Feature requests

[musicdevelopments]

Thank you for the feedback, Distortedboy!
This does not mean that I won't make tests with Z3TA+2... No plug-in should crash.
In the long term I am thinking about making a plug-in bridge, because it is very dangerous to load and run foreign code in the application address space.

[tanislas]

[quote="musicdevelopments"]Hi Tanislas!

this is a good idea. It reminded me that I planned to add 'chord variations', which can transform/replace chords on the master track in a non-destructive way.

Thanks!
Attila

Hi Attila!

This feature would be a great improvement! thank you!!
Also I wanted to ask if it would be possible to add a "save rythm" button along with the "save phrase" in the Phrase Editor Page so we can chose if we want to save the phrase or the rythm- I think it would be a cool way to edit and add some rythm more easily to the rythm library -I know we can already save rythms in the phrase inspector- but I think having it in the Phrase Editor page is more natural at least for me!!

Thanks,
Tanislas

[musicdevelopments]

Thanks, Tanislas, your request is now added to my to-do list

Thanks,
Attila

[Distortedboy]

I was having difficulty keeping track of all the different "versions" and variations of Phrases (I often fiddle around manually), and caught myself daydreaming about an option to have the phrase containers shaded. What do you think of an option to shade the phrase containers, either automatically (making the hue a function of the phrase's content would ensure that identical phrases are shaded identically without having to keep track of it), or even just manually?

Best,
Caspar

[lulukom]

+1

[Distortedboy]

As promised, I would report back about a conversation I had with a relatively well-known composer about the function of rest in music, in the hope that it might lead to useful insights to make rests in RC more musical! After giving a rather dramatic demonstration of the function of rest by remaining silent for a minute after promising to answer my question :p, he gave me two metaphors:

1) In composition, time is the canvas, and phrases are the brush strokes on this canvas. Between phrases, the canvas shows through.
2) There are thirteen tones in music, not twelve. The rest is the thirteenth tone.

I thought this might apply to RC as follows:

1) Rest-as-canvas: In addition to the "periodic" rest function we now have to "punch holes" in a phrase where the canvas shows through, we could use sliders to indicate the amount of silence at the beginning and at the end of the phrase, to "frame it" on the canvas, so to speak.

2) Rest-as-a-tone: Like I suggested earlier, a function to indicate the percentage of notes to be turned into rests would accomplish this goal. The phrase could be generated as usual, and in the final stage, the given percentage in notes would be replaced by silence.

I hope this makes sense and is of any value! Best, CJ

[musicdevelopments]

Hi Caspar,
interesting thoughts and suggestions, thanks for sharing them!
One idea: a special phrase generator could be added (Rest) that adds silence. The 'phrase' could be displayed with a different shade. In itself it is not very useful, but when using it in the Idea Tool, it would be possible to add rests between phrases.

I'll definitely implement your suggestions.

Thanks so much!
Attila

[tatanka]

Hi Attila,

I think that would solve my request a few posts before too, instead of empty bars inserting a silence one in the idea tool, would be really great and appreciated

Dont know if you own/know but in Jamstix it is solved in a similiar way, there instead of using a special style (like rock, funk etc.) you could just use "silence" for starting of song or inbetween the same.

[musicdevelopments]

Thank you, Richard for the useful feedback!

[tonedef71]

2) Rest-as-a-tone: Like I suggested earlier, a function to indicate the percentage of notes to be turned into rests would accomplish this goal. The phrase could be generated as usual, and in the final stage, the given percentage in notes would be replaced by silence

I think that "rest-as-a-tone" is an interesting approach. However, I am not sure if the process should always simply replace any arbitrary notes in the phrase with rests; we may wish that certain note degrees and beat divisions be treated differently. I think it would be useful to have a way to weight which notes are replaced by rests; for example, weak beats vs. strong beats; certain note scale degrees (1, 4, 5) vs other note scale degrees (2, 3, 6, 7); certain chord note degrees (1, 5) vs other chord note degrees (2, 4); etc.

[musicdevelopments]

One thing occurred to me: it is not the same when rests are applied on a rhythm (before phrase generation) or after phrase generation as a variation.
For a non-generator this does not matter because this functionality is best implemented as a phrase variation by removing certain notes. But if you look at a simple 'Dyads Run', adding silence for the duration of every 4th beats before phrase generation or deleting the same time durations for a generated phrase will have different results.

Thanks for your input on rests. It will be improved in v3.1. Any suggestions are welcome.
Attila

[tatanka]

Hi Attila,

I think I would need the "rest-phrase" generator mainly as starting phrase generator in the idea tool.

Together with setting the number of phrases to be generated and the sequence ("ABCD...") I should be able to do exactly what I wanted in the post before: generate alternating phrases with phrases and rests. So if I get this right this should be "predictable" and not random.

Of course would be nice to have variations at the end of the idea tool phrase generation too. This will of course be more randomly and influenced by all the generation steps before.

So far as my understanding goes (which is not very deep).

[Obicere]

Building drum phrases is giving me headache because I know they should belong together in one track, but in the end the percussion instruments are all separate instruments.

Perhaps a layered editor window with each piece on its own 'stacked' transparent layer.

[lulukom]

Hello Attila!
I would like to offer ...
When you are in the future will be rework the vertical keyboard on the track, it would be good to see on the keyboard are the same color notes chords and scales, as well as on the tracks and phrases ... (probably optional). Thank you !
Sincerely lulukom
And I really, really vote for the priority of creation "Automatically set notes on the notes and chords scales located close to" (Optional) This is a speed up, when you drag a MIDI file to a track and convert to a relational form, for example!

[PsYAuM]

When do you expect to have the updated manual available?