Playback media files: serious bugs (?) and feature requests

[Ashville.Guru]

I've been using C on live gigs, and overall I must say I've been impressed by the quality of the implementation . However, after trying to set up some Midi backing tracks for live use, the overwhelming feeling I get is that the playback section does not match up to the high standards set in the rest of C .

Here's what I need to do (actually, this is my more 'minimalistic' setup: in reality, I need it to get more complex...!)

• load a bunch of midi files in loop mode(a dozen or more); these are mutually exclusive
• send them to a rack on a specific channel
• trigger each of the files from an external controller (with a specific
• note/midi cc)
• use 'tap tempo' to control the tempo, while occasionally rewinding the loop to the beginning, again with specific note/cc

I. The following are best termed as 'bugs' (feature designed, but not properly implemented):

1. When I hit tansport rewind (via mouse/midi assignment) while a file is playing, the transport goes into a wierd state - play immediately stops. No sound for more than a minute. And then suddenly, play resumes.
2. When I make the group an 'exclusive play', I can't use any midi assignments to play any non-current file! That's because the rest are not enabled. Note: I'm using the metronome as 'master', since I need the tap tempo. I can assign 'next' and 'previous' files, *provided* I don't make it the group 'exclusive play'. Bottomline - I have to scroll through the files, and there's no way I can directly assign a particular file to a note/midi cc.
3. When I copy-paste a midi file, none of the settings are copied. So each time, I have to set the output rack, go to Tools->select track-> set channel; sync-> options-> jumping to the correct position (after which C doesn't understand that I need it to be synced, so I have to click on 'synced' again). Quite a few mouse clicks... try doing this for more than a dozen files, and you'll see why this is an issue!

The first two bugs are actually a deal-breaker for me - with no way to reset the loop position live, I simply cannot use loops; and I should be able to direcly trigger a file without scrolling through the group! I see no workaround for either of these .

II. The following are really feaure requests (in decreasing order of priority):

1. Along with 'load' and 'play' groups, 'send' groups (files with common sends and midi channel) would be very useful and intuitive;
2. Tap tempo is not very useful to me *unless* I have the option of setting the number of taps per beat - it should be possible to specify the tempo, even if I hit 2 taps/beat, for example, or 1 tap every 2 beats. Without this option, I have to edit my midi files in an external sequencer/daw , with a *lot* of trial and error, to find the optimal 'controllability'
3. A few options for the tap tempo calculations would be very useful - there are instances where I don't want the time intervals to be averaged - I need it to be calculated exactly on the basis of 2 taps.
4. bradr has stated elsewhere that the tap tempo timer gets reset after 3 seconds - would be nice if the reset itself was assignable, and here's why: using a complex workaround, I've made the tap tempo to be received (from a sustain pedal, actually) only when I have a toggle button (midi cc) on my controller on. That way, once the tempo is right, I dont accidentally change it. It would make sense for the timer to be off when the button is off, too...

Although this seems to be a long post, this should not be seen as a reflection on C itself... as I said in the beginning, C is quite reliable and robust, it's only the playback section which relatively appears to be a... 'work in progress', shall we say?
Cheers,

Guru

[TiUser]

Without going into every detail you've analyzed so meticulously here I absolutely agree that the media players need some twists and tweaks.