robert_inventor -> RE: What is Your Weapon of Choice: Metronome, Drum Machine, Compás CDs, or Software? (Aug. 28 2010 10:04:49)
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Hi Aficionado, Thanks, that's very helpful. I'll do some more videos of the Flamenco metronome to show what it can do at the moment. Perhaps the best thing is to say more about what it can do on the Flamenco page on the web site, so that you don't need to search through the rest of the site to find out what you want to know. I need to have pages on the web site about rhythms like 4/4 over 4/3, 4/4 + 7/8 etc as for some musicians those rhythms are the main reason they want to buy the software. And I need the information about the harmonic metronomes and the Rhythmicon as again for a (very few) musicians those are the features that interest them most in the metronome. Similarly for the drum rudiments, polyrhythms etc. each one has its group of musicians that needs them. E.g. Indian musicians are interested in cycles of polyrhythms, and Djent musicians want rhythms like 4/4 over 4/3, also for Contemporary Classical perhaps, and so on. I think just about every page on the web site will be of special interest to one group of musicians or another. So that's my main dilemma when designing the web site, how to have all that information for musicians who need it, while not being too overwhelming for musicians who don't need it. Anyway, for Flamenco, then most of those pages, though perhaps fun and entertaining, are something of a distraction as you won't be using those features for Flamenco (as far as I know :) ). So that's why I wondered if putting more into the Flamenco page would help there. I use high quality sound fonts to make the videos which is why they have high quality sound. When you play it on a computer in real time after you first install it, then the sounds are likely to be lower quality as it uses the midi synth on the computer soundcard. But as it plays its sounds via midi then that just depends on what midi synth you use to play the notes. So for example you can install SynFont on your computer, route the notes from BM Pro to it using Midi Yoke NT (or any other virtual midi cable) and then play the notes on any soundfont you like in real time. Then will sound just the same as it does in these video clips (if you use the same sound font). I usually use the JV1080_Standard_Set sound font. But there are many soundfonts available including a special Flamenco soundfont RCubero_Percusion_Flamenca which I have downloaded but haven't yet tried using in a video. Maybe I'll try it for the new video clips. It has lots of variations on Palmas etc. So you can have different styles of hand clap in the same rhythm if you use that one, same for other Flamenco rhythms, so sounds like it would be a good one to use for Flamenco music. So using those you can play the notes on any soundfont with SynFont. Takes a bit of configuring to set it up, just need to install SynFont, install Midi YokeNT, and then choose one of the new midi "virtual cables" from the Out menu in BM Pro and choose the same one from the In menu in SynFont. You can then load any soundfont in SynFont and play it from BM Pro. I could add the names of the instruments from that Flamenco sound font to BM Pro so you can select them by name for any of the parts or any of the beats in any of the parts in the rhythm - that's straightforward and reasonably easy to do. Then could do step through instructions with the Flamenco Metronome or on the web site, how to set it all up to work like that - basically to install those two programs - and then you'd be all set up to play the Flamenco rhythms using the authentic Flamenco hand clap sounds and instruments. BTW another alternative is that you can send the notes via midi out of your computer (e.g. use USB to Midi if it doesn't have one yet) and then play the sounds on any hardware sound module or synth that can play midi notes. Just mentioning it in case you have a favourite hardware module that you'd like to play the notes on. For output as mp3, yes it can do that already. But it's a two step process at present. First you save the rhythm as a midi file. Then you press a button to convert the midi file to a .WAV file using your selected sound font for the instrument sounds. Then finally you can convert the .WAV to an mp3. I haven't given that aspect of it much thought for the user, and I can make it into a one step process to simplify it. Just have an option to save as an mp3 with one button to do it all in one go, it would still save it as a midi file, convert the midi file to .wav, and then to .mp3 - but would do it all automatically - with progress messages showing how far it has got until it is done. Then - will be able to use the same high quality sounds for that as I use for the videos indeed. As for easy selection of rhythms - well with the existing ones you just select them from a drop list. It is an easy matter to add more rhythms to the drop list. Main thing is that I need to research into the rhythms to know what to add. What would be the top rhythms you want for Flamenco? BTW I can also add rhythms with other numbers of beats to a measure, doesn't need to be 12 beats exclusively, and makes sense to put all the Flamenco rhythms into one drop list so you don't need to keep swapping between metronomes to find them. I'm continuing to work on making the interface easier to use. So - that's an ongoing process. It takes time, and also just to be able to stand back and see it in a different light sometimes which can be hard to do. But compare it as it is now with the way it was e.g. in Tune Smithy three years ago and there is a vast improvement in usability. I expect that to continue as I learn more, and get more feedback and come up with new ideas of ways to simplify the interface - while still retaining all the advanced capabilities for those who need them, seems that there is no real reason why the two have to conflict, I think you can have both. BTW one feature it has at present is the stereo pan, the notes pan to left or to right depending on the position in the "clock". So the 12 is panned to center, 3 hard right, 6 to center, 8 and 10 to left, then back to 12 at center. Just gives a bit extra by way of aural cue about where you are in the rhythm. In case you don't know though I expect you do, you can take it for a 30 day test drive to see what it's like for yourself. I can also do additional test drives beyond the 30 day period if anyone's has expired. It is just a notional time period, you have to choose some time period otherwise it is same as the paid for version, but the length of it is unimportant. So, anyone can get new test drives from me at any time, just to try it out some more or to test a new feature. No need to worry if anyone feels that the "days left" clock is ticking away and not sure if you have enough time to evaluate it. Anyway - I'll do some new videos and have a go with the specialist Flamenco font as well. Can simplify the process of saving the rhythm to an mp3. Improve the Flamenco metronome web page. Can look into ways of adding the instrument names of the Flamenco soundfont to BM Pro. Can add step through instructions for SynFont and Midi Yoke (with screen shots) to the web site and program. Can also add new rhythms to the Flamenco metronome, would need research into what to do there. One example, looking up Bulerias in Wikipedia, I find there are two variations: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buler%C3%ADas emphasis on 12 3 6 8 10 and on 12 3 7 8 10 So - the existing clock has the first version, but I could easily add in the second one as an alternative on the drop list. I can try a video of the 12 3 7 8 10 one and maybe you can comment on it and see what you think. Anyway main thing that I don't know enough to do right away is what extra rhythms to add, what are the main ones you should have in a Flamenco metronome, and where the accents are for them. I need to research into that and any pointers to help there will be appreciated. BTW have quite a lot of other things to do right now. So mightn't do all this straight away. But it is all straightforward and I can do it gradually as I have time for it. It wouldn't take that long to do most of it if I set aside a few days to do nothing else. Apart from the simpler interface, that just takes time and insight, which you can't really timetable for, just do the best you can and be ready for it when you see how to do it. Thanks, Robert
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