Posted
I've been giving Synfire another go, and am making good progress, however there are some very basic things I still cannot do.
On page 82 of the manual it says, re the embedded library:
"You can also open other libraries to show up in this view..."
However, I have been unable to open another library to show up in the embedded library view.
I want to preview a different library's phrases in the context of my arrangement (by enabling the chain icon). I know I can select File/Open or Ctrl+O to open an existing library, but that doesn't take me to the embedded library, where I have that chain/phrase preview option.
A well-written and comprehensive manual would be a real plus, but lacking that, can anyone explain to me how I would open another library to show up in the embedded library view? I know it has to be something quite simple, but I've tried clicking and right clicking in all the likely places, to no avail.
Thank you.
Fr., 04.12.2020 - 19:02 Permalink
Thank you for your prompt reply, however I find it ambiguous and I don't think it takes me where I really want to go.
If you're suggesting I should select File etc to open a library, I don't want to open a library into the standalone view. I want to open a library into the embedded library view, where I can enable the chain icon and preview phrases in the context of my arrangement. The standalone view does not offer those options, unless I'm just not seeing them for some reason.
If you're suggesting I should select the drop down arrow of the Embedded Library button, that doesn't offer me the option to open the particular library I want to open.
When you wrote in the manual...
"You can also open other libraries to show up in this view, or create new ones."
...did you not mean that users could open any library of their choice?
If not, what did you mean?
Thank you.
Fr., 04.12.2020 - 20:25 Permalink
Sorry, I forgot to mention the library files need to be in your Libraries folder in order to show up on the menu (the folder is found in the Synfire Documents folder).
It is a good idea to keep all your libraries somewhere below that folder. This will make them always accessible from the menu.
Fr., 04.12.2020 - 23:45 Permalink
OK, I thought perhaps the problem had something to do with a path issue.
It still took a while for me to configure this properly, so for anyone else who might be experiencing the same issue...
I like to keep all of my Synfire files in the following folder: G:\Synfire
So I found the Examples folder, which was on a different drive, and moved it to the G:Synfire folder. Within the Examples folder there is a subfolder named Libraries, and I moved to that folder the library I had been trying to open within the Embedded Library view. (Actually, it's the only library I have created so far that I've wanted to keep.)
Then I restarted Synfire, and changed the Preferences (Edit/Preferences/Files) so that the default location for the Examples folder is G:\Synfire\Examples.
Then, just in case, I exited and restarted Synfire.
Then in the Arrangement view, I clicked the arrow shown on the right side of the Embedded Library button, and clicked Refresh List.
Then I again clicked the arrow, and this time selected Examples. The library I have been trying to open within the Embedded Library view now appears as one of the choices. Clicking on it opens it within the Embedded Library view. Now (assuming I have enabled the Chain icon) I can select a phrase or loop and have it sound within the context of the arrangement...same tempo and harmony. Very useful.
A minor point: I find it a bit clumsy to have to keep my libraries (Yes, I intend to create additional libraries, LOL.) in a subfolder of a folder named Examples. "Examples" implies that the content of that folder came with the software as a teaching aid. That's not the case once I start adding my own content to the folder. Maybe we need an option for an additional default folder location in the Preferences menu, and/or an additional option under the Embedded Library button, to allow us to choose the location where we have stored our user libraries.
Anyway, thank you for your time, Andre. Much appreciated. I know you're very busy with other things, and I hope those include Synfire 2.0 and a better manual. (Sorry, I couldn't resist that.) :)
Sa., 05.12.2020 - 16:30 Permalink
I find it a bit clumsy to have to keep my libraries (Yes, I intend to create additional libraries, LOL.) in a subfolder of a folder named Examples. "Examples" implies that the content of that folder came with the software as a teaching aid
That's only one of the places Synfire looks into when adding libraries to the menu.
You would add your own libraries to C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Synfire Pro\Libraries of course. I don't currently remember the exact path on Windows, but you get the idea.
Sa., 05.12.2020 - 20:12 Permalink
Thanks, but as I wrote, I prefer to keep libraries on a drive other than my C drive.
Mo., 07.12.2020 - 20:10 Permalink
I googled it, but it's really more than I care to know at this point. I'm able to preview phrases in the embedded library without a lot of fuss, and I'm happy with that.
Thanks anyway for chiming in.