offset MIDI when session start times were off by subframes. And it’s something I didn’t spot for some time because I wasn’t viewing sub frames in my transport prefs.
Beyond that, I would make sure that all of your tracks are in musical mode as vic_france suggested. You could have some strange prefs going on. How far off the grid is your MIDI? Is it consistently off throughout your project, or is it all over the place?

One thing you can do for now is:

  • Open your MIDI File session

Delete empty tracks, muted regions / elements

Then with your pencil tool, create a 1 bar midi region at bar one beat one for every track, so that they all line up perfectly at Bar1 Beat 1.

Open your target session, without closing your MIDI Session. Tell Cubase to activate.

Position the windows so that you can see both sessions side by side.

In the inactive, MIDI Session, select all and copy the MIDI to your clipboard. If you have a pretty big session, you might get the spinning wheel but eventually your computer will finish copying.

Now go to your active session, and select the bottom most track in your edit window.

Position your cursor at the bar location you want the midi to spot to.

Paste (Again, your computer might take a few seconds to pull this off)

Your MIDI should line up nice and pretty for you and with the flags you put at the start of each track, your will be able to tell immediately if something is off, as every flag should be at the exact same bar and beat position.

If for some reason copying and pasting doesnt work out, you can actually just grab the MIDI and drag it into your active session, then line your tracks up with the volume flags in the shift at all.


I am uploading a pic of one of my midi file sessions so you can see what I mean by “Flags”. These are very handy when you have to move MIDI around a few tracks at a time, and dont want to have to risk piecing a huge cue back together for hours and hours. They are also handy to hide automation in so that you dont have to keep wiggling faders to hear your instruments. Hope this helps.

DeLa

Aloha guys

@ the OP.

Your imported MIDI might be that way (not locked to a time grid) on purpose.

I say this because I used to do it.

Starting in the early 1990’s many of us saw a way to make
$$ making and selling MIDI tracks of popular songs.

TranTraks was one of the first (successful) ones but many people were doing it.

To hinder folks who obtained theses tracks from manipulation
(changing the arrangement etc) we would do tracks locked to a time grid
but once the song was completed we would play
that MIDI file into another MIDI sequencer that was
not locked to a time grid.

We would sell that version to the client.

This way if the client wanted to say take the bridge section of the song, and copy and paste it to another part of the song it would be very tough to do.

Easier to go back to the makers of the file and commission them
(pay me) to do a specific arrangement just for that client.

Anyway that was the thinking back then.

Today there are many MIDI files floating around that are like this.

Fortunately with todays time warping tools,
probs like this can be easily fixed.
or broken :slight_smile:

{‘-’}