Adding notes is how you build a melody in Vocaloid 3

In Vocaloid 3, notes are the individual sounds that make up your song. You add them to the piano roll — the grid where time runs left to right and pitch runs bottom to top. Each note you place tells the synthesizer what sound to make, how long to hold it, and when to start it. Without notes, you have no melody.

The piano roll is the main workspace where this happens. It sits in the center of your screen once you open a project. The horizontal lines represent different pitches (C, D, E, and so on), and the vertical columns represent time. You add notes by clicking and dragging in this grid.

Key Takeaways

  • Click and drag in the piano roll to create a note — the horizontal length you drag determines how long the note plays.
  • The vertical position where you click determines the pitch, with higher positions on the grid making higher sounds.
  • You can move a note by clicking its center and dragging it to a new time or pitch without changing its length.
  • Double-clicking a note lets you edit its properties, including how it sounds and when it starts relative to the beat.
  • The grid snaps notes to beat divisions by default, which keeps them aligned to your song's tempo.

Creating your first note with click and drag

Open your Vocaloid 3 project and look at the piano roll in the center of the screen. The left side shows note names (C3, D3, E3, and so on going up). Find the pitch you want — if you are not sure, start with middle C, which is usually near the center of the visible range.

Click at the point in time where you want the note to start. Hold down the mouse button and drag to the right. As you drag, a blue or colored rectangle appears. The further right you drag, the longer the note will be. Release the mouse button when the note reaches the length you want. That rectangle is now a note in your song.

If the note is too short or too long, you can adjust it. Move your cursor to the right edge of the note until it changes to a resize cursor (usually a double-headed arrow). Click and drag left or right to make the note shorter or longer.

Changing a note's pitch after you place it

You do not have to delete a note and start over if you placed it at the wrong pitch. Click the note once to select it (it will highlight), then click and drag it up or down in the piano roll. The note moves to a new pitch while keeping the same start time and length.

If you need to move a note to a different time in the song, click its center and drag it left or right. The pitch stays the same, but the note shifts forward or backward in time. This is faster than deleting and recreating it.

The grid usually snaps notes to the nearest beat or half-beat, depending on your snap settings. If a note is not landing exactly where you want it, check the snap value in the toolbar at the top — you can change it to sixteenth notes, eighth notes, or turn snapping off entirely for more precise placement.

Editing note properties in the note editor

Double-click any note to open the note editor window. This shows you detailed controls for that single note. You can see and change the exact start time, the length (called duration), and the pitch number. You can also set how the note transitions in and out — whether it starts abruptly or fades in, for example.

The note editor is useful when you need exact timing or when you want to add expression to how a note sounds. Some singers have a slight delay before they hit the note, or they fade out at the end. You can control these details here without affecting the notes around it.

Close the note editor by clicking the X button or pressing Enter. Your changes save automatically to that note.

Working with multiple notes at once

To select more than one note, hold Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) and click each note you want to select. They will all highlight. Now you can drag them together as a group — they move while keeping their relative positions to each other. This is useful when you want to shift a whole phrase earlier or later in the song.

You can also select a range of notes by clicking and dragging a selection box around them. Start above and to the left of the notes you want, then drag down and to the right. Every note inside that box will be selected.

Once multiple notes are selected, you can delete them all at once by pressing Delete, or you can drag them to move them together. If you right-click on a selected group, a menu appears with options to copy, cut, or paste them elsewhere in the song.

Using the pencil tool for faster note entry

The pencil tool (usually in the toolbar on the left side of the screen) lets you draw notes directly onto the piano roll without clicking and dragging. Select the pencil tool, then click on the piano roll at the pitch and time where you want a note to start. Click again where you want it to end. A note appears between those two points.

Some users find the pencil tool faster for entering many notes in a row, especially if you are working from sheet music or a melody you already know. You can switch between the pencil tool and the pointer tool by clicking their icons in the toolbar, or by pressing the keyboard shortcut (usually P for pencil).

Fixing common mistakes when adding notes

If you accidentally create a note at the wrong time or pitch, select it and press Delete. It disappears immediately. You can also press Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) to undo your last action — this works for note creation, deletion, and movement.

Notes sometimes snap to the grid in a way you did not intend. If a note landed on the wrong beat, click it and drag it to the correct position. If snapping is making it hard to place notes exactly where you want, turn off snap by clicking the snap button in the toolbar (it usually looks like a magnet) or by pressing the snap toggle key.

If you create a note that overlaps with another note on the same pitch, both notes will play at the same time, which usually sounds wrong. Select one of them and move it to a different pitch or time, or delete it if it was a mistake.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a note longer or shorter?

Move your cursor to the right edge of the note until it becomes a resize cursor (double-headed arrow). Click and drag right to make it longer, or left to make it shorter. You can also double-click the note to open the editor and type in an exact duration.

Can I copy and paste notes?

Yes. Select the notes you want to copy by clicking them while holding Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac), then press Ctrl+C to copy. Click where you want to paste them and press Ctrl+V. The notes appear at the new location with the same spacing between them.

What if my notes do not line up with the beat?

Check the snap setting in the toolbar — it may be set to a grid size that does not match your song's tempo. Click the snap button and choose a smaller division like sixteenth notes, or turn snap off to place notes freely. You can always turn it back on after you finish.

How do I delete all the notes I just added?

Press Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) repeatedly to undo each note you created, going back to before you started. If you want to delete a range of notes at once, click and drag a selection box around them, then press Delete.

Can I hear what a note sounds like before I add it?

Click once on the pitch line in the piano roll where you want the note to be. Vocaloid 3 will play that pitch so you can hear it. This helps you find the right note by ear before you create it.