Track Inspector controls

The controls in the Track Inspector vary depending on the current track type.

 

Table 68. Track Inspector controls  

Control	Description	Audio track	MIDI track	Instrument track	Bus	Hardware output
Clip	Show/hide the Clip Properties Inspector.	--	--	--	--	--
Track	Show/hide the Track Properties Inspector.	--	--	--	--	--
Dock/Undock	Dock/undock the Inspector pane.	--	--	--	--	--
Docking Options	The Docking Options menu lets you dock/undock/float/collapse the Inspector pane.	--	--	--	--	--
Gain	Pre-fader input gain for fine tuning a track’s volume or input level to a bus.	x			x
Velocity offset	The change in velocity (volume) that will be applied to notes in the track on playback; ranges from –127 to +127.		x	x
Input pan	Sets the pan of the audio data sent to the bus.				x
ProChannel	ProChannel is an extended channel strip that provides high-quality Compressor, Equalizer, and Tube saturation processing for each channel. See ProChannel.	x		x	x
FX Rack	The insert location for a track’s plug-ins or soft synths.	x	x	x	x
Send Enable	Activates a send module, which sends a copy of the track signal to a bus.	x		x	x
Send Level	Controls volume of audio data sent by the send module.	x		x	x
Send Pan	Adjusts the send pan setting.	x		x	x
Send Pre/Post switch	Pre (pre-fader) means that the Send signal goes to the bus prior to the track’s volume fader; post means the Send signal goes to the bus after the volume fader.	x		x	x
Send destination	Displays name of bus that the Send is sending data to.	x		x	x
Channel	The MIDI channel through which the notes will be played.		x	x
Bank	The set of patch names available for the track.		x	x
Patch	The instrument sound that will be used for playback.		x	x
Phase Invert	A switch that inverts the phase of the track.	x
Mono/Stereo	A switch that determines whether a track’s signal enters an effect or chain of effects as mono or stereo, regardless of the nature of the track.	x			x
Read Automation	Enable/disable automation playback.	x	x	x	x
Write Automation	Enable/disable automation writing.	x	x	x	x
Mute	When enabled, mutes the track.	x	x	x	x	x
Solo	When enabled, solos the track.	x	x	x	x
Arm for recording	When enabled, arms the track for audio recording.	x	x	x
Input echo	Turns input monitoring on or off.	x	x	x
Waveform Preview	Display the waveform of the audio that’s flowing through the bus.				x
Pan	The stereo distribution of the output, ranging from 100% left (hard left) to 100% right (hard right); a value of “C” indicates sound that is centered left-to-right. On stereo tracks, pan acts as balance.	x	x	x	x
Volume	The current volume level for the track, ranging from -INF (silent) to +6 dB (maximum volume). The recording and playback levels are displayed in the Playback and Record meters.	x	x	x	x	x
Meter	The recording and playback levels are displayed in the Playback and Record meters. For MIDI tracks, the meter shows MIDI activity and velocity.	x	x	x	x	x
Track icon	Track icons allow you to quickly identify a track’s contents by instrument. You can assign a new track icon, create your own track icons, and save an icon as part of a track template.	x	x	x	x	x
Track number	A sequential track number used for reference.	x	x	x	x
Track name	A name that you assign the track for easy reference. Note that if you do not assign a name to a track, the default name is the track number. This track number will change if you change the order of your tracks. You can click the Track Name control to select any available track, bus or hardware output to display in the Track Inspector.	x	x	x	x	x
Track color	Apply a color tint to the channel strip. For details, see Customizing track/bus colors.	x	x	x	x
Input	The input source for the track, used in recording.	x	x
Output	The output bus through which the track is played.	x	x	x	x
Link	Hardware out faders can be linked using the Link button . This allows you to adjust both the left and right channel at the same time.					x
Chorus	Adds MIDI chorus effect to the track.		x	x
Reverb	Adds MIDI reverb effect to the track.		x	x
Bank Select Method	The Bank Select Method used by your sound module to switch back and forth between banks of sounds. See Assigning the Bank Select method.		x	x
Patch Browser	Opens the Patch Browser dialog dialog box, which lets you search for patches by name.		x	x
Key+	The number of half steps by which the notes in the track are transposed on playback (e.g., 12 to transpose up one octave).
Time+	An offset applied to the start time of the events in the track.		x	x
Arpeggiator	The Arpeggiator lets you play intricate patterns of notes that would otherwise be extremely difficult or impossible to play manually and at speeds and octave ranges that exist beyond the physical limitations of the player or keyboard range. See Arpeggiator section.		x	x
Input quantize	Input quantizing allows you to automatically quantize MIDI input during recording. See Input Quantize section.		x	x
Snap to scale	When Snap to Scale is enabled, any notes that you draw or move in the Piano Roll view stay within the selected scale. See Snap to Scale section.		x	x
Display	The Display menu lets you show/hide modules in the Track Inspector.	x	x	x	x	x
Module Options	The Module Options menu lets you configure settings for various modules.	x	x	x	x	x
Audio tab	Show audio output controls in the right side strip.			x
MIDI tab	Show advanced MIDI controls in the right side strip.			x

To specify the maximum number of visible Sends

Click the Display control at the bottom of the Track Inspector, point to Module Options > Sends and choose one of the following options:

Maximum Visible Sends: 1

Maximum Visible Sends: 2

Maximum Visible Sends: 4

Maximum Visible Sends: 8

Maximum Visible Sends: Unlimited

 

See also:

Audio track controls

Bus controls

MIDI track and Instrument track controls

Hardware Output controls

Audio track controls

Figure 326. Track Inspector controls for audio tracks.

