Just some ideas to enhance the clicktrack functionality.

1) Being able to drag and drop to the "Click" spot. I don't see why this should be omitted from the normal wav drag'n'drop routine.

2) This one is much more substantial. I'd like to see some way to create a 1/2 bar MIDI loop (really, the ability to have any number of bars would be just as well; sometimes a 4-bar pattern would be good to help with phrasing and fills) to be able to accompany the sequencer when enabled, instead of just a little click on the quarter notes.

It would be able to be output to anything any MIDI track can (like VSTi or sampler; I would probably prefer to use sampler for this). The way I see it, this could all take place as part of a new folder in the sequencer, below Master and above Track:. This could be called Clicktrack or something.

When Clicktrack is expanded, the user is able to see a normal plugin instance (as in, it has VU meter, the volume bar, the panning, the insertFX-button (the number 1), and the send effect routing values). It wouldn't really need the on/off, mute, or solo buttons since those don't really apply here (on/off would be just the on/off of the clicktrack). MIDI FX would also be eminently necessary here (especially Groove Quantizer).

The user is also able to see a button that, when clicked, brings up a MIDI part view which contains the MIDI pattern they wish to play.

Presets should be save/loadable for the entire clicktrack process, for easy access to backing tracks when you want to record a musical part before you get to the drums (or whatever use you have for it).

The click track as it is now is helpful, but not as helpful as a backing track with correct swing would be. The backing track could also have more than just quarter-note beats, to better define the keeping of time.

This is not by any means something I really want to push for prompt implementation (that award goes to better MIDI Editing and Sampler improvements including improved SF2 support ) but I do think it would be useful for almost anyone who likes to record a live-played track every once in a while.

another option would be an audiopart. IE - a button in the metronome area brings up an audio part that is the current 'metronome' This part could be any number of beats and contain any number of samples.

The only problem with such a custom metronome (audio or midi) is that if it doesn't match the time signature, it would be hard for eXT to know where it should start. maybe one that is locked to 4 beats with a switch for making it play at quarter, half, regular, double, and quad speed?

otoh, it's not that hard to just make a click track folder with ghosted clips and a sampler.

True, it's not that hard to do it manually, especially with the the new browser.

I like the idea, actually you can do all this in a single drag and drop operation when I'm done with some new features in the sequencer. It's a combination of folder presets and pattern looping.

cheers
jorgen

I was just going to post a follow up about the upcoming folder presets...

but pattern looping? now you've got me intrigued...

That's great news, jorgen this pattern looping thing sounds like it's going to be very useful for live stuff and for, as mentioned, click tracks. And, of course, we are all very excited about the upcoming folder preset features.

it looks like we are all thinking along the same lines.

What I was going to say was:
Could this be done (or at least most of it) with a MIDI track, adding the ability to set its own loop start and end,

Being able to save and reload the track and its instruments, Fx etc is a great idea. What about extending it to tracks, as an easy way of moving them form one Seuqncer to another or even into another song.

maybe we can wait for tempo track before going to click track. I mean currently everything is 4/4 and no tempo changes so...