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Old 01-05-2013, 03:43 PM   #36
foxAsteria
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Join Date: Dec 2009
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Hamish-the thing is, there are two references, which you seem to realize; project and tempo markers. If the MIDI items are set by default to use project tempo, there are cases (which I can't seem to reproduce reliably, they just crop up in complex arrangements) when they ignore the tempo markers. They slide around inside their item containers and it's just inexplicable chaos. If I have them all set to ingore project tempo, I never encounter these types of problems.

Granted a noob is not going to mess with tempo markers or timebase and will change the tempo via bpm on the transport bar and it will probably be a static bpm throughout. Do we even need both tempo references? Once you add a tempo marker, the bpm field changes whichever tempo marker is nearest the edit cursor and the project tempo is locked unless you change it in the project settings and this oftem produces unexpected results. So as soon as you add a tempo marker, the project tempo is moot and items referencing that can behave in incorrect ways.

We might as well just use a tempo marker at the start of default projects and do away with "project tempo" altogether. At least until project tempo can relatively scale tempo markers across the whole project like it should.

MIDI items without the ignore option always lock to beats, never time. With the ignore option, they lock to beats in beat timebase but not time. Don't see a way anyone could misuse this; MIDI just responds the same as audio, i.e. correctly. Without the option audio and MIDI respond differently and I also can't see any possible usefulness in that. With the default I'm requesting there is no way to screw anything up. Things just work as expected and you have consistency and full control. Without the ignore option, you WILL screw things up plenty if you are working with audio, MIDI, tempo markers and timebase simultaneously.

Noobs probably rarely do this anyway, but my point is, there's just no downside to my request. MIDI will follow beats in beat timebase and time in time timebase, just like audio. If you didn't record to a click, MIDI can be used to set measures and it will remain the correct size after the "detect tempo" action. Currently, until you check the ignore option in source properties, time timebase combined with tempo markers will wreck your project fast. At least the MIDI portion. And if you don't know what project tempo you had when you recorded the MIDI items, you're doubly screwed, as the ignore option relies on this information being accurate.

Having to manually check the ignore project tempo option is counterintuitive and unecessary because MIDI items should already know they need to start referencing tempo markers when you start adding them. This is why I say make it default. It's a win win. Unless someone can describe a situation where you would want MIDI and audio in different timebases? That's what track and item timebase are for. Everything needs to follow project timebase. Only projects recorded to a click and never needing time timebase will have zero problems in the current state. The way I'm describing will not affect anyone used to the current system. One just might have to learn what timebase does, which can be confusing to noobs.
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Last edited by foxAsteria; 01-05-2013 at 07:13 PM.
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