Topic
A piano roll is the grid in a DAW where you write and edit MIDI notes: pitch runs bottom to top, time runs left to right, and each note is a bar you can draw, move, stretch or delete. It means you can write music without playing an instrument. AI now writes into the same grid, so a part an AI composes is notes you can still edit by hand.
Workflows
To write a melody in a DAW without playing an instrument, draw single notes in the piano roll on the notes of your chords, keep the rhythm simple, repeat a short phrase and change its ending. The AI-assisted way lets you describe a hook or hum it into a microphone and turn it into any instrument as editable notes. Both routes, side by side.
Workflows
To write chords in a DAW without theory, stack three notes in the piano roll (a root, the note four semitones up and the note seven up for a major chord), repeat that shape on different roots, and loop four chords. The AI-assisted way drafts progressions in a mood or key that you pick from and edit note by note. Both routes, and how to use one to learn the other.
Workflows
To write a bassline in a DAW, play the root note of each chord, put those notes where the kick drum hits, keep them in a low octave and leave gaps where the kick is silent. The AI-assisted way writes the bass after reading the kick and chord notes actually on your timeline, so it starts locked. Both routes, side by side, with the fixes for a muddy low end.
Workflows
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