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Mark Walsen (markwa)
08-27-2006, 11:47 PM
Composer beta release version 1.9.9 is now available at:
www.notation.com/MidiNotateBetaRelease.htm (http://www.notation.com/MidiNotateBetaRelease.htm)

This beta release represents a major milestone in the development of Composer 2.0. All significant new features have been added, and all significant known bugs have been fixed. If you find find bugs in this beta release, please do report them in this forum or to support@notation.com.

If you are using any prior version of Composer, it will be necessary for you to download and install version 1.9.10. (No patches from previous beta versions are available.)

Composer beta release version 1.9.10 includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

Migration of settings from MidiNotate Composer. If you have not previously installed a beta release of Notation Composer 2.0, then Composer 2.0 will automatically migrate settings from your previously installed MidiNotate Composer 1.x. If you have previously installed a beta release of Notation Composer 2.0, then your program settings will be left unchanged.

General user interface. Fix the page slider control at the bottom of the window: double-clicks on the right and left buttons did nothing; now they will advance the page correctly. Improve some of the palette button images, such as for pedal, barlines, and repeats. Fix bug: the File Save As command did not update the file name displayed in the Multiple File Tab. Ignore the CAPS LOCK button when the user is typing Shift+Letter for a palette command, or typing a command shortcut; otherwise, Shift+Letter was not correctly interpreted.

Note, grace note, and ornament editing. Adding triplets and quintuplet notes is now easier. When you select a triplet or quintuplet value for the to-be-added note, the ruler automatically changes to the duration of the note. Improve editing of accidentals: when you manually add an accidental to a note, such as by typing "#" or "b", the accidental now permanetly "sticks" to the note, instead of sometimes changing when you subsequently add other notes to the same chord or before or after the note. Fix bug: ornaments of any type (trill, tremelo, etc.) could not be added. This bug was introduced in version 1.9.9. Fix bug: when a grace note was selected, the palette did not indicate whether it was a borrow-from-left or borrow-from-right type of grace note. Fix bug: when converting a grace note type from borrow-left to borrow-right, an unwanted rest was left between the grace note and note before it. The Note Selection Filter dialog (Region menu command) now lets you select any combination of staves rather than just a contiguous range of staves.

Clipboard and selection. When you select a region, the background color of the selected region will be either light blue or light red, rather than gray. The selected region will be light red if you are working with MIDI graphs; otherwise it will be light blue. This distinction in background color is intended to help you understand whether the clipboard operations on the region (copy, cut, paste) will act on the MIDI graph, or on the notes and notation. The new Paste As Extra Measures command in the Edit menu inserts new measures from the clipboard rather than overlay a destination region. The new Paste Repeated Loop command in the Edit Menu pastes the clipboard contents into a selected region multiple times, filling out until the end of the region. This is useful, for example, for repetitive percussion patterns.

Playlist. Fix bug: If the next song in the playlist has been deleted, then the playback of the playlist correctly displayed a message that the file is missing, but then the playback incorrectly returned to the previous rather than next song. Improve the dynamic layout of the Playlist panel. Change the shortcut for Show Playlist from qspl to qsj (Show Jukebox) to avoid conflict with the Split Hands (qsph) and Split Drums (qspld) shortcuts.

Lyrics. When you click into a lyric, the cursor is now automatically place at the end of the verse that you had previous selected.

Page text. There are two new special page text fields for current date and time. Improve the behavior of special text so that in Add Mode, you can click a special text button (eg, Song Title) and then click on the page to immediately add the field. Fix bug: the page text could be dragged off the page out of sight.

Staff setup. The Delete Staff dialog box now supports deletion of multiple staves in one command.

Barlines and measure numbers. Now when you add a dotted or dashed barline to the middle of a measure, it no longer splits the measure into two new measures with two measure numbers and possibly with two different meters. The dotted or dashed barline is just there to emphasize the rhythm division in the measure. However, if you insert other types of barlines (eg, solid or double line), then two measures are still separately created. When you are inserting a new barline, the to-be-added barline that moves around on the screen with the mouse now shows the type of barline you are about to add instead of always a double barline. The barline palette buttons for Add Barline and Shift Barlines now better represent the purposes of the commands.

Tempo. Enhance the Tempo dialog box, which comes up when you click the "d=120" tempo mark in the main toolbar. The Tempo dialog box now lets you apply a percentage tempo adjustment to the whole song, or the currently selected region. The percentage is initially set to the tempo adjustment value you used in the main toolbar.

Parts. The Print Parts command in the File menu now automatically gives you the opportunity to first extract parts, no parts have been previously extracted.

Piano roll. Fix bug: the piano roll statistics (attack and release offsets) were not displayed.

Internal Internet browser. Add a new Refresh button.

