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MusicLab Rhythm'n'Chords Manual
Interface elements overview
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Chord Chart view provides for chord assigning. <Enter>, <double-click> calls for hierarchical chord menu. <plus>/<minus> changes melodic position (inversion) of the chord. <P>/<O> auditions current/previous chord. <up>, <down>, <left>, <right>, <Ctrl> plus <left>, <Ctrl> plus <right>, <Tab>, <Shift> plus <Tab> navigation in Chart. <right click> calls a context menu (song length, insert/delete measures, parts, time signatures, automatic chord inversion assigning, measure division, measures per staff setting). <Delete> chord deletion/insertion of NC (No Chord symbol, any Stroke seeing the symbol doesn't make any sound). <A>, <B>, ... <G> +<Shift> fast chord entering. Drag & drop chords to and from Chart.
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Virtual keyboard displays current chord in Chord Chart view, lets you change any chord note or create a new chord (making it a user type chord with underlined name). <click> enters/deletes notes (not more than 6 notes in a chord). <right-click> assigns root note for the chord. <,> buttons selects virtual keyboard range (middle C is marked with big black point in the down left corner of the key).
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deletes chord/inserts NC symbol into the current beat. |
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auditions current chord. |
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turns on/off MIDI chord entering. |
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Piano Roll of the track, to which the RhythmnChords plug-in is assigned, is used for creation/editing Strokes, their length, velocity. The Strokes are presented as MIDI events (pitch 1-22), the Stroke types are named in the left part of Piano Roll (Stroke Map). Pressing Stroke names, assigning note with draw tool, dragging it with Scrub tool causes the program to audition the Strokes.
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Parameters Pane displays parameter presets and main performance control parameters (upper-lower voices balance, sounding voice polyphony, chord arpeggio time, mute chord sound length). Hold the mouse at the parameter to call additional info (tool tip and status bar text). Preset names in gray indicate that current parameter values are different from those in preset.
See also:
Main Parameters Window
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LED's indicate/perform main Stroke types (green Normal strum, red Muted strum, green 2 Top voices strum, blue Slow strum, yellow indicators virtual strings). Click in left side of LED down Stroke, click in right side up Stroke, click in upper part strong Stroke, click in down part weak Stroke; gray LED's display chord voices sounding.
[Click to enlarge]
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Rhythm Library contains prerecorded rhythm patterns. You can easily select patterns, see pattern content in the Rhythm view field, drag it to the Rhythm track.
See also:
Creating Rhythm track
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Chord bank shows all chords, used in a Song/User Chord bank. <click>, <P> chord auditioning. <right-click> call contextual menu (sorting, save, load). Drag & drop chords from/to Chord bank.
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Pattern bank allows you to select and group your patterns into your own custom sets (banks) and use them independently of the Rhythm Library. <click> activates Pattern Bank. <double-click> open pattern Properties Window < right-click > call contextual menu. Drag & drop patterns from/to Pattern bank. Combo box for bank selection.
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Toolbar.
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enharmonic change of a current chord name. |
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protects Chord Chart from editing. |
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show/hide chord's melodic position on the staff. |
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turn on/off chord auditioning while chart editing. <Shift> +<click> for options. |
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show/hide virtual keyboard. |
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show/hide Chord bank. |
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show/hide Pattern bank. |
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show/hide Rhythm Track |
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switching between instant (real time) and buffered (using MIDI buffer) mode. Instant button for switching between instant (real time) and buffered (using MIDI buffer adjustable in Cakewalk Global options) playback and reaction of the plug-in to the adjustments.
Note: We don't recommend to set Instant position (pressed button) while using software synthesizer as an output. On the other hand Instant position is preferred while simultaneously using plug-in's Rhythm Track and Cakewalk MIDI track for playing rhythm patterns ("Plug-in + track" rhythm source) |
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Menu bar import/export of Chord Chart, standard editing commands, help.
Main Parameters Window

Parameters Pane for basic controls
Presets - save and recall user presets for all parameters
Performance controls (see also Controlling the performance ).
LED's - indicate/perform main Stroke types (green Normal strum, red Muted strum, green 2 Top voices strum, blue Slow strum, yellow indicators virtual strings).
Click in left side of LED plays down stroke, click in right side upstroke, click in upper part strong stroke, click in down part weak stroke; gray LED's display chord voices sounding.
Rhythm Library

Rhythm Library contains prerecorded rhythm patterns. You can easily select patterns, see pattern content in the Rhythm view field, and drag it to the Rhythm track.
See also:
Rhythm Library window
Arpeggiation Window

This parameters group lets you adjust arpeggio time for various Stroke types (see also Arpeggiation).
Velocity Window

This parameters group lets you adjust output and input velocity values for various Stroke types (see also Velocity).
Voice Control Window

Strum types/Voices sets number of sounding voices for various Stroke types (see also Number of voices ).
Auto strumming settings for automatic sustain of certain chord voices to simulate guitar strumming (see also Auto strumming ).
Corrections settings for automatic control of Bass notes functions and articulation in Stroke rhythm pattern (see also Corrections ).
Chord construction settings for automatic chord construction (see also Program Chords construction settings ).
Chart Settings Window

