Squaredheads

squaredheads · Post by **squaredheads** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 8:45 am

Musical Gym wrote:When I select Random in Randomizer I get results; when I select Apply I get another result.

I thought Apply would tell Nora I want to use the initial result achieved before selecting Apply to confirm.

Apply will generate/mutate a new Phrase with the current settings. Randomize actually random the settings (those that are not locked) and then generate a new phrase with the new generated settings. I'm not a native english speaker. Do you think we should change the buttons names?

Musical Gym wrote:Would there be a way for Nora to reproduce Randomizer controls tweaking in real-time so you can hear the phrase control adjustments on the fly?

No, sorry. This is because Nora calculate individually each note to achieve true random phrases. Example, with a pregenerated phrase if you have your density at 50% you will always obtain 50% notes and 50% rests. With randomization per note means that with a 50% setting, you could have results of 65/35 or 40/60, etc.

Musical Gym · Post by **Musical Gym** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 8:18 pm

squaredheads wrote:Apply will generate/mutate a new Phrase with the current settings. Randomize actually random the settings (those that are not locked) and then generate a new phrase with the new generated settings. I'm not a native english speaker. Do you think we should change the buttons names?

Maybe it isn't necessary as long as the user knows the difference. Since it is a Randomizer, you could rename the buttons: GenCur and GenNew or just Cur and New or just leave as-is if renaming them makes it more confusing. You could have a tooltip for each one: "Generate New Phrase with Current Settings" and "Generate New Phrase with New Unlocked Settings".

squaredheads wrote:No, sorry. This is because Nora calculate individually each note to achieve true random phrases. Example, with a pregenerated phrase if you have your density at 50% you will always obtain 50% notes and 50% rests. With randomization per note means that with a 50% setting, you could have results of 65/35 or 40/60, etc.

Ok, thanks

kurodo · Post by **kurodo** » Wed Mar 18, 2015 4:21 am

Musical Gym wrote:You could have a tooltip for each one: "Generate New Phrase with Current Settings" and "Generate New Phrase with New Unlocked Settings".

Not bad.
How about?

New button name: Regen << replaces Apply

Tooltip for Regen
Generate/Mutate a new Phrase with the current settings

Tooltip for Randomize
Randomize unlocked parameters, apply and generate a new Phrase

Musical Gym · Post by **Musical Gym** » Wed Mar 18, 2015 9:57 am

Since both buttons are within the Randomizer, rather than a button named Randomize, have it called something like RandNew (BrandNew?), RandAll, or simply New or All..
Regen for current, New or All for randomizing all unlocked parameters and phrase from scratch..

squaredheads · Post by **squaredheads** » Wed Mar 18, 2015 10:56 am

squaredheads wrote:
heks wrote:If you contact support at synapse audio I'm sure they will sort you out. I'll post on the beta site so Richard has a heads up.
I emailed him last friday to business@, as soon as I receive a reply I'll let you know.

Richard replied me, so I tested Nora in Orion. I got the bug, and I got it fixed. It was my mistake. I will release a maintenance patch pretty soon.

squaredheads · Post by **squaredheads** » Wed Mar 18, 2015 11:04 am

About the randomizer labels, I prefer do not use abbreviatons if possible what do you think about:

Apply -> Regen / Generate / Create
Random -> it would be kept.

About the tooltips:

Musical Gym wrote: You could have a tooltip for each one: "Generate New Phrase with Current Settings" and "Generate New Phrase with New Unlocked Settings".

The first one seems very good to my poor english

However, for the second one, wouldn't be better the text that it's already in Nora?

kurodo · Post by **kurodo** » Wed Mar 18, 2015 12:45 pm

squaredheads wrote:About the randomizer labels, I prefer do not use abbreviatons if possible what do you think about:

Apply -> Regen / Generate / Create
Random -> it would be kept.

Yeah nice and simple.

Btw I think your english is very good.

Musical Gym · Post by **Musical Gym** » Wed Mar 18, 2015 9:23 pm

Whatever makes sense to you will be fine. Personally, I would not have a button named Random in a Randomizer utility; to me, it's confusing (too general), but if no one else has a problem with it, I'll still understand what it does, whatever it's called.
Higher priority is functionality/development, I think. You can always rename buttons and rewrite tooltip text in a future update if you come up with better wording.

squaredheads · Post by **squaredheads** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:19 pm

Yes, renaming is inmediate. I was thinking in another labels called Generate for Apply button, and R+G for Random button.

kurodo my english is its english -> www.wordreference.com

Musical Gym · Post by **Musical Gym** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 8:57 pm

Since the Randomizer Utility creates or generates new phrases either with Current Settings or New (unlocked) Settings, you might be ok to use one button named Current and one button named New. It is understood that in both cases, the result will be a randomized phrase with or without the current settings.
Your newly proposed naming would create a wide button for Generate since the text is fairly long. Your second suggestion, R+G would not conform to your intention of not using abbreviations for the buttons.
Regardless of how they are named, we will learn what the buttons do from the tooltip text and the results obtained..

kurodo · Post by **kurodo** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 10:52 pm

Musical Gym wrote: Your second suggestion, R+G would not conform to your intention of not using abbreviations for the buttons.

I must admit that also crossed my mind.
I think its fair to say newcomers to Nora will study the associated tooltips whatever the buttons are named and adapt.
The tooltip in that case is far more important than any naming conventions.
If the pdf documentation also clearly states the difference between the button operations I see
no problem.

I suppose one final solution would be to hand over button and tooltip control to the end user via the developer mode and let users name the button themselves as well as tooltips.

Having said all the above if the developers have to take their eye off the ball to implement the above features at the cost of another useful function or an ongoing issue then perhaps things are better left as they are. ?

Musical Gym · Post by **Musical Gym** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 11:12 pm

It'll work itself out; not a big deal..

squaredheads · Post by **squaredheads** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 5:24 pm

Yes, do not using abbreviations is a preference not a must. Abreviations are not user friendly. I like the suggestion of 'New' and 'Current', I think there is enough space to draw 'Use new' and 'Use current', but I must test it before.

Any suggestion about any label/tooltip/inline help is really welcome

Musical Gym · Post by **Musical Gym** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 9:13 pm

Would it save space if you substituted the two command buttons with radio option buttons or a stand-alone checkbox?

Radio buttons are used when there is a list of two or more options that are mutually exclusive and the user must select exactly one choice. In other words, clicking a non-selected radio button will deselect whatever other button was previously selected in the list.

A stand-alone checkbox is used for a single option that the user can turn on or off.

If you use radio buttons, the text Use current and Use New would be on the interface instead of a button.

If you use a stand-alone checkbox, you could set the Randomizer Utility default phrase generator selection to either current or new. Clicking the checkbox would turn it on or off.

Hope this isn't muddying things up again; the command buttons used now are fine as long as you have the room for the new text on the buttons.

squaredheads · Post by **squaredheads** » Sat Mar 21, 2015 6:21 am

Good idea about the radio buttons. The same effect could be done doing the current Random button a toggle button. However this would request you have to switch before generate a new phrase (only when you want change the 'mode'), which means two clicks. In the way it is now, you only need one click, is more straightforward- which I think it's more desirable for music software in general.

Squaredheads

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