Play mode

Playback toolbar

Basic playback functions are accessed from the Play toolbar located above the document window:

From left to right, the icons are:

• Toggle 'Midi input':
• Rewind to start position: Playback returns to the beginning of the score, or to the start of the loop (if one is set).
• Start or stop playback: See Start/stop playback.
• Toggle loop playback: See Loop playback.
• Play repeats: Turn off if you want playback to ignore repeats.
• Pan score during playback: Turn off if you want the score to remain stationary.
• Play metronome: Toggles metronome ON and OFF.

Playback commands

Start/stop playback

To start playback:

1. Click on a note, rest or the blank part of a measure to establish the starting point. Note: If no selection is made, playback returns to the place it left off; or, if no previous playback, to the start of the score.
2. Press the Play button; or press Space.

During playback you can jump to a specific note or rest in the score by simply clicking on it.

To stop playback:

• Press the Play button; or press Space.

During playback

Once playback has started, the following commands are available:

• Go back to previous chord: ←
• Advance to next chord: →
• Go back to start of previous measure: Ctrl+← (Mac: Cmd+←)
• Advance to start of next measure: Ctrl+→ (Mac: Cmd+→)
• Rewind to start of score: Home (Mac: Cmd+Home); or press the Rewind button (playback toolbar).

During playback you can still use keyboard shortcuts to open and close panels, such as Play, Synthesizer, Mixer etc.

Loop playback

• Playback should be off, and the "Loop playback button" on.
• Select the desired region of the score for loop playback.
• Press the playback button.

Playback will now cycle within the region marked by the blue flags.

• Use the "Loop playback" button to toggle the loop on or off.

See also: Play Panel (below).

Play panel

To open the Play Panel use one of the following options:

• Press F11 (Mac: Fn+F11).

• From the menu bar, select View → Play Panel.

The Play Panel allows you to make temporary changes to tempo and volume, to loop playback between specified points etc.

• Loop playback: Select a start note and click on the Loop in button; select an end note and click on the Loop out button. Press Play to hear the loop. The controls also work during playback.
• Rewind, Play: Playback controls.
• Metronome: Toggle metronome playback ON or OFF. Note about beat subdivision: the metronome adds 'beat subdivision ticks' for sufficiently slow tempo of the piece (see Tempo), but they are not added when the % Tempo is slowed down in the playback panel (it is necessary to edit the piece's tempo to achieve them).
• Count in: (Conductor icon) Adds a count-in when you start playback at the start of a measure. Extra beats are added if you start mid-measure. Toggles ON and OFF.
• Tempo: Make temporary change to tempo. See Tempo : Changing monitoring playback tempo in Play Panel chapter.
• Volume: Make temporary change to volume (resets when program is reopened). Note: To change the default playback volume of the score, see Synthesizer.