MIDI reverse questions

[mhazdra]

Cubase 12 Pro
Having problems when trying to reverse a MIDI clip. When the project has a Signature Track, the MIDI does not reverse properly

Before

After MIDI Reverse Function

Update: Signature Track has nothing to do with it. I simply can not get Reverse to work.

[mhazdra]

Here is a simple example. The bottom notes are supposed to be a reverse of the top notes. These are 2 separate clips together in the key editor. The notes were hard quantized to ensure an exact start of the ‘Note-On’

[steve]

Have you tried “Mirror” instead?

[mhazdra]

I use Mirror alot. It provides a different function

[steve]

Is this is the first time you used it?

It is an inscrutable function.

and the manual entry is unfathomable.

Reversing the Playback Order of MIDI Events
You can invert the order of the selected events or of all events in selected part rhythmically. This causes the MIDI to play backwards.

But the function does not do that, apparently.

The result you see is precisely how it has always worked since Cubase in 1999…

Here’s an historical topic discussing this.

Does midi reverse function now work in Cubase 6?

Which of the groups of two bars gives the desired reversal (from the original first two bars)? [Reverse.jpg] I think that Cubase would do the Time Mirror correctly if it simply didn’t bother to swap note-ons and note-offs… just reverse the positions of the original note-ons and give them their original lengths. Of course this doesn’t sound like a reversal (i.e. compared with the reversed audio) Comments?

[mhazdra]

I may have tried the Reverse function some time ago (when I started learning and using the Key Editor) then gave up on it, thinking that I was doing something wrong. I have been using Cubase about 5 years and at first I would always compose in the Score Editor. I am only just now, in the past few months, diving deeper into the MIDI functions.

[steve]

The Mirror function works properly, I don’t know what you’re after exactly, but if it’s composition techniques like retrograde, there is only Mirror. In my view it’s an area where Cubase is lacking.

By the way, the Score Editor in Cubase provides all the midi functions, and is, itself, a midi editor.

[mhazdra]

I guess I have been asleep at the wheel. I guess I also haven’t used Mirror that much after all. For some unknown reason, I thought Mirror was inverting (vertically). Mirror actually is reversing (horizontally). So I am am actually looking to invert vertically.

I found this on the forum and I will try it:

How MIDI Reverse, Mirror and Logical Editor Invert Notes work in the MIDI editors

I would like to select a range of MIDI notes and reverse them in time so they would play in reverse order, or to invert them vertically to invert the melody. Is there an easy way to do these things in the Cubase Key Editor? Thanks! – Cal

My apologies for the confusion. Thank you for your help!

[steve]

Well, I hope you don’t beat yourself up too much about it.

@opticus explained with clear details. I confess they understood and explained what I could not about reverse. A little egg on my face there…