Variation Switch Points
Each part in a pattern has a variation switch point strip into which you can place markers, as shown in the following figure.

Green markers are enter switch points, and red markers are exit switch points. If a marker has the Trigger only with Chord Change property, the bar has a dark outline on three sides. Markers that belong to multiple variations are displayed with hash marks. Selected markers, such as the rightmost ones in the figure, are darker in color.
Markers can be entered in three ways:
- Right-click the strip and select Insert Switch Point on the shortcut menu. Select the type of marker on the submenu. For information on the options, see Variation Switch Point Properties.
- Click the strip and press the INSERT key. Enter and exit markers are inserted. Change the type, if necessary, in the Variation Switch Point Properties window.
- Right-click the strip and select Mark All on the shortcut menu. On the submenu, select the division where you want markers to occur. Enter and exit markers are inserted at every measure, beat, or grid.
Variation switch points are used as follows:
- An enter marker serves the same purpose as an enter switch point in the Marker Track. In a transition, if the normal start point of the new segment is aligned with a past event, the segment can start playing at or near an enter marker in the first selected variation. The variation is selected according to how closely its next enter marker lines up with the start time.
- Variations without switch points normally play in their entirety, as long as they are compatible with the current chord. However, if a variation has an exit marker, a new variation is chosen at that point. When changing variations, the enter switch points of candidate variations are examined, to find the variation with the closest enter marker on or after the current time. The switch to the new variation starts immediately, even if the enter marker of the selected variation is after the current time.
Note The new variation can be the same as the old one, as long as it is compatible with the current chord.
- Enter and exit markers can be configured so that they are valid only when a chord change occurs. If an exit marker is configured in this way, it is ignored unless there is a chord change, and the variation continues playing. If an enter marker is configured in this way, the variation is not a candidate for selection when a switch occurs, unless that switch coincides with a chord change. See Variation Switch Point Properties.
Note If the current variation is incompatible with a new chord, a variation switch always occurs, regardless of whether the current variation contains an exit marker.
- If settings in the Secondary Segment Audition Options dialog box or the Segment/Motif Trigger Properties window of a trigger in a Segment Trigger Track are selected so that the secondary segment is to begin at a trigger, this trigger can be a variation switch point in the pattern being played.
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