MidNote
by Wolfgang Maichen
wolfgang@pdamusician.com
www.pdamusician.com
 

Introduction
File Menu
Edit Functions
Markers
Moving Through Tracks
Playing Tracks
The Staff Display
The Edit Toolbox
View/Options
Tips And Tricks
Where To Get Help
Registering MidNote

Introduction


Hello, and welcome to MidNote, a handy tool to be musically creative no matter where you are!

MidNote is a program that allows you to enter music in staff notation, just as you would write it on a piece of paper. Editing is done by intuitive drag-and-drop operations of notes, rests, modifiers etc. Up to ten tracks are available. There are many advanced editing features such as transposing the piece to a different key etc. The piece can be played on your handheld, saved to a file, or exported to wave, MIDI, or text format, which allows you to share it with others or with a desktop based composition tool..

File Menu


New File
Load File
Save File
Save File As
Export File
Play Wave File
Print File
Recent Files
Exit

New File


Use this to clear the current file and the current filename. If the currently loaded file has any unsaved changes you will get a prompt asking if you want to save it before everything gets deleted.

Load File


Use this to load a previously saved file. If the currently loaded file has any unsaved changes you will get a prompt asking if you want to save it before the new file gets loaded. The default file extension is ".mdn". If you try to load a file that has not been created with MidNote, it will give you an error message. Loading a file will also restore the speed setting, as well as the current position and the marker positions for each track.

Save File


Using this command you can save the current file, including the present speed setting as well as the current positions and marker positions. If you haven't saved the file before, MidNote will prompt you for a new name, otherwise it will save the file under its current file name (if you don't remember the current file name, you can find it by selecting "File Info" in the file menu). The default file extension is ".mdn".

The save feature is disabled in the demo version.

Save File As


Use this to save a file under a new name. MidNote will prompt you for a new name. The default file extension is ".mdn". Apart from the file data also the present speed setting as well as the current positions and marker positions will be saved.

This feature is disabled in the demo version.

Export File


This function enables you to export a file into a standard format that can be played everywhere, including your PC, distribute it to your friends, put it on the web, etc. You have the choice of either exporting a wave file or a MIDI file. You have to choose a filename for the output file, the standard extension is .wav for wave files and .mid for MIDI files.

Wave files have the advantage that they can be played on your handheld directly without any external programs. Also the sound will be exactly the same as in MidNote because the same sound samples are used. The main disadvantage is that depending on the total duration of your file the wave file will take much longer to create and may require quite a large amount of storage space on your handheld, make sure you have enough free space available (MidNote will tell you how much you need before it starts to create the wave file). The main advantage is that your handheld is able to play it without additional programs. It is a very useful feature to check out a multitrack piece (normal "Play" in MidNote can only play the current track).

The corresponding MIDI files are by far smaller (even long files won't exceed a few KB). The files created this way will use the MIDI standard sound set (general MIDI). To play them, a MIDI player has to be installed on your device (such a player is usually already present on your PC, but not on your handheld. For the PocketPC there is a good player available as Freeware, to download it go to http://www.cministries.com/software/PocketMIDI/default.asp.

Before you export the MIDI file you have to choose which one of the 128 standard MIDI instruments is to be used. This means that you can use a wide selection of instruments even when you haven't installed any additional MidNote sound sets. The resulting sound quality will be largely dependent on the MIDI player and the sound hardware you use and may range from excellent to very poor.

This feature is disabled in the demo version.

Play Wave File


This function will open up a small wave player window. You can use it to play the wave files that you created from your piece. "Play" will play the file once. "Loop" will loop ove the file continuously. Both can be stopped by pressing the "Stop" button. Press "Done" to exit the player.

Print File


This function enables you to export a piece to a standard text file that can be viewed and printed with any editor or word processor, like Pocket Word. The output is formatted, but to have all entries aligned you must view the file with a constant width (monospaced) font like "Courier New". Pitch is given as note name and octave, e.g. F#(3). Durations are shown in normal notation, e.g. 1/4 for a quarter note. An asterisk (*) denotes a dotted note (e.g. 1/4*, which is longer by one half than a straight quarter note), "T" means a triplet note (e.g. three 1/8T notes make one quarter). In addition an M with a number might be appended (like M1, M34) which indicates that one or more markers are set to this step.

