Editing ipad/Mac editor

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10-04-2010, 07:53 AM
Steve R

Editing ipad/Mac editor

*MOVED from Beatles thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by dflat

Hi Steve,
...
Did you get Insert and Delete beat worked out? Looks like you did.
Hope you found the (web?) editor ok to use.

Thanks for the encouragement! I would just LOVE a carriage return in that editor, but I can make do with a whole lot of <insert beat>. Lining up stuff with the far left of the page is tricky too. It feels a bit funny doing it by inserting and deleting beats since of course those beats won't be played.

But yes, I think I've got it now, thanks!

Quote:

I thought maybe this would convey the intro better, but depends on how it is counted in? Currently we do not have rests available.

Yes, yours looks better, thank you! I'll let this stand as the final one.

Quote:

Nice to have you here at the forum.

Nice to be here, thank you!

Steve

Oh! Darling by Lennon-McCartney
10-04-2010, 05:04 PM
dflat

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve R

I would just LOVE a carriage return in that editor, but I can make do with a whole lot of <insert beat>. Lining up stuff with the far left of the page is tricky too. It feels a bit funny doing it by inserting and deleting beats since of course those beats won't be played.

If you need to add lots of bars (meaning barlines with no chords in) or just empty space ready for barlines and chords (I presume you are using the web editor) you can Copy/Paste-insert.
Click a beat (the bottom area is good if you only want space) then drag from that beat downwards to the end of the area you need selected, press Copy button, click where you want the selection to go, click the Paste-insert button. This technique works for any area with just barlines or with barlines and chords or just empty space. Paste-insert will move the existing beats/bars along after the selection area, whereas Paste-over will delete anything where the selection area will go.

You can simply click on the beat you need to get to (you do not need to use the Enter key to move around.)

Leaving empty space (like where you have the 2nd time bar starting mid-way across the system to line up vertically with a 1st time bar above) is odd I know, but initially we found it was quite useful given the size of the iPhone and you get used to it.
10-04-2010, 08:18 PM
Steve R

Quote:

Originally Posted by dflat

If you need to add lots of bars (meaning barlines with no chords in) or just empty space ready for barlines and chords (I presume you are using the web editor) you can Copy/Paste-insert.

Actually I'm using either the MacOS Editor or the one on the iPad. I haven't found any way to Paste-insert on either one -- Paste always overwrites.

Some wasted keystrokes on those two editors that really could be used to help out:

* Carriage return does nothing - could be: insert enough spaces to wrap to next line.
* Space does nothing. Could be either insert beat, or overwrite chord
* Backspace does nothing (usually). Could act like a backspace.

Quote:

You can simply click on the beat you need to get to (you do not need to use the Enter key to move around.

Yes, that helps (though big fingers on the iphone or ipad make that inaccurate.) But some other methods would be helpful too, (like arrow keys, space, etc.) And they're mostly not available.

Quote:

Leaving empty space (like where you have the 2nd time bar starting mid-way across the system to line up vertically with a 1st time bar above) is odd I know, but initially we found it was quite useful given the size of the iPhone and you get used to it.

I think it's quite useful, but it's very tricky to do on the Mac or iPad editors. Unless I'm missing a trick, One must
1. fill the previous line to the end
2.Add enough beats to make a blank line
3. copy/paste the appropriate bars from the previous line
4. Add enough beats before that to right-justify the new line

Surely this could be easier. Copy-insert would help, and so would a carriage-return that inserts a new line. A "right-justify" button would be asking a lot but would be heavenly.

Cheers,
Steve
10-05-2010, 01:23 AM
dflat

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve R

I think it's quite useful, but it's very tricky to do on the Mac or iPad editors. Unless I'm missing a trick, One must
1. fill the previous line to the end
2.Add enough beats to make a blank line
3. copy/paste the appropriate bars from the previous line
4. Add enough beats before that to right-justify the new line

Hi Steve,
not sure but have you discovered the templates when you are creating a new song. The AABA gives you a layout which might work? Of course you can make your own templates (you can save the .irb file if you are using your Mac.)

iPad - when filling a blank line (system) I just tap at the first beat, insert a left barline and start chord input, using the Next button to get to the next beat (you probably work this way too?)

With the Mac editor I use the key commands when I can making it easier to input a chart. And you can use the arrow keys to get around quite quickly. The chords can be input via the computer keyboard rather than clicking the symbols on the right.
And I use the key command for Insert beat which makes it quite quick to insert blank spaces (beats).

Thanks for your comments. Keep them coming!
:)
10-05-2010, 09:35 AM
Steve R

Quote:

Originally Posted by dflat

Hi Steve,
not sure but have you discovered the templates when you are creating a new song. The AABA gives you a layout which might work? Of course you can make your own templates (you can save the .irb file if you are using your Mac.)

Yes, I'm using them. I was just not sure how to insert new stuff into them without a paste-insert. Is there a way to do that on the Mac or the iPad?

Quote:

With the Mac editor I use the key commands when I can making it easier to input a chart. And you can use the arrow keys to get around quite quickly. The chords can be input via the computer keyboard rather than clicking the symbols on the right. And I use the key command for Insert beat which makes it quite quick to insert blank spaces (beats).

Yes, discovered all those, thanks! Paste-Insert and Carriage Return to insert enough spaces to get to a new line would be ideal new features on the Mac and Ipad. Also since adding spaces equals adding beats, it would be good to highlight bars with the wrong number of beats in them, for easier correction later.
10-05-2010, 05:15 PM
dflat

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve R

... paste-insert. Is there a way to do that on the Mac or the iPad?

no not yet.
I do not find it a problem as I use the cmd-\ and cmd-delete in the Mac editor for either inserting and deleting beats. It is very quick especially using the arrow keys to get around. I suppose it depends if there is lots of copy/pasting to do, your tunes might have more than I have been used to in the songs I have done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve R

Also since adding spaces equals adding beats, it would be good to highlight bars with the wrong number of beats in them, for easier correction later.

would be complicated since it would have to take into account the time signature - for instance 7/8.
Because I have done so many, visually you can see whether the barlines line up. And the Player function has its own logic in order to work but you might be able to use this as an additional check device.
10-14-2010, 07:24 PM
Steve R

Quote:

Because I have done so many, visually you can see whether the barlines line up. And the Player function has its own logic in order to work but you might be able to use this as an additional check device.

Hey dflat -- you've highlighted the issue perfectly. It's newcomers who haven't done so many who are most likely to come up with the user interface shortcomings. Those who have used it the longest are least likely to see them, since they've found the workarounds and won't try the obvious things.

Thanks for your open mind and listening!

Cheers,
Steve