Randomizing while largely keeping dynamics

Hi,

I like to import music I’ve written in Musescore into Cubase to produce it. However, I do not like the ‘clinical’ sound one gets by keeping all the note positions and dynamics pretty much perfect. I can easily randomize them using the logical editor, but this leads to loss of dynamics I’ve written in Musecore. I can randomize note velocity between 95 and 105, for instance, but that means crescendos etc. are lost. Is there a way to keep these dynamics but slightly randomize them? Multiplying them randomly within a small range in some way would be nice, but I don’t know if this is possible. I use Cubase 11 pro.

Hi,

Instead of the fix values, set the relative values to the existing ones, please.

Like Martin said using relative values is key.

One tip I have is that you will get a more natural distribution if you randomize by a small amount multiple times rather than a larger amount just once. With this multiple approach the distribution of your changes will be a bell curve which is more natural, where a single randomization will produce a flat even distribution across the entire range. When folks try to play a note on the 1 beat they typically end up exactly on the beat or close to it more often than being way off the beat - which results in a bell curve distribution (this of course assumes keyboard skills in excess of my own).

My LE to randomize Start Position uses plus/minus 3. It’s assigned to a key and I just keep tapping it until I get the overall variation I want.

Midi modifiers in the track inspector allow allow you to do this too. You can randomise timing and velocity adjustments there, and equally importantly increase or decrease the midi velocity of the track as a whole.

For greater control you can also add automation lanes that control the midi modifiers.

I often use automation of the midi modifiers velocity adjustment to add dynamics, or alter existing dynamics. It’s a really powerful tool.

An extra cool feature is that if you lower the velocity, it will not lower any note to 0 velocity but leave it at 1 so that it still sounds.