You have to choose a filename for the text file, the standard extension is .txt. It will contain a piano-roll like output of the format

This feature is disabled in the demo version.

Recent Files


This gives you a list of files that you opened since the start of MidNote (to a maximum of 8), with the most recent one on top. Simply click on an entry to load this file again. In that way you can quickly switch between files. If you don't want to load any, click on cancel.

Edit Functions


Undo
Copy
Cut
Paste
Delete
Mirror (harmonic)
Mirror (chromatic)
Reverse
Transpose
Change Speed
Change to b/#

Undo


Choosing this item will undo the last edit operation (through the edit menu, or through drag-and-drop in the staff display). It will go back to the track and the position where it was before the last edit. In case the contant  backups slow down operation too much (or you just prefer to live dangerously), you can turn Undo off through the View menu.

Copy Block


This functions copies the block between (and including) the markers M1 (start) and M2 (end) into the clipboard. It will issue an error of these markers haven't been set or M1 is after M2.

Cut Block


This functions moves the block between (and including) the markers M1 (start) and M2 (end) into the clipboard. This is equivalent to "Copy Block" with a subsequent "Delete Block". It will issue an error of the markers haven't been set or M1 is set after M2.

Paste Block


This functions pastes the block between that is currently in the clipboard after the step marked by the marker M2. It will issue an error of the markers haven't been set. To insert the block at the beginning of the song, set the marker M2 above the treble clef.

Delete Block


This functions deletes the block between (and including) the markers M1 (start) and M2 (end). It will issue an error of these markers haven't been set or M1 is set after M2.

Mirror Block (harmonic)


This functions mirrors the block between (and including) the markers M1 (start) and M2 (end). It will issue an error of these markers haven't been set. "Mirror" means the pitches within the block will get inverted, so what the highest note will become the lowest, the second highest will become the second lowest, and so on. "Harmonic" denotes the fact that the mirrored block will contain the same notes as the original one (so the scale used is preserved). For example, mirroring the sequence "C3 D3 A3 G3 C3" (all contained in the C major scale) will be mirrored as follows:

The pitches contained are C3, D3, A3, and G3. Sorted from low to high this gives C3, D3, G3, A3. Harmonic mirroring means that C3 (the lowest) will become A3 (the highest) and vice versa; D3 will become G3 and vice versa. Thus the mirror operation yields "A3 G3 C3 D3 A3", which is still part of the C major scale.

Mirror Block (chromatic)


This functions mirrors the block between (and including) the markers M1 (start) and M2 (end). It will issue an error of these markers haven't been set or M1 is set after M2.

"Mirror" means the pitches within the block will get inverted, so what the highest note will become the lowest, the second highest will become the second lowest, and so on. "Chromatic" denotes the fact that unlike "Mirror harmonic" the mirrored block does not necessarily contain the same notes as the original one: this function does not preserve the pitch values, but preserves (and mirrors) the intervals instead. So the original scale is not preserved. For example, mirroring the sequence "C3 D3 E3 F3 C3" (all contained in the C major scale) will be mirrored as follows:

The pitches contained are C3, D3, E3, and F3. Thus the tonal range goes from C3 to F3. Chromatic mirroring means that C3 (the lowest) will become F3 (the highest) and vice versa. D3 is two half tones above C3 (the lowest pitch), so it will become the will become the pitch which is two half tones below F3, the highest pitch, which is D#3. Note that D#3 was not in the original sequence. E3 is four half tones above C3, so it will get converted to the tone four half tones below F3, which is C#3. Thus the mirror operation yields "F3 D#3 C#3 C3 F3". This is not the C major scale anymore!

A small hint: if you want to do this mirroring with a sequence from a certain scale, but the block under consideration does not contain all the scale notes, mirroring can give somewhat counterintuitive results. In this case simply precede the block with the full scale, include this scale part into the block, mirror the block, and then remove the scale part

To determine/change which accidental (b or #) MidNote shall use, select "Using: b" (or "Using: #) from the View menu - this will toggle the preferred accidental.

