Note entry

Note entry refers to the ways that notes are entered into a digital audio workstation (DAW) when composing. The two most common methods are piano roll and notation.

The piano roll can be utilized in several different ways depending on the preferences of the user. It is common for composers to limit their notes per octave to a useful edo, such as 31, 41, 46, or 53.

Because there are only 128 MIDI notes, range is a concern for larger edos. The maximum edos are 64 for 2 octaves (each pitch class occurs exactly twice), 42 for 3, 32 for 4, 25 for 5, 21 for 6, 18 for 7, and 16 for 8. 8 octaves covers the entire usable pitch range, from a bass guitar with extremely heavy strings to a professional glockenspiel.