The graphic shows an approximate way this would look…
Fictional image: Automation Editor with Overlay Notes
How it could be developed:
Create a top overlay layer with the following characteristics:
- It can be hidden using a toggle switch.
- Translucent layer.
- It only displays the track’s notes as rectangles, with a color associated with the theme (even if the track’s color is different).
- A method would need to be established to calculate the horizontal length of each rectangle (the note’s duration). This would typically be to the next note or to the next note’s mute position, or until the end of the pattern..
- Automatic vertical zoom*. It calculates the upper and lower pitch notes to determine the vertical zoom, displaying the octave from the upper note to the octave from the lower note. For example, E-3 minimum, G#6 maximum: octaves 3 to 6.
- It allows you to view melodies in a piano roll style.
- It does not allow note editing; it is purely a visual aid.
- By modifying the height of the automation editor panel, the notes would appear larger or smaller.
*The above fictional image does not correctly show the vertical zoom of the rectangles according to octaves, since in this case it is showing practically all 10 octaves, it should show 2 or 3 here.
The instrument editor box already displays movable notes. This concept would help reinforce that functionality. The goal is to be able to plot automation curves with note references if the user prefers.
I imagined this by replacing the rectangles with the note names; for example, instead of a rectangle, C-4 would appear. A 3-note chord would be represented by 3 rectangles arranged vertically according to pitch. Instead, it would look something like this:
F#4
D-4
C-4
But this last option doesn’t look very elegant; it doesn’t show the duration of the notes, and at a small zoom level, the letters would become invisible. A simple, single-color rectangle would be the most sensible solution.