Reverse Block


This functions reverses the block between (and including) the markers M1 (start) and M2 (end), i.e. the notes sequence will be turned around. It will issue an error of these markers haven't been set or M1 is set after M2. Example: The sequence C3 D3 E3 C4 B4 A4 will become A4 B4 C4 E3 D3 C3.

Transpose Block


This functions transposes the block between (and including) the markers M1 (start) and M2 (end) to a different pitch. It will issue an error of the markers haven't been set or M1 is set after M2. In addition you must enter how much the pitch shall be altered (in half-steps), and in which direction. For example, selecting "Shift down by..." and then "2" will change "A" to "G", "C" to "A#", i.e. always the note two steps below the original one. MidNote will not perform the transposition if any of the notes would exceed the available range ("C(1)" to "B(5)").  To determine/change which accidental (b or #) MidNote shall use, select "Using: b" (or "Using: #) from the View menu - this will toggle the preferred accidental.

Change_Speed


This functions modifies the timing of the block between (and including) the markers M1 (start) and M2 (end) to make it play at either twice the original speed ("Half Time") or half the original speed ("Double Time"). It will issue an error of the markers haven't been set or M1 is set after M2. For example, if you have selected a block of 1/8 notes and choose "Change Speed", then "Double Time", the block will now be all 1/4 notes. MidNote will not perform the change if any of the notes would exceed the available time value range (1/32 to 1/1).

Change_to_#/b


This functions will change all accidentals (b and #) of the block between (and including) the markers M1 (start) and M2 (end) to the type selected. It will issue an error of the markers haven't been set or M1 is set after M2. This will not change the way the block sounds - the actual pitches remain the same, only the display changes. For example, selecting "Change to b" will convert G# to Ab.

Markers


What are markers used for?
Setting a marker
Jumping to a Marker
Removing a marker

What Are Markers Used For?


MidNote provides you with a set of four markers (aka bookmarks) called M1, M2, M3, and M4 that are used for a variety of tasks:

When you save a file, the current marker positions will get saved as well, and will be restored when you load this file again.

Each track has its own unique set of four markers, MidNote will remember their positions when you switch from one track to another.

Setting a Marker


There are two ways to set a marker. In any case first select scroll or jomp to the step where the marker shall be placed. To set a marker (for example M1) to this position, select "Set M1" from the "Marker" menu. This will set the marker to the leftmost position displayed on the screen. The other (and easier) possibility is to drag the appropriate marker symbol from the Edit Toolbox on the bottom of the screen over the note (or rest) at the desired position. Dragging the marker once more onto this position will remove the marker again.

To set a marker to the start of the track (i.e. before the first step), go to the beginning of the track (position 1) and drag the marker onto the treble clef on the left.

You can use the "Marker" dropdown menu to find out where all the markers are positioned - their step numbers will be displayed behind the "Go to" items.

Jumping to a Marker


You can jump to any marker that has been set using the "Go to M1/2/3/4" function from the "Marker" menu. The step that has the marker will be the leftmost displayed on the staff display. If the marker hasn't been set, you will get a warning and the current position in the file will not change. 

Removing a Marker


You can remove any marker using the "Remove M1/2/3/4" function from the "Marker" menu. This function only exists for convenience because markers do not affect the replay of a song anyway. Another way to remove a marker is to drag the appropriate marker symbol from the Edit Toolbox onto the same step once more.

View/Options


About
Help
Refresh
Track Info
Using b/#
Scrolling
Sounds
Undo

About


This displays general information about MidNote (version, contact address).

Help


This displays this help file.

Refresh


If for any reason the staff display is damaged, you can use this option to refresh (redraw) the screen. (The same is achieved by performing any scolling or edit operation).

Track Info


This will give you some general information about the current track, such as the current file name, the length of the track in steps, and the total track play time in minutes and seconds.

Exit


Use this to exit MidNote. If there are unsaved changes, MidNote will ask you if you want to save the file before the program quits.

Using b/#


This displays the accidental (b or #) that MidNote is going to use when there is a need during any editing operation (transposing notes, mirroring, etc.). Select this item to toggle between b (flat) and # (sharp).

