RapidComposer v5 beta feedback and discussion

[musicdevelopments]

RapidComposer v5.5b1 is available!

Improvements:

• File search fixed in the file browser
• 'Clear search' button added to all browsers
• Recent search items can be cleared
• When the browser search field is closed, the search text is cleared
• Optimized audio waveform rendering which became many times faster for long audio files

[sj1]

Hi

Is there currently a way to have RC send a MIDI Song Select message?

If not, then I suggest adding that possibility.

MIDI Song Select of course is a command instructing downstream equipment to configure itself for the chosen song.

Two use methods for this would be:

1. Manual invocation by the user upon loading (and before playback of) a composition, based on having saved the Song Select # in the composition itself.

2. Automatic invocation upon loading of the composition.

Sending a MIDI Song Select message is actually a specific case of the more general idea of sending arbitrary user-defined "setup MIDI messages". Ideally just such a more general solution could be implemented.

In the simplest form, just let us send hex messages. It will be up to the user to know the hex and provide it.

A more elaborate UI allowing a choice of messages could be provided if desired and if time allows - but the primary thing is being able to define and send such messages vs. not being able to do so, and to bridge that divide, just being able to send hex messages would suffice.

Thanks for considering this.

[frimpiso]

First of all:

I am so happy to have Rapidcomposer as a music theory analyser for jazz piano voicings. It is incredible!
I especially love the piano keyboard overlay!

But I have two requests for the keyboard overlay:

1. Right now the key coloring is only performed when I press the play button. I would love to see the pressed key coloring, when I click on a pattern. This way I can better see how the fingers have to change for the voicings and replicate it on the keyboard in non-real time.

2. The chord name in the keyboard appears to be an automatic analysis of the pressed keys, which is nice. However, I would love to see a second mode, where the chord name from the top line is reproduced (e.g. VI-7). I am currently studying root-shell voicings such as (R-3-b7). Here the automatic analysis is misleading and the original chord labelling would be great.

3. When I stop reproduction, the key coloring in the keyboard overlay disappears. It would be great if the coloring would stay.
Background: I am taking screenshots of the voicings to study them in a flashcard app like Anki.

(A freaky addon would be an automatic anki card generation

Anyway these are my suggestions which would make the keyboard overlay even more useful for me.

Thanks and have a great day

Jens

[musicdevelopments]

Thanks, Jens, for your feedback and explanation for what you need to achieve! I will make this more useful shortly.
Attila

[sj1]

I seem to be observing that RC doesn't import MIDI CC information when importing a MIDI file.

If this is indeed the case, then an enhancement in this respect would be very welcome. Thanks.

[sj1]

Hi.

I'd like to add a doubling of the lowest note of selected chord generators 1 octave down.

Snag_595d0d6.png

Is that doable, and if so how? Thanks!

Also, I notice that the Chord Generator for the Db7/C slash chord did not generate the C note (I had to take manual actions to get that).

Shouldn't a chord generator generate slash notes, as the lowest note?

[sj1]

Hi. It appears there is no discussion at all of RC's MusicXML capabilities in the September 2024 User's Guide. I base this on a text search failing to find "xml" or "XML" anywhere in the Guide.

Info on the subject would be good to add. I'm thinking specifically of how we can drag in MusicXML files and drop them onto RC's chord track. This capability (and any others?) are certainly worth exposing. Thanks!

(Ed. Actually, there is one mention, which I missed because I mistakenly had 'whole word' selected for the search. That mention is about exporting guitar tabs.)

[lulukom]

It would be nice to get rid of the doubling of notes in MONO phrases when the rhythm algorithms in the Midi Mutator.

[musicdevelopments]

Hi lulukom,

please enable "Keep pre-note rest" in order to keep the notes monophonic. I know there are many options, and that may be confusing, but this is because these functions take care of the rest between notes which is important in electronic music.

Thanks,
Attila

[lulukom]

Thanks Attila. I would also like to open the browser in Mutator to drag midi files and phrases to the field /Use rhythm from midi/. And by the way, how to open the inspector for a phrase/track if you work with the Trackpad? There is no right button, and Command + click does not work. Thanks.

[lulukom]

It often happens that when dragging a midi file to one of the different fields (apply rhythm, for example), the program crashes... And the problem turns out to be precisely in the poor-quality midi file for some reason. Is it possible to make it so that the RC catches this midi file and notifies about the "bad" midi file, but the program does not crash. Thank you.

[lulukom]

It would be nice to add swing and shuffle adjustment to the quantization in the inspector variations. Thank you.

[lulukom]

It would be very desirable that when there is an audio file on a track that has attempted to be converted to midi, there would be the ability to replace it by dragging a new audio file onto the head of the same track, as is possible on midi tracks. Thank you.

[lulukom]

Why is the key of the composition determined by the first chord of the master track? After all, the first chord can be any, but the key of the composition is different. I would like to see a place in the master track where you can set the overall key of the composition. Also, there should be no binding of the scale of the first chord to the entire composition, this scale should only be the scale of this chord. Thank you.

[lulukom]

A very convenient technique used in some programs for speed of work and unloading of many simultaneously open windows. Often in RC several windows are open and first of all these are inspectors. Example of solution.. The inspector window opens while the designated button is pressed (with the left hand))) and closes when the button is released. This can be done optionally. I use it in some music programs and it is very convenient. Thank you.