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BUG: Palette playback broken for new palettes (old palettes still work) -- Win 10

Posted

Here is the description of my actual problem I want to fix: something with the palette playback is broken.

The weird thing is that the playback does work with some (older but v2) palettes (and various gloval instrument racks), but not with (newly created) other palettes!! On the broken palette, the playback of the individual tones of the scale does work, but not the playback of chords (the scale seemingly uses the global piano instrument, and the chords the global chords instrument).

Once I clicked any chord on a palette that does not work, then the playback stops working for all currently open palettes (incl. older ones). Running "Reset Audio/MIDI System" from the playback menu restores the playback for the palette that worked before, but it gets reproducibly broken again, when the new palette is used.

I tried various older palettes I have: they all seem to work. However, the playback of any newly created palette is seemingly broken. Also, if the new palette that stopped the playback is closed, then an older palette that worked before but was suppressed by the new palette then suddenly works again, even without running "Reset Audio/MIDI System".

So, there seems to be some new bug here!

 

Update: As a workaround, not creating a *new* palette, but instead editing some old palette into the same shape as the new intended palette results in a working palette. Just demonstrates again that something is really broken with newly created palettes.

 

 


Mon, 2022-12-19 - 21:44 Permalink

Chords only. Note that it works with palettes I created before, but not with those I try to newly create! Instead of creating a new palette, editing an existing one by adding and removing its scales does work too. Is that expected?

Tue, 2022-12-20 - 08:08 Permalink

I can't yet reproduce this.

Chords-only mode always uses the current global instruments, no matter what part of the program triggers it. A palette has no way to influence instrument choice. Except it was saved with a sketch currently active.

Tue, 2022-12-20 - 20:18 Permalink

Attached are two palettes that are seemingly idential: one works and one does not. I created the one that works by changing some previously existing palette, and the other one I just newly created.

Just to make sure, I also tried this with the default global instruments, but that indeed makes no difference.

> I can't yet reproduce this.

Seemingly others ran if not exactly into then same then at least into similar problems: (https://users.cognitone.com/topic/my-list-bug-reports)

All this is on Windows 10 (with an ASIO driver, in case that is relevant). I even tried multiple audio interfaces (because I recently changed mine), just in case.

Tue, 2022-12-20 - 22:12 Permalink

Now it should play. I activated Playback >> Instant feedback. After that it was necessary (for whatever reason) to hit the stop button at the palette. Then it worked. After saving the file and reopening it again it still worked.

Wed, 2022-12-21 - 14:21 Permalink

The state of the instant feedback switch (speaker icon) is saved with a document (palette, arrangement or otherwise). If it's disabled, clicking the palette will not play the chords.

Wed, 2022-12-21 - 16:21 Permalink

> Now it should play.

I can confirm that the palette playback works for me for the file you uploaded.

However, I could not reproduce what you did in case I had both a working and a non-working palette open. For me this demonstrates that the current design is not really safe.

> The state of the instant feedback switch (speaker icon) is saved with a document

This can seemingly lead to inconcistencies if multiple documents can be opened; these multiple documents may have set this differently; but there is only a single global switch for this anyway.

Anyway, why is it needed/useful to save this setting for palettes, instead of always using the setting that is currently set with the relevant global switch?

Besides, note that when opening a palette directly from the start screen, the switch for this setting is not even available, it seems.

Anyway, just my two cents...

Wed, 2022-12-21 - 16:31 Permalink

> I could not reproduce what you did

Update: Actually, I could not at all reproduce Juergen's fix, also not if only a single new palette and a single arrangement is opended. (With only a single palette it cannot be reproduced anyway, because there is no audio feedback switch.)

I can, however, confirm that a new palette created after the audio feedback was switched back on does support playback.

That is good enough for me as a workaround, but others might stumble into the same issue at some stage...

Wed, 2022-12-21 - 18:12 Permalink

However, I could not reproduce what you did in case I had both a working and a non-working palette open. For me this demonstrates that the current design is not really safe.

I agree, there must be some kind of a bug, because the palette did not play immediately after switching on the "Instant Feedback" option. Then I just tried some more: Audio Reset, Panic button, Stop button, etc. After pressing the Stop button (in the upper left corner of the palette) it worked. This was also repeatable, I tried it two or three times. Audio setup was the standard setup.

 

Wed, 2022-12-21 - 18:53 Permalink

Anyway, why is it needed/useful to save this setting for palettes, instead of always using the setting that is currently set with the relevant global switch?

Good point. The scopes and responsibilities of switches and modes like this definitely need a review from a distance. It's not clear whether Instant Feedback should be global, or local per window, local per document. 

That's what a dedicated UX team usually does year round, but with limited resources this needs to be fixed when it pops up.

The Stop button, by the way, fixes most temporary playback issues quite reliably.