June 2002 - Doggiebox - lists.zygoat.ca

Re: on dog
by Ben Kennedy 28 Jun '02

28 Jun '02

On 28,06,02 at 1:39 pm -0400, peepniks(a)mac.com wrote: >your kit is cool. >it's a nice departure from the slick kits i'm always working with. >i mean that in the best way. >i'll have to submit a real smacky kit for the instant pop songsters out >there. thanks... heh, yeah I know what you mean. 8) >> I think I will implement a preferences option to make this the default >> behaviour. It is not the initial default, however, because I suspected >> that such "smartness" would confuse a new user trying to understand the >> relationship between the editor and the selection in the drum kit list. > >not to debate with the creator. but... >i don't think auto-select by default is counter intuitive at all. >it falls in line with auto erase features of simple graphics programs et. >al. That's true, I tend to agree with you... however, when I showed the app to a friend a couple of weeks ago and he began to click around, he seemed to be confused by what was going on. Of course, the docs weren't written by that point, so perhaps if the auto-select behaviour is the default, and you've had the opportunity to read the docs and understand the idea/ function behind the grid and grouping layout, it might make perfect sense. hmm. >like a hardcore lab tester i have to submit some knit picking. >i'd say that the option to select more subdivisions leaves something to be >desired. >probably something i'd like to see as a button in the editor itself. You're talking about the expand/collapse (zoom) function yes? So maybe a pair of "-"/"+" buttons next to the pattern editor is what you're after? Sounds like a good idea. I was in the habit of using the command-minus and command-plus on the keyboard, but at first such operation is not obvious. >consecutive clicks over a single grid point would cycle through >that individual instruments variables. >e.g. - one click = closed hat, two clicks = mid hats, three clicks = >open hats Yeah, I agree with you fully, that's probably the way to do it. I was also thinking a context-popup that would list variants for the current drum, but toggling though would likely be faster and easier. What about erasing? click = closed hat, click = open hat, click = nothing? That would leave the behaviour consistent with drums that have only one variant. Another option is to have e.g. option-click erase the drum, but then the behaviour would be counter-intuitive for one-variant drums (e.g. bass drum: click = normal bass drum, click = ...normal bass drum again, bad) >16th notes in a 6 figure with 12 grid seperations >had me straining my eyes. >none of that's your fault though. >i'm just yacking now. Yes I know what you mean... As should be evident from the time signature support, I *do* want to make the interface as visually usable (and consistent with normal musical theory) as possible, so suggestions to improve this kind of thing are welcome. -ben -- Ben Kennedy, chief magician zygoat creative technical services 613-228-3392 | 1-866-466-4628 http://www.zygoat.ca

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Re: [doggiebox] ideas...
by Ben Kennedy 28 Jun '02

28 Jun '02

On 28,06,02 at 1:10 pm -0400, mahakk wrote: >i must admid that the image i had in mind of a "volume control >during the mix" was one of these midi-sequencers, where you >adjust a small line. this wouldn't work with your app because it >would require one line for each instrument. and then i thought >of "ctrl-click" to be perfect for switching the instument's >variants... well <g>. Yeah, that's a good idea. Somebody suggested that repeatedly clicking on a beat subdiv could cycle through the variants (e.g. click = closed hi hat, click = open hi hat) which might be the ticket. Then option-click could immediately erase, or something. >what about some sort of song-position-pointer? >i'm not talking about one of those thin lines here, but rather >some sort of background-color, which "pulsates". get me? this >doesn't even have to be behind the actual instruments, but a >small row of itself. like these old drummachines... dunno. Fill me in, can you describe what you mean in more detail?... are you talking eye-candy here, or a playback-position-indicator (which is something sorely needed, I agree)? -ben -- Ben Kennedy, chief magician zygoat creative technical services 613-228-3392 | 1-866-466-4628 http://www.zygoat.ca

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workaround for prefs dialog crash
by Ben Kennedy 28 Jun '02

28 Jun '02

Hey all, The reproducible crash when closing the preferences window is fixed for the next build. In the mean time, you can work around this (while still saving your choice of drum kit) by closing the prefs window via the window close button in the upper-left corner, instead of pressing the OK or Cancel buttons. -ben -- Ben Kennedy, chief magician zygoat creative technical services 613-228-3392 | 1-866-466-4628 http://www.zygoat.ca

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RE: [doggiebox] Re: wishes
by Kirks, Steven 28 Jun '02

28 Jun '02

> >- colors for instruments > >- play preview in Finder while loading samples > > good ideas, thanks. Add to that a "playback indicator". A moving line that shows what instrument is playing as it happens. > >- multirow > > This is something I want to solicit opinions on: I've > thought about this > as well, but I'm not sure the best way to implement it, or > whether it's > even a great idea. There are some issues with a multi-row > editor, since > the sizes of patterns (etc) are always variable. Tough call. Why not make it multirow, but with three or four measures per row, like most written music. Scrolling takes you up and down *per row* so you are never stuck between rows. What about paying for this? Have you thought about Kagi? http://faq.kagi.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ViewFAQs.woa/wa/DirectAction?FAQListi ng=NewVend

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RE: [doggiebox] Guitar Port, Triggers and Bears, Oh My!
by Kirks, Steven 28 Jun '02

28 Jun '02

GuitarPort: http://www.line6.com/guitarport/index.html >WHat's the interface; is it midi? or some kind of serial thing, or...? It uses a USB interface...

