thcilnnahoj's Forum Page

Easier handling of drum maps? Absolutely. 8)
Also thanks for the UI adjustments.

To save your setup, use the “Save Setup” command below “Save/Load Color Setup”. This will save all editor profiles along with hardware settings. The only thing that goes missing sometimes (for me) is the recent projects list…

Okay, AD doesn’t pass along note names to the host at all, which is a shame.
So I’ll have to make use of the drum kit preset thingy, once it becomes less obfuscated. 😉

*Ahem* I was also thinking, since the tool selection shortcuts are omitted now by default, the RMB’s functionality has been ever so slightly reduced to near zero in most editors, if I dare say so. Maybe it’s time for the a-tool-per-button concept to emerge soon? O:)

Liquid, that looks like a great start into “videomakership.” 🙂 Mind if I ask which program you use to record that lets you zoom like that?

It’s a little complicated, and it might be best not to bother with it, as it seems the drum stuff is being revamped at the moment. 😉

Open a new browser window (Window -> New Browser Window) and use the left side (called the project browser) to go look for the plug-in the preset belongs to. Example:

Composite tracks are used for the “comping” feature found in most hosts, where you record multiple takes and later select the best pieces of each. A track is usually automatically converted to a composite track if it has an audio input, and you start recording with loop mode enabled. This can be configured or disabled on the Play/Record page in the preferences.
Info in the Guide: http://www.zynewave.com/wiki/doku.php?id=guide:recording#loop-recording_and_composite_tracks

Edit: Beat me to it! 😛

@Zynewave wrote:

– The grid/snap value seems to adjust all notes’ visual length – huh? A 1/16 note looks like a 1/4 note if you select that grid setting.
I don’t know how other sequencers’ drum maps work, but for me it’s important to be able to set note lenght (and see it). For example, Poise has a “note on” mode, in which a sample pad is triggered only as long as the note is held.

All events are displayed with a minimum size of the grid value. There’s a historic reason for this: Years ago many MIDI drum files had very short note durations, because drum machines back then usually only needed a trigger note to play the entire drum sound. So if those ancient MIDI drum files should be displayed with true durations, you would only see very thin drum notes that would be difficult to click and edit.

Maybe this need to be updated as well. Instead of using the grid value as the minimum duration, it is perhaps better to have a minimum pixel width setting, and a way to display that the true length of the event is perhaps shorter than the clickable event. Suggestions are welcome.

A few random suggestions (from “meh.” to “not much better either” :wink:)

– If the drum notes in those MIDI files are really that short, I would assume it’s safe to destructively adjust their length to at least a 128th note on import, without messing up very quick runs on other instruments (personally, I’ve yet to see someone produce notes that short)?
However, if you wanted to export the drums MIDI again, it would of course be different – may be no problem as long as it’s still compatible with drum machines and other sequencers.

– If that sounds bad, maybe just use 128th as minimum display size, and leave the notes as they are otherwise. Some selection/resize things have to be fixed for this to work, though.

– One indication that a note is shorter than it looks could be sawing it off at the end, the way markers look. However, the notes would probably have to be drawn at full height for this to be clear, and just the color shading used to display velocity.

– Disable any adjustment options and reflection of note length in the drum editor completely, and just use, e.g., fixed 32th blocks, like other sequencers use those diamond shapes. Users that do need to adjust note lengths could switch over to the note editor for this.

@Zynewave wrote:

@LiquidProj3ct wrote:

– End to center vertically on the current selection.

Could it be automatic each time you open a piano roll /drum roll editor please?

I’ve changed it so that it will center automatically when opening the editor, but not when changing the sequence while the editor remains open. Automatic centering would simply be too confusing, if you for example Alt+Click a ghost note to change sequence.

I think it would be best to include a “follow/center events” (or something) option in the editors’ view menus. Centering the view the first time only isn’t quite as useful, and if you dislike it, you could just turn it off.

@Zynewave wrote:

@thcilnnahoj wrote:

Does it not bother you that the mouse cursor changes to the vertical zoom cursor, when you hold down Ctrl+Shift for transposing octaves?

That never bothered me. I won’t be standing in the way if you want to change it, just want to say again that Ctrl (moving notes) together with Shift made sense to me, while Alt doesn’t really fit. I don’t have any alternatives to offer, either. 😐

I need to check the code for conflicts with other key shortcuts, but how about Shift+Up/Down instead of Alt+Up/Down for transposing octaves?

Is still feels a little detatched since shift isn’t used for any moving action, but I like it better. I was thinking right now that I kind of would expect Shift+Arrows to extend the selection of notes in whichever direction, hm.
You can still switch it to alt, it’s just one guy’s opinion after all. 😉

Yay, CQSD’s posting again! 🙂
Though I wonder if there really is a sudden need for some kind of “pattern-like” functionality in Podium.

@Zynewave wrote:

I’m wondering: Are you left-handed? Normally I have my left hand on the left side of the keyboard, so to use this shortcut with one hand (Ctrl+Up/Down), I would need to move my left hand over to the right side Ctrl key.

Nope, I just have nimble fingers. 😆
Most of the time my (left) hand spends on the keyboard, it resides on the numpad. It could well be that that feels weird to other right-handers… When I move notes with the arrow keys, the way I do it is to hold Ctrl with my pinky (p), and let a-m-i fall nicely on the arrow keys.

Does it not bother you that the mouse cursor changes to the vertical zoom cursor, when you hold down Ctrl+Shift for transposing octaves?

That never bothered me. I won’t be standing in the way if you want to change it, just want to say again that Ctrl (moving notes) together with Shift made sense to me, while Alt doesn’t really fit. I don’t have any alternatives to offer, either. 😐

The ‘go to sequence’ commands do sound nice. Maybe I missed it, but are there keys that switch to the next or previous sequence on a track? It would be a little limiting if you could only switch between sequences at the same position on the timeline, and would have to switch to the arrangement view to advance or retreat on the timeline.

I guess most command will be available for any events? E.g., ‘shuffle’ for markers (plus any grouped events)?

@Zynewave wrote:

is the palette thingy idea still on the table?

Apart from your response in that other topic, I did not detect a lot of enthusiasm about my suggestion, so I’ll probably only start experimenting with it once I get a touch-screen PC.

I don’t have anything against a radial menu, but I wonder if it’s needed for touchscreens. Especially with multitouch, there’d be lots of new modifier actions available…

By the way, it has been rumored that HP and Microsoft aborting their touchscreen devices. Patent issues, perhaps, if it’s true… 😕
I doubt that Apple, or anyone, could patent a standard radial menu like it has been used in applications before – they’d have to add in something unique. I guess Frits would do the same. 😉