| Author | Message | ||
     Mark Walsen (markwa) Notation Software Developer Username: markwa Post Number: 1104 Registered: 7-2003 |
To All Forum Visitors, If you see this post, I'd appreciate your responding to this survey about the design of the MidiNotate forum. The main part of this forum is organized exactly according to the chapters, topics, and sub-topics of the MidiNotate Composer and Musician User's Guide. The main purpose of such an organization is to provide the user a direct path from a topic in the User's Guide to a corresponding topic of the forum that discusses exactly the same subject matter. The user can "jump" from the User's Guide to the forum, for a given topic, regardless of whether the User's Guide is installed on his system or whether the user is accessing the User's Guide hosted at Notation Software's web site, provided that the user is connected to the Internet, of course. By integrating the User's Guide and the forum, the forum becomes a "live" extension of the User's Guide documentation. Given the above background information about why the forum is organized as it is, here are the survey questions. You might find it easy to copy the questions to the clipboard, and paste the questions in your message and insert your responses below each question. 1. When you visit the forum, do you see the Composer User's Guide or Musician User's Guide table of contents displayed in the left side of the window? 2. Are you connected to the Internet via DSL, cable, or modem? 3. If you know, what is your typical bandwidth rate in Kb/sec? 4. In a fresh Windows session, how many seconds does it typically take for the forum window to load when you first visit it? 5. If you have already visited the forum once in a given Windows session, how many seconds does it typically take for the forum window to load when you visit it a second time? 6. Do you have the forum bookmarked in your Internet browser? If so, what percentage of the time do you visit the forum via the bookmark. 7. Are you registered in the forum and receive email notifications of new postings in the forum? If so, what percentage of the time do you visit the forum by clicking the link from the email to the forum posting? 8. Do you sometimes visit the forum by following a link from the User's Guide to the forum? (There is a link at the bottom of each topic in the User's Guide.) Do you find this documentat-to-forum link feature useful? 9. When you visit the forum, if you see the Composer User's Guide or Musician User's Guide table of contents in the left side of the window, do you sometimes use it to visit the documentation before researching the forum for an answer to a question? 10. Would you like the organization of the forum to be "flatter", with fewer levels of organization, and therefore, with a different organization than the User's Guide documentation? 11. If the links from User Guide topics to the forum topics were completely eliminated, would you miss them? Thanks for taking the time to fill out this survey. Please feel free to add more comments and to respond to the surveys of other forum users. Cheers -- Mark | ||
| Dudley Fuller (dud) Active Forum User Username: dud Post Number: 17 Registered: 12-2004 |
Hi! Mark As you know I'm a newbee and a computerphobe. These answers are from the perspective of such a person! 1) Yes! 2)ADSL 3)700kb/s (Not the fastest, but OK.) 4) - pass! 5) - pass! 6)Doh! What's a book mark? 7)Yes & yes,I do. In fact it's the only way I get to the forum groups. I told you I'm a computer-phobe. 8) Do you sometimes visit the forum by following a link from the User's Guide to the forum? (There is a link at the bottom of each topic in the User's Guide.) Do you find this document-to-forum link feature useful? Ans: I really think that the link would be more useful if it were to be sited at the top of the page, under the selected topic heading. ie. Executing Commands from Your MIDI Keyboard Visit the MidiNotate forum discussion on this feature (requires connection to the Internet) Etc, etc..... (Obviously retaining the original formatting.) or Make the heading itself an active link to the discussion forum? (I don't know anything about programming, so that might be a nightmare to put into effect. 9) I haven't to date. 10)I'm too new to provide a qualified ans. 11)Until this Post of yours, I was unaware of the link between Users guide and the forum! Now that I am, I'd hate to loose the facility.  Be cause of the run-up to Christmas, I haven't read the instructions!! Warm regards, Dud | ||
| Sherry Crann (sherry) Senior Forum User Username: sherry Post Number: 531 Registered: 1-2004 |
Howdy Mark, 1. When you visit the forum, do you see the Composer User's Guide or Musician User's Guide table of contents displayed in the left side of the window? A. Yes, if I'm coming in from the documentation. 2. Are you connected to the Internet via DSL, cable, or modem? A. microwave dish 3. If you know, what is your typical bandwidth rate in Kb/sec? A. Average is probably around 920 kb/s. 4. In a fresh Windows session, how many seconds does it typically take for the forum window to load when you first visit it? A. I use Mozilla Firefox, and it takes less than 3 seconds for it to load. 5. If you have already visited the forum once in a given Windows session, how many seconds does it typically take for the forum window to load when you visit it a second time? A. Pretty much instantaneous. 6. Do you have the forum bookmarked in your Internet browser? If so, what percentage of the time do you visit the forum via the bookmark. A. It's bookmarked, but I almost exclusively visit based on clicking the link in the email, or via the link in the User's Guide in the documentation. 7. Are you registered in the forum and receive email notifications of new postings in the forum? If so, what percentage of the time do you visit the forum by clicking the link from the email to the forum posting? A. I use this method for all responses. I use the User's Guide links for reporting problems or asking questions. 