Piano roll
Double-click a clip on the timeline to open the piano roll. This is the main note editor.
Four tabs
Section titled “Four tabs”The tabs along the top of the piano roll:
| Tab | Role |
|---|---|
| Piano Roll | Place and edit notes with the mouse |
| Step Sequencer | 16-step style grid editor (details) |
| Code | Generate notes / CC with JavaScript (details) |
| Render | Inspect the result of the Code tab (the generated notes) |
Each tab is independent per clip, so different clips can use different editing modes simultaneously.
Place and remove notes
Section titled “Place and remove notes”| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Click an empty cell | Add a note (using the most recent note length) |
| Drag a note body | Move it (in time and pitch) |
| Drag the left or right edge of a note | Resize it |
| Click a note | Select it |
| Shift + click a note | Add to the selection |
| Drag in empty space | Marquee-select |
| Delete / Backspace with a selection | Delete selected notes |
Selected notes are highlighted, and you can edit them in bulk with keyboard shortcuts (below).
Keyboard
Section titled “Keyboard”Active when the piano roll has focus:
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
Esc | Close the editor |
Up / Down | Selected notes +/- 1 semitone |
Shift + Up / Shift + Down | +/- 1 octave |
Left / Right | Move by one grid step |
Q | Quantize selection to the current grid |
Cmd/Ctrl + D | Duplicate selection by its span |
Cmd/Ctrl + C | Copy |
Delete / Backspace | Delete |
For the full list, see Keyboard shortcuts.
Grid and quantize
Section titled “Grid and quantize”The grid field at the top of the piano roll sets the resolution.
- Presets:
4/8/16/32/64(steps per bar) - Or type any value (1 to 256)
- Default:
16(16th-note grid)
Note placement and arrow-key movement follow this grid. Press Q to snap selected notes to the current grid.
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| H slider | Horizontal zoom (pixels per beat, 16 to 256) |
| V slider | Vertical zoom (row height, 8 to 32 px) |
Adjust to taste depending on note density.
Clip length
Section titled “Clip length”Use the length field at the top of the piano roll to change clip length (in bars). Like resize on the timeline, this is non-destructive — shortening preserves note data.
Velocity editing
Section titled “Velocity editing”The Velocity Lane at the bottom of the piano roll shows each note’s velocity as a vertical bar. Drag the top of a bar to change a single note’s velocity.
CC automation
Section titled “CC automation”Click the + CC button at the bottom of the piano roll to add a CC lane. See CC automation for details.
Detach (floating)
Section titled “Detach (floating)”Click the detach icon at the top-left of the piano roll to pop it out into a floating window, so you can see the timeline and the piano roll at the same time. Click again to attach back.
Related
Section titled “Related”- Edit clips — clip-level operations on the timeline
- Step sequencer — step-grid editing tab
- Coding Note Effect — generate notes from the Code tab
- CC automation — add and edit CC lanes