Re: Features for a new release. (was Re: [Denemo-devel] Midi output faulty for whole measure rests in 4/2 time)

[Nils Gey]

> I could add this feature for next release. I would prefer chords to be
> entered via the foot sustain pedal. When I do step entry I enter the
> notes in so fast that it would think it was a chord for sure if I used a
> timing method. I timing method could be used for people who don't have a
> foot pedal. I think maybe triggered by overlap of more than one note
> longer than a few ms. I think the foot pedal could be used for a control
> mode also. Maybe if the pedal is hit alone and then released then next
> key would change the rhythm a=0, b=1, c=2, d=3, e=4, this would not work
> for rests or dotted notes though. The user would still have to move her
> hands to the computer keyboard.    

The timing mode is indeed without a food-pedal. Like You and I said there could 
be a few ms. window to add notes. I worked with this method before and it 
worked, but If I get really fast (I am a pianist) of course not. Maybe the user 
could define this ms in the options window.

I like the idea with the foot-pedal. Its surely better to control. BUT I also 
like the Idea of having the foot pedal trigger other modes (I think this would 
fit in the Denemo philosophy to customize every key/mouse/pedal): It could be 
very handy for rests. There are other midi-controller, normally found on any 
master-keyboard, which could be used for rythm, for example the mod-wheel or 
the pitch-bend wheel. I also know some pedal-software, for transscribing 
interviews, which make use of a "double click" pedal, this could be innovative 
in music and Denemo, too.

> I know how to implement this using alsa and oss methods. This won't work
> in windows. I would need to learn how this is done with portaudio to get
> that to work on windows. 

The more I read about midi and audio in Linux the more I get the clue that its 
not good to depend on drivers directly but use an abstraction layer, JACK. It 
can use alsa, oss, portaudio etc. and, now here it comes, is avaible in Linux, 
Mac and Windows(!). The Windowsport is called jackdmp/jack2 and currently works 
on top of portaudio but other drivers are possible in the future, too. 
(http://www.grame.fr/~letz/jackdmp.html ). The people at #lad in irc.freenode 
told me that using jack is possibly the easiest way to port the software. Maybe 
JACK-audio could even be used for the pitch-detection part of Denemo.

BUT they also told me that portaudio is not able to use midi at all. So Denemo 
has to have an additional Midi-backend in Windows than in Linux (where 
jack-midi works fine) anyway. The jack-devs told me to deliever the message 
that it is the same work to implement a midi-backend in Denemo directly than to 
implement a windows-midi-backend in Jackmidi, but If anyone would do it in 
Windows all people could use Jackmidi in windows from now on, and not only 
Denemo.

This all sounds like as I want to sell JACK to you, but I only want to tell you 
that its a future-proof concept.

Nils