Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)

Subject: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: pavane
Date: 01 Jul 04 - 10:42 AM

HARMONY version 3.3.1 is now available.

This is an attempt to resolve an incompatibility with Win2000 and Win XP. (due to Microsoft moving the goalposts) The toolbars should now be displayed correctly - let me know if they are not.

Also, the copy command now works to copy the note to the clipboard.

The UNDO has been corrected - there was an error when using Ctrl-T (now Ctrl-X)

Other changes:

The abc middle= clause on V: and K: ccommands is now supported.
This lets you define notes as if they were treble clef, but display them in the bass clef. The sound will not be changed unless you also use the transpose clause.

New keyboard shortcuts have been included, as requested, for note edits
Ctrl+X Cut
Ctrl+Z Undo
Ctrl+P Print
Ctrl+S Save

Subject: RE: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: Mark Clark
Date: 01 Jul 04 - 12:10 PM

YEA!

Neil, Everything looks GREAT!

I have toolbars, standard Ctrl keys, copy, cut and paste all work properly… and thanks for the check box in the splash screen. I really do enjoy seeing your smiling faces but not necessarily every time I start HARMONY. <g>

Thanks,

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: MudGuard
Date: 01 Jul 04 - 12:32 PM

Great work!

No more holdup when starting Harmony!
Toolbars that show more than blank depressed areas!
Copy item works!
Shortcuts work except Ctrl-X, see below.

When notes are selected by mouse, cutting them to the clipboard via Ctrl-X removes the notes from the clipboard.
Pasting the cut notes gives a single 1/4 G (could this be the same thing that happened with Copy item?)
Pasting works if I copy the notes...
(As I do not really need the Cut option, I could live with that, I can copy/paste and then delete the originals...)

As I did not have the toolbars before, I would expect them to work as follows:
I select a note (A B C...) and a length (1/4, 1/8, ...). When I use "Insert note" I'd expect these value to be used.
If I use "Paste before" or "Paste after" I get a note using these values (ok, so I will not use "Insert note" but use "Paste")...
Same for "Convert to note"

I also noted a new problem. Sometimes, saving a file (whether I use the menu, toolbar or the new Ctrl-S) does update the file (new modification date/time, but the file does not contain the changes I have made.
I also got some "5 Invalid procedure call or argument" errors when trying to save.
Saving changes never failed when I used "Save as" instead of "Save".
I have not yet found out which changes do not get saved. I will notify you if I find out.

And another thing: the red item seems to mark where a Paste operation is going to take place. But: there is not always a red item (e.g. when opening the file, when removing the red item, ...).
And when there is a selected item (or more than one), this seems to be the point of insertion - but still the red item exists.
It would be a "very nice to have" if the "active" point of a tune would be unambiguously marked. Right now there is some guesswork involved (especially if you come back to the computer after a break). Something like a cursor in a text editor would be good...

Subject: RE: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: pavane
Date: 01 Jul 04 - 01:06 PM

Thanks for the feedback.

There are obviously a few more things to fix though!

1. If you paste before selection a position, it pastes at the start of the tune (I think). That is documented in the Help, somewhere.

Those error messages could be the cause of failing to save. Please let me know what types of file you are saving etc.

2. The tune clipboard can currently only hold one thing (actually a collection of notes) at a time. If you want to Cut & Paste, then the cut MUST use the clipboard.

I will try to make Insert Note work the same as Paste! I don't know if I can provide a cursor. Will see what can be done.

My next project is to prepare and package my MIDI Chords program for distribution. This is a commercial package, written for Hands-ON MIDI, but they feel it has come to the end of its useful life, because sales have fallen, so I will put it out as shareware.

It provides a list (bar by bar) of the chords being played in any MIDI file. I am sure that my marketing will be reaching a different audience, so I hope for a few registrations there.

Subject: RE: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: pavane
Date: 01 Jul 04 - 01:09 PM

Just noticed - what you mean is that Ctrl-X doesn't copy properly to the clipboard if more than one note is selected. I will attend to that.

Subject: RE: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: pavane
Date: 01 Jul 04 - 04:06 PM

Currently, the red item is the last pasted item or group of items. It is blacked when the screen is next refeshed.


How does this sound instead:

When the screen is redrawn, if there are no selected notes, then there is a (green or blue?) box at the insertion point (Default is the first bar line or note on the page)

If a note or group of notes is selected, the last item becomes the insertion point (although as the screen is not redrawn, the green box is still visible elsewhere - it is difficult to remove). Is this OK, or should selection NOT alter the insert point?

After a paste, the last pasted item is shown as the insertion point,a s at present. The red notes will not be shown any more.

Subject: RE: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: MudGuard
Date: 01 Jul 04 - 04:28 PM

The behaviour that insertion or selection (whatever comes last) acts as the insertion point is ok as it is.

I just think it is confusing that the insertion point is not clearly marked (no preferences as to how that is done, whether the item gets a different color or a special color frame or a different background color or whatever) - especially after an interruption in my music "work".

(if I am the only one "complaining", there is no real haste, I will select the place where I want to insert before I do so to make sure it is where I want it.)

Subject: RE: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: pavane
Date: 02 Jul 04 - 01:51 AM

I did actually put this in before, during development, and took it out again because I found it confusing. But that was because I didn't suppress it when items were selected.

Subject: RE: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 02 Jul 04 - 02:20 AM

Neil,

Had never heard of HandsOnMidi. Have for a number of years been using the package from soundtrek.com called Jammer Pro - solely for this chord ID function. I've never persisted with their BandInABox type routines. I'd searched high and low but have never found anything similar for MIDI chord recognition. I used it mainly for jazz chords where it performs very well.

Thought you should check out the competition.

Regards, John

Subject: RE: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: pavane
Date: 02 Jul 04 - 02:51 AM

(Hands-On MIDI produce professional backing tracks, not only on MIDI but also in other formats. We use a lot of their tracks)

There are other products which attempt to identify the chord at each instant - I know cakewalk does this. That is not much use for playing!

MIDI Chords provides averaging over a selected periods, so you can average over a beat, half a bar or a whole bar, which will often give different results.

It will also ignore passing notes, and you can select the level of chords which are reported, into three levels.

The lowest level simplifies the chords and just reports the standard ones, major, minor and 7th. The highest level attempts to identify the most complex chords.

You can download a demo of the current version of MIDI Chords from my site - it just checks the first 16 bars. The actual price is only £12.99, I think.

The new shareware version will be much better- Hands On never distributed any of the upgrades I sent them.

Subject: RE: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: pavane
Date: 02 Jul 04 - 03:25 AM

I have now decided that the insertion point will be marked by an I-beam style cursor. There will be a menu option to turn off the display (Some users won't want to see it).

Subject: RE: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: MudGuard
Date: 02 Jul 04 - 03:54 AM

To make it configurable sounds like a good idea. And an I-beam cursor also!

Subject: RE: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: pavane
Date: 02 Jul 04 - 06:34 AM

Well, actually it is just drawn with three lines!

Subject: RE: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: pavane
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 02:41 AM

Hey, that change was REAL pain. I realised that I was only tracking one insertion position for the whole tune. Multi-page tunes were not working properly! It has all had to be reworked to track and display one insertion position PER PAGE.

Available as soon as I have completed testing!

Subject: RE: Tech: HARMONY 3.3.1 uploaded (bug fix)
From: pavane
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 03:22 PM

When I get it finished, you will be able to copy and paste between voices as well. A real improvement (I think)