Feature requests

[lulukom]

Hello Attila!
Once again I take with indulgence for my English.

It is often want to write (to play in real time) multivariant one phrase and I want to select successful phrase (but even better allocate notes that liked), and then from of those notes to create a new, final track!
I suggest make a new recording tool, which
We need to combine three technologies into one!

I'll tell you an example where I want to record the bass 4 bars in real time via MIDI controller, listen and quickly create a new track segments of those tracks that I liked!
1. Technology first.
I play before the end of 4 bars, but after that, the recording continues on the new, automatically create the track and every time at the end of the cycle will automatically create a new track while recording is stopped. Perhaps, we need an additional button in the Transport window "Recording with automatic creation of a new track."
2. The second technology.
Create a "solo phrases" in any place any track. Or "solo selected notes"
Then you can listen to only those notes that you have chosen (like ... well played ...) But it's better than "SOLO phrase", but "SOLO selected notes"!
3. The third technology.
   Right click and select "CREATE NEW TRACK FROM SOLO" or selected notes .
Оr even if it is called "TURN SELECTED (SOLO)NOTES INTO NEW TRACK "

The result is an advanced technology real-time recording, the ability to preview only selected areas the track and the possibility of quickly create a final track to one instrument only selected notes.
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Similar technology is used in the program DIGITAL Performer, but only for audio.
If you like my offer, then please support!
Thanks!
Sincerely lulukom

[BlackWinny]

+1 for this request, lulukom!

[musicdevelopments]

Hi tunzHackr!

Good point! The new Idea Tool in v3.0 will be an integral part of the composition page instead of being on a separate page. This means great flexibility, and you'll be able to do what you suggested.
The Idea Tool in its current state is really hard to use, I must admit. Originally it was an experiment but I was surprised that so many people used it, so it must be improved.

Thank you!
Attila

[musicdevelopments]

Hello lulukom!
These are all very good ideas! And thank you for preparing the screenshot which explains your suggestion very well.
Instead of making the program more complex (introducing the 'solo' state of a phrase) would it be useful if the following functionality is added:
- a playback modifier button next to the LOOP icon that will cause playing back the SELECTED phrases only. All unselected phrases will be muted.
- a 'Move Selected Phrases Into New Track' button in the phrase inspector. This is very simple to add.

This assumes that you enabled "selecting phrases in multiple tracks". There should be a quicker way (e.g. keyboard shortcut) to switch between phrase selection in a single track or in multiple tracks. (It is possible to change this under the Settings/Miscellaneous tab. Look for [X] Inhibit phrase selection in multiple tracks).

Your suggestion about recording will be implemented shortly.

Thanks!
Attila

[lulukom]

Thanks, Attila!
I agree with your amendments!
Does your answer that the automatic addition of a new track while recording will also be implemented?
Thanks!

[musicdevelopments]

Yes, lulukom, it will be added in the next few days, if all goes well. Then I upload a beta version.

Thanks,
Attila

[yellukhan]

not just a sounds , somethings smells great !

[musicdevelopments]

Hi lulukom,

I have good news. I implemented all your requests today and uploaded a new beta version (Mac&PC, full and LE).

Improvements in v2.92b2 (first beta version since v2.9):

• Phrase Container added
• Right click on a browser folder will select all items under that folder and subfolders
• "Start recording to new track when loop ends" option in transport inspector (you need to enable loop mode during recording to make it work)
• "Extract selected phrases to new track" (among phrase inspector actions)
• Pressing '.' will enable/disable phrase selection in multiple tracks
• New playback mode button: it is possible to play back only the selected or unselected phrases (that is muting the selected phrases!)
• Fix for a MIDI import bug

I did my best to test the new functionality, but please report if anything does not work well.

Thanks,
Attila

[tolstoevsky]

Thanks a lot, Attila!
Very nice and funny to play with your new Phrase Container
Just tested it for 10 minutes only so far and it's really working (without quick crashes, as I feared initially )
My best wishes to you, as usual,
T.

[lulukom]

Hello Attila!
Fantastically fast implementation of new possibilities!
Thanks!
I would be very happy, but unfortunately, while the test results are as follows:
1. Despite the fact that I noted "start recording a new track" - a new track is not created, but all the notes appeared recorded on the same track, and in compressed form over the length to the first bar.
2. I can not switch between the tabs of the program while do not save composition, ie, do not press "S"
3. I already reported that after some time, the program begins to slow down and eventually stops responding to the manipulation of a mouse (sometimes, after saving the composition, everything comes back to normal)
But apparently it will be fixed, but it is now causes admiration!
Thousands of people were asked to MOTU  for years to do something similar for midi, but alas, as you did it for two days! Great!
Sincerely lulukom

[lulukom]

And yet ... After recording, "UNDO" removes not the last record, but removes the entire track!

[musicdevelopments]

Thank you for the feedback, tolstoevsky! Never fear!

Hello lulukom,
it turned out that the "start recording a new track" checkbox did not work. I made tests on Windows only and now I know why it worked yesterday... sorry about this bug. I also fixed the non-working UNDO, which was a bigger issue with saving composition files. New update will be uploaded in 1-2 days.