A. Input gain B. ProChannel C. FX Rack D. Sends E. Mute, Solo, Arm, Input Echo, Phase Invert, Stereo Interleave, Read Automation, Write Automation F. Pan G. Volume H. Meter I. Track icon J. Input and output K. Track name and number L. Track color M. Display menu

See also:

Track Inspector controls

Bus controls

Figure 327. Track Inspector controls for buses.

A. Input gain and pan B. ProChannel C. FX Rack D. Sends E. Mute, Solo, Waveform preview, Read Automation, Write Automation F. Pan G. Volume H. Meter I. Bus Icon J. Output K. Bus name L. Bus color M. Display menu

See also:

Track Inspector controls

MIDI track and Instrument track controls

When the current track is a MIDI track, the left strip shows mix controls and the right strip shows Snap to Scale, Input Quantize, Arpeggiator and other advanced MIDI settings. Instrument tracks can show either audio or MIDI controls in the right strip, depending on whether the Audio or MIDI tab is selected.

Figure 328. Track Inspector controls for MIDI tracks and Instrument tracks.

A. Velocity trim (MIDI tracks) / Input gain (Instrument tracks) B. FX Rack C. Channel/Bank/Patch D. Mute, Solo, Arm, Input Echo, Read Automation, Write Automation E. Pan F. Volume G. Meter H. Track icon and number I. Input and output J. Track name K. Track color L. Display menu M. Chorus and Reverb N. Snap to Scale O. Input Quantize P. Arpeggiator Q. MIDI offset controls (Key+ and Time+) R. Open Patch Browser S. Bank Select Method T. Audio and MIDI tabs (Instrument tracks only)

See also:

Track Inspector controls

Figure 329. Instrument tracks can show audio output or MIDI controls by selecting the Audio tab or MIDI tab.

A. Audio output B. MIDI controls

Advanced MIDI Controls section

Chorus. Adds MIDI chorus effect to the track.

Reverb. Adds MIDI reverb effect to the track.

Key+. The number of half steps by which the notes in the track are transposed on playback (e.g., 12 to transpose up one octave)

Time+. The number of Ticks that the track’s playback timing is offset from the other tracks.

Patch Browser. Opens the Patch Browser dialog dialog box, which lets you search for patches by name.

Bank Select Method. Your synthesizer uses one of four bank select methods to switch back and forth between banks of sounds. To find the method used for your instrument, check the instrument’s User’s Guide or the manufacturer’s website. The four methods are as follows:

Normal. Use for instruments that respond to Controller 0 or Controller 32 bank select messages.

Controller 0 only. Use for instruments that only respond to Controller 0 bank select messages.

Controller 32 only. Use for instruments that only respond to Controller 32 bank select messages.

Patch 100...127. Use for instruments that let you change banks by sending patch changes between 100 and 127.

For more information about Bank Select Methods, see Assigning the Bank Select method.

Snap to Scale section

Snap to Scale On/Off. Enables/disables Snap to Scale on the selected track.

Scale. Displays current scale for Snap to Scale feature. The drop-down menu contains the following options:

<scale categories>. The pre-installed scales are organized into categories such as Diatonic, Pentatonic, Exotic, etc. Point to the desired category and select a scale from the submenu.

Custom User Scales. This submenu lists all custom scales you have created.

Scale Manager. Select Scale Manager to create new scales or edit existing scales. See To create a scale and To edit or delete a scale.

Root Note. Use this field to specify the root note of the selected scale.

Settings. Use this field to specify how you want Cakewalk to handle non-scale notes in the Piano Roll view when Snap to Scale is enabled.

Next, Higher Note. Cakewalk moves any non-scale note that you move to the next higher note in the selected scale.

Previous, Lower Note. Cakewalk moves any non-scale note that you move to the previous, lower note in the selected scale.

Nearest Note. Cakewalk moves any non-scale note that you move to the note that is closest in pitch in the selected scale.

For more information about Snap to Scale, see Snap to Scale.

Input Quantize section

Input Quantize On/Off. Enables/disables Input Quantize on the selected track.

Preset. Save or select settings that you use often in the drop-down menu. To save a new group of settings, click the Preset list and choose Quantize Settings to open the Input Quantize dialog box, then type a name in the Preset field and click the Save button. To delete a group, select it and click the Delete button. The Input Quantize dialog box contains the following settings:

Resolution. Set the note resolution in either standard note duration or tick value. The resolution determines the size note or time value that you want your MIDI data to conform to.

MIDI Event Start Times. Select this option to quantize MIDI event start times.

Note Durations. Select this option to quantize Note Event durations to the size of the Resolution value.