Scrolling on/off


This item selects of the staff display shall scroll with the currently played note during play or loop. Scrolling can take considerable time (at each change of display the whole display has to be refreshed) and can cause timing inaccuracies during replay. It is however a great tool to check out a track for mistakes - it will show you immediately where they are. (Note: Even when scrolling is turned off, the position display (the label on the "Goto" button) as well as the scrollbar will still get updated for each step and show the currently played position.

The default setting is "Scrolling: Off".

Sounds on/off


This shows if MidNote will play sounds when performing drag-and-drop edititing operations (placing of notes, moving notes into trash, etc.). These sounds give you a quick feedback about the pitch of the note you just placed or moved, so there is no need to constantly play a portion of the track to check how it sounds. Select this item to toggle between sounds on and sounds off. 

Undo on/off


When editing very large blocks, the backup operations performed before each edit can take a while. If this is the case, you can turn the undo functionality off by selecting this item. However, be aware that by doing so you are no longer able to undo any of your operations.

Moving Through Tracks


Selecting the Active Track
The Scroll Buttons
The Scrollbar
The Position Display Button

Selecting the Active Track


A piece can contain up to 10 separate tracks. Each tracks consists of a single voice. Though within MidNote itself you can only play one track at a time, you can export the piece into a wave file or a MIDI file and hear all track played together. All editing is performed on the current track. To select a new active track, simply choose the appropriate track from the "Track" dropdown box. The new track will be displayed in the staff display, the position will be the one where you left it.

The Scroll Buttons


To move back and forth within the current track, you can use either the scroll buttons, or the Position Display Button, or the scrollbar. The slow scroll buttons (labeled ">" and "<") advance one step at a time. The fast scroll buttons jump by a whole screen (10 steps). Whenever you move, the Position Display Button will show the step number of the leftmost position.

The Scrollbar


To move back and forth within the current track, you can use either the scroll buttons, or the Position Display button, or the scrollbar. Whenever you move the slider of the scrollbar, the staff will change to show the selected part of the track, and the Position Display button will be updated show the step number of the leftmost position on the screen.

The Position Display Button


To move back and forth within the current track, you can use either the scroll buttons, or the Position Display button, or the scrollbar. The Position Display button has a dual function. First it always shows step number of the leftmost position on the screen. When you click on it you get a small window where you can enter the step you want to go to (this will be the leftmost step on the display). Either enter the step number into the edit box, or press the "Start" or "End" button to fill in the start or end position respectively. When you press "OK", the display will jump to the entered position.


Playing Tracks


Setting The Replay Speed (BPM)
Playing The Track Once
Looping Over A Section

Setting the Replay Speed


Select the desired speed in the BPM box. This speed will be used not only for replay, but also when exporting the piece to .wav or MIDI format. The units is "BPM" (quarter beats per minute). The larger the number, the faster the piece will be played. The setting will also be saved when you save the piece to a file.

Playing The Track Once


To play the current track, press the "Play" button. The replay will start from the current position. To play from the beginning, press the "Stop" button before starting the replay (this will set the position to the start of the track). While playing, theposition display and the scrollbar will be continuously updated to show the currently played step. In order to have the staff display follow as well, activate scrolling by selecting View -> Scrolling. Scrolling can take considerable time (at each change of display the whole display has to be refreshed) and can cause timing inaccuracies during replay, so by default it is turned off to assure steady timing. It is however a great tool to check out a track for mistakes - it will show you immediately where they are.

To stop the replay, press the "Stop" button. Pressing this button once more will set the position to the start of the track.

Looping Over A Section


To loop over a specific section of the current track, press the "Loop" button. The loop will go over the section between the markers M1 and M2, provided they are set. If the markers are not set, then the replay will start from the current position and loop over the whole track. To start from the beginning, press the "Stop" button before starting the replay (this will set the position to the start of the track). While playing, the position display and the scrollbar will be continuously updated to show the currently played step. In order to have the staff display follow as well, activate scrolling by selecting View -> Scrolling. Scrolling can take considerable time (at each change of display the whole display has to be refreshed) and can cause timing inaccuracies during replay, so by default it is turned off to assure steady timing. It is however a great tool to check out a track for mistakes - it will show you immediately where they are.

To stop the replay, press the "Stop" button. Pressing this button once more will set the position to the start of the track.