8. Do you sometimes visit the forum by following a link from the User's Guide to the forum? (There is a link at the bottom of each topic in the User's Guide.) Do you find this documentat-to-forum link feature useful? A. See above, and yes, I find it an extremely helpful way to find the place I need quickly. I use the "Index" search box in the User's Guide, and then select the proper topic. I then click on the link, and go straight to the topic in question. 9. When you visit the forum, if you see the Composer User's Guide or Musician User's Guide table of contents in the left side of the window, do you sometimes use it to visit the documentation before researching the forum for an answer to a question? A. I have the documents on my computer, so I use it there first. 10. Would you like the organization of the forum to be "flatter", with fewer levels of organization, and therefore, with a different organization than the User's Guide documentation? A. NO 11. If the links from User Guide topics to the forum topics were completely eliminated, would you miss them? A. YES!!!!!! ttfn, Sherry | ||
| Larry S (starfish21) Registered Forum User Username: starfish21 Post Number: 131 Registered: 12-2002 |
1. When you visit the forum, do you see the Composer User's Guide or Musician User's Guide table of contents displayed in the left side of the window? Ans. Yes I do. 2. Are you connected to the Internet via DSL, cable, or modem? Ans. Cable 3. If you know, what is your typical bandwidth rate in Kb/sec? Ans. 3,500Kb/sec. 4. In a fresh Windows session, how many seconds does it typically take for the forum window to load when you first visit it? Ans. Approx 1 sec. 5. If you have already visited the forum once in a given Windows session, how many seconds does it typically take for the forum window to load when you visit it a second time? Ans. Instantaneous 6. Do you have the forum bookmarked in your Internet browser? If so, what percentage of the time do you visit the forum via the bookmark. Ans. Always use bookmark. 7. Are you registered in the forum and receive email notifications of new postings in the forum? If so, what percentage of the time do you visit the forum by clicking the link from the email to the forum posting? Ans. I am registered but do not receive email notifications. 8. Do you sometimes visit the forum by following a link from the User's Guide to the forum? (There is a link at the bottom of each topic in the User's Guide.) Do you find this documentat-to-forum link feature useful? Ans. I don't use link from User's guide to visit forum but I still think the link feature is useful. 9. When you visit the forum, if you see the Composer User's Guide or Musician User's Guide table of contents in the left side of the window, do you sometimes use it to visit the documentation before researching the forum for an answer to a question? Ans. Yes 10. Would you like the organization of the forum to be "flatter", with fewer levels of organization, and therefore, with a different organization than the User's Guide documentation? Ans. No, I think the level of detail is about right. 11. If the links from User Guide topics to the forum topics were completely eliminated, would you miss them? Ans. Yes | ||
| Sherry Crann (sherry) Senior Forum User Username: sherry Post Number: 532 Registered: 1-2004 |
Marginal note: I should add that for speed of connection, I listed what I would typically experience in my usual multi-tasking environment. If I'm just concentrating on the forum (or anything else, for that matter), my speed is probably double (and therefore loading is shorter). Not sure if that's important for what you're looking at, but there it is ttfn, Sherry | ||
| Mark Walsen (markwa) Notation Software Developer Username: markwa Post Number: 1119 Registered: 7-2003 |
New forum users are highly encouraged to respond to this survey also. Cheers -- Mark | ||
| Gilberto Martinez (elbeto) Registered Forum User Username: elbeto Post Number: 4 Registered: 5-2008 |
hi when using the Selection Mode, Blue Notes selected are difficult to see in contrast the black notes. does anyone know how to change the color of "notes selected" from the default Blue? i have looked into the Setup - Color Scheme and the Performance - Highlighting Color. but a change in Highlighting Color doesn't seem to apply during score edits. thanks for your time. | ||
| Sherry Crann (sherry) Product Designer Username: sherry Post Number: 1885 Registered: 1-2004 |
Howdy Gilberto, Currently there is not an option to change the selection color. You might try changing the brightness level and/or contrast of your display via controls on your monitor. Making the display brighter will often enhance color differences. Or try using the Windows "Control Panel -> Display -> Settings -> Color quality" dialog. Sometimes if your color quality is set at less than what your monitor and video card are capable of, you won't see the differences in colors that you should. ttfn, Sherry | ||
| Gilberto Martinez (elbeto) Registered Forum User Username: elbeto Post Number: 5 Registered: 5-2008 |
