1.	If this is a Chain Track, =00 means the Chain is currently playing Section 00.

2.	If this is a Track being controlled by a Chain Track, 01cmeans the Chain on Track 1 is currently controlling it.  No numbers before the c  ("    c") means that Track is not under the control of any Chain at this point in the song.

3.	If this is a Self-Repeating Track, the display shows a colon (:) followed by the number of measures that are set to Repeat, for example when :04 is displayed four bars repeat.  The original setting of this is dependent on how many bars have information on them, up to a maximum of 99.  The setting can be changed by Clicking on the value.

4.	If it's none of the above, "---" is displayed.

CHAINAC2.IMG

Additionally, in this mode you no longer see Loop Indicators in the Track Playback Mode column.  They are replaced by an additional Mute indicator which shows you when the Track is currently being played by a Chain.  This is a display only; the normal Mute button still allows you to control the Mute Status of the Track.  In order for the Track to be heard, it must be turned on by both the Track Mute and the Chain-Controlled Mute.

Chain Activity Mode is intended for analyzing what is happening with Chain control.  With the exception of setting the length of Self-Repeating Tracks, it is display only.  It is not intended for use when timing accuracy is required.  There may be times when playback hesitates if there is a large amount of MIDI data and Chain activity.




Using Track Timing Offsets With Chains - Track Timing Offset

You should not put negative Track Timing Offsets on Tracks which are included in Sections.  Instead, put a negative Track Offset on the Chain which controls that Track and add a positive Track Offset to other Tracks in the Sections controlled by that Chain to compensate if necessary.

For example, you have a Section that starts at beat 4.00 and a kick drum plays on the downbeat (4.00).  If you Offset the Kick Track one tick early, the Kick is adjusted to play at beat 3.95, and is no longer a part of the Section.  If you instead move the Chain Track one tick early, the whole Section plays (including the kick drum.  If other Tracks now play too early, give them positive Track Offset.




Automatic Chain Reassembly

When you change the Start or End Time of a Section that is used in a Chain, the Chain needs to be reassembled because the length of the Section may have changed, affecting the time when subsequent Sections in the Chain 
need to be played.  The program will do this reassembly automatically, unless you have checked the Chain Reassembly Safety.  When that Safety is Checked, changes in Section lengths will bring up an alert box:
FIG38.IMG    

We suggest you always choose Please do!.  Only Click on Don't bother if you're sure no reassembly is needed.  For example,  if you're going to change the Section Start and/or End Times again before you play the Chain, you don't need to reassemble twice; or if you know you changed the Start and End Times equally, keeping the length of the Section the same, you don't need to reassemble at all).




Notes for Chain, Notes For Chains:

Sections of Length 00000.00 can not be added to a Chain.

Blank Sections can be used to count off time or insert rests or breaks. This is done by setting the Start and End Times of a Section without including any Tracks.



If a Track is included in a Section, BUT that Section is not in a Chain, the Track is still a Linear Track and the Loop symbol will not appear.

Chain Tracks can include other Chain Tracks, Nesting Chain Tracks as long as the Chain being controlled is a lower-numbered Track than the Chain that is controlling it. This is referred to as "Nesting" Chains.  For example, a Chain on Track 12 can control a Chain on Track 5, but not the other way around.  Experiment with this only after you understand all other aspects of Chain behavior.

While it is possible to include Tempo and Meter Tracks in Chains, this is not usually advisable as it can lead to erratic behavior.  When Tempo Tracks are Chained, Time Based Displays display incorrect values, and chasing to SMPTE Time Code is not possible.  When Meter Tracks are Chained, Measures mode display can be inaccurate.


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Chain Tracks\Flattening Chains
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After you have created Sections and assigned them to a Chain, you may want to convert the Chain Track into one long Linear Track.  This can make it easier to edit a part which has been constructed from many smaller 

To Flatten A Chain:
-Select Flatten Chain from the Manage menu.
-Select the Chain Track you want to Flatten with the Left button. It will reverse highlight.
-Point to the Track where the Flattened Chain will be stored.
-Click with the Right button.

Mute (but don't Deactivate) the Chain Track to hear the Flattened Track by itself.

Chain Track tells Sections when to play.  A Flattened Track plays exactly the same as the original Chain, but the Notes actually appear on the Track at the time you hear them.  They also take up as much memory as they would if they had been recorded as a Linear Track, so you need sufficient memory to accommodate the new data created by the Flattening process.All the events from the Sections contained in the Chain Track are mixed to a single Track.  If you need to separate them into individual Tracks per channel, use Unmix Channels.  If you have Tracks assigned to a common channel that you want to keep separate through a Flatten operation, temporarily assign them to different channels, then reassign them after Unmixing.
FIG40.IMG

If you have the Endless Chain option activated in the Chain Track you're Flattening, true endlessness would make you run out of memory.  A dialog box appears asking you how many times you want to repeat the chain.  Type in the amount from 001 to 999 you want and Click OK.


To Flatten A Chain  Using Key Commands:
Press Control F.



Notes For Flatten Chain:

The Punch Mode Setting (Note vs Event; see Chapter 6) applies the same for Flatten Chain as itY-NotesY+Notes does for Punching.

Since a Section can contain multiple Tracks, but Flatten Chain places the result on a single Destination Track, all the rules about Mixing regarding MIDI Channels apply.



MidiPlexer Note:
If you Flatten a Chain that contains Sections which contain Tracks that are on different Ports, up to four Tracks will be created (each on an empty Track), one for each Port.