The Staff Display


The staff display in the middle of the screen shows a section of the current track, starting with the current position. Though is largely works as you would expect from standard music notation, there are a few small differences: Accidentials (b and #) only apply to the note they precede. That means to play e.g. two F# notes, you have to precede both with a sharp (#), otherwise MidNote will play an F# followed by an F. As a consequence there are not naturals to resolve a previous accidential (because they are not necessary). There are no global accidentials. You are free to mix sharps and flats.

Markers (numbers 1 - 4 in a pointed box) are displayed above they step they are set to, on top of the staff display. The only exception is a marker set to the beginning of the track (before the first note - to allow e.g. inserting a block at the beginning) which will be displayed above the treble key.

The available pitches range from C(1) to B(5), which is the note on the bottom dotted line and the top dotted line, respectively. You cannot lower the lowest note or increase the pitch of the highest note by using accidentials (MidNote will refuse to put them).

The Edit Toolbox


General Remarks
Notes and Rests
Modifiers
Bars
Markers
Trash
The Staff Display

General Remarks


Most editing on a track (except block operations which are accessed through the "Edit" menu) is done using drag-and-drop from the Edit Toolbox on the bottom of the screen, or within the staff display. You can drag elements from the Edit Toolbox into the staff display, then if needed drag them within the staff display, or remove them from there by dragging them onto the trash can on the lower right of the screen. In most cases MidNote will also give acoustic feedback when a drag-and-drop operation has been performed. You can turn this off by selecting the "Sounds:" item in the "View" menu.

Notes and Rests


Notes and rests constitute the main part of a track. MidNote offers six basic durations ranging from 1/1 down to 1/32. These can be further modified using the modifiers to obtain triplets and dotted notes of each of these durations.

To insert a note or rest into the track, drag the appropriate symbol at the desired position in the staff display, using the stylus. If you drop it behind the last step of the current track, it will be appended to the end of the track. Otherwise it will be inserted between the two notes where you dropped it. If you reach the end of the display, MidNote will automatically scroll the track to the left to create space for another note. When you drop a note, it will be played in the chosen pitch (determined by the vertical position on the staff).

To change the pitch of a given note that is already in the staff display, there are three possibilities: First, you can drag an accidential (b or #) onto the note. This will set the chosen acidential, thus lowering (b) or increasing (#) the pitch of the note by a semitone. Second, you an click above or below the note, which will move its pitch by a semitone in the respective direction (if MidNote has to use an accidental to achieve this, it will take the one chosen through the "Using: b/#" item in the "View" menu). Finally you can click on the note and drag it to a new pitch. However you cannot drag the note to a different position in the track.

Unlike notes, a rest can only be placed onto two vertical positions: either in the treble clef (fiver upper solid lines), or onto the bass clef (lower five solid lines). To move a rest between these two positions, drag it up or down as desired. However you cannot drag a rest to a different position in the track.

To remove a note or rest from the track, drag it onto the trash can on the lower right corner of the screen. To remove (or modify) a block of notes and/or rests, use the edit functions from the "Edit" menu.

Modifiers


Modifiers are additional marks that can be placed at a note or rest to modifier its duration (both of notes and rests) or its pitch (notes only). There are several of them:

The "Sharp" accidential (symbolized in the Edit Toolbox by a "#") will inrease the pitch of a note by a semitone. To apply this accidential, drag it onto the respective note or rest. To remove it from a note where it has been applied, drag it once more onto this note.

The "Flat" accidential (symbolized in the Edit Toolbox by a "b") will lower the pitch of a note by a semitone. To apply this accidential, drag it onto the respective note or rest. To remove it from a note where it has been applied, drag it once more onto this note.

The "Triplet" modifier (symbolized in the Edit Toolbox by a greyed out note with the letter "3" close to it) will modify the duration of the a (or rest) to a triplet. Three triplets of a note together are as long as two "normal" notes. To apply this modifier, drag it onto the respective note or rest. To remove it from a note where it has been applied, drag it once more onto this note.

