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Old 07-28-2019, 04:26 PM   #1
Solomon
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Default What determines if "M" creates a marker at the play cursor or the edit cursor?

This question has plagued me for years and I'm finally getting around to asking it. It's probably totally obvious, but the answer has eluded me all this time.

I often want to create markers while the project is playing back. I use the "M" shortcut to do this. Sometimes, the marker is created at the play cursor (which is invariably what I want), and sometimes it's created at the edit cursor (which, during playback, is never what I want).

I don't know what setting controls which it is. If I find that it's creating markers at the edit cursor, generally I just pause and restart playback, and sometimes that's enough to get it to put future markers at the play cursor.

So my question is this: how can I control this behaviour, and is there a way that I can have it just always create markers at the playback cursor if playing?

Thanks so much,
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Old 07-28-2019, 11:55 PM   #2
jiff 41
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SWS has actions to place markers @ play & edit cursors!
In the actions list type 'Insert marker'
Also found in the shortcut list in the 'Help' tab in the top line.
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Last edited by jiff 41; 07-29-2019 at 12:10 AM.
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Old 07-29-2019, 02:35 AM   #3
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I have the same problem! it is annoying issue. I would like to set it so that it always drops where I am playing.
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Old 07-29-2019, 07:18 AM   #4
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Hmm, perhaps this is actually a bug?

In the actions list, the description of the command bound to the "M" shortcut is "Insert marker at current position". I wonder what the definition of "current position" is; does anyone know where I would find that? It's not defined in the User Guide.

Thank you jiff for pointing out the existence of the SWS "Insert marker at play cursor" command. I just tried it and it almost does what I want, except that it doesn't obey snapping, which means that the markers it creates will always need to be manually adjusted afterward. I hope we can do better than this!

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Old 01-17-2021, 12:44 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeardyWeirdy View Post
I have the same problem! it is annoying issue. I would like to set it so that it always drops where I am playing.
Hey BeardyWeirdy, are you still experiencing this bug on occasion? I'm trying to figure out how to replicate it so that I can usefully report it, but lately it hasn't arisen for me.
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Old 01-17-2021, 07:14 AM   #6
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I don't think there was a "bug".

I suspect that Beardy didn't have the "M" key assigned to "SWS Insert marker at play cursor".

However, those markers won't be snapped to the grid if you're placing them "at the play cursor", as the play cursor won't always be on the grid. Fortunately, there is a script by user X-Raym to "Snap all markers to grid" that can be run from the action list. I can't recall for sure, but that script probably needs to be installed using Reapack.
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Old 01-17-2021, 11:46 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dug dog View Post
I don't think there was a "bug".

I suspect that Beardy didn't have the "M" key assigned to "SWS Insert marker at play cursor".

However, those markers won't be snapped to the grid if you're placing them "at the play cursor", as the play cursor won't always be on the grid. Fortunately, there is a script by user X-Raym to "Snap all markers to grid" that can be run from the action list. I can't recall for sure, but that script probably needs to be installed using Reapack.
Well, I can't speak for Beardy, but I have "M" bound to the "Markers: insert marker at current position" action (not an SWS action), and my experience was that it was definitely putting them at the edit cursor (or the nearest snap point to the edit cursor) instead of the play cursor (or the nearest snap point to the play cursor), some of the time. I never figured out what was causing that sproradic behaviour, and so I don't know how to replicate it. It was very frustrating though.
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Old 01-21-2021, 06:51 AM   #8
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It's happening here too sometimes, don't know how to replicate at will.
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Old 06-17-2021, 09:06 AM   #9
gaubad
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Default replicate the problem

By chance I figured out how to replicate the problem by will, of producing a marker on th edit-cursor-position instead of the play-cursor:

1) make a marker while playing
2) change the position of this marker with the mouse, without stopping play.
3) produce a next marker (by action), and it will have the position of the edit-marker.

once you hit stop, it will be again the play-cursor which will determine the position.

So I guess it is a bug?
As it makes much more sense to mark the play-cursor position I think.

system: OS 10.6.8 on Mac Book Pro (mid 2010)
Reaper 6.29 (32bit)
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Old 06-17-2021, 09:20 AM   #10
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Wow, great detective work!

So until the bug is fixed, the workaround is simply this: don't move a marker with the mouse while in the play state.

I'll experiment with this in mind, and I'll report back if I find the problem crops up in any other case.

