Tracks v Channels

Hi David,

I think the best way to see the difference between tracks and channels is to open a file in Composer and then go to the 'Track' menu and then submenu 'Track setup'.

The dialogue box displays each track, which also corresponds to each stave of the music. On that same dialogue box a 'channel' is associated with each 'track' or stave.

A channel relates to the midi channel, that is why the numbers range from 1-16. Normally each track has a different channel as it usually relates to a different instrument.

However, in the case of a piano where you have a left and right hand stave, there are two tracks, but both can be played on the same channel. This works OK for a piano, because on accoustic piano the sound of both left and right hand is the same.

In the case of an organ, where there is normally 3 staves (or tracks), because each can play a different sound you would allocate separate channels (midi channels) to each stave.

I hope this clarifies it, in summary:

Track=each music stave
Channel=the midi channel the track(or stave) is played on.


Cheers ... Clyde