The Inspector

Two Inspectors in One

The Inspector is split into two sections, and this is the first thing to understand about it.

Track Inspector (top section): Shows information about the selected track — its name, icon, channel strip, routing. This is the same channel strip you see in the Mixer, just in miniature form. You can change the track’s output, load effects, adjust the fader, and see where the signal goes, all without opening the Mixer.

Region Inspector (bottom section): Shows parameters for the selected region — quantize, transpose, delay, velocity offset, loop settings. These parameters are overlays on the region’s data. They do not permanently alter the MIDI notes or audio content. Change them and the effect is immediate. Change them back and you are where you started.

When you click a region in the Tracks area, both sections update: the Track Inspector shows the track that region lives on, and the Region Inspector shows that specific region’s parameters.

Region Parameters

Select a MIDI region and look at the Region Inspector. These are the parameters you will use most:

Quantize — Snaps notes to the nearest grid position. Choose 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, or any other value from the dropdown. The notes move to the grid immediately, but the original positions are preserved underneath. Set quantize back to “off” and your performance returns exactly as you played it. This is non-destructive quantization — a filter on top of the data, not an edit to the data itself.

Transpose — Shifts all notes in the region up or down by semitones. The arrows give you quick jumps of 12 (one octave). Click the number field and type any value, or click-drag it. Need to move a bass line up an octave for a chorus? Select the region, set transpose to 12. Done. The original MIDI data stays at its original pitch — the transposition is an overlay.

Delay — Shifts the timing of the entire region forward or backward in milliseconds. Positive values push the region later; negative values pull it earlier. This is how you adjust the “feel” of a part — nudge a bass line a few milliseconds behind the drums to create a laid-back groove, or pull strings slightly ahead so they “arrive” on the beat rather than lagging behind it.

Velocity — Offsets the velocity of all notes in the region. Positive values make everything louder; negative values soften it. This is a quick way to adjust the overall dynamics of a region without opening the Piano Roll and editing individual notes.

Loop — Repeats the region a specified number of times (or indefinitely). This is the same loop behavior you get from dragging the upper-right corner of a region, but set numerically.

All of these are non-destructive in the Inspector. You are applying adjustments on top of the data, not rewriting it. Option-click any parameter to reset it to its default value.

Operating on Multiple Regions

Select two or more regions and the Inspector shows an asterisk next to parameters that differ between the selected regions. Apply a quantize value and it stamps all of them at once. This is how you tighten up an entire arrangement in a few clicks: select everything, apply 1/8 note quantize, listen, adjust.

The Nothing-Selected Trap

This catches people all the time. You are working, you click in an empty part of the Tracks area to deselect, you glance at the Inspector and adjust something — and you have just changed the default for all future recordings on that track. The quantize value, the transpose, the velocity offset — all of them can be set this way without you realizing it.

The fix is simple: click in the background and verify the Inspector shows neutral values. Quantize should be “off.” Transpose should be 0. Velocity should be 0. Delay should be 0. Make this check a habit whenever something does not sound the way you expect it to.

The Inspector Shows Routing

The Track Inspector includes a miniature version of the channel strip. From here, you can see:

• What instrument is loaded (Software Instrument tracks)
• What audio effects are inserted
• Where the output is routed
• The send levels and destinations
• The input source (Audio tracks)

This is the same information you would see in the Mixer — but you do not have to open the Mixer to see it. Select a track, glance at the Inspector, and you know where the signal is going. Need to change the output from Stereo Output to Bus 3? Do it right there. Need to load a compressor? Click an empty Audio FX slot in the Inspector. Need to check what instrument is loaded? It is right at the top.

For quick routing checks — “why can I not hear this track?” — the Inspector channel strip is faster than opening the Mixer. Trace the signal from top to bottom: Is the instrument loaded? Are the effects doing something unexpected? Where is the output going? Is the fader up?

The Inspector and the Mixer Are the Same Track

This is worth repeating from Chapter 15’s preview, because it applies directly here. The track you see in the Tracks area, the channel strip in the Inspector, and the channel strip in the Mixer are the same track. Change the output in the Inspector and it changes in the Mixer. Move the fader in the Mixer and the Inspector updates. They are three views of one object.

The Inspector is the fastest of the three views for making changes to the currently selected track. The Mixer is for seeing all tracks at once. The Tracks area is for seeing regions and arrangement. Same track, different perspectives.

Mute in the Inspector

The Region Inspector includes a Mute checkbox. This mutes the individual region — not the track, not the channel strip. The region turns gray (or dims) and stops playing. Other regions on the same track continue to play normally.

This is different from track mute (the M button on the track header) and different from the power button on the channel strip. Region mute is surgical — one specific region goes silent while everything else on that track keeps going. It is useful for comparing different versions of a part, or for temporarily removing a section without deleting it.

What to Practice

• Select a MIDI region and experiment with every parameter in the Region Inspector. Set quantize to 1/8, listen. Change transpose to 12, listen. Add a delay of -10 ms, listen. Offset velocity by -20, listen. After each change, Option-click the parameter to reset it. Confirm that your original performance returns unchanged every time.
• Select three different MIDI regions at once. Notice the asterisks in the Inspector showing where their settings differ. Apply a quantize value to all three simultaneously. This is the batch-editing workflow.
• Click in the background to deselect everything. Look at the Region Inspector. If any parameters are set to non-default values, reset them. Record a short MIDI part and confirm it comes in unquantized and untransposed. Now deliberately set quantize to 1/16 with nothing selected, record again, and hear the difference. Reset it afterward.
• With a track selected, look at the Track Inspector’s channel strip. Identify the instrument slot, the Audio FX slots, the output, and the sends. Change the output to a different destination and verify the change appears in the Mixer. Change it back.
• Mute a single region using the Mute checkbox in the Region Inspector. Confirm that other regions on the same track still play. Compare this to muting the track with the M button on the track header — track mute silences everything on the track.

Commands in This Chapter