Seq66 Basic Tutorial: New Song
Description: Seq66 Basic Tutorial
Keywords: seq66 sequencer live midi

Seq66 Basic Tutorial New Song
The creation of a new song in Seq66 (or any sequencer) requires making a number of decisions about the song.
Time precision. Seq66 has a default pulses-per-quarter-note (PPQN) value of 192. This can be changed per-song, or it can be changed globally in the 'usr' file / Preferences. It can range from 32 to 19200, though be aware of the potential impact of high PPQN on playback. Generally, when reading existing tunes, one wants the PPQN of that tune. Seq66 will scale time to match. Live loops versus tracks. A simple yet satisfying song can be made by creating a set of short patterns and letting them play, turning them on and off in a live performance. Or one can make long patterns (tracks) in the same manner as other sequencers. And short patterns (bass, drums) can be combined with long solos. Time signature. The time signature of a track does not affect the MIDI timing of the track, although it can change the length (in pulses) of the track. The global time signature (in the main window) controls the display of the timing beats in the time bar. Beats per minute (BPM). This value is read from a MIDI file or specified when creating a new song (in the main window). It can also be set via a "tap BPM" button; click the button in time with some music. MIDI subsystem. Currently, there are two Linux MIDI subsystems, ALSA and JACK. Either can be used by using the `--alsa` and `--jack` options to start qseq66. There is a new subsystem called Pipewire, but currently Seq66 doesn't adapt to that. In Windows and Mac OSX, our own version of PortMidi is used. No one has asked about the Mac, so that is not tested. Live play versus "song performance". This question is simple: does one want to control the song during a live performance, or lay it out and export it so that others can read it and play it? Other features. Other features include MIDI automation control (e.g. LaunchPad, MIDI status display, set management, play-lists, mute-group management, LFO generation, gross pattern fixes, coloring, style-sheets, fingerprint display, and much more as described in the user's manual. |

There are many many use cases for Seq66. No way to cover them all, even in the user's manual.