To make a multipad using Cakewalk:
Start Cakewalk and File/Open PadTemplate.mid (available from SVPworld:
http://www.svpworld.com/2000world.htm ).
File/Open the midi file you want to use for pad 1. This will create a second window with the midi in it. Click the track number to select it. Drag the mouse along the measure bars to select the measures. Depress the Copy button (5th from left in the toolbar). Click OK to Events in tracks query. Click the Window menu item and then the PadTemplate.mid that is listed. Click the number 1 on far left of screen. This should select channel 1. Click Paste (6th from left in toolbar) and then Ok. Repeat for Midi2, Midi3, Midi4, placing them in channels 2, 3, 4, respectively.
If you intend on having the pad repeat, choose a segment to cut/paste that fits between measure boundaries. Pads repeat at the end of a measure, not at the end of the note events. Having only a few notes in the beginning of the last measure will trigger the measure to play and cause a soundless gap in the pad. Open the track in Piano Roll and trim any final notes as necessary.
If you intend upon having the pad follow chord changes, you are limited to the notes: C, D, E, G, A, B. Open the track in Event View to change the notes. It might be easier to transpose the style. If you know how many semitones it is to be shifted (e.g. key of D is -2), then select the track data, click Edit/Transpose, and enter the number. Getting the data to be in the right key and with the allowed notes is probably the biggest headache in making multipads. Starting with midi data in the key of C simplifies things.
Open the Info page (File/Info) and change the flags that set the chord follow and repeat settings. “0” means off and “1” means on. The default for both Chord Follow and Repeat is on.
Save the PadTemplate.mid to a new file name so as not to overwrite the template.
Regards,
Michael