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MIDI thoughts

Suggestions for new features for Magic.
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Sadler
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Location: London, UK

MIDI thoughts

Post by Sadler »

When reading a beat-clock the InputSelector always starts from 0 but more often than not doesn’t show 0th input or shows it only briefly after a (manual) power on. It depends on when before the beat the power is turned on for the module. A work-around would be to add a dummy 0th input but perhaps it would be useful to somehow delay power on until the next trigger for InputSelectors with a beat-clock input? It would be a little embarrassing if, for instance, I want to show the letters BASS in sequence.

There are times when I'd like to set and forget an effect but continue to switch it off or on again momentarily. Could you allow params and modifiers to have more than one midi assignment e.g. one momentary and one toggle, or one beat-clock and one toggle. Of course, often effects can be turned on and off further down the line but not always and not without affecting other parts of the path.

If a beat clock is incoming, the midi-learn dialogue only learns the beat clock. In my case I have to turn off the beat-clock temporarily in order to learn other buttons, sliders etc. It annoying during scene development more than anything else.

It would useful to set the background colour of annotations in order to differentiate nodes (e.g. all nodes with toggle midi controls) - might make for some garish comps but might also create some beauty too. You might also consider extending this to node headers.
Magic
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Re: MIDI thoughts

Post by Magic »

perhaps it would be useful to somehow delay power on until the next trigger for InputSelectors with a beat-clock input?
Yes, I see what you mean there. I'll think about how that could best be accomplished.
Could you allow params and modifiers to have more than one midi assignment e.g. one momentary and one toggle, or one beat-clock and one toggle. Of course, often effects can be turned on and off further down the line but not always and not without affecting other parts of the path.
I suppose so, but what would be a case where you couldn't achieve it by using other effects further down the line?
If a beat clock is incoming, the midi-learn dialogue only learns the beat clock. In my case I have to turn off the beat-clock temporarily in order to learn other buttons, sliders etc. It annoying during scene development more than anything else.
You can select "Ignore Beat Clock For MIDI Learn" in the Audio/MIDI window's options menu.
It would useful to set the background colour of annotations in order to differentiate nodes (e.g. all nodes with toggle midi controls) - might make for some garish comps but might also create some beauty too. You might also consider extending this to node headers.
I've avoided allowing customization for module title bars because it would make choosing the highlight color more complicated (especially when trying to adhere to some general sense of style). But a background color for annotations is a good idea, I hadn't thought of it.
blackdot
Posts: 528
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2014 10:18 pm

Re: MIDI thoughts

Post by blackdot »

hi sadler, how exactly are you employing the beatclock and the input selector? i use the beatclock quite a lot, maybe i can help you.

i use it mostly with the jpeg folder to sync loopable sequences. i noticed for ex. that i get a more equal distribution/visibility of the input frames when (for eg 30 frames) i use a scale 29.5 mod and then a step 0.5, instead of just a scale of 30. maybe the same is true for the input selector.

furthermore, instead of using and modifying the beatclock's actual value to skim through inputs, one can also let the beatclock trigger a trigger modifier. by default it's triggered once per beat obviously, but if you use a scale modifier , then a wrap 1 modifier you can double, quadtuple, etc the speed of the beatclock. in this case you then need a wrap x, where x is the amount of all your inputs.

even further more if you use an offset and then a wrap 1 modifier you can offset the beat, in case needed.

i also needed to manually turn off the effect a beatclock had on a module. i did this by toggling on/off a scale=0 (eg.) modifier, as the last (or late) modifier in the chain.

one can also use the expression modifier of course instead of offser/wrap/scale.

but yes it woul be cool if we could actually have more than one initial input and one is chosen (or mixed) by conditioals.
Sadler
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Location: London, UK

Re: MIDI thoughts

Post by Sadler »

what would be a case where you couldn't achieve it by using other effects further down the line?
I was thinking Invert but I guess if you have two Invert nodes in series each with different midi settings that would do it. Though with two colour nodes in series the second won't do anything until the first is bypassed. One can, however, use an InputSelector toggled on Input# to choose between two nodes one of which is momentary. I guess I just need to convince myself there are no use-cases.
You can select "Ignore Beat Clock For MIDI Learn" in the Audio/MIDI window's options menu.
Ah, excellent, thanks. I'd had another 'thought' (scaling of modifier midi) but found that option just in time before posting.
Sadler
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Re: MIDI thoughts

Post by Sadler »

Hi blackdot,
how exactly are you employing the beatclock and the input selector?
I'm using 0.5 Trigger on beat-clock with a Wrap for the number of inputs.

Toggling a scale modifier doesn't work for me as it leaves the last input on the screen. A Bypass puts all the inputs on the screen. Using a transparency module hides but does not stop the InputSelector so when it is revealed again the sequence will be in a random position. My only option is to power off the module (or a module down the line) which turns it off completely and resets the sequence so that it starts from the beginning.

I'm sure the other options you talk about will come in handy though - thanks. :D
blackdot
Posts: 528
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2014 10:18 pm

Re: MIDI thoughts

Post by blackdot »

like this? if you have this scale 0 turned off by default, the beatclock triggers the trigger modifier as expected. if you turn the scale=0 on, the beactclock's efforts return 0, but the trigger still retains its current value (which is what you wanted to do, no?).

turning off and on your modifier is done with rmb>learn bypass, then rmb>use as toggle (great new feature, just discovered this #ShoutOutToEric)
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Sadler
Posts: 1139
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2014 7:10 pm
Location: London, UK

Re: MIDI thoughts

Post by Sadler »

Yes, like that. Yes the beat-clock, trigger and wrap work as expected when the scale is bypassed.

When scale=0 is enabled whatever input is selected remains - I don't want this.

I want the sequence to reset, not to retain the current Input#.
blackdot
Posts: 528
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2014 10:18 pm

Re: MIDI thoughts

Post by blackdot »

hmm. true, I cant figure it out either. seems like the trigger modifier cant be reset once started. except with ctrl-E which "synchronises" all modules, but that may have unintended side effects.
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