Getting started
This guide walks you through installing Melony and making your first sound. It takes approximately five minutes.
Before you begin
Melony runs on Windows 10 and Windows 11. You will need ~800 MB of free disk space. I recommend you to use a pair of headphones or external speakers for the best audio quality, and a MIDI controller, highly loving Novation Launchkey 61 MK3.
Install Melony
Download the installer and run it. The setup wizard will walk you through the installation process.
Add your first track
A new project starts empty. Below the track area on the left, click Add track and choose Instrument track. A track appears in the timeline.
Choose an instrument
On the far left, the browser lists every instrument. Expand any category and drag an instrument onto the track you just created. If it happens that the instrument browser is hidden, you can display it by clicking the "View" button in the top bar and then clicking "Toggle browser", or by simply pressing the B key.
Create a clip
Right-click anywhere in the empty timeline and click the Create MIDI clip button, or double-click anywhere in the empty timeline to create a clip. A MIDI clip should appear on the timeline. This clip is a container for notes. Think of it as a bar of music you can move around the timeline.
Draw a note
Click the clip you just created to select it inside the piano roll at the bottom of the window. If the piano roll is hidden, you can display it by clicking the "View" button in the top bar and then clicking "Toggle piano roll", or by simply double-clicking the clip. Click the button with the pencil icon, positioned above TRACKS, in order to enter "Edit" mode. While you are in the "Edit" mode, click any empty space inside the piano roll grid to place a note. You can even add notes without being in the "Edit" mode, by double-clicking any empty space inside the piano roll grid. The orange bar that appears is your note, and its position in the grid determines its pitch and timing.
Press play
Click the play button (▶︎) or press the spacebar key. You should hear your note play back through the instrument you chose. Click the pause button (⏸) or press the spacebar key again to stop playback.
A quick tour of the window
Melony's window is divided into four areas. You'll use all of them as you work:
- Browser (left) - Your library of instruments. Drag one onto a track to load it
- Arranger (top right) - This is where clips live and where songs are built
- Piano roll (bottom) - Opens automatically when you double-click a clip
- Transport (top) - play, stop, record, tempo, and time signature
If something doesn't work
You don't hear anything. Check that the track isn't muted (the M button on the track should not be lit) and that the volume slider is up. Also make sure your computer's audio output is set to the right device.
You can't create a clip. Make sure you clicked inside an instrument track. Audio tracks work differently and don't accept drawn MIDI clips.