🎹 Piano Roll, Tools & Music Theory

The Piano Roll Editor in Omni DAW is an environment for composing, drawing, and advanced MIDI note editing for built-in synthesizers (PolySynth, BassSynth, Alchemy, Iris, TOMiC and others) as well as VST3/CLAP/LV2/VST2 plugins.

1. Set of 4 Main Editor Tools (Piano Roll Tools)

In the top-left corner of the editor toolbar, you can select one of 4 working tools:

• Select (Pointer / Selection): Used for area selection (Marquee Selection), moving notes, changing duration (stretching edges), and transposition.
• Pencil: Clicking places a new note of a defined grid length. Dragging with the mouse draws a note of the chosen length.
• Eraser: Quickly deletes notes with a single click or by dragging the cursor across the grid.
• Scissors: Splits a single note or a group of selected notes at the cursor click location on the designated grid position.

2. Division and Note Generation (Chop Modes)

The Chop feature allows for quick division of selected notes into smaller phrases:

• Equal: Divides a note into N equal parts (2 to 32) at the same pitch.
• Random Melody: Replaces a note with an algorithmically generated melody, scaled to the exact length of the original note.
• Progression (Chord Generation): Transforms a single note into a chord progression in the currently selected scale/key, also scaled to the length of the original note.

3. System of 10 Note Expression Lanes (Expression Modes)

Below the main note grid is the collapsible Note Expression Lanes panel. Unlike standard CC controllers, expression lanes in Omni DAW modify the properties of each note individually:

| Expression Lane | Name and Audio Engine Function | | :--- | :--- | | Velocity | Classic note strike dynamics ranging from 0–127. | | Probability | The probability of a note triggering (0%–100%). Allows for creating lively, evolving loops. | | Velocity Deviation | Dynamics scatter / humanization – adds a random deviation to the strike force with every repetition. | | Condition | Note trigger condition: Always, X/Y (every Y-th loop pass, e.g., 1/2), Prev Played (only if the previous note played) or Prev Silent (only if the previous note was skipped). This is a separate, simpler system than the Step Sequencer step conditions described in /docs/session — there are no FILL/PRE values here. | | Pan | Independent panning for each note (-1.0 to +1.0). Allows scattering individual notes in the stereo field without affecting the whole track. | | Pitch Offset | Per-note micro-tuning in cents (-100 to +100 cents) for microtonality and detune effects. | | Release Velocity | Key release dynamics (delays the release envelope decay). | | Timing Offset | Micro-timing offset in beats (Push / Pull) – lets you shift a note forward or backward from the grid line. | | Pressure | Note pressure (Polyphonic Aftertouch / Poly Pressure) ranging from 0.0 – 1.0. | | Volume | Dedicated envelope for the note's output volume. |

4. Music Theory, Scales and Keyboard Folding Mode (Scale Fold)

Omni DAW features an integrated music theory engine supporting 31 musical scales (including Major, Minor, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Locrian, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor, Major/Minor Pentatonic, Blues, WholeTone, Hungarian Minor, Persian, Hirajoshi, Bebop Dominant/Major and other world scales) and 21 chord types (Major, Minor, Diminished, Augmented, Sus2, Sus4, Maj7, Min7, Dom7, Dim7, MinMaj7, Aug7, HalfDim7, Major9, Minor9, Dom9, Add9, MinAdd9, Maj6, Min6, Power).

Keyboard Folding Modes (Fold Modes):

• Fold Off (None): Displays all 128 MIDI keys. Notes fitting the scale are highlighted with a brighter background.
• Scale Fold: Hides all keys outside the selected scale. Only harmonically correct notes remain on the screen!
• Used Notes Fold: Compresses the view strictly to rows containing placed notes – ideal for drum sequencers and automation.

5. Precise Rhythmic Grid (Snap Grid)

Grid snap resolution selection: OFF (free smooth editing), 1 (whole note), 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16.