SUMMERY:
The Midi Editor in Pro Tools 8 has definitely made for a huge improvement. Before, Midi has always been a feature that was neglected while other DAWs offered a more friendly alternative.How to Open the Midi Editor
First off, you can still work with Midi data in the Edit Window just as you did in earlier versions of Pro Tools, but with the new Midi Editor you probably won't ever work that way again.
The Midi Editor can be opened in two ways. With the Midi or instrument track view set to "Regions", simple double click with the Grab Tool on any Midi region or you can just select a group of Midi notes and go to Window - Midi Editor.
To Open a "Docked" Midi Editor go to View - Other Displays - Midi Editor.
The Midi Window can be resized vertically to your liking by dragging it up or down.
Working in the Midi Editor
One of the cool things about the Midi Editor is that you can work independently to the Edit Window. For example, you can be in Slip Mode with the Smart Tool selected in the Edit Window and be in Grid Mode with the Grab Tool selected in the midi Editor.
Just like the Edit Window, The Midi Editor allows you to view all the additional track data. By default, Velocity is shown but additional lanes can be added with the + and - buttons.
To quickly go to Score View, simply click on the score button at the top left-hand side of the editor.
Viewing Midi Layers
By default, the Midi Editor shows only the selected tack's data. By using the tracks Show/Hide list inside the Midi Editor we can view Midi data in overlapping layers. This is a really cool bonus to the Midi Editor.
The black dot to the left of the track name represents the track's Show/Hide status. The pencil to the right lets you know which track you are currently editing.
Color Notes by Track
When you work with Midi in Layers, by default each layer will be represented by it's region in color. Because many times you may have regions that are the same color, the Midi Editor offers two alternate color-coding options for notes.
Choosing this option will assign a different color to each note layer in the Midi Editor regardless of track or region color.
Color by Velocity
This one is my favorite. This option will color code notes based on their velocity. Darker colors represent higher velocities. You can set Midi notes to display velocity in Preferences under the Display Tab.
More Options
You can set custom scrolling options in the Midi Editor using the discloser triangle at the top right-hand side of the Midi Editor.
You can also view additional ruler displays like (Meters, Tempo, etc) just like in the Edit Window.
As I mentioned, these functions all work independently to the other windows in Pro Tools which is a very cool thing making working with Midi faster and more efficient than ever before.
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