Inputting 1/8 triplets in Grid

It is a bland attempt at making tuplets useful, but it's basically non-usable. The numbers are confusing indeed. And of course also bugged. Nothing new under the sun.

I'm not sure, if I fully understand the problem. Setting the grid selector to "12" does not do what you want? See Gif. This is my understanding of 1/8 triplets.

I would recommend the following workfow:

1. Select the desired subdivision of the bar at the grid selector. For 1/8 triplets this would be "12". For 1/4 triplets (6 notes in one bar) select "6". 
2. Make sure that the "Duplicates" button (the button with the three dots next to the "H" button) is switchend on
3. Select the line tool and draw a line from the beginning to the end of the bar
4. Now you have the desired number of notes in the bar. You can now adust the pitches of the notes by dragging them up or down and delete unwanted notes.

If you want to get the grid subdivision for 3 (triplet) tones that together are as long as a quarter note, then this means 1/4 (total note value) should be *divided* by 3 (number of notes you want to be able to place within that total duration) = 1/12 (or a 12 grid).

This may initially be confusing, but the great thing is that this simple way to determining a grid or note value works for arbitrary note values that subdivide other notes. Here are some more examples, just to get the feeling.

• Two equal notes in the space of a quarter note: 1/4 : 2 = 1/8 notes
• Four notes in the space of a quarter note: 1/4 : 4 = 1/16 notes
• Three notes in the space of a quarter note: 1/4 : 3 = 1/12 notes
• Five notes in the space of a quarter note: 1/4 : 5  = 1/20 notes
• Two notes in the space of a whole note: 1/1 : 2 = 1/2 notes

You get the idea.

I am very grateful that Synfire is so flexible here. BTW, some other software aiming to be flexible uses basically the same approach (e.g., Reaper, Opusmodus).

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Using fractions instead of note symbols is a design decision. They are easily understood also by users that know nothing about traditional notation.

The Grid outlet is for arbitrary patterns. You can add your own templates as needed. The initial menu is just examples. 

The asterisk stands for dotted durations. Maybe a dot character would be better. 

The grid always determines note onset positions and lengths. If you need different lengths, drag the note symbols to that length, or quantize lengths to any value (hold down button on toolbar).

1/16 + 1/12 is a mixed rhythm, i.e. both steps overlaid. As said, these are just examples. If you know more useful patterns, let me know. 

>  If you know more useful patterns, let me know. 

TL; DR: tuplet note values like 1/12, 1/24, and 1/48 (tripletes); 1/20 and 1/40 (quintupletes); and 1/28 (septuplets) are more important/common than 1/3, 1/5, 1/7, 1/10, 1/14. Relevant menus, quantisation options and tuplet export options would ideally reflect that.

Just one point: tuplet-subdivisions of shorter standard durations are more common and stand out less rhythmically, than "larger tuplet note values". For example, in Debussy's music (to cite a rather traditional example) you find a lot ot tuplets, but these tend to be subdivisions of quarter notes, eighths notes and even sixteenths notes. To be more concrete: quintuplet subdivisions of quarter notes and eighths notes are 1/20 and 1/40 note values in the representation we are discussing here, triplet subdivisions of quarter, eighths and sixteenths  notes are 1/12, 1/24, and 1/48. You find all these (and similar other tuplets like septuplets etc.) commonly, e.g., in Debussy's music.

By contrast, tuplet subdivisions of longer note values (whole notes, or halve notes) stand out rhythmically much more jarringly if they occur alongside other "standard durations". These are note values like 1/3, 1/5, 1/7, and 1/10. Indeed, I don't remember having seen such note values in the music of Debussy. Instead, these latter tupletes may occur in classical music of the last 70 years or so.

In the light of this, Synfire menus might consider placing more common tuplet subdivisions like 1/12, 1/24, and 1/48 (tripletes); 1/20 and 1/40 (quintupletes); and 1/28 (septuplets) more prominently than the less common tuplet subdivisions like 1/3, 1/5, 1/7, 1/10, 1/14. I would consider 1/6 a borderline case.

NB: These more common tuplets would also be more important to include for quantisation and tuplet export options than the less common tuplet variants. Of course, these more common and more fine-grained subdivisions also include the less common ones.

Maybe a dot character would be better.

Yes. E.g.: •