Chart preset save and recall user presets (global):
Chord audition settings for auditioning chords in Chord Chart (see also Auditioning chords in Chord Chart ).
Chords to MIDI conversion settings for exporting chords to Cakewalk track (see also Exporting chords from Chord Chart to a Cakewalk track)
Push chord change settings for enforcing chord changes prior to the beat (see also Push chord change)
Output set output channel and port. If grayed uses Cakewalk track settings.
Keyboard Window

Settings for using the external MIDI keyboard (see also Keyboard zones).
Manual Play Window

Left hand - settings for Left Hand zone (see also Chord source).
Right hand settings for Right hand zone (see also Manual Playing. Rhythm only).
Keyboard Shortcuts
Chord Chart view
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Chord entering |
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Arrow keys |
navigation in Chord Chart by beats/staffs |
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Shift+Arrow keys |
navigation in Chord Chart (change song position) |
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Page Up/Down |
scrolling Chord Chart vertically |
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Enter |
open Chord menu/assign the selected chord to the Chart |
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Arrow keys in Chord menu |
navigation in the opened Chord menu/sub-menu |
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<+>/<-> keys (num pad) |
change melodic position (inversion) of the selected chord |
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Ctrl+<+>/<-> keys (num pad) |
transpose chord up/down by semitone |
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Fast chord entering |
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A, B, C... G |
select chord Root note (Shift+A/B/C..G - sharp or flat) |
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m |
minor, |
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7 |
dominant 7, |
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b |
minor7b5, |
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s |
sustained |
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a |
augmented |
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d |
diminished |
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Fast Bass note entering |
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\ |
open Bass note menu |
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Up/Down arrow keys |
select Bass note |
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Enter |
assign selected Bass note to the chord (/bass in the name) |
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Chord auditioning/navigating |
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P |
audition current chord |
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O |
audition previous chord and current chord on key release |
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Ctrl+Left/Right arrow keys |
audition next/previous chord |
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Tab or Shift+Tab |
audition next/previous chord |
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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
audition individual chord voices |
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Home |
go to the first chord |
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End |
go to the last chord |
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Chords-Patterns Editing |
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Delete |
delete current chord-pattern/insert NC symbol (No Chord) |
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Ctrl+X |
Cut |
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Ctrl+C |
Copy |
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Ctrl+V |
Paste |
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Ctrl+Z |
Undo (multiple) |
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Ctrl+Y |
Redo (multiple) |
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Ctrl+A |
select all |
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<Mouse> |
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Click on chord symbol |
select/audition chord |
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Click on pattern |
select pattern |
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Ctrl/Shift+click |
chords/patterns multiple selection |
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Click on staff |
set song position (synchro with sequencer) |
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Drag & Drop |
move chords/patterns |
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Drag pattern by right edge |
lengthen/shorten pattern (copy in cycles) |
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Ctrl+drag pattern by right edge |
lengthen/shorten pattern without snap |
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Ctrl+drag & drop |
copy chords/patterns |
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Right click |
call for context menu |
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Double click on staff |
open Chord menu |
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Double click on Rhythm track |
open Pattern Properties view |
Rhythm Library page
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Tab |
focus between Styles tree view and Patterns list combo boxes |
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Enter |
open/close focused Styles tree view/Patterns list combo box |
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Arrow keys |
navigation in Styles tree view/Patterns list |
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<Mouse> |
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Click on combo box |
open Styles tree view/Patterns list; select Style/Pattern |
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Double click on Style/Pattern |
close Styles tree view/Patterns list combo box |
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Drag & Drop |
copy pattern from Rhythm view to Rhythm track |
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Click on Rhythm track |
activate Rhythm track/deactivate pattern in Rhythm view |
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Click on Rhythm view |
activate pattern in Rhythm view/deactivate Rhythm track |
Parameter control pages
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Tab |
focus between parameter sliders and boxes |
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Up/Down, <+>/<-> (num pad), arrow keys |
change parameter value |
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Page Up/Page Down |
change parameter value by tens |
Virtual keyboard
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Click on key |
enter/delete notes in the current chord |
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Right click on key |
assign Root note for the chord |
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Shift+right click on key |
assign Bass note for the chord |
Chord/Pattern Banks
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Up/Down arrow keys |
navigation in chord/pattern list |
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Delete |
Delete |
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Ctrl+X |
Cut |
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Ctrl+C |
Copy |
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Ctrl+V |
Paste |
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<Mouse> |
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Click on chord name |
audition chord/activate Chord bank/deactivate Chord Chart |
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Click on pattern name |
select pattern/activate Pattern bank/deactivate Rhythm track |
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Ctrl/Shift+click |
patterns multiple selection |
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Double click on pattern name |
open Pattern Properties view |
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Drag & Drop |
copy chord/pattern to/from Chord Chart |
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Right click |
call for the context menu |
Through Keyboard Shortcuts
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Cakewalk/Sonar |
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Spacebar |
Start/Stop |
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W |
Rewind |
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/ |
Solo track |
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Ctrl+1/2/3 |
Tempo Ratio 1/2/3 |
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Cubase |
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Enter |
Start |
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Spacebar/0 (num pad) |
Stop/Rewind |
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S |
Solo track |
  
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