Deprecated: mysql_connect(): The mysql extension is deprecated and will be removed in the future: use mysqli or PDO instead in /storage/content/49/145849/famitracker.com/public_html/forum/classes/dbHandler.php on line 29
FamiTracker
More like a list of preset UI/song settings so the user can set up a desired time signature in fewer clicks/keystrokes than setting the values manually. It would especially be helpful to users new to FamiTracker (or tracking in general).
Basically, some kind of menu option (with dropdown submenu or dialog window) where you can specify a desired time signature and FamiTracker will automatically compute the corresponding song and UI settings to represent it.
An additional checkbox labeled "allow 32nd notes" can also be provided to double the note resolution (i.e. cut the song speed by half and double all other values).
_______________________
Where to find me:
YouTube: [url=http://youtube.com/user/stratelier]http://youtube.com/user/stratelier
DeviantArt: [url=http://stratadrake.deviantart.com/]http://stratadrake.deviantart.com/
I'm beginning to think Famitracker is sort of a victim of its own success. Its ease of use leads people who haven't necessarily used other trackers before to believe it's "okay" when in fact it's pretty much the pinnacle of user friendliness. FT doesn't need to hold users by the hand any more than it already does; the fact of the matter is it's already extremely easy to pick up and not at all difficult to use once you get your head around the basic principles of any tracker. It infuriates me when people request things that have [i]no bearing at all[/i] with what a tracker is and what it's supposed to do and how it's supposed to do it. Time signatures are one example of this: trackers have no support for time signatures in the traditional sense -- rather, the user is expected to comprehend how to achieve whatever metric they have in mind without the software getting in the way.
_______________________
Follow me on [url=https://twitter.com/jrlepage2a03]Twitter.
I record (some) NSFs on hardware. Feel free to [url=http://www.famitracker.com/forum/posts.php?id=3633]request a hardware render.
This post infuriated you? Really? I think it's a good idea. It's a nice touch of user-friendly automation that wouldn't hurt anybody, and would come greatly in handy sometimes.
I haven't used it much, but I'm pretty sure OpenMPT has a feature similar to the one that's being requested here. It's not unheard of by any means whatsoever, and it's certainly less ludicrous than other things that have been requested.
[quote=modusponens]This post infuriated you? Really?[/quote]
More like annoyed me. I think the further we stray from features that are normally available in other trackers (this being an example of that), the more we not only alienate those who are used to those other trackers and wish to transition to Famitracker, but also teach Famitracker users to rely on things they aren't going to find in those other common trackers. It seems like this userbase likes to forget that this is fundamentally a tracker, and not some advanced DAW.
But hey, call me oldschool I guess.
_______________________
Follow me on [url=https://twitter.com/jrlepage2a03]Twitter.
I record (some) NSFs on hardware. Feel free to [url=http://www.famitracker.com/forum/posts.php?id=3633]request a hardware render.
I don't think it really matters what other trackers have or don't have, but I'm not much of a fan of this idea, mainly because it isn't bijective. All we're really talking about is a couple of starting templates for a new song, and ultimately that's not very useful.
It doesn't really make any difference to an experienced user. Entering 2 or 3 numbers to set the effective metre takes a trivial amount of time, and probably most of the time you wouldn't actually want any of the preset templates anyway.
Sorta like the prefab instrument envelopes that were eventually removed, this would be a bit more clutter in the UI that most people just ignore. Sure, new users might be able to figure out how to do 3/4 a little faster, but it's like... Famitracker is complicated to use. You can make a turnkey preset for metre, but a new user will still need guidance for how to set up an instrument, create macros, figure out what each channel does, etc. A demo song or a tutorial in 3/4 does a better job of teachaing this than extra UI regular users will want to ignore.
Myself, I still think a highlight modifier effect would be cool. It wouldn't have to export as any data, since it would just be for organization while working, it would just affect the highlighting applied to the pattern it was in.
TXY - set minor highlight to Y, set major highlight to X*Y, reset row counter to 0 (i.e. starts a new measure on this row)
T0X - reset row counter to X (when you want to shift the position within a measure)
Shouldn't need to apply across patterns, only affecting the current pattern as it is displayed.
It's not terribly important, though. When I have complex metres, I often leave marks in the unused DPCM channel to show me where the beats are, so there are workarounds, at least, and meaningless highlights can just be ignored otherwise. Only requires a little extra concentration.
Threxx: what feature does OpenMPT have that is like this? All I see is the pattern and song properties that are really just the same as Famitracker's (except per-pattern).
[quote=rainwarrior]Threxx: what feature does OpenMPT have that is like this? All I see is the pattern and song properties that are really just the same as Famitracker's (except per-pattern).[/quote]
You can actually change the time signature if you save in MPMT format.
