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FamiTracker
I've been using Famitracker casually for a while, although I've never really made anything worth listening due to my lack of creativity. I really enjoy the software, it's the best way to create NES music without going into complicated scripts or something I can't figure out.
So anyway, I was wondering if you could make it so that when you press keys on the on-screen keyboard it shows to "test" instruments in the options, it could put them as notes in the patterns when record is on or when an option is activated, to basically compose songs using that. I'd find it way more intuitive than using keys on my keyboard that don't look like piano keys to me. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, it wouldn't be that hard to implement, would it? It already plays notes just like when you press keyboard keys. I'm not talking about a piano roll or anything, just composing in the tracker interface using an on-screen keyboard. Would really help me out, and possibly lots of beginners/visual people too, because at the moment I pretty much "compose" them using that piano or the electric keyboard I have and then I have to figure out how to make it into notes using my computer keyboard. It's not really all that bad, but that on-screen piano would help me a lot! Oh and I know there's a possibility that some people won't like the idea because they like the retro feel of trackers using keyboard only on old computer systems... But come on, you don't have to use it if you don't like it
Sorry if it's already been suggested, but I haven't seen anything like that while searching.
Thanks for reading my suggestion, and keep up your awesome work.
Sort of offtopic, but if beginner will have no reason to learn keyboard layout, he will remain beginner much longer than usual. Keyboard layout is quite easy to learn, and it is very useful knowledge, because keyboard layout is mostly same in most of music software, even in the FL. Also, it's not about retro feel or something, you simply have to use keyboard (not just notes) very heavily to make good music in trackers, and do it fast enough.
This not mean that this feature must be not implemented, of course.
You mean you actually want to compose from the instrument editor? Sure it wouldn't be hard to add, but I doubt you're gonna find it practical for any longer time. =)
Like Shiru said, learning the keyboard properly is gonna be so much faster and more convenient. If you have trouble remembering which key goes to which note then you can leave the instrument editor open and it'll display the notes when you enter them in the pattern editor.
But I'll see, might be a nice thing. I guess an extra option is necessary as I often test instruments with edit option turned on.
Thanks.
Hmm, well it's true I'm becoming familiar with the keyboard as I use the software more and I understand it's way faster that way, still I think the option could be nice, especially for beginners, it could ease the learning curve as you could start using the on-screen keyboard and progressively you use the keyboard more and more and get used to it. But I personally would use it mostly to "transcribe" a melody I find while playing piano using the on-screen piano because it's all visual and I still don't know exactly which key is which on the keyboard, then actually try to compose a song around that using only the computer keyboard.
Anyway it's just something that came to my mind, now that I think about it it may not be all that useful to most people :p just something you could implement if you run out of ideas.
