DISCUSSION. ODD TIME SIGNATURES.

over a looong time ive read various posts about odd time sigs.
and it seems to me that this is a 'big hot button' for some users.
and its cropped up recently again.
(NOTE>>>i'm not trying to offend anyone...just as an outside
observer i'm wondering if solutions can be found that keep
everyone happy).
thus maybe an open discussion is needed as to ways to keep
everyone happy....cos i like a happy world.
can compromises be reached ??

so i'll start things off with my 2 cents fwiw and what some might deem
worthless...lol....and maybe i'll get egg on my face..
but so be it.

i keep on asking myself the question what can do pg re this
issue ? and why does this issue keep on coming up in the user
community ? and why do odd time sigs and their handling in bb
irk some users ??

i keep on coming up with the same answer...
ive found with pg that if they can do something at the codeing
level...they will...in order to keep users happy.
the various features implemented in bb over the years are
testament to that....all driven by various user input.
BUT (as happens daily in various industries)...sometimes
what users want..though simple looking on the surface from a user
viewpoint might actually be darn difficult to implement
at the technical level. we had exactly the problem in tech
industry...ie what seemed quote from a ceo 'doable in five
minutes'...actually couldnt be done without a huge re-write of code.
my ceo never troubled
me again once i showed him the manpower/budget needed...lol.

in summary, and i dont know the internal codeing of bb...
but i suspect from the pg coders perspectives that the
'devils in the coding implementation details'.
like we used to get in industry. drove our users nuts...till we explained why...
then it was cups of tea for everyone...and peace once again
came about in the valley.

in summary i suspect if pg could make things easier re odd
time sigs i'm sure they would have done it.
lets be fair for a moment. yes i get my irksome moments
with bb...BUT...then i remind myself of the big picture.
ie...its remarkable how far pg have brought bb over the years.
its unique in the market.
as ive said before the only way to appreciate bb (or rb)...
is for someone to take tech courses in C++, win api's, dsp
programming and lets throw in asm programming too.
in summary this stuff isnt trivial.

so...if its difficult for pg to solve users hot buttons re
odd time sigs what to do ??
so lets have a discussion.

a time sig is basically two values...the numerator and the
denominator i believe ? eg 6/8.
so how about these ideas...??

1..pg include in bb various different 'odd time sig templates'...
one for each odd time sig with arrange examples.
maybe an expansion of the current styles examples/demos ?
2..when a user wants to change the standard time sig in a
song to an odd time sig...a hotkey is presssed...
and user selects a template related to the odd time sig...
PLUS how many bars. and voila...even though the base time sig
shows maybe as 4/4 in actual fact each bar will be shown to be
visually different so as to avoid confusion.
maybe its a question of visually adding more fancy graphics
to each bar ? sooo a bar in 12/8 (eg _SWANK) looks visually
different than a straight 4/4 ?

if anyone says i'm full of it...please offer a better solution
cos i cant think of any without probably involving lots of
programming. yes in some respects its a 'fake workaround'..
but will it assuage some users frustrations ??
maybe also have song examples/vids that explain the 'fake
workaround' ?? would this be usefull to new users ??
sometimes due to limitations of the technology one just has to
make compromises.

and please dont jump all over me as i'm just putting it out there
for discussion. for example lets take 12/8 _SWANK style..
visually in the bar if you listen to the demo as i did with the
template idea you would see in one bar...

1 2 123 <<< visually rhythm accents for 12/8 within the standard paradigm versus
1 2 3 4 for 4/4.

would the template idea make things clearer for new users ?

have at me...throw rotten eggs...i can take it.
in summary i'm suggesting approaching the issue from a different angle
useing some sort of graphics in a bar to delineate say 12/8
or another odd time sig versus straight 2/4 or 4/4 or 3/4 etc etc.


happiness.

om

Last edited by justanoldmuso; 07/25/24 11:31 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs
(90 songs created useing bb/rb)
(lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)