MusicXML export. Four ASCII variations of a single quote mark (left/right, single/angle quote) are now all exported as a simple single quote mark in lyrics and free text, to temporarily work around exporting bug.

Cheers
-- Mark

Fred Winterling (harbor1)
08-28-2006, 02:21 PM
Hi Mark,
I just downloaded Beta Composer 1.9.10A, and have a problem. Everything seems to be OK, except when I try to record. After pressing the record button, a diaglog box shows up called Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library.
The information in the box says:
Runtime Error!
Program- C:\program files\notation beta\composer\composer.exe

This application has requested the runtime to terminate in an unusual way. Please contact the application support team for more information.

Then the program closes. I.I.9 worked fine before the download for 1.1.10
Thanks for any suggestion!
Cheers,
Fred

Sherry Crann (sherry)
08-28-2006, 03:25 PM
Howdy Fred,

Your computer error messages are nicer than mine - mine just says "Abnormal program termination" in the bottom of the error box http://www.notation.com/discus/clipart/happy.gif

I'll bet that Mark is on it, as I type http://www.notation.com/discus/clipart/happy.gif

ttfn,
Sherry

Fred Winterling (harbor1)
08-28-2006, 03:47 PM
Hi Sherry,
That's why Microsoft asks for your date of birth when registering the software. The older you get, the nicer the messages.http://www.notation.com/discus/clipart/happy.gif
cya
Fred

Sherry Crann (sherry)
08-28-2006, 04:04 PM
Howdy Fred,

So do the messages change on each birthday? Mine should get a little better in a couple of weeks http://www.notation.com/discus/clipart/happy.gif

ttfn,
Sherry

Fred Winterling (harbor1)
08-28-2006, 04:52 PM
Hi Sherry,
Not until you reach really old age. Anyway, Happy Birthday!. Funny, I was just in the middle of writing a song called Happy Birthday until somebody told me it had already been done...darn!http://www.notation.com/discus/clipart/smile.gif
Fred

Sherry Crann (sherry)
08-28-2006, 06:50 PM
Howdy Fred,

You said:
Funny, I was just in the middle of writing a song called Happy Birthday until somebody told me it had already been done...darn!

Sherry says:
It never stopped the Beatles http://www.notation.com/discus/clipart/happy.gif Go ahead - regale us with yours!

ttfn,
Sherry

Mark Walsen (markwa)
08-29-2006, 03:19 AM
Hello Fred and Sherry,

I've confirmed the bug that recording doesn't work. I'll get a 1.9.10B release out sometime tomorrow.

The 1.9.10A release, which was done a few hours after 1.9.10, fixes a bug in the tempo dialog box.

Tomorrow's 1.9.10B release will also include a fix that editing the meter doesn't work.

These all are pretty nasty bugs. There was a flurry of work in the 1.9.10 that stirred up some new bugs that escaped testing.

Cheers
-- Mark

Mark Walsen (markwa)
08-29-2006, 06:24 AM
Hello All,

The above three bugs are now fixed in version 1.9.10B. You can get a 1.5Mb patch from 1.9.10 or 1.9.10A to 1.9.10B at:
www.notation.com/MidiNotateBetaRelease.htm (http://www.notation.com/MidiNotateBetaRelease.htm)

The three bugs fixed in 1.9.10B are: Recording failed. Attempt to edit the tempo via the tempo dialog box failed. Attempt to edit (change) the meter failed.Cheers
-- Mark

M G Jacobs (mgj32)
08-29-2006, 07:51 AM
Hi Mark,

Just did the 1910 A to B patch.

When I right click in a blank space to switch from Insert to Select, a box pops up which says "Show Playlists." I believe this behaviour was present in A, also. It is probably a feature, but it is getting annoying.

Then there are popups that are helpful like the vel=xx when the mouse pointer is over a note, which disappeared somewhere along the way.

I haven't been able to find a way to get rid of the one or get the other in any menu.

Am I seeing bugs where I should be seeing butterflies?

best,
mgj

Sherry Crann (sherry)
08-29-2006, 03:31 PM
Howdy Mark,

I just tried the 1.9.10 to 1.9.10b patch, and it gives me the "checksum" error, and then reverts to 1.9.10.

So I used the full 1.9.10B version, and just selected "update", and that worked fine.

ttfn,
Sherry

Mark Walsen (markwa)
08-29-2006, 05:11 PM
Hi Sherry,

I confirmed that the patch from 1.9.10 to 1.9.10B doesn't work. I've now removed that patch. The original 1.9.10 version was only alive for a few hours before it was replaced with 1.9.10A. So, most people who downloaded 1.9.10 really downloaded 1.9.10A. The patch from 1.9.10A to 1.9.10B works; so most folk needing a patch to 1.9.10B will be fine.

Anyone who installed 1.9.10 instead of 1.9.10A will need to do a complete reinstall of 1.9.10B.

