Notating Slur/Ligature/Tie

Hi,

I'm recently digging into my MC3, and found out that notation is quite difficult.
I also found out that this is a long problem between seqeuencers and notation programs.
However at this time I would just like to know if there is a way to notate slurs (or ties, whatever you may call) on the staff view. MC3 does happen to automatically make some ties between same notes - esp. when a measure starts with a 1/8th note.
Is there a way to make such slurs? If not, how can I make it effect on the event view or piano roll view, etc? (In this case some technique in inputting the notes may be needed, right?)

If you're more interested in making the score look good, you could try Finale Print Music. I wrote a couple replies about it on here somewhere last week. I'll find them if you're interested.

Are you using the pedal? That would make them sound legato. I can show you how if you haven't discovered that. It's probably in the help file too though.

ORIGINAL: drho

Hmm.. I tried Beagle's way by increasing the duration, but that resulted in a tie between two notes (the original one and the 'new' lengthened one), not a slur between different levels. Is that what you mean? In that case, is it really possible to make the MIDI events sound like 'slurs' i.e. legato play?

right, the lengthening of the notes only causes TIES, not SLURS. You can't do SLURS in cakewalk's notation (I mentioned that in my last post, you must have missed it).

cakewalk's notation is pretty limited in what it can do - it's not a full blown notation program - you have to buy something like finale or sibelius for that.

Slurs are surely on the music scores, but I wonder how they realize them on sequencers..

the only way to get the slur sound in cakewalk is to PLAY it that way on the keyboard, not enter it into the notation. even then it won't show up as a slur on the notation since that's not supported in their notation.

At this point I just want to make notes (or events) sound like as played legato..

do you have a MIDI keyboard? if not, it CAN be done in staff or PRV view, but it's not easy since, as you've discovered, the notation doesn't cover that feature. here's a link on some orchestral MIDI editing. I think it has some info in there on how to edit for different types of musical feels. Hope that helps!

http://www.northernsounds.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=77

I think I found out what I have wanted - but the results were not that impressive.

http://www.borg.com/~jglatt/tech/midispec.htm

This link shows the MIDI controller command for making a legato play (Controller 68 with value 127). These kinds of stuff were the mystic language which prevented me from using sequencers, etc. for more than a decade. However MC3 did easily made it to put it on the event chart.. but.. it sounded same to me whether I use it or not. The instrument was the Violin from the usual softbank included in MC3. Other controllers like PAN and Sustained Pedal worked, so I guess the input was not wrong..
The pedal Mamabear suggested was actually the Sustained Pedal (Controller 64 with value 127), which sustains sounds but not necessarily slurring them..

So.. the Legato Pedal controller command doesn't work well in MC3..or does it? It sounded similar on Piano too, but does this pedal apply to only certain instruments, etc.?

Oh, and one more.. if MC3 can't do slurs/ties, then can SONAR do?

And... if we use either Finale or Sibelius (which certainly must 'display' slurs) and use ties/slurs, will it sound like ties/slurs acutally?

and neither does sonar. the notation in MC is exactly the same as it is in sonar.

I happened to find your answer by incidence; well, for me I solved the problem by increasing the attack rate of the string instrument. It then sounds much less like a 'keyboarded violin' although as the attack slope increases slowly, it sounds a bit strange. Extending the note using the sustain controller seemed to work for me, but that resulted in overlapping notes, rather that slurs.

I came here for a somewhat question unrealted with MC3, however I ask since some here seem to use Finale or Sibelius.
I've been doing some research about better-sounding instruments, since the violin/strings on MC3 was still what it heard 10 years ago.. well, VSC (Virtual Sound Canvas) is the soft version of what I heard 10 years ago (SC-55 / 88Pro) anyway..

I've found out at last what I may need - a good enough sampler (or sound bank). Among those the Garritan Personal Orchestra (GPO) which Beagle happened to link for legato above was interesting; although the sounds were not perfectly real (the EastWest one did, but that was the Platinum version which is >$1000! ) but the cost was reasonable and more above, it claimed to connect with Finale and Sibelius and read all those specific notations (including that XXXX slur) and will play as indicated.

Does anybody have experience or opinions about this claim? If it is so, it would truly be a worth to think about of..

I'm glad you found a way that works. I just increased the duration of the notes in the piano roll view, so it's relatively easy to keep them from overlapping there. Have fun!