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Old 06-17-2021, 09:22 AM   #11
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(And, looking back at my original post, I see that I inadvertently pointed towards this diagnosis and workaround myself without knowing how close I was to the answer!)
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Old 06-17-2021, 09:42 AM   #12
gaubad
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Great!
Looking forward to a solution of this bug in future!

Actually what you mentioned in the first post is exactly the way I work while checking recordings. The option to move a marker backwards while going on to listen should be possible as option, because it is just normal you put the marker later then you would like to have it.
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Old 06-17-2021, 09:54 AM   #13
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Now that you mention it, me too.

This is obviously a focus thing. (Not a bug.) I never bothered to look for the control or preference setting that controls this. There are other similar focus things in Reaper I haven't looked up either like items vs tracks for some commands. I don't see any default tool buttons or menu items for changing focus. I suppose this is intended to be kind of on autopilot?

Well, now that everyone is here, is there a section of the manual or a good guide via a forum post that covers Reaper focus?
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Old 06-17-2021, 10:36 AM   #14
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I'd say it's a bug. Perhaps it's a focus-related bug, but a bug nonetheless.

If you'd rather see the documentation changed than the behaviour, you could change "current position" to "the position that currently has position focus", but then is there a way to change position focus when needed?
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Old 06-17-2021, 01:25 PM   #15
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In my opinion the question about focus won't make sense.

A few thoughts about it:
I don't see the reason why I need to have the focus on the edit-cursor while PLAY is on (but shure, I am only one user with my specific practice in Reaper, others maybe need this option for reasons I don't know yet...).
In the case of STOP, the play-cursor is anyway on the same position as the edit-cursor, isn't it? So the focus would be determined by PLAY / STOP / PAUSE. This makes also sense, as the edit-cursor can be left at the position you started to PLAY (which doesn't work in Logic – thanks, Reaper!!! I am so glad about that) or where you press PAUSE.


Another thing is I discovered, by trying to figure it out (maybe this makes sense?):
1) While Playing: move the Edit-Cursor to another position
2) the effect of this move is the play-cursor will jump and play from the new edit-cursor-position (mabye this is changeable in the preferences?)
3) if you 'insert a marker at the current position' now, this means the position of the edit-cursor. Maybe because the last thing you did concerns the edit-cursor?

But still then: the first case I mentioned in the posts before would still be a bug I think.

Last edited by gaubad; 06-17-2021 at 01:55 PM.
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Old 06-17-2021, 02:15 PM   #16
serr
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There's focus between edit and play for actions aimed at "edit or play (depending on focus)" - as they would be labeled. There's focus between item/track/envelope for many actions.

I only see one action to set focus to the item under the mouse pointer when I try to search. I didn't see anything in preferences. I did in fact give up quite easily!

This is clearly a Reaper construct though. Obviously clicking on a random item sets that focus to 'items'. Clicking on a random track panel sets focus to 'track'. Same for envelopes. Same for edit vs play cursor.

The lack of obvious actions to control/set focus led me to believe it was supposed to be kind of autopilot and follow what you're clicking on.

As noted, there are times you wish for an independent control for this!
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Old 06-18-2021, 03:33 AM   #17
gaubad
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I figured it out now (maybe) about focus edit-cursor / play-cursor.
--
The focus between play- and edit-cursor is determined by the actions you do. The last action defines the focus – for example:
Press PLAY > focus play-cursor. While playing doing the action "Item navigation: Move cursor right to nearest item edge", moves the edit-cursor. Now, the focus changes to the edit cursor (insert marker will be on this position, even while playing).
>>>
Here is indeed the problem in the documentation. A lot of actions like "Item navigation: Move cursor to end of items" means in general the edit-cursor I think (which makes also sense).
--
Options to change the focus back to the play-cursor: Press STOP, PAUSE, jump to a next marker – actions who place the edit-cursor on the play-cursor-position.
Check the action "View: Zoom horizontally (MIDI CC relative/mousewheel)" – it depends on the cursor-focus!
---
Unfortunately the action "View: Move edit cursor to play cursor" doesn't change the focus back to the play cursor... >> a bug? This would be the most obvious action to change the focus to the play-cursor!
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AND: the problem with moving markers is a bug in opinion (moving a marker with the mouse is interpreted by Reaper as changing focus to the edit-cursor maybe?)
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Last edited by gaubad; 06-18-2021 at 04:45 AM. Reason: correction / addition
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