hello again, concerning the menu item: Perform >> Highlighting Options thanks for your reply. the suggestions in your reply above are "note"worthy :-) i pretty much have played with those settings you suggested even prior to trying out the Composer trial program since the last 2 weeks ago. so in a work-around, i make the notes on the staves appear as those on music sheets that one can buy for Easy note reading - large note sheet music. i guess i can make them even larger. but then that limits my preferred view of the arrangement. especially when i decide to playback the part i'm working with. (granted i'm not a musician. and i haven't had the need to recall musical terms until recently with Composer.. "staff-staves" but i had been getting by, and having fun with what i have picked up through self learning and practice) yet for my eye's sake, i'm still wishful in making the subtlety of color contrast between notes more apparent and (refreshing).. especially during Composer's Edit mode. the way i see it, Playback already has a Blue Vertical bar to follow. and gives a general idea of where one should be playing or just following. from the start of getting to know where commands are located within Composer, it has been my personal feeling that the ability of highlighting notes a different color might be close to being under-utilized. well i figured, if a function in Composer is already there, how can i make it more permanent? where can i find a way to keep this change effective throughout the use of the program? after all, if in another of Composer's menu items, a change in the Program's color scheme doesn't auto revert. unless of course i undo it. i guess i was just looking for a way to do something to my personal preference. i wanted to have my cake and eat it too. (smile!) P.S. i'm glad at least someone is reading user's thoughts from time to time. thanks for your efforts.. (maybe getting some 3D Glasses will allow for better contrast) naahh! P.S.S. Composer likes to control every aspect of timing and notation. do you suppose there can be a function that could say: "your are now in Super Know-it all Mode" you are the master user.. you have total control... if you crash and burn.. its your Fault. now.. Enter the (Advanced User) password. and play the music notes into Composer or write it from scratch" "Composer knows sometimes users just make a change here and there. often simple changes need to be made.. so.. make the changes you want.. whatever that may be.. add a note here.. add others there.. remove a rest.. group some notes in triplets.. just make sure that within that measure, every note and every time space is accounted for. then click APPLY.. and play back the part" or the program simply does nothing.. and says: "TRY AGAIN, and get it right this time.. or.. return control back to Composer.. because you still have a long way to go with respect to writing music" << that was the program talking. anyway.. i just mention this because it seems it would be so much easier if Composer would not always Auto-Fill. at least not until i'm ready to validate the change. because often times the result of auto-fill has me doing something over and over because it was not the end result intended. i know with Composer things have to be done in a certain way and in a certain order or they will not take effect. also, i know some programs and also programming environments allow this control mentioned.. it allows users to do whatever is seen fit because it assumes a level of understanding of what one is doing.. the test is then shown at time of compiling. but at least its not a program that tries to do it all for the user. unless of course its a Lesser Application or in Wizard mode. i'm thinking it would make your programming job easier by not needing to predict and fix all user mistakes in real-time. ********* do you think this could ever be a feature of Composer?.. total control.. ooooh! i hear a new version is due anytime soon. please note, it is not my intention to take away from the already invested efforts of all involved with this program. thank you all for the useful implementations thus far. although this only my first experience with any of your products besides the MidiNotate Player. since the last two weeks i have tried some other programs of this nature and they do seem to lack much of the standards i see in Composer thus far. thank.s again. | ||
| Herbert WENDE (herbert) Senior Forum User Username: herbert Post Number: 191 Registered: 3-2006 |
Hi Gilberto, Sounds interesting. What exactly do you have in mind? Can you give a point by point example to show what the new freedom in editing might bring? Some descriptive notation would be helpful. Best wishes, Herbert PS. I have no problems with the colors. | ||
| Sherry Crann (sherry) Product Designer Username: sherry Post Number: 1887 Registered: 1-2004 |
Howdy Gilberto, You wrote:
Are you talking about the color of the notes for printing here?
Composer also should be highlighting the notes for you as the song plays through. In other words, the notes that are currently sounding should be highlighted so they look different than the ones that aren't playing at the moment. Do you find that this is not happening?
We have had other requests to be able to change the colors for notes and text, mostly from teachers who want to highlight items for students. Is this type of "choose a color" feature what you're referring to here?
We try
This sounds almost like a "teaching mode" (except we'd want more encouraging commentary ;) ). Is this what you'd like to see - a mode where you try to get it right, and then let Composer tell you if you were right or not?
Well, if Composer were simply a notation program, then you could conceivably put all sorts of things on the page with no problem Composer does work to help folks write "correct" music notation to be read by musicians, and thus the "autofill" rests and such. It does this so that the sheet music will actually be usable by musicians, and so that the timing events and such will be correct if the file is exported as a .mid file, in other words, so that it will actually sound _and_ "look" right.
It probably would make some programming easier to do a number of things differently. However, our primary goal is to make composing music and creating good sheet music easier for our users And thanks for your kind words about our products - we do want them to be powerful (which can sometimes be a scary word) but easy and intuitive to use. Which is why we work diligently to listen and respond to our users - thanks for your comments ttfn, Sherry |
