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layout: default
title: Independent and Dependent MIDI Region Copies
---

<p>
When copying one or more MIDI regions, Ardour has to decide whether to
make the copies refer to the same data as the originals or not. If
they do refer to the same data, then editing any one of the copies
will affect the contents of all the others. If they refer to a copy of
the data then each copy can be edited independently.
</p>

<h3>Changing dependent/independent copying for the entire session</h3>

<p>
<code>Sesson > Properties > Misc > MIDI region copies are
  independent</code> can be used to control the default behaviour when
  making a copy of a MIDI region. 
</p>
<p>
When enabled, every new copy of a MIDI
region results in a copy being made of the MIDI data used by the
region, and the new copy of the region will refer to that data. 
</p>
<p>
When disabled, every new copy of a MIDI region will refer to the same
MIDI data, and thus editing any copy will change the contents of all
of them.
</p>
<p>Changing the status of this option has no effect on the existing
  dependent/independent status of existing region copies.
</p>

<h3>Making an existing copy of a MIDI region independent</h3>
<p>
<key>Context-click</key> on the MIDI region you want to be
independent. From the context menu, select <code>MIDI > Unlink From
  Other Copies</code>. The copy is now using an independent version of
the data, and edits to the copy will affect only the copy. Other
copies will continue to share data.
</p>

<p>Note that the copied data only covers the extent of the region when
  the copy is made. If the region was already trimmed and then a copy
  is made, an independent copy will have no access to data that is
  earlier or later than the bounds of the region it was copied
  from. Put differently, if you make an independent copy of a trimmed
  MIDI region, you cannot "untrim" it to a larger size.
</p>