how to keep tracks in song view organized (colors)
janbert
VancouverPosts: 35
Hey all.
I was just wondering how you guys keep your tracks organized, especially in song view.
Since I can't really colorcode or name a whole row, my biggest issue is still that I am getting lost by not knowing which instrument I am actually hiding or playing. I know that if I hold down a row pad it shows me the name of a preset. Quiet often though the preset name doesn`t always tell me what instrument it is.
I am just overwhelmed by row colors in general and don`t know how I could make use of this?
If I would have a uniform color for each row I would at least be able to organize my instruments a bit better. Lets say yellow row is bass, red row is kit and so one. But having so many colors scattered across rows just keeps me confused and constantly searching for the right instrument... 
Is there actually any benefit of giving each note a different color in song view?
Or is there some sort of logic behind all those colors and I just never understood how it works?
cheers
Jan
Comments
You can rename the row/preset in arranger mode, with audition+NAME pad if im not mistaken. There is a few ways to make the song view a bit more clear, for example you can divide your instruments with a dummy synth clip (init patch e.g.) leave it in keyboard mode, so you get a rainbow colored divider. Someone also mentioned you can input notes on 0 velocity to get a dimmed divider but didn't try that. You can also change clip color:
🅽🅾🆅🅸🅲🅴 🅳🅴🅻🆄🅶🅸🅾🅽🅸🆂🆃?
i use blank muted instruments with red audition pads as dividers between sections or groups of instruments that go together. between those muted instruments ill group them like this:
[drum.pattern..(dark.blue.row)] [ ] [blue]
[bass.pt.1........(lightblue.row.)] [ ] [blue]
[arp.......1.........(green.row)....] [ ] [blue]
[arp.......1.a.........(green.row).] [ ] [blue]
[bass.....2........(lightblue.row.)] [ ] [pink]
[arp.......2.........(green.row)....] [ ] [pink]
[bass.....3........(lightblue.row.)] [ ] [yell]
[arp.......3.........(green.row)....] [ ] [yell]
each instrument and its subsequent variations have its own row color.
then they are put top down in the order theyre played, or close to it.
then each section has its own audition pad color. (i dont use audition pads for launching/soloing clip groups, i just press the mute/launch pads)
sometimes ill use a kit as a sample board for longer loops or textural samples and ill divide those up using empty, muted kit rows.
i also try to name the different instruments in my head and use that to come up with a color. like, i have a backwards sample of an old NASA jingle and it sounds dreamy so i made it purple. or the arp sounds popping like little sprouts or seeds so i made it green. mnemonic device. works better to get a solidish color when you dont have notes all over the place.
another thing that helps is to adjust the song view zoom (1 bar, 4th, 6th, etc) to a level where the rows have some spacing or different lengths that might help you differentiate between them.
I try to keep my section colours lumped together in song view (ie, every track from the blue section is together, then each track from the purple section, etc.) and within those sections I use the order of tracks to help remind me what's what (drums are always the first track in a new section colour, then bass below that, then pads, then lead, etc.).
Looks sort of like this:
Drums (blue)
Bass (blue)
Pads (blue)
Lead (blue)
Drums (purple)
Bass (purple)
Pads (purple)
Lead (purple)
Drums (orange)
Bass (orange)
Pads (orange)
Lead (orange)
etc.