Topic: Relative snap?

@LiquidProj3ct wrote:

You can see how I use Reaper demo’s piano roll. When I move the note it always snap to the nearest grid or relative snap point. When I ignore snap I’m using shift key.

Thanks for the video. I only tested the snap in the track view, so that’s why I didn’t see both absolute and relative working at the same time. Can’t it sometimes be confusing to have both snap modes enabled? For example, if you have an event that is very close to the grid line, it would be very hard to see whether you have dragged it so that it snaps absolute to the grid, or relative.

However if I want do a groove in Podium I need to enable/disable snap constantly, because sometimes I want to move the notes snapping and others without snapping and quicky fix any start or duration with shift key. It’s lightning fast and it appeals me to work.

edit2: about shift key to ignore snap, I’ll be happy with caps lock or ‘A’ or ‘Z’ to temporary enable/disable snap

After thinking about it for a while: How about assigning Shift+Alt as the x/y drag lock (currently Shift), and then assigning Shift to override snap? These shortcuts will only work if you press them after you have clicked the events to start the drag.

I’d like the key shortcut behaviour for snapping to be identical in all editors, so since Ctrl and Alt are used to drag copies in the arrangement editor (Windows standard), it has to be Shift or some other combination.

@LiquidProj3ct wrote:

@Zynewave wrote:

Can’t it sometimes be confusing to have both snap modes enabled? For example, if you have an event that is very close to the grid line, it would be very hard to see whether you have dragged it so that it snaps absolute to the grid, or relative.

No 🙂 In theory you can believe can be some problems, but in the practise you discover that you always see where you’re snapping, even 1 pixel. While Podium hadn’t relative snap I had to use Reaper or FL Studio to do it, and that’s my experience.

If the event is very close to the grid line (but not on it), there may be zero pixels difference. Depending on which side of the grid line you drop it, the event will be snapped absolute or relative, but you won’t have a visual indication of which. My point is that I would like some indication while dragging, whether the current mouse position snaps absolute or relative to the grid. It could be done by highlighting the vertical grid line when snapped absolute. I’ll think about that.

If I decide to support it, it certainly will be optional. It’s likely that some will dislike snap working both for absolute and relative positions. You get twice the number of snap points when dragging events, and thus it can be harder to drop events precisely. Anyone else have an opinion on this?

@LiquidProj3ct wrote:

Frits, I’ve thinking and ignore snap shorcut should act before start the movement, because imagine a note like this:

If you want to move the note start or end a little to fix something in a melody, if you start dragging without ignore snap shortcut you will lose the clue about where was exactly the start or end of the note.

So the solution would be that if the cursor is over events (not free piano roll / arrangement space) or in its border shift key works as ignore snap before click.

You would only need to click, and then press Shift, before starting to drag. Thus you can avoid that it snaps before you press Shift.

I don’t like having an alternative behaviour of the Shift key depending on whether your mouse is over an event. I often use the Shift+Click+Drag marquee selection to quickly select a bunch of events. I’d like to be able to do this without worrying whether I clicked on an event.