Improve randomization in Pattern Editor

[theGreatWhiteShark]

Current behavior

When right-clicking on an instrument in the Pattern Editor and choosing "random velocities" the current implementation yields the following result

Proposed behavior

I would like to increase the control over the result and make this action more intuitive.

First of all, I would make "Ctrl + left mouse button" select some of the velocities (marked in blue).

Using "Ctrl + right button" one selects a specific velocity as baseline (marked using a white line). The random values will now be drawn from a Gaussian distribution with its origin at the baseline (instead of a uniform dist. as in the current implementation). The width of the distribution is controlled by moving the mouse vertically while holding the right button and is displayed using e.g. red lines. (These could be e.g. the .1 and .9 quantiles and all draws with values larger than these will be rejected).

When releasing the right button random velocities are drawn according to the specified dist.

If no notes are selected, the random values would be drawn for the whole pattern.

I also would provide this kind of randomization for pan, probability, and note key (right now only velocity is supported).

What do you think? Any suggestions? (I did not put much thought into line styles and colors yet. So all suggestions welcome)

[cme]

Yes please!

I'm not sure about the exact user action sequence. I'm currently doing some refactoring ( #964 ) of pattern editors to commonise code with the drum & piano roll editors and note properties editors. That would allow the same selection infrastructure as the drum & piano roll editors to be used while keeping common user experience (drag selection, ctrl + click, etc). Would that fit with what you're thinking in terms of user interaction?

[theGreatWhiteShark]

I'm actually using just the left mouse button when interacting with Hydrogen.

😲 I was not aware that we could already ctrl + click and drag in the pattern editor. Awesome.

Sure, I'm up to whatever modifier/button combination (as a Emacs user I'm comfortable to press up to three keys to perform this action)

[cme]

Selection was a very recent addition.

Actually, I've been considering that maybe the pattern editor and note properties editors ought to share a selection, so that selected notes in one show as selected in the other as well. The "Randomize velocity" function is on the Instrument List menu, and should probably be added to the pattern editor context menu as well to act on the selection. Commonising those to be the same code (maybe a menu fragment) would be good.

[theGreatWhiteShark]

Yeah, sounds reasonable.

[Bjorn218]

Is there a way to change the note/velocity shape? common drum softwares use diamonds or triangles with color intensity denoting velocity unless you actually have the velocity window pulled up.

[cme]

Hydrogen colours the notes in the Pattern Editor according to the velocity of the note (on a scale which goes from pale for light hits, via black for "regular" to red for the hardest hits).

The Drum Pattern Editor doesn't have any way of changing the velocity of notes independently of the velocity editor, although the Piano Roll Editor does allow this by dragging up and down with the right mouse button. This difference in behaviour has niggled at me for a while, but I don't have a clear enough idea of whether this is either undesirable enough to remove it from the Piano Roll Editor, or desirable enough to add it to the Drum Pattern Editor too 😆

What would you intuitively expect to be able to do to change the velocity of notes without the Note Properties Ruler? Hydrogen doesn't aim to replicate any other program's interface, but if there's a reasonable general expectation we should think about meeting it :)

[Bjorn218]

To be able to change the velocities on both is preferable.  Normally you use the piano roll as you’re writing and once the drum parts are written, you go back usually on the window that just shows the velocities (usually it will be a pane sitting under or around the piano roll window) and edit all the velocities at one go per fill or section etc.  when a drumm does a Tom roll he starts strong and as the roll ends, the velocities get lighter.  You also have to take into consideration that drummers have a strong hand and a weak hand and the weak hand always hits with a lower velocity. So for example a four note two handed fill will start say 100 the second hand will be 75 then first hand again at 50 to finish with weak hand at 25.  That’s a major difference and would never be like that but a 3-8% variable is normal.   Another to consider are flam hits ghost off time notes etc.  the way Hydrogen is set up, you have to be able to move hits off the grid some. To make drums sound more natural.  Now when making techno type or dance music this is not necessary, but to be able to have that ability to create unpredictability is where magic can happen.  Right now I am having major troubles with Linux and audio and about to say screw it and go back to the malware known as windows.    I’m beyond furious how this is so stupid to set up audio with Linux to run.  Playback is fine.  Input is non existent and everyone who gives advise totally advises against what the previous person said.  To the point where it’s looking like a huge joke.  Which is a bad thing.  Don’t rush me, I’m moving as fast as I want to! -- Sent with Tutanota, the secure & ad-free mailbox: https://tutanota.com Jun 25, 2021, 07:13 by ***@***.***:

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Hydrogen colours the notes in the Pattern Editor according to the velocity of the note (on a scale which goes from pale for light hits, via black for "regular" to red for the hardest hits). The Drum Pattern Editor doesn't have any way of changing the velocity of notes independently of the velocity editor, although the Piano Roll Editor > does> allow this by dragging up and down with the right mouse button. This difference in behaviour has niggled at me for a while, but I don't have a clear enough idea of whether this is either undesirable enough to remove it from the Piano Roll Editor, or desirable enough to add it to the Drum Pattern Editor too 😆 What would you intuitively > expect> to be able to do to change the velocity of notes without the Note Properties Ruler? Hydrogen doesn't aim to replicate any other program's interface, but if there's a reasonable general expectation we should think about meeting it :) — You are receiving this because you commented. Reply to this email directly, > view it on GitHub <#973 (comment)>> , or > unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ATGWDKTYEMKBHUTJQVJOKHTTURXIJANCNFSM4TPLUJUA>> .

[theGreatWhiteShark]

Another to consider are flam hits ghost off time notes etc. the way Hydrogen is set up, you have to be able to move hits off the grid some.

Besides changing the velocity of a note in the button part of the editor you can also change the pan, lead and lag (temporal onset of the note), the note key, as well as the probabiliy of it to be played back. See http://hydrogen-music.org/documentation/manual/manual_en_chunked/ch09s03.html for more information.

The lead&lag one you can use to place notes slightly off the grid where the pattern resolution set to off is still to coarse.

[theGreatWhiteShark]

The Drum Pattern Editor doesn't have any way of changing the velocity of notes independently of the velocity editor, although the Piano Roll Editor does allow this by dragging up and down with the right mouse button. This difference in behaviour has niggled at me for a while, but I don't have a clear enough idea of whether this is either undesirable enough to remove it from the Piano Roll Editor, or desirable enough to add it to the Drum Pattern Editor too laughing

Hmm. TBH I don't really like this feature. For one there the NotePropertiesRuler has to be set to velocity in order for the user to know which value the velocity was set to. Just the color as feedback is not much (but a static tooltip like in the new Rotary and Fader class while dragging/scrolling would make me also use it). Secondly, I don't find it intuitive that this only affects velocity regardless of the choice the NotePropertiesRuler is set too. If pan is selected, I would expect drag/scroll to alter the note pan instead. Also the coloring in the NotePropertiesRuler is inconsistent. Both pan and probability use the velocity-specific color. But note key and lead&lag are always painted in black.