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I often delete all symbols I don't want to use at the moment in a phrase. For example, to delete all the bass symbols, I select an instrument and then click and hold "b" on the toolbar. A menu then pops up and I choose "Select Symbols for Bass." I then press the delete key, and all the bass symbols in that phrase disappear.
But if there are multiple types of symbols in the phrase and I want only one type to remain, I have to do this procedure once for each type of symbol I want to delete.
It would be far easier to be able to select a type of symbol and tell Synfire to keep that type and delete all others. I'm fairly certain I did this recently by accident, but I have been unable to repeat it.
Could someone please clue me in? Thanks.
Mi., 12.01.2022 - 20:55 Permalink
You can use the split and merge commands.
First, select the relevant instrument (track) and execute Phrase >> Split. This will result in a number of new instruments, each of them populated with a different symbol type. Then delete the instruments with the symbol types you want to delete. Then select all other instruments and execute Phrase >> Merge.
If only one symbol type is to be retained, you do not need the Merge command of course, just Split then.
Mi., 12.01.2022 - 22:34 Permalink
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question, and for your suggestion.
However, the jury is still out as to whether or not this method is faster than the method I was using.
I'm going through my libraries little by little to separate phrases consisting of multiple symbol types into multiple phrases each consisting of only one symbol type (chords only, bass only, etc.). I feel that in the long run this speeds things up when, for example, I need a melody. If all the melodies are broken out into separate phrases, I can audition them in context more quickly. I will, of course, also keep the original phrase.
So if I use your method, I have to drag the phrase into an arrangement, do the phrase/split thingy, drag the new phrases' figures back into the library, and then delete the phrases from the arrangement. If I were actually using a phrase within an arrangement and wanted to separate out all the parts for more control during the process of working on that arrangement, then yes, your method would definitely speed things up. Maybe it will anyway, and I just need to get some additional practice with it.
On a related topic, within an arrangement I find that copying and pasting the figure from one phrase into the rhythm parameter of another phrase often works really well. Even if the second phrase looks like it would definitely not work in that musical context, it often does after the copy/paste, sometimes startlingly well.
This procedure is mentioned in the manual.
Thanks again.