[ Arthur Nichols wrote in 030417 MMDigest: ]

> I want to transpose music to MIDI files for a 26-note Alderman scale
> organ.  Are any instructions available which outlines the use of
> Cakewalk or other music notation programme specifically to transpose
> music for a street organ?.

Not yet!  But as you already stated later on, that you have been told,
"It is easy and can be explained in a short time."

Although I am not quite sure what happened to it, we actually had the
idea to discuss this here in MMD in a "hands-on" project: I had started
a competition to arrange "Fuer Elise" for the 20er scale.  So far there
are two finished arrangements and at least one promised one.

> Is it possible to superimpose a template of my organ scale onto the
> piano roll view?

Even if I personally don't quite think so, I'll be happily proven
wrong!

> Also, what is the purpose of "CALs"?

CALs are, as far as I understood, little programms that you can use
as "plug-ins" and/or re-write for your own purposes.  So far I also
never used them.

I would be interested to know if anybody has CAL scripts that can
filter certain notes out of a track and/or reposition them to a
different note, e.g., shift C1 to C2 while leaving the notes in-between
unshifted, etc.

> I have downloaded the Cakewalk manual, which contains far more
> information than I will ever need, and I need advice as to what
> is relevant.

Don't even try!  CakeWalk is in a sense so easy (for our purposes) that
you don't really need a manual.  If you know how to read piano rolls
and how to use a mouse, it is all you really need (besides lots of
time, coffee and patience).

> I am told that it is easy and can be explained in a short time; by
> reading the manual I find that this is far from the case.  Perhaps
> I am getting too many senior moments?!  Any advice greatly welcomed.

If you are already getting to the piano roll view, there is not
much other things that you need to know.  You have to pick the "Tool"
that you want to use (Eraser, Pen, Mover, etc.) and then the value
setting you need for that Tool (e.g. 1/4, 1/8, etc.) and then:
Happy "Bar-pushing"!

Depending where that MIDI file is going to end up (MIDI player or
MIDI-controlled punch, etc.) you have to make sure that you have been
given the right notes for your scale (F3, A#3, C4, etc.).  Accordingly
you arrange the MIDI song in a way that all notes only end up within
the scale of your organ, and that all other "garbage" is eliminated or
"recycled" (moved to valid notes).  (Some punch-control programms
ignore bogus notes, but it's better to be on the safe side...)

There is no simple converter for Standard MIDI Files (SMF) to "scaled"
MIDIs, and even if there is, it's result will always be unsatisfying
and need further work and editing.

greetings by(e) InK - Ingmar Krause
Victoria, BC, Canada