Cheers
-- Mark

M G Jacobs (mgj32)
08-30-2006, 10:42 AM
Hi Mark,

Entering accidentals on a staff with a transposing instrument is a bit of a chore. I've noticed this before, but happened to be working steadily with such a staff--thus "chore."

The key is G. The instrument the double basses. Enter an A4 (which will sound as an A3). Now make it Ab4. Presto: you have an Ab5. If you want the sounded note to be Ab3, you have to move it down from Ab5 to Ab4, at which point it becomes a G#4; so you have to do E + up arrow.

I think I understand why the extra work--when you enter the accidental, Composer thinks you want that to be the sounded note, so helps out by bumping it up an octave.

I haven't ever had to do this chore repeatedly before, and nobody else has reported it that I know of, so it's hardly crucial, but sometime when the to do list gets toward the bottom . . .

all best,
mgj

Daniel Vallery (danielv)
08-31-2006, 06:33 PM
I would like to reiterate what MGJ already said: when you right-click, the box pops up that says "show playlists". It is very annoying. I hope its a bug, but if its not, I think its better just to open the playlists from the File menu.
I'm also having cut, copy, and paste problems. Occasionally it works, but sometimes it doesnt, saying at the bottom of the screen, "Internal Program Error: c0000005 address: 5c0715". Also, when pasting, it sometimes doesnt paste, instead changing the "pasted measures" to treble clef and signature to C major. I've had this problem a long time ago with an earlier version (I dont remember which one), and didn't expect it to come back.
~Daniel

Mark Walsen (markwa)
08-31-2006, 07:05 PM
Hello Daniel and M.G.,

It is definitely a bug, not a feature, that right-click brings up the Show Playlist prompt. I'll fix that.

Daniel, which version (1.9.10, 1.9.10A or 1.9.10B) are you having trouble with copy/paste? If it's a version earlier to 1.9.10B, please try updating to 1.9.10B at www.notation.com/MidiNotateBetaRelease.htm (http://www.notation.com/MidiNotateBetaRelease.htm), even though there is only some chance that might fix the problem.

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>

(Daniel) Also, when pasting, it sometimes doesnt paste, instead changing the "pasted measures" to treble clef and signature to C major.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>I'd appreciate an example of that. Could you send me a "start here" .not file, and tell me what staff/measures to copy and paste to where?

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>

(MG)Then there are popups that are helpful like the vel=xx when the mouse pointer is over a note, which disappeared somewhere along the way.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>I see some awkward behavior there also. When you go to the Loudness Palette, you have to switch to Select Mode to see the vel=xx info over notes. I'll try to improve this behavior.

Thanks for your reports. Sorry for my delay getting back to you, MG.

Cheers
-- Mark

M G Jacobs (mgj32)
08-31-2006, 07:52 PM
Hi Mark,

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>

When you go to the Loudness Palette, you have to switch to Select Mode to see the vel=xx info over notes.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

I can't get those popups at all, not even in select mode. I also noticed that the "qsv" command does nothing. The "qs" shows up in the bottom info bar, but the "s" is a no show. Clicking on the Loudness button seems the only way to get the red line indicators, but no popup no matter what I do.

all best,
mgj

Daniel Vallery (danielv)
08-31-2006, 11:25 PM
Yes I am using the latest, 1.9.10B.
heres the instructions
<center><table border=1><tr><td>http://www.notation.com/discus/icons/attachment_icon.gif
song.not (http://www.notation.com/discus/messages/36062/song-28923.not) (171.2 k)</td></tr></table></center>
Go to measure 125, then copy measure 125 in the top staff. Then paste into measure 127 upper staff. It shouldn't paste, and should change the signature to C. Try it several times in a row, cause occasionally it does paste. Thanks,
~Daniel

Mark Walsen (markwa)
08-31-2006, 11:42 PM
Hello Daniel,

Thanks for the example of the copy/paste problem. The clef and key signature problem seems to be sensitive to the borrow-from-left grace note that starts the next measure 126. That grace note is actually played at the end of measure 125. Somehow, the copy/paste operation is confused by the presence of that grace note. I found that if I first delete the grace note, then the copy/paste works fine.

Well, there is another problem revealed there: when I delete the grace note, it leaves a 32nd measure rest at the end of the previous measure 125.

I'll fix both of these problems.

Thanks for the report.

Cheers
-- Mark

Sherry Crann (sherry)
09-01-2006, 05:54 AM
Howdy MG,

You said:
I can't get those popups at all, not even in select mode. I also noticed that the "qsv" command does nothing. The "qs" shows up in the bottom info bar, but the "s" is a no show. Clicking on the Loudness button seems the only way to get the red line indicators, but no popup no matter what I do.