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Guitar Port, Triggers and Bears, Oh My!
by Kirks, Steven 28 Jun '02

28 Jun '02

Ben: >No problem, I'm really pleased so far how many people are digging it too! >(especially since I started writing it for my own personal use in >recording guitar and stuff) I've been toying with the idea of buying a product from Line6 called GuitarPort. When I saw your software, it reminded me of the concept of using a computer as an effects processor for an instrument. I've got a Mapex Venus kit that I'd like to add triggers and use as a combination acoustic/electronic kit. If Doggiebox would take the trigger inputs... :> Have you thought about opening up the program a little to allow for plugins? I'm thinking that "someone" could write a plugin that would take MIDI in and create the appropriate drum parts, sticking, or even build lessons. Pie in the sky stuff, I know... Enthusiastically, Steve Kirks (from work email address)

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Re: wishes
by Ben Kennedy 28 Jun '02

28 Jun '02

On 28,06,02 at 7:48 pm -0400, Kakaxa Koszuszhlehlebleshotar wrote: >- export to audio and midi >- 24 bit a SDII formats support coming soon, hopefully, eventually :) >- colors for instruments >- play preview in Finder while loading samples good ideas, thanks. >- shorcut return for go to beginning how do you mean... during playback? or moving the insertion point? >- multirow This is something I want to solicit opinions on: I've thought about this as well, but I'm not sure the best way to implement it, or whether it's even a great idea. There are some issues with a multi-row editor, since the sizes of patterns (etc) are always variable. For example: how many bars should be displayed per row? what happens when you zoom in and our; should the song wrap (confusing) or just expand horizontally? etc. Also, there would be implications with some future features I have in mind... one being the ability to import an audio file alongside the drum track, so that you can manually sync the drums (by specifying reference points) with the audio. This type of display would lend itself best to one long horizontal thing, a la protools or whatever. (however, this functionality is a ways off, and of course it could use a different window layout if necessary, or whatever.) -ben -- Ben Kennedy, chief magician zygoat creative technical services 613-228-3392 | 1-866-466-4628 http://www.zygoat.ca

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Re: ideas...
by Steve Kirks 28 Jun '02

28 Jun '02

On Friday, 28, 2002, at 01:46AM, mahakk <mahakk(a)das-dock.de> wrote: >first off: nice, nice, nice. i like it for its simplicity. keep it that way >- don't add tooooooooooooooo much, please. :))) I agree. I love the simplicity. >how about making the grouped instruments, like the hi-hats, cut off each >other? I would agree also. I was trying to make the hi-hat do a 'wash' kind of sound (think Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady") and couldn't make it work. By the way, has anyone else missed any messages? I missed Ben's reply to me and had to get it from the archives. My mac.com email just rejected a message sent from another of my addresses. Ben, thanks for starting the project. I've been looking for a way to have my computer help me learn drumming. This is already the best thing I've seen. Steve Kirks

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ideas...
by mahakk 28 Jun '02

28 Jun '02

hi, first off: nice, nice, nice. i like it for its simplicity. keep it that way - don't add tooooooooooooooo much, please. :))) ok, that said, i'd like to make a suggestion. ;) how about making the grouped instruments, like the hi-hats, cut off each other? currently, it's like this: closed hi x...x...x.......x...x...x.......x... open hi ............Xxxxxx..........Xxxxxx depending on the tempo, the open hi-hat still sounds while the closed hi-hat on the 1 is hit, which just doesn't sound realistic - this would be ok for a cymbal hit or such, but not for hi-hats. so, in order to improve the impression, it'd have to be like: closed hi x...x...x.......x...x...x.......x... open hi ............Xxxx............Xxxx.... same goes for cymbals and crashes, quick basedrum stuff like bu-BUMP ;) hope you get the idea. see, since you already group instruments, which is a good idea - why not make these instruments monophonic? ok, another question: how about volume-adjustments? i wouldn't go as far as adding volumesliders or such to the drumpattern - keep it simple. :) but how about letting me define different volumes for one instrument, while creating the drumset? one would then choose like three differently loud basedrums, for example (instead of one basedrum and adjusting the volume in the mix). how about it? :) greetz, keep up the great work... (and keep it simple <g>) mahakk

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Wow! First Impressions
by Steve Kirks 28 Jun '02

28 Jun '02

Wow! I'm floored! This thing is great! I'm a beginning drummer and this has already helped me mess with some sticking and patterns. Now, some minor issues: --Would like to be able to create bars with drum patterns, then be able to copy selections and paste repeatedly, creating new bars as I go --Import MIDI files? --Demo file showing the 26 rudiments to compare stick patterns to how they are implemented in the program. Program intermittently quits when song is playing and you make drum modifications, when changing prefs, too. Beige g3/233, 384MB RAM, 10.1.5 using built-in sound. Hope this helps. When can I register and send money? Steve Kirks Drum fan and Mac user

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