RapidComposer v5 beta feedback and discussion

[sj1]

OK, consistency is good. Thanks for keeping us up-to-date!

[thebutler]

For splitting/gluing things (notes, phrases, chords), you always Alt-click.
So the current double-click behaviour is removed.
In fact the new update that I'll upload soon displays 'scissors' mouse cursor when you press Alt over a note/phrase/chord.

Thanks for your feedback!
Attila

So next version, 'scissors' mouse cursor will be visible regardless if you're going to do splitting/gluing operations.?

[musicdevelopments]

only if you hold down the Alt key over notes/phrases/chords.

[thebutler]

only if you hold down the Alt key over notes/phrases/chords.

Understood.

My point was, 'scissors' always denote splitting operation in any other DAW/MIDI/audio editor that I know. I've never seen it for both splitting and gluing tasks. I could see new users getting frustrated by not finding a 'gluing tool' anywhere (since they can see a scissor for splitting, when hovering and pressing the 'Alt' modifier). Maybe it can be made clearer somehow that it serves a dual purpose.?

[musicdevelopments]

Good idea, thebutler, I'll think about it. I think the 'glue' cursor could be displayed when gluing is possible and the 'scissors' when splitting is possible.

Now I feel editing operations are much more user friendly.

[musicdevelopments]

RapidComposer v5.9b3 is available!

Further UI/UX improvements in this update. Enjoy!

Improvements:

• New setting: 'Show snapped position' (during note editing the snapped position is shown)
• Holding down the Alt key will display 'scissors cursor' over notes/phrases/chords to split them, or a 'glue cursor' to glue them (when it is possible) with indication of the split/glue position
• Double click deletes a note during editing
• "Change chords according to new scale" checkbox added in scale root popup
• Fixed automatic flat/sharp display for church modes
• Fixed: min/max sliders did not work for "note on velocity"

[BluGenes]

Nice stuff for sure..

Should the F keys only work when the composition tab has focus? Or should you allow them place focus back to the composition tab? For example, if you are on the composition tab, and you press F7, which brings the midi import into focus, pressing the F keys don't work because they are only bound to the comp tab.

[sj1]

Hi. Observed in v5.9b3:

Split a note with the scissors. Glue it back together. Double-click to delete it. Then Ctrl-Z to undo the deletion.

Result: the split note returns (rather than the re-glued note)

[musicdevelopments]

The function keys should work even when other tabs have the focus. Make sure you set them 'global'. If I set F7 to switch to MIDI Import, and F8 to switch to Composition, they both worked.

[musicdevelopments]

Hi. Observed in v5.9b3:

Split a note with the scissors. Glue it back together. Double-click to delete it. Then Ctrl-Z to undo the deletion.

Result: the split note returns (rather than the re-glued note)

Good observations! Indeed I have not checked if undo/redo work with these! I'll fix this shortly.

Thanks,
Attila

[BluGenes]

The function keys should work even when other tabs have the focus. Make sure you set them 'global'. If I set F7 to switch to MIDI Import, and F8 to switch to Composition, they both worked.

Ok, then it's a bug then. They are all global, but, pressing F7 it stops working.

Edit: I am pretty sure you only bound the f keys to the comp tab.. tried a few other things. still happens..

[lulukom]

I still couldn't figure out if the "Apply Melody" variation works when dragging midi files or only when dragging phrases ?

[Brian Collins]

Should Rhythm Lab have the means to directly set a note length on a per-note basis?

At the moment, the only real way of setting a note length is through the "Rhythm Processing", where it can only be set for all notes of the phrase probabilistically, and with strange impact on the handling of rests and gaps between notes. But there is nothing in the Rhythm Lab UI to directly set the length of a note. To my mind, the Length feels like another "top level" per-note adjustment like Weight, Accent and Timing. In this way, the Rhythm Processing length adjustment would just be an override for occasional use of randomness, in the same way that most of the other adjustments there behave.

One possible UI suggestion would be a fourth "bar graph" option. A setting of zero would insert a rest (if that's what the weighting chooses). Any setting above the number of grid spaces before the next note would mean "no gap". The maximum value would be the default.

[Brian Collins]

Should Rhythm Lab have the means to directly set a note length on a per-note basis?

While I still like my proposal above on the grounds of clarity and directness, I realise that I can achieve the same effect in a roundabout way by adding extra high-weight, zero-accent notes at the position where I want the previous note to stop. But this requires spurious notes and doesn't capture the intention. The zero-velocity Midi notes may be misinterpreted by other plugins or DAW. And the UI display is rather confusing:

[lovemusic15]

I just wanted to find out if it is possible to add this feature. At the moment, you can apply the rhythm of a selective track, which is a great feature. But is it possible to have an option to apply the following rhythm to all tracks? This would be a great way of shifting the feel and rhythm of a full track, rather than doing it section by section, which can be very time-consuming since many MIDI files have several tracks.

It's a great way to instantly hear how something would sound with a different rhythm. I think having the ability to change several tracks at once is much more helpful than just being able to do it channel by channel. So, having an "apply to all channels" feature would be a great addition for many variations, especially when it comes to applying shape, applying melody, etc.

Being able to do that to all tracks opens up massive possibilities, especially when importing full songs of various genres. It’s a great way for happy accidents and a convenient workflow.

Maybe there could be a feature where you can apply changes to all channels and, just like in the idea tool, exclude certain channels. This would be a very helpful addition,