Command Location: Staves Menu
The Staff Manager displays information about all the staves in the score and allow s you to:
1.Change the underlying MIDI properties of each staff in the score (MIDI Configuration Tab)
2.Alter the staff display and playback features (Display and Playback Tab)
3.Assign the instrument playing hand to be used w hen calculating fingering and show ing Performing Hands on the On Screen Piano Keyboard (Display and Playback Tab).
MidiIllustrator w ill initially assign a hand to use w hen fingering a given staff based on an analysis of the clefs used in the staff.
4.Edit the staff namings (Staff Namings Tab) 5.reorder, add, copy and remove staves
The Staff Manager dialog is made up of three tabs (MIDI Configuration, Display and Playback and Staff Namings) and a Staff Display Window . The w indow lists each of the staves
contained w ithin the MIDI file and displays their details.
Apply/Apply Now
The Apply button applies all of the changes made to the staff/staves w ithout the need to close the dialog box by hitting the OK button. E.g. If you hide a selected staff and rearrange the order of the remaining staves these changes w ill not be reflected on the score until you press the Apply button.
If you w ould like your changes to be made immediately use The Apply Now button. When this button is used any changes made to the staves w ill be reflected on the score right aw ay, w ithout the need to click the Apply button.
The buttons on the left-hand side of the w indow can be used to edit selected staves, either individually or in groups (simply hold dow n the shift key as you select the staves for your group).
Opens the Staff Options menu and enables you to do the follow ing:
Mute – all staves, none of the staves and selected staves
Visibility – show all staves, hide all staves and hide selected staves Select – all staves and none of the staves
Columns – autosize column w idths
Allow s you to move selected staves to a higher position on the score.
Allow s you to move selected staves to a low er position on the score.
Adds a new staff.
Deletes the selected staff.
Makes a copy of the selected staff and inserts it as a new staff. All staff information and notation is copied to the new staff, including:
Staff name Instrument Key signatures Clefs
Notes Lyrics
Free Text (note that only 'measure & staff anchored' Free Text items are copied to the new staff, 'page anchored' items and 'measure anchored' items are not copied)
Expressions and any associated MIDI playback changes (note that any tempo Expressions and hidden tempo MIDI events are not copied to the new staff as tempo instructions are typically stored only in the top staff)
If you w ish to copy only the notation from one staff to another (and not the staff instrument and other properties), then you might try Selecting Entire Staves in Pow er Edit Mode instead.
In addition, w ithin the Staff Display Window , the follow ing buttons may be used to hide or to mute selected staves.
Using the check box columns marked overhead w ith a cross (x) and a speaker, selected staves can be hidden/show n and muted/unmuted. The first column is the hide/show function and the second the mute function.
View the Help Contents Page. Visit the MidiIllustrator Website at http://
w w w .MidiIllustrator.com.
5.5.1.1 MIDI Configuration
Command Location: Staves Menu / Staff Manager
This dialog allow s you to change the underlying MIDI properties of a file (e.g. the MIDI device or the instrument for a selected staff or staves). Any changes made w ill be reflected in the Staff Display Window .
Device Assuming more than one device is available, others can be selected using this drop dow n box. To change the list of devices see the MIDI Playback tab in Program Options.
If you select the "Default Device" entry in the list then MidiIllustrator w ill alw ays use the default playback device as chosen in the MIDI Playback tab in Program Options. Whenever you change this default playback device, MidiIllustrator w ill automatically play any scores w ith the new playback device (if they w ere saved w ith the "Default Device" as the staff instrument device).
Using multiple MIDI devices for playback
MidiIllustrator supports the playback of a single file using multiple MIDI devices. You may, for example, w ish to direct a particular instrument in the score, such as a piano, to an external MIDI module, w hilst directing the remaining orchestral parts to your computer soundcard. As long as you have made more than one device available for playback in the MIDI Playback section of the Program Options dialog, you can use different MIDI devices on each staff w ithin the score.
This is a pow erful feature w hich requires additional processing pow er and is not necessarily available on all Window s computers. If you experience slow or choppy playback w hilst using multiple MIDI devices, try selecting a common MIDI device for all staves to improve performance.
Channel Any channel from 1 to 16 may be selected from the drop dow n box.
Note: Generally Channel 10 is used to play a particular group of drum instruments. If a given staff is using Channel 10, then MidiIllustrator w ill assume it contains drum notes.
For more information see the MIDI Channels and Drum Instruments section.
Transpose (note sounds only)
This drop dow n box enables you to transpose the note sounds on a selected staff from as little as one half step to as much as 24 half steps up or dow n.
This command is also available in the Staff Instrument Dialog.
This command only affects the sound of notes during playback. Note positions on the score are unchanged. To transpose and reposition notes on the score (perhaps w ith a new key signature), see the Transpose Dialog.
Instrument Patch
There may be up to 128 instruments available, any one of w hich may be selected for a specific staff or staves.
The list of available instruments may change depending on the MIDI channel you have selected for the staff.
To learn more about this see the MIDI Channels and Drum Instruments section.
Volume This is the starting volume for the staff (you may add volume MIDI events later in the score using the Expressions Dialog ).
When the volume box is checked, the volume may be changed using either the drop dow n box, or the left and right arrow s on the right-hand side of the volume display. The range is 0 (muted) to 127 (maximum volume).
The default setting for MIDI staves that do not specify a value for volume is 64.
Pan This is the starting pan for the staff (you may add pan MIDI events later in the score using the Expressions Dialog ).
A pan setting of 64 means that the stereo balance is equal on the left and right channels, and this is the default behaviour for MIDI staves that do not specify a value for stereo pan.
You may w ish to change the stereo balance so that it is higher or low er on one side, and this can be done using either the drop dow n box, or the left and right arrow s to change the default figure. The low er the number the more the balance is on the left channel, and conversely the higher the number the more the balance is on the right channel.
Bank 0 Allow s you to access different banks on the current MIDI device using the Coarse Adjust Method (#0).
For more information see Bank Select.
Bank 32 Allow s you to access different banks on the current MIDI device using the Fine Adjust Method (#32).
For more information see Bank Select.
View the Help Contents Page. Visit the MidiIllustrator Website at http://
w w w .MidiIllustrator.com.
5.5.1.1.1 bank, bank 0, bank 32
Command Location: Staves Menu / Staff Manager
Some MIDI devices contain more than 128 instruments. MIDI Patch (instrument) commands only allow you to select betw een 128 instruments. The Bank Select method allow s you to sw itch betw een banks of 128 instruments.
For example, if a MIDI device has 256 instruments they w ill likely be divided into tw o banks, each of 128 instruments. In order to access instrument number 129, you w ould have to access the first instrument in the second bank. You w ould therefore send a bank select message to sw itch to the second bank on the MIDI device, follow ed by a patch message to sw itch to the first instrument in the current bank.
Most devices use only the Bank 0 select method, but you can use the Bank 32 method to access devices w ith more than 128 banks.
View the Help Contents Page. Visit the MidiIllustrator Website at http://
w w w .MidiIllustrator.com.
5.5.1.2 Display and Playback
Command Location: Staves Menu / Staff Manager
Specific features of selected staves may be altered using this dialog. All changes made to the staves w ill be reflected in the Staff Display Window .
Sound Sound on a selected staff or staves may be turned on or off (muted).
Staff Visibility Selected staves can be show n or hidden.
Hide Empty Staves on this Staff
Empty staves on this staff may be show n or hidden.
See Hide Empty Portions of Staves in the Show /Hide section for more information.
Show Lyrics on this staff If there are Lyrics w ithin the score, they can be show n or hidden.
View the Help Contents Page. Visit the MidiIllustrator Website at http://
w w w .MidiIllustrator.com.
5.5.1.3 Staff Namings
Command Location: Staves Menu / Staff Manager
Displays both the Full Name (‘Name’) and the Short Name of the selected staff, e.g. the name may be ‘Staff 1 (Acoustic Grand Piano)’ w ith a short name of ‘Trk 1 (Aco Gra Pia)’. Both the Name and Short Name may be edited.
Staff namings are displayed as rich text objects so font formatting is possible using the right-click context menu in the edit boxes.
It is useful to have the tw o name types as you may, at times, only w ish to display the short name of the staff on the score (see Staff Tools and Namings) rather than the Full Name.
The instrument name for the staff can be edited but it w ill be set to the chosen instrument w henever a new instrument patch is selected in Staff Manager or the Instrument dialog.
View the Help Contents Page. Visit the MidiIllustrator Website at http://
w w w .MidiIllustrator.com.