The "Dot" modifier (symbolized in the Edit Toolbox by a greyed out note with a dot after it) will modify the duration of a note (or rest) to a dotted note. Two dotted notes together are as long as three "normal" notes (or in other words, a dotted note is longer by half than the corresponding "normal" note). To apply this modifier, drag it onto the respective note. To remove it from a note where it has been applied, drag it once more onto this note.

Bars


Bars (symbolized in the Edit Toolbox by a "|" in a field of greyed out staff lines) is useful to make a track more readable and closer to the way it would be written in standard notation. It does not affect the way MidNote will be playing the track (i.e. there won't be any emphasis on  the first beat after the bar line). To set a bar, drag it onto the note or rest after which it shall be placed. To remove a bar, drag it onto the note or rest in front of it.

Markers


Markers can be placed by dragging the respetive marker symbol (symbolized in the Edit Toolbox by numbers 1 to 4 in a pointed box) onto the desired step. To set a marker to the start of the track, scroll to the beginning of the track (position 1) and the drag the marker symbol onto the treble clef. The marker symbol will be displayed at the chose position on the top end of the staff display. You an set markers also through the "Marker" menu (in this case they will be set onto the leftmost step that is displayed).

To move a marker to a new position, simply drag the symbol from the Edit Toolbox onto the desired step.

To remove a marker that has been set, drag the symbol once more onto the step it is set to.

Trash


You can remove single notes or rests from the track by dragging them from the staff display onto the trash symbol on the lower right corner of the screen. To remove modifiers or bars (but otherwise leaving the note or rest intact), drag the appropriate symbol onto the particular note (or rest) once more. To unset a marker, either drag it once more onto the step it is set to, or choose "Remove Mx" (x = 1/2/3/4) from the "Marker" menu.

Tips and Tricks


If you don't get a sound, check the sound settings in the control panel. There are several different settings. Turn them all on and see if you hear something now. The fact that Windows Media Player works fine is no indication that all settings are on! The setting that must be turned on is "Sound for programs".

The volume with which the notes are played depends on the volume you set in the control panel. Chose Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Volume and Sounds to change it. If your setting is to high, the sound might get distorted because the small loudspeaker of a handheld easily gets overdriven. In this case, choose a lower setting.

Due to restrictions in the WindowsCE event handling, the song playback might be stopped when you repeatedly click on a button while the song is playing, without MidNote being able to notice that. If this happens, simply continue playing by clicking on the "Play" button or the "Loop" button, or reset the play state by pressing "Stop".

Where To Get Help


If you have any questions about MidNote, suggestions for improvements, want to report a bug, or need information about how and where to get the full unrestricted version, feel free to write to the author (Wolfgang Maichen) at

wolfgang@pdamusician.com

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

You should also check out the MidNote home page (www.pdamusician.com) for updates, add-on programs, and new developments.

Registering MidNote


A registered version of MidNote is available at www.shareit.com, and the price is US$ 19,-. To order it, go to www.shareit.com and enter "MidNote " into the "Search" field (alternatively you can search for the program number, xxxxx). When you register there, the full version will be sent to you automatically via e-mail.

However, if you prefer (and want to save some money), payment can be made via www.paypal.com as well. Unlike Shareit, Paypal takes only a small transaction fee out of the payment, and I can pass these savings on to you - if you pay using Paypal, you get MidNote for $15,-. You find a direct link for this at the MidNote website (www.pdamusician.com)! If for any reason you want to set up the payment manually, all you need is to set up an account with Paypal (this does not cost you anything), and then send $15 to my email address (wolfgang@pdamusician.com). In this case please do not forget to mention which program you are paying for!

The easiest way to register is to go on the MidNote home page (www.pdamusician.com) where you find links to buy it through either Shareit or PayPal.

If you don't have a credit card and cannot use any of above methods, please contact me (Wolfgang Maichen) by sending an e-mail to wolfgang@pdamusician.com, and we can work something out. I accept almost any form of payment except Kauri shells :-)

No matter which way of payment you choose you will receive the full version of MidNote within 24 hours after I receive your payment.

Additional features of the registered version:

- No annoying alert window at program start
- Loading/Saving of your pieces
- Printing of your pieces
- Exporting your tracks to .wav or MIDI
- Mixing of .wav or MIDI files
- Maximum of 3000 steps
  (demo version: 20)
- Full support and free future updates