LUNA / CMusic User Guide The Composer   

A Composition is built with Parts.

You can create a new Part with the pencil tool. Then you have the choice for a Audio Part or a Sequence Part.

When creating an Audio Part, you can browse for the audio file to be played. Then you can double-click or right-click the new part (or press the TAB key) to go to the Audio Lab to trim the start point within that file.

The output of an Audio Part is streamed into a Rack. In the Rack you can adjust the volume, panning or add effects (e.g. reverb) to the audio. By default, when you create a new Audio Part, that part is routed to the already focussed Rack. But more about Racks lateron.

A Sequence Part can be edited in the Sequence Editor by double-clicking or right-clicking the Sequence Part, or by pressing the TAB key.

You can move parts by dragging them around. For copying parts, hold Control (Osx: Command) while dragging.

When you copy a part, then the copied part is referencing the same sequence as the original part, so changing that sequence will have effect in both parts!

If you want to copy a part creating a new, independent copy of the sequence, then hold Alt while dragging.

The composer draws the parts with a subtle 3D effect: when a part is drawn 'down', then it's the only part using that sequence. When the part is drawn 'up', then there are more parts using that sequence, and thus changing that sequence affects all these parts!

Tip: You can also use the "Duplicate" function in the parts' context menu for creating a new, unique version of the sequence. So changing that duplicated sequence won't have effect in other parts.

When you move the mouse over a part, and you have the arrow or pencil tool selected, the mouse tool has this dynamic behaviour:

  • At the beginning of the part, you get the pencil tool to change the start position
  • In the middle of the part, you get the arrow tool to move the part
  • At the end of the part, you get the pencil tool to change the end of the part

A Sequence Part needs a Target (read: instrument) to make sound.

Simply clicking on a Part will display its Target in the Part Property Panel at the top right in the interface. You can change the Target for the selected part in that Part Property Panel.

If more than 1 part is selected, the Target of all selected parts can be changed together.

Note that a Sequence Part can also target non-synth plugins, e.g. you can send automation events to the filter cutoff of a filter plugin

Detail Info:

  • You can use the TAB key to switch between Composer and the relevant editor for the selected part
  • Pressing S toggles the Auto Scroll function
  • You can widen the tracks column by dragging the splitter to the right. This gives you space for track names
  • You can solo/unsolo a track by right-clicking (Osx: control-clicking) on a track mute
  • Pressing T or clicking the middle mouse button let you quickly change the mouse tool
  • You can use the mouse wheel to scroll / zoom (hold Control (Osx: Command)) horizontally.
  • A lot of operations can be done on multiple parts at once. Just select the parts you want to include in the operation.
  • Pressing the Arrow Left and Right keys makes the Position jump to the previous or next cue point.

    The cue points are:

    • Composition Start = 1.1.0000
    • Composition Loop Start
    • Composition Loop End
    • The last position where you have manually set the position line
    • The start of the selected Part
    • The end of the selected Part
    • The end of the last Part in the Composition

Table Of ContentsNext : The Audio Lab