Custom per pattern timesig / row highlight

[Skaven]

I've been working on game projects that have multiple sub-tunes, and some of the sub-tunes use a bit more exotic beats, like 3/4 while others are in 4/4. But the time signature -derived row highlight is forced throughout the project file. It can be changed to make sub-tune authoring easier, but it's a bit of a chore to switch forth and back.

Would it be technically possible to make it so that the user can specify the time signature per pattern? It could be put behind an "Enable" checkbox, so that by default the patterns use the project's default time signature, but some patterns could use a different one.

If a pattern with a custom time signature is Duplicated, the time signature property would naturally also duplicate.

[Saga Musix]

Technically it would sure be possible, but at the moment I cannot quite estimate how much work it would be. Sounds like an exciting feature worth looking into, though.

[Snu]

i would be very interested in this feature as well!
the thing is, i would want some way of changing the hilighting partway through the song, not just for each subtune.  not really sure how that would work tho, i imagine it would be rather more difficult... maybe some way of doing it on a per-pattern basis through the pattern properties dialog? or maybe another special separator pattern (like the '+++' patterns) that would set the time signature for the patterns after it?

[Saga Musix]

maybe some way of doing it on a per-pattern basis through the pattern properties dialog?

That's how I imagined it to work at least.

[Snu]

oh wow, quick reply, even before i edited the post!
good to know, just wanted to make sure.

[Saga Musix]

This is working better than expected... The engine was already well prepared for such a feature.

[Paul Legovitch]

Exactly what I need too !  

[bvanoudtshoorn]

Sounds good! I've been hankering after this feature for a while!

(And yes, I am still alive, my rather extended silence notwithstanding.

[Saga Musix]

Hmm.. I'm not quite sure what to do with that Rows per Beat edit control in the main toolbar. It seems so useless to me and it doesn't make much sense to use this together with per-pattern time signatures. Does anyone actually use this feature?

[Paul Legovitch]

it doesn't make much sense to use this together with per-pattern time signatures.

I seem to miss the point, how is this a problem ?
It's very useful in Modern tempo mode, at least to remind you of the current time signature, so if you remove it from there I guess you plan to put it somewhere in the pattern editor gui, right ?
If you plan to only have this in the pattern properties dialog, I will miss it for sure and quite frankly I'd prefer to let it where it is.
Perhaps make it so that it always displays the current time sig (and not only when playing).

Btw, what I would use in the main toolbar is a TAP button to set the bpm with mouse clicks.
click...click -> 133bpm  

[Saga Musix]

I seem to miss the point, how is this a problem ?

What is the spin button next to it supposed to change? The default rows per beat or the rows per beat for this pattern? Why are there just rows per beat, and not also rows per measure? Are the changes permanent or temporary?
Up until recently, changing the RPB using this spin control didn't even mark the module as modified (although this can very well change playback), which indicates that probably not a lot of thoughts have been put into this display.

It's very useful in Modern tempo mode, at least to remind you of the current time signature

But then again, there are also pattern highlights, which do exactly the same thing.

Perhaps make it so that it always displays the current time sig (and not only when playing).

Now with that new feature, this is even more difficult than it already was.

Btw, what I would use in the main toolbar is a TAP button to set the bpm with mouse clicks.

You mean like the spin buttons next to the tempo control?

[Paul Legovitch]

But then again, there are also pattern highlights, which do exactly the same thing.

You mean secondary highlights, I always uncheck this : the pattern has too much stripes with these, thus I need to see this value.
Now, based on what you say (this element not marking the module as modified, etc), then ok I guess it's better to get rid of it. :lol:
But if possible I'd rather have these 2 values (RPB and RPM) appear in the pattern editor gui (next to pattern name and seq name perhaps), not only in the pattern properties dialog, to be able to instantly see the time signature changes when playing the song or when browsing through the patterns.
I think the default values should also appear in the general tab gui next to the tempo (btw the tempo slider seems to me like a rather useless element there).


About the TAP button :

You mean like the spin buttons next to the tempo control?

No. Every daw has this : you have a tempo in mind, you click several time in rhythm on a button (often called TAP, near the bpm value) and based on the time elapsed between two clicks, the software sets the correct bpm. Very useful.

[Harbinger]

Hmm.. I'm not quite sure what to do with that Rows per Beat edit control in the main toolbar. It seems so useless to me and it doesn't make much sense to use this together with per-pattern time signatures. Does anyone actually use this feature?

As i was writing up the Main Toolbar in the help manual, i also wondered about this. Since you can't change the tempo permanently either with that control, i would just as soon implement a less obtrusive control, or make it optionable. :?

[Skaven]

This is working better than expected... The engine was already well prepared for such a feature.

Whoops! Forgot to check back here. But what I see up there looks awesome!  :welldone:

[Saga Musix]

Whoops! Forgot to check back here.

Well, did you have fun at ASM at least? :lol: