Arranger section types

Arranger sections can be assigned to an optional section type attribute, such as Verse, Chorus, Bridge, etc. Cakewalk includes many common section types, and you can create your own custom section type presets (see To create a new section type preset).

Section types provide the following benefits:

By tagging sections with type attributes, you can use Arranger templates (see Arranger templates) to instantly create new arrangements from your existing sections (see To create a new arrangement from an Arranger template).

Quickly assign consistent names and colors to sections that serve specific musical functions in a song.

Directly insert new sections that automatically use appropriate names and colors.

Figure 15. Section types.

A. Section type name B. Section type abbreviation (indicates that the section has been assigned to a type) C. Section Type menu 

To assign a section type to a section

Right-click a section in the Arranger track or Arranger Inspector, point to Section Type, and select the desired section type.

The section inherits the name and color from the section type preset.

When a section is assigned to a type, the type abbreviation is shown in the top right corner of the section. This serves as a visual aide to help you identify which sections have been assigned to a type.

 

Note: If you have previously given the section a custom name, the original name is retained after assigning a section type. If you want to use the default style name, clear the current section name via the Rename command. A blank name will automatically use the stored style name. Should you want to use a blank section name, simply use a single space character as the name.

To create a new section type preset

1.	Create a section that has the name, color, and default length that you want to save as a preset. The section name must be different than any existing factory or user section types.

2.	Right-click the section and select Section Type > New.

Note: In order to create a new section type, the selected section must have a unique name.The New command is disabled if: 4 The selected section is assigned to a factory section type or an existing user section type 4 The selected section has the same name as an existing section type. In order to create a new section type, the selected section must have a unique name.

A new section type preset is created and assigned to the section.

Section type presets are global, not per project.

Figure 16. Section Type menu.

A. Section that is used as the source for a new section type preset (the section name must be different than any existing section type presets) 

Figure 17. Factory section types and user section types are listed separately in the Section Type submenu.

A. No section type (unassigned) B. Factory section types C. User section types 

 

Tip: Custom user section types are stored in userArrangerSectionTypes.json in %AppData%\Cakewalk\Cakewalk Core in case you want to back up or copy your custom section presets to a different computer.

To delete a user section type preset

 

Note: Factory section types cannot be deleted, only user section types.

Right-click a section that is assigned to the user section type that you want to delete, then select Section Type > Delete.

Section types are global. If a user section type is deleted, any sections that were assigned to the deleted type (in any project) will automatically be reassigned to No Section Type.

To edit a user section type preset

 

Note: Only user section type presets can be edited. Factory section types cannot be edited from the UI, but you can edit the sectionTypes.json file that lives in C:\ProgramData\Cakewalk\Cakewalk Core\Arranger (one file per language).

1.	Right-click a section that is assigned to the user section type that you want to edit, then select Section Type > Edit.

2.	In the Edit Arranger Section Type dialog box, specify the desired settings:

Name. The section name, as it appears in the Arranger track.

Abbreviation. The 1–3 character abbreviated section name, as shown in the top right corner of the section.

Default Length. The default section length (in M:B:T) that is used when inserting a new section of a specific type (see To insert a section).

Color. The section type color.

Update existing sections of this type. Apply Name, Abbreviation, and Color changes to other existing sections of the same type in the current project.

Figure 18. Section Type menu.

A. Right-click a section that is assigned to the user section type you want to edit B. Edit 

Figure 19. Edit Arranger Section Type dialog box.

To insert a section

By default, drawing a section or clicking the Add Section button creates a new unassigned section, which can then be assigned to a specific section type. However, you can also directly insert a section of a specific type. This can be done in the following ways:

Right-click in the Arranger track and point to Insert Section, then select the desired section type from the submenu.

Right-click the Add Section button in the Arranger track or Arranger Inspector and select the section type from the pop-up menu.

In the Media Browser, select the Arranger Templates content location preset, then open the Single sections folder and drag the desired template to an Arranger track.

Figure 20. Insert Section menu.

A. Insert the section at the location you clicked B. Insert the section at the Now Time C. Insert an unassigned section D. Section type to insert

A. Right-click the Add Section button to select a specific section type 

To unassign a section

Right-click the section that you want to unassign, then select Section Type > No Section Type.

Unassigned sections do not display an abbreviated name in the top right corner.

 

See:

Arranger tracks

New features