Sherry replies:

I just tried Mark's suggestion:

1. Click the _tab_ (not just the button) for whichever data you want to see and edit (Note Velocity for velocities, Piano roll for attacks/durations)

2. In Select Mode, I'm seeing the little popup data thingies just fine. I don't see them if I'm in "Add Mode".

If you just click the _menu button_ for Note Velocities, or Piano Roll, you don't see them, because you're not in the right place to edit them. At least I think that's the theory here http://www.notation.com/discus/clipart/happy.gif

ttfn,
Sherry

M G Jacobs (mgj32)
09-01-2006, 06:38 AM
Hi Sherry,

Dumb me. Yes, using the TAB they are there. The NV popups, that is. I find I can edit the loudness by using the MENU button, too, but from now on willl use TAB.

Thanks,
mgj

Daniel Vallery (danielv)
09-01-2006, 02:31 PM
Hi Mark,
I've made another discovery. When trying to copy and paste from measures that have no grace notes, while the staff above does, it also does not work. Try this on the same file I uploaded.
1. Copy measures 118-121 in the left hand.
2. Paste into measures 138-141 in the left hand.
3. It should do the exact same thing, this time changing the clef too.

Just thought you might wanna know, since the only grace notes around the copied material were on a completely different staff.
Thanks,
~Daniel

M G Jacobs (mgj32)
09-02-2006, 09:46 AM
Hi Mark,

Here is a very small file which may prove interesting, mostly because the quirks I will describe were present from the attempted sharping with "ss" of the second A in the second measure.

I set this up using the New File dialog--piano + clarinet, or flute perhaps; E Major; 4/4. I switched a couple of times between E and D Major, the first time before I entered a note; I used the Add Key Signature button; erased that; then used the Change Key Signature button. Otherwise I entered notes, and made multiple changes, using Shift + left or right arrow; D + left or right arrow; delete, then re-enter.

Along the way, these things happened:

"Ss" on the second A raised the note a minor third, to C natural. This result was true on a most of the time basis throughout. "#" produced the same result.

Keypad + or - raised or lowered a note by an octave, though Shift was not pressed and CAPS not locked on. (I found out that Shift had become sticky and a toggle: hit it if the + was raising the note an octave, and it would revert to raising it a half tone. Hit it again, and the octave rise returned. Etc.

Somewhere along the line, the third measure wound up with 4 1/2 beats.

"F" did what "ss" should; that is, sharped the selected note. "B" gave the same result.

Finally, since the problems were unique to this file (although I haven't worked with many files in this beta), I started over. I setup the new file in the same way, except that I had decided on D Major, so made no changes there. But all of the above quirks were absent and things worked as they should.

Since I may not be the only one to start something and make a lot of changes, perhaps you might find something in the file that was the spark and add a warning or something to HELP. If I hadn't started fresh, I would have been, to borrow a phrase from W.C. Williams, drunk and asleep in my boots. Or carted off to Bedlam.

My guess is that the whacky behaviour of "ss", the keypad keys and "F" must have something to do with indecision about key signature, because the only real difference when I started over was that I had settled on the key I wanted.

all best,
mgj

M G Jacobs (mgj32)
09-02-2006, 09:47 AM
This is the file I referred to above.

<center><table border=1><tr><td>http://www.notation.com/discus/icons/attachment_icon.gifexample not file
2 sketch.not (http://www.notation.com/discus/messages/36062/2_sketch-28929.not) (12.5 k)</td></tr></table></center>

Sherry Crann (sherry)
09-02-2006, 03:47 PM
Howdy MG,

I'm not Mark http://www.notation.com/discus/clipart/happy.gif and I'll let him deal with bugs and such, but I did just want to add a clarification for others who might be following this discussion.

Changing the _key signature_ does not change the key that the piece is played in, it changes the way the notation is written (sharps, flats). To change the actual key (ie, heard pitches) of the piece, you need to use the "Staff/Transpose actual pitches" command.

I know you know that MG, but some folks who may read your description above may think you couldn't decide what key you wanted the piece in, and were trying to change it via the key signature command.

ttfn,
Sherry

M G Jacobs (mgj32)
09-02-2006, 06:41 PM
Hi Sherry,

Sherry's right folks. Changing the key signature will not change already entered tones, though it probably will change the way they are spelled. I you enter an F with a C signature, it will notate as an F. If you then change the key signature to G, it will be notated as an F natural. However, subsequent Fs that you enter will sound as F#.

But I was talking about before I entered a note. I still had the first movement of the concerto open and was playing with the idea for the second movement in empty measures at the end of that. I had tried the first couple or three measures there, starting on both B and A. So I actually changed back and forth a couple of times in the new file before entering that first note there.

I guess I neglected to say key signature in the last paragraph, which I should have. The first chord is a D chord, but if one wants that changed to an E chord, it would be necessary to transpose the notes up a full tone.

all best,
mgj