EDIT:
[quote=jrlepage]It infuriates me when people request things that have [i]no bearing at all[/i] with what a tracker is and what it's supposed to do and how it's supposed to do it.[/quote]
I agree with this 100%. It's not like the name is Fami[i]Tracker[/i] or anything, right? =V
Rarely have I seen/heard the complaint "FamiTracker is too hard". Rather, I hear "Can you add X", "Can you add Y", and it gets to be annoying after a certain point.
[quote=poodlecock][quote=rainwarrior]Threxx: what feature does OpenMPT have that is like this? All I see is the pattern and song properties that are really just the same as Famitracker's (except per-pattern).[/quote]
You can actually change the time signature if you save in MPMT format[/quote]
Where? I looked for it and couldn't find anything to that effect, and yes I have it set to OpenMPT format by default. All I can find is the pattern properties, which are the same as what FamiTracker has but with a per-pattern override.
Edit: oh, you added a picture, but the picture is just of the pattern properties that I'm talking about, not a time signature tool. Famitracker has the exact same 3 properties. Rows per beat, rows per measure, pattern length.
[quote=rainwarrior]Myself, I still think a highlight modifier effect would be cool. It wouldn't have to export as any data, since it would just be for organization while working, it would just affect the highlighting applied to the pattern it was in.
TXY - set minor highlight to Y, set major highlight to X*Y, reset row counter to 0 (i.e. starts a new measure on this row)
T0X - reset row counter to X (when you want to shift the position within a measure)[/quote]
Something like that would be useful for me too, since I have had memorable occasions where I mix different time signatures to get the required note resolution in less data. I have one song that starts out with 3 rows per beat (at speed 8) before switching to 4 rows per beat (at speed 6) -- i.e. keeping the same effective beats-per-minute -- and it continues to nag at me that I can only highlight one timing or the other.
Aside: I would love to be able to specify the Row 2 higlhight as a multiple of the Row 1 highlight (and have it preserved that way in the relevant song), because in like 99% of cases it is anyway.
[quote=]When I have complex metres, I often leave marks in the unused DPCM channel to show me where the beats are...[/quote]
That's my workaround too, except I use the volume channel.
_______________________
Where to find me:
YouTube: [url=http://youtube.com/user/stratelier]http://youtube.com/user/stratelier
DeviantArt: [url=http://stratadrake.deviantart.com/]http://stratadrake.deviantart.com/
I think it would be useful too, considering people having a problem getting triplets in FTMS. (this would help in fixing my messy thunder ceptor cover)
_______________________
Follow me on [url=https://twitter.com/jrlepage2a03]Twitter.
I record (some) NSFs on hardware. Feel free to [url=http://www.famitracker.com/forum/posts.php?id=3633]request a hardware render.
Do we have any sort of FAQ/tutorial for how to customize your song's meter? Because, really, time signatures are just a pair of numbers that express the song's underlying meter... and some parts of time signatures are defined more by tradition than definition (e.g. the difference between 6:8 and 3:4 time).
_______________________
Where to find me:
YouTube: [url=http://youtube.com/user/stratelier]http://youtube.com/user/stratelier
DeviantArt: [url=http://stratadrake.deviantart.com/]http://stratadrake.deviantart.com/
Learning how to use triplets is core in using a tracker. And this is Fami[u]Tracker[/u]. Use cak's Tuplet calculator if you need help with the math.
EDIT: Just to add my little bit to the topic of time signatures: If you use a time signature enough (e.g. 4/4 and 3/4) you learn the rules that they imply. Having a layer to automate the process gives you ease of use at the deficit of power. Using programming as an example, using Assembly is far more powerful than using an high-level language like C#, but it requires more memorization, patience, and work.
Some other places I've tried to conquer:
[url=http://chipmusic.org/ch3dd4r]Le Chipmusic
[url=http://battleofthebits.org/barracks/Profile/CH3DD4R/]Le BattleOfTheBits
All this argument over whether or not the tracker should use the row-highlighting drop-down menu with tempo/speed control, or if the UI should allow users to type 4/4 or 3/4 or whatever the hell.
Honestly, there are good ideas presented in this section (this one included,) but they're not exactly necessary for the program's overall functionality. I guess this is why many projects like this are open source, though; if anyone with the know-how & the desire likes to implement the ideas that don't make it through to JSR's todo list, they can take up that mantle.
In any case, I find that FamiTracker, when compared to other trackers (especially FastTracker 2,) is much more intuitive for beginners (& is, I dare say, more intuitive than MuseScore or its proprietary equivalent Finale for novices). But if it's true music conventions you want to learn, why not use MuseScore as well as FamiTracker? If you want conventional time signature input, you might as well want the whole shebang with proper music notation, bars, codas & all the other things you'd normally see in orchestral music scores. It sure beats trying to replace the Bxx effect with coda symbols & frames with bars (especially when a programmer has much more to worry about than something cosmetic for the UI).
_______________________
Technology: the one thing that's hated & cursed at by all engineers, technologists, scientists & technicians!
.png)
) 