Quantisation & Piano Roll

Music Tech || MT CA2 - The Digital Audio Workstation

What is quantization?

Snapping MIDI notes to a set note value.

What is the step/piano roll input?

• This method uses the pointer or pencil tool in your DAW to physically draw the notes.

• You would use a pencil tool to draw the note pitch and length directly onto the piano roll.

What are the advantages of using a piano roll input?

• You can accurately input note the different pitches and note lengths.

• Your performance will be perfectly in time as it will be snapped to the grid.

What are the disadvantages of using a piano roll input?

• Using this method can be far more time consuming.

• It is much harder to make it sound realistic as the velocities have to be controlled manually.