Additional Timing Alternatives

So here is something I have thought of for a very long time. I am a musical person and I relate to tempo and notes better than I relate to seconds.
I would love an alternative syntax for setting timing where I could enter the note/tempo and then have the tempo linked to the cuelist rate control. What I mean by linked is that suppose we defined a cuelist to have a projected bpm that we assign. If I'm doing a fast song, I would set it at perhaps 128bpm. Then, like a DJ, I could use the rate wheel as a pitch control to sync.
(Twelve Years of Raves and Electonica what would you expect).
By defining the base bpm, a shift + or - in percentage could then be equated to the pitch change it accomplishes.
Then, a programmer could set times like writing music of a page. If I'm doing trance, I would program my timing in hole notes, another list in half notes, quarter notes, eight notes and then combine them as in music.
A suggestion for the syntax would be /1/.8/ which would be a way of saying whole note and eight note. Another example could be /1/.2/.4/ which would be a whole, half, and quarter note length. Yet another example would be /4/.2/ which would mean 4 whole notes and one half note. Obviously the . is not a decimal here but a signifier that the number that follows is a fractional note. The use of the / on both sides would be what defines the switch to a note system from a time system.
The great thing about this, is that it is self-correcting syntax. A user that types in something wrong would get an error once they hit enter which would restore the previous value and system.
Of course this works in the cuelist window, but I am thinking more from the editor window. Also, additional buttons at the top of the editor and cuelist window could allow for switching.
There might not be a whole lot of musician lighting programmers out there but I am sure there are enough where this feature would be invaluable.
  • The idea seems very good, as i'm an old drummer, I had already thought at something like that for wait time but not yet for all times.

    on the other hand syntax, seems complicated, of course it is necessary to give to the cue list a rate in Bpm and if it's binary or ternary and so on, butwe have to think about a more simple syntax for notes

    It is of course only my opinion
  • You are right Steph, the Syntax is a bit complex. An alternative would be to enter note lengths in fractions or in decimal values. But you tell me how many board opps that can instantly remember that a whole note plus five eight notes is equal to 1.625.
    OF course another alternative would be a drop down menu with times subdivided in eighth notes.
    I'm just tired of sitting with a calculator. Oh and incidentally, I did create a chart in excel that converts beat length into time in seconds so that I could just add together single beat lengths to get the total fade length. This method is still slow because I have to have a chart, and I still need to use a calculator.
    Unfortunately then, when I adjust list speed, it is still in % so converting to BPMs is hard. My only alternative arround this has been to make the cuelist percentage equal to the bpm but that creates a whole new can of worms for on the fly changes
  • perhaps a toolbar who will appear with the notes drawed, we type datas in the cuelist option window (like 4/4 and 120 bpm) after we select the memory then the number of times and the button of the “notetoolbar” corresponding to the note
  • [quote=stephlight]
    perhaps a toolbar who will appear with the notes drawed, we type datas in the cuelist option window (like 4/4 and 120 bpm) after we select the memory then the number of times and the button of the “notetoolbar” corresponding to the note

    Love it! Good idea. However, perhaps what we need is an interactive editor to provide timeline style programming.
    :hijacked: (My Own Thread)
    Yes, I know I'm talking about a Jans Vista style timeline interface but it it were simply another process that was added on top of the OS then we could use it when we needed it and have it turn off when we close its window.
    In fact, what if this was one in a series of value-added features that would be part of the SuSe install for the desk. Then, an independent offline editor could be available as an XP download for Hog PC. The offline editor could then be used to generate "timing pallets" and then with a new function like time + open would open the timing pallet (similar to the effects pallet).
    Anyone who's ever use the 3rd party FX editor for Hog 2 knows exactly what I'm talking about.
    I just suggest it as an additional process on the Wholehog three since the new features of version 2.0 allow us to put things like the "server process" off-board where lockups on the desk won't kill us.
    Perhaps for a simple Hog 3 DP2000 config or a single iPC or single HPC this is not a safe editing process to have since it could compromise system resources allocations but on bigger networks, it would be fine.

    Okay and just so everyone reading this knows... Yes, I am only blurting right now. I just want to evoke response because the ideas we build as a team are going to be what merits implementation.
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