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What is a Cue?
A cue can be as simple as a marker--a text label that is placed somewhere in a song. However, the real purpose for Cues is to provide a mechanism for non-linear playback--that is, playback that does not merely proceed from the beginning of a song to the end of the song. Cues provide a simple (yet essential) way for a musical director or performer to interact with the sequencer in a live performance setting. The most common Cues are fermatas (holds), caesuras (cuts) and vamps (repeats).
How do I insert a Cue?
Use the Insert/Cue menu command, which will open the following window:
There are several cue types available--scroll through the "type" list to see them. Each cue that you insert may have an optional "label" or text associated with it. All "marker" cues, and any other cue that is given a label, will appear in the "songs and markers" view.
With the exception of the Marker cue, all cues have a "stop at" time and a "restart at" time. The "stop at" time is the point at which playback becomes non-linear (stops or jumps). The "restart at" time becomes the new song position. Depending on the type of cue, the "stop at" time may come before or after the "restart at" time. NOTE that if you select a range of time before using the Insert/Cue command, that range of time will be used for the "stop at" and "restart at" time settings.
How do each of these Cues work?
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Marker |
This cue simply marks a position in the song for later quick-access--it does not affect playback. With or without a text label, they always appear in the songs and markers view. |
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Caesura (cut) |
When playback reaches the "stop at" time, playback stops, and all notes are silenced. The song position is advanced to the "restart at" time. To continue, the Play command (default Ctrl+Enter) must be used. |
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Fermata (hold) |
When playback reaches the "stop at" time, playback stops, but all notes currently "on" are NOT silenced, and MIDI Maestro enters "pause" mode. The song position is advanced to the "restart at" time. To continue, the Play command must be used. To silence notes, the Stop command (default Esc key) must be used. |
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Vamp (repeat) |
When playback reaches the "stop at" time, playback "jumps back" to the "restart at" time. With a vamp, you also have the option of selecting a maximum number of repeats, and a number of measures to be skipped the last time through the vamp. To end an "infinite" vamp, use the last vamp command (default is F11). You may also use the next cue command (default is Ctrl+PgDn) to immediately jump to the end of the vamp. By default, the Play/Cue command also signals the last vamp--to change this behavior, see the the Setup/Options/Playback tab. |
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Skip |
When playback reaches the "stop at" time, playback "jumps" to the "restart at" time. This one is particularly handy when a director or choreographer makes cuts to the original score--you don't have to destroy any work, just skip over it.
If you place a Skip cue at the end of a song, and set its "stop time" to be identical to the "restart time," an attaca is performed--the next song in the set immediately begins playback. Because of the nature of this real-time transition, certain features which are normally executed when switching songs, in this case may be bypassed: for example, sysex bank transmission, VST instrument configuration, and the initialization of audio clips. |
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Hold and Cut |
Very often in a performance, a cut appears immediately following a hold. This cue combines these actions into a single cue. Playback will "pause" at the "stop at" time. Use the Play command to cut and advance to the "restart at" time. Use the Play command once again to resume playback. |
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Ad lib (cola voce) |
Beginning with the beat that FOLLOWS the "stop at" time, this cue pauses on every metronome beat (which may differ from the time signature), up to and including a beat which may align with the "restart at" time. The Play command is used to continue playback. This cue is best used with legato and slow orchestration, as some notes that occur "between the beats" may not be played with this cue. |
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Advance |
This cue acts as a hold that does not stop playback. The section between the "restart at" and "stop at" times is repeatedly played. When the Play command is used, playback "jumps" immediately to the end of the cue and playback then continues. This cue is handy for trills and timpani rolls! |
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Advance and Cut |
Just as the "hold and cut" cue combines fermata with caesura, this cue combines the Advance cue with the Caesura cue. When playback is repeating, the Play command will advance the song position to the end of the cue, and playback will stop. |
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How can Cues be used to "branch"?
While a Vamp, Advance, or Advance and Cut cue is playing, you can set a "skip" value. The keyboard command to do this is by default Shift+1 through Shift+9. Shift+0 "cancels" the skip value. You will see "(+n)" appear in the metronome view, where n is the skip value set. When you end the Vamp or Advance cue, MIDI Maestro searches for a cue (typically but not necessarily a marker) with a text label beginning with the skip value, and playback will resume at that point.
Here's a practical example: If there is a measure in a song during which you might decide to continue or jump to an ending, you can set up a Vamp cue in that measure with a "play times" value of only 1. Somewhere later in the song, you can setup a marker cue with a label of "2:ending." Now, when that Vamp measure plays, you may choose to set the skip value to 2 (Shift+2 by default), or simply let the song continue to play.
Note: the skip value may also be used with the "skip next measure," "repeat current measure," "next cue," and "previous cue" commands. Rather than skipping only 1 measure or cue, a larger number may be specified with the skip value. In the case of the "repeat current measure" command, playback actually can be forced to resume a number of measures BEFORE the current measure.
How about cued sequential jumps?
During playback, the "next" and "previous cue" commands may be used to jump forward or backward in a "cue to cue" fashion. MIDI Maestro will wait until the end of the current measure to make the move. Typically "marker" cues are used as destinations, but any type of cue may be used.
Are there other ways to follow a singer who is taking liberties?
Yes, and a very handy one too. On the Setup/Options/Playback tab, there's an option "use pitch wheel to control tempo multiplier." Enable this option, and MIDI Maestro will slow the song down when you move your pitch wheel control to the left on your synthesizer and speed up the song when you move it to the right. Make sure you have the "local switch" turned off on the keyboard, or else the pitch wheel will also change the pitch on one or more of your MIDI channels!
How does MIDI Maestro handle notes and controllers when jumping around?
When MIDI Maestro resumes playback at a new position, a note and controller "search-back" is performed. This means that notes and controllers (patches, volumes, etc) are immediately changed to match values had playback been allowed to reach the new position without interruption from the beginning of the song.
One place to be wary of this behavior is with the Vamp cue. If a note begins before the vamp, and ends after the vamp, the note is "held" the entire time that the vamp is played--the note is not "resounded." If however it begins or ends during the vamp, it will be resounded when the vamp repeats.
Can I change the color of these Cues?
Yes, by using the Setup/Options/Display menu command. There's also a "use defaults" button there in case you find you change your mind.
Is it Ok to overlap Cues?
Currently MIDI Maestro does allow for this. There are times when you want to place a skip "over" a range of time that contains other cues, for example. A word of caution, however: MIDI Maestro was not strictly designed to do this, and you should thoroughly test such a configuration before attempting to "go live" with it.
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