>I can not switch between the tabs of the program while do not save composition, ie, do not press "S"

This is weird. No-one reported such a strange behaviour from hundreds of Mac users.
The Mac version tries to overcome the limitations of the stupid single-threaded OS X message handling, because RC is multi-threaded internally. This, and the other issue you mentioned may be because of that. Can I ask you to do the following: open the Terminal, and start RapidComposer by typing

Code: Select all

/Applications/RapidComposer.app/Contents/MacOS/RapidComposer

(if the beta version has a different name, use that for the .app)
Use the program, and sometimes check the Terminal for error messages. Also it is a good idea to start the Activity Monitor, and check memory usage. I used this tool to check memory usage during hours of continuous playback.
Please send me e-mail if you find an error message in the Terminal that is repeated. I will add more diagnostics in the next beta.

Thanks!
Attila

[tolstoevsky]

Hi again, Attila,
to tell you the truth, I always begin to examine your regular creative additions with some fear and "angst" , though later (after several new beta-adjustments) I usually relax more or less
But after much more intensive and painstaking testing of your new "side project" (I mean Phrase Container, sure ), unfortunately I have to admit that my initial enjoyment has gone away quite rapidly (in full agreement with the name of your nice program )...
In fact, all the ensuing comments/observations are better suited for "Bug reports" thread, but anyway, given that your new additional tool is just a probing attempt or so, I prefer to post it here for the sake of convenience. And sorry for such a long text in advance
Let me recapitulate them point by point:
1) most unpleasant one: after saving a new composition with several Phrase Containers (PhCs for brevity sake next ) added, re-opened (saved) file contains only the first phrase Moreover, it loses any traces of PhCs used before and only shows "Edited" prefix on top of that lonely 1st phrase instead...(thanx God, I was lucky enough to export a pair of my rather interesting experiments into midi-files before closing/"saving" those files )
2) secondly, there are also some problems with note velocities inside such saved compositions - regardless of the fact that all my basic phrases used inside PhCs contain different velocities, after re-opening of such files I see only the "unified" (same flat) velocities for all notes instead, although I found also that after manually adding/switching on Velocity tab on "Variations" page and then immediately checking it off, the original velocities variations suddenly reappear inside that phrase ... But if I save it again, after new reopening of that file I still get the same lackluster story.
3) More broad comment/lamentation (related not only to your new PhCs generator/container) - I notice regularly that even some obviously harmless/innocent manipulations inside Variations page (e.g. just trying to add or adjust slightly some non-critical (=not pitch/harmony related) parameters there) induce sudden disappearance of generation possibilities (i.e. "generator page" goes away, happily informing me that "current phrase is not a generator anymore" or so), and what's even more unpleasant, such things often happen NOT ONLY for the CURRENTLY EDITED phrase (inside such an "ex-generator") BUT ALSO FOR ALL neighboring generated phrases on that same track/channel...Alas, I get such disturbing results (I mean - full disappearance of generation possibilities for all adjacent generated phrases) regularly not only while using the latest PhC-generator, but also with some other generators too.
4) returning to PhC-generators again: in fact, I can't understand/observe so far what's the real difference (=benefit ) between all those "algorythms" (ABBA..., ABCD... and so on) added
E.g. I add manually a dozen or so of very different phrases from my huge collection (you know that Pandora box of mine for sure ) inside PhC and then I begin to poke and punch randomly all those algo-buttons + "Generate" button next, but...in 90% of cases I get almost the same variations (or 2-3 of them changing over and over without obvious difference in sounding).
OK, may be the problem is that the overwhelming majority of my "handmade" phrases are too long (= 16 or 32 beats mainly) to be used creatively inside your PhCs ? But still I suppose that if I try to compare the sounding of a dozen or so different phrases there, I expect to hear regular changes after each new push of a "Generate" button, at least when I am using "Random" algorythm, isn't it ? Please, clear up the air for me, dear Attila
Well, time to stop for a while, waiting for your comments,
Cheers,
T.

P.S. Oops, I would like to remind you also about my old humble request to add the possibility to copy "extracted rhythm" from one phrase into another phrase on different track (e.g. from piano-like sequence on track 1 to chording/comping line on track 2). Still waiting for it patiently ).

[lulukom]

+1 everything about Phrase Сontainer

[musicdevelopments]

Hi Tolstoevsky,

thanks for your comments! Sorry for the annoyances in the beta version . Indeed there were a few issues, which were remedied by making an update available. The following are fixed in the latest update (v2.92b3):
- saving/loading composition issues (and related undo issues) introduced by the previous beta were fixed.
- the lack of randomness in the PhC is fixed. Now it works as you expect when you press the 'Generate' button. Using 16 or 32 beats long phrases may not be a good idea, it works best when it combines short (<=6 beats) phrases.
- the non-working "Start recording to new track when loop ends" checkbox was fixed

I need your help in reproducing these problems:
- velocities lost in PhC (I could not recreate this)
- phrase generators turning to "Edited" (I am curious about it, because if this happens it is a serious problem, couldn't reproduce it either)
Please let me know about the steps, or even better, please send me a composition file in e-mail which shows the wrong behaviour.

Thanks!
Attila