Options for Quantizing to a Groove

You can generate a timing grid from a MIDI part or an audio loop and use this groove to quantize your recorded music. This way, you can recreate the rhythmic feel of this specific event or part.

To access the options for quantizing to a groove, select a MIDI part from an audio loop, an audio event with hitpoints, or sliced audio. Perform one of the following actions:

  • Drag the part or event to the grid display in the middle of the Quantize Panel.

  • Select Edit > Advanced Quantize > Create Groove Quantize Preset.

The following options become available:

Position

Determines how much the timing of the groove affects the music.

Velocity (MIDI Only)

Determines how much the velocity values within the groove affect the music.

Note

Not all grooves contain velocity information.

Length (MIDI Only)

Allows you to specify how much the lengths of the notes are affected by the groove.

Note

For drums, the Length setting is ignored.

Safe Range

Allows you to create a safe zone before and after the quantize positions. If you specify a distance in ticks (120 ticks = one 16th note), events within this zone are not quantized. As a result, slight variations are kept.

Grid display

Shows the quantize grid. Quantized audio or MIDI is moved to the positions indicated by the vertical grid lines.

Pre-Q

Allows you to select a musical grid to which you can quantize your audio or MIDI first. This moves the notes closer to their groove destination.

Note

If you apply a shuffle groove to a 16th-note pattern, for example, set up a pre-quantize value of 16 to straighten up the timing before applying the groove quantizing.

Max. Move

Allows you to select a note value to specify a maximum distance for audio or MIDI movement.

Orig. Position

Sets the original starting position of the quantized material as the starting point of the quantizing. This allows you to synchronize material that does not start from bar 1 of the project.

Rough Quantize

Allows you to set a distance in ticks so that your audio or MIDI is quantized to random positions within the specified distance from the quantize grid. This allows for slight variations and, at the same time, prevents your audio or MIDI from ending up too far away from the grid.

Soft Quantize Mode

Applies a loose quantization so that your audio or MIDI moves only part of the way to the closest quantize grid position. The Quantize Strength value to the right determines how close your audio or MIDI moves towards the grid.

Note

Soft quantizing is based on the current quantized positions and not on the original event positions. You can repeatedly use the soft quantize mode to gradually move your audio or MIDI closer to the quantize grid until you have found the right timing.

MIDI CC

Automatically moves controllers related to MIDI notes (pitchbend, etc.) with the notes when these are quantized.

Reset Quantize

Resets your audio or MIDI to its original, unquantized state.

Important

This function has no effect on an event that was moved manually.

Auto

Immediately applies any changes to the selected parts or events. A way of using this feature is to set up a playback loop and to adjust the settings until you are satisfied with the result.

Quantize

Applies your settings.