Adjusting the note velocity (Vel+)

Each MIDI note event has a velocity, which represents how fast the key was struck when the track was recorded. On playback, the velocity offset parameter adjusts the velocity data for all notes in the track by the designated amount. The value can range from -127 to +127. The effect of changing velocities depends on the synthesizer. Some synthesizers do not respond to velocity information. For others, the effect varies depending on the sound or patch you have chosen. Normally, higher velocities result in louder and/or brighter-sounding notes. This parameter does not affect the velocity that is stored for each note event. When the clip is displayed in other views, like the Piano Roll view, Staff view, or Event List view, you will see the original velocities as they are stored in the file. You can edit the velocity values in those views, or use the Process > Scale Velocity or Process > Find/Change command. Velocity is different from volume in that it is an attribute of each event, rather than a controller that affects an entire MIDI channel. Here’s an example of where this distinction might be important. Suppose you have several tracks containing different drum parts. All of these parts would probably be assigned to MIDI channel 10 (that’s the default channel for percussion in General MIDI). If you change the volume setting for any track that uses channel 10, all the different drum parts—regardless of what track they’re in—would be affected. If you change the note velocity for one drum track, it will be the only one whose volume is affected.

To set the velocity offset for a track

1.	Open the Track Inspector or Console view.

2.	Select the track you want to edit.

3.	Adjust the Vel+ knob at the top of the channel strip.