Hey everyone,
 
So this is something I've wondered about for a long long time and just never asked. I figure I might as well ask, especially after I wrestled with this last night.
 
So first of all, 90-100% of my music is MIDI based. So I'm not talking audio at all here. And of that music, probably 90-100% of that is always quantized after I play out some kind of idea on the keyboard. Usually I can get by with one of the standard quantize options (whole, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, everything else left at default). But then there are the times that I can't. Either a) quantizing ruins the rhythm of what I was playing, or b) some of it gets to be perfect while some of it is off, no matter how close I played it, and then I'm stuck adjusting individual note values to get it right.
 
Now like I said, it's pretty rare that I run into this with the kind of music I'm doing. But it does happen, and I'm curious where might be a good place to start in messing with the quantize options outside of what I mentioned above... OR do I need to start looking into the groove quantize options, which is something I've never done before.
 
Another thing I should mention, is sometimes if I really need this melody or beat or whatever to work, but quantizing just keeps messing it up, I'll just quantize the first and last notes and I'm good haha. Not pretty, but it works. What matters is that I can then drag copies that will line up with the bars... Because as long as it lines up on the bars, I know that what I PLAYED stays in beat with the other tracks... It just doesn't really haha. But I know there is something I should be learning that will make it more precise so I can properly use the quantizing features.
 
Thanks for any and all input. I know I have some learning to do :-)

It all depends what you are quantizing to.  Either try groove quantizing if you are trying to play to a specific feel such as a drum groove etc or don't forget the power of the mighty triplet.  More often than not you can maintain the swing of a piece whilst putting it in time by using a triplet quantisation.  Also try quantizing on input as an option too as the results are mush more immediate

See yea, I think I need to look into groove quantizing. Like I said it's something I've never even checked into before, and realistically, I'm making very beat driven music, so I'd imagine quantizing to the drum groove would make a lot of sense. I'm gonna have to look around though because when I searched youtube for Sonar Groove Quantize, everything I found was in other languages haha.

When you open the Quantize window, play around with the strength, swing & window options.
 
These exist to do exactly what you're trying to do - impart a less mechanical feel to quantized recordings

OK cool. So is this probably my best starting place:
 
http://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=SONAR%20X2&language=3&help=EditingMIDI.38.html
 
(couldn't find it for Platinum for some reason but I don't think the dialog box has changed much)
 
And just start messing around with values to kinda learn how it affects it.

Remember also that sometimes there is no "one size fits all" setting for quantizing a part. You sometimes have to lasso phrases and quantize them with a setting that makes sense to that phrase, which may or may not be an appropriate setting for other phrases in the part. Also, some notes mightn't need quantizing at all. Sometimes you can quantize a part note by note using sight, ie turn snap off, zoom in and just nudge each note as close as possible to the place it should be.

That's the one.
 
Try something, if you don't like it, undo it (ctrl + z), try something else.
 
The strength option should get you most of the way there without messing with the others but using it in conjunction with the Window parameter makes for a powerful feature

Yea absolutely. Right now my approach if I just HAVE to have it a certain way and quantizing is just not working for me is to quantize to 1/16th and then just start right clicking a note at a time and adjusting as necessary. I'm sure I'll always have to do that sometimes, but yea, it's definitely time to learn a little more of the quantize dialog box features. Only been 15 years. :-)

Bristol_Jonesey
That's the one.
 
Try something, if you don't like it, undo it (ctrl + z), try something else.
 
The strength option should get you most of the way there without messing with the others but using it in conjunction with the Window parameter makes for a powerful feature

Thanks, that's very helpful. I'll start with that when I start messing with it.

Damn sharke, I never thought of lassoing selected notes and quantize. It was always a clip, section, bars.

Well I have done quantize on drum fills. I guess that counts😁