Piano Roll Mastery

RETURN TO RESOURCES →

---

Soundtrap: Piano Roll
MASTERY

There are tips and tricks to working in the piano roll that every producer should know. From making micro adjustments to a single track to making big picture changes to an arrangement while working in the timeline, this full length video breaks down the process of editing a project in Soundtrap. You can also view isolated sections of the process that have been organized by category below.

Go to the Apply section to try it for yourself with the project template provided.

• Navigation
• Rhythm
• Drums
• Pitches
• Arranging
• Apply

Navigation

Navigating The Piano Roll

Making your way around the piano roll in a quick and effective manner will make it faster to make edits.

View Full Screen →

Adjusting The Grid

Changing the grid size to different subdivision levels makes it easier to line the beginnings and ends of notes up with each other. 

View Full Screen →

Muting And Soloing Tracks

Changing the grid size to different subdivision levels makes it easier to line the beginnings and ends of notes up with each other. 

View Full Screen →

Rhythm

Quantize

The beginnings of notes can be automatically snapped to the grid with the quantize function.

View Full Screen →

Moving Notes With and Without Snap

Notes can be moved by clicking and dragging events horizontally in the piano roll.

View Full Screen →

Trimming The ENds Of NOtes

Dragging the end of the piano roll event changes the duration of a note. 

View Full Screen →

---

Penciling In Notes

Notes can be imputed manually by using the pencil tool. 

View Full Screen →

Matching a rhythm

How to get the sound from your head out into the piano roll. 

View Full Screen →

Drums

Evaluating A Groove By Sight

A groove can be “checked” by look of its pattern.

View Full Screen →

Hi Hat Rolls

Use the pencil tool to draw in hi hat notes with shorter subdivisions

View Full Screen →

Adjusting Velocities

Note volumes can be changed to create better balance and blend within and between instruments

View Full Screen →

---

Using Cut and paste to isolate instruments

Individual drum sounds can be temporarily removed to make it easier to isolate other parts.

View Full Screen →

Pitches

Altering a note’s pitch

Click and drag a note vertically to change its pitch. 

View Full Screen →

Changing OCtaves

Move a note up or down by an octave (twelve half steps).

View Full Screen →

Using The Piano Roll To Develop Chordal Ideas

Create a link between the piano roll, your ear, and your hands. 

View Full Screen →

---

Matching Unlike Harmony

Match the harmony of chordal parts by evaluating their construction. 

View Full Screen →

Arranging

Looping, extending, Copying, Pasting, and Duplicating

Make the most of a clip by using the editing functions in timeline view.  

View Full Screen →

Layering Sounds

Alter the sonic characteristic of an instrument by duplicating a track and layering different patches.

View Full Screen →

Quick Arranging

Turn a phrase into something memorable using piano roll and timeline edit tools.

View Full Screen →

Apply

Soundtrap Project

• Click on the Soundtrap link or edit in the embedded window (Soundtrap login required) to fix the project.

• Use the piano roll to make micro adjustments and use timeline view to make big picture adjustments to the arrangement of the tracks.

• Try not to copy exactly what is done in the video. Make the track your own.

OPEN IN SOUNDTRAP →

MORE RESOURCES

---