Only Quantize Notes. If selected, Cakewalk will not modify other events, such as controllers.

Strength. This value determines how closely Cakewalk moves the selected notes to the resolution value, or “grid”. See Strength.

Swing. Use this value to make groups of even eighth notes (or whatever note you want to enter in the Resolution field) “swing”, instead of playing with exact eighth note rhythm. A value of 50 percent, or “50-50”, produces equal durations for both notes—no swing. A larger value makes the first note longer, and vice versa. See Swing.

Window. This value determines whether Cakewalk quantizes notes that are far from the quantization points, or leaves them alone. A value of 100 percent quantizes every note. See Window.

Randomize. This value randomizes the three previous fields to introduce a more human feel to the rhythm. The value you enter is the maximum amount of difference from the entered values that the randomize feature can add.

For more information about Input Quantize, see Input quantizing.

Arpeggiator section

Arpeggiator On/Off. Enables/disables the Arpeggiator on the selected track. This control can be assigned to MIDI remote control and modified in real-time during project playback.

Preset. You can create and edit Arpeggiator presets; all user parameters are stored in the preset. Arpeggiator settings are included in track templates.

Rate. Adjusts the relative speed of the Arpeggiator sequence by changing all the note durations by a factor of the current tempo. This control can be assigned to MIDI remote control and modified in real-time during project playback.

Lock Rate. Lock the current arpeggiator Rate value, thereby preventing the Rate value from changing when you select other arpeggiator presets.

Octave Range. Sets the number of octaves through which the arpeggio will play. A value of 1 means that a held chord will only arpeggiate the notes that are being held within the octave from which the notes are being transmitted. A value of 2 means a held chord will arpeggiate for two octaves. The held chord always represents the bass octave, meaning that the other octaves sound in a higher register.

If you specify a range higher than the standard MIDI specifications, the Arpeggiator will repeat the pattern in the highest available octave as necessary.

This control can be assigned to MIDI remote control and modified in real-time during project playback.

Latch. Latch keeps the arpeggio playing after you let go of the keys.

This control can be assigned to MIDI remote control and modified in real-time during project playback.

Swing. Sets the amount of swing applied to the selected pattern. You can make a pattern of 8th, 16th, or 32nd notes play back as swing notes instead of straight notes. The amount of swing ranges from 0 (no swing) to 100% (maximum swing).

Velocity. An offset control that scales the arpeggiated note’s velocity to a percentage of the original note velocity.

Duration. Controls whether the notes in the pattern are held to their full value, or are held for shorter or longer durations.

Pitch. A transposition control in half-steps, up or down a maximum of 2 octaves.

Flam. If a pattern contains flams, this menu controls how big a difference there is between the attack time of the flam and the note it is attached to.

Mix. When 0, simultaneously held notes arpeggiate as single notes. At 50%, simultaneously held notes are heard as a chord in addition to the usual arpeggiated notes, both at equal levels. At 100%, only the held chord is audible.

Control: Knob (0 – 100%); this control can be assigned to MIDI remote control and modified in real-time during project playback.

Channel. MIDI input and output menu—the Arpeggiator only affects input data that’s on the MIDI channels listed on this menu. The Arpeggiator always obeys the track’s assigned output channel, plus any additional channels specified in the Arpeggiator’s Ch menu.

Shape. Choose a shape that specifies the direction in which currently held notes are to be sequenced. The following shapes are available:

Rhythm (implicit rhythm mode)

Forward

Reverse

Forward Circle 1

Reverse Circle 1

Forward Circle 2

Reverse Circle 2

Inward

Outward

Inward Circle

Outward Circle

As Played

As Played Circle

Random

For more information about the Arpeggiator, see Arpeggiator.

Hardware Output controls

Figure 330. Track Inspector controls for hardware outputs.

A. Mute B. Link channels C. Volume D. Meter E. Icon F. Hardware Output name G. Display menu

See also:

Track Inspector controls

To show/hide modules

Click the Display control at the bottom of the Track Inspector and select the modules you want to show/hide.

The following modules are available:

Input Gain. Show/hide Input Trim/Gain/Pan controls.

ProChannel. Show/hide ProChannel controls, which includes Equalizer, Compressor and Tube Saturation.

FX Rack. Show/hide FX Racks.

Sends/Bank/Patch. Show/hide Send controls for audio tracks and buses, or Bank/Patch/Channel controls for MIDI tracks and Instrument tracks.

MSR. Show/hide Mute, Solo, Arm for Recording, Input Echo, Phase Invert, Mono/Stereo, Read Automation, Write Automation and Waveform Preview controls.

Pan Control. Show/hide Pan controls.

Volume. Show/hide Volume controls and meters (and Link controls for hardware outputs).

Icon. Show/hide track icons.

In/Out. Show/hide Input and Output controls

Figure 331. Use the Display menu to configure modules in the Track Inspector.

 

See:

Track Inspector overview

Properties Inspector overview

Properties Inspector - Clip Properties

Properties Inspector - Track Properties

ProChannel

Inspectors

Arpeggiator

Input quantizing

Track-by-track playback

Changing track settings

Routing and mixing digital audio