Posted
Having just finished using Techtool Pro to defrag hard drive, it occurred to me, I might find some kind of visual representation of SFP processes very useful.
I make extensive use of colors in Logic's arrangement page. Not just for sections, but for variations of parts. If I cut up a drum part, I use variations of same color to show me density, turnarounds, etc. In fact I sometimes use a considerable amount of colors.
I also make extensive use of the score feature. This itself was a large undertaking, cause Logic's score functions are not well documented, and use of scores seems to be above the heads of a lot of musicians. I have created custom score staffs to show me articulation efx, as well as notes (articulations in octaves 6 - 8 or octave - 1)
Although I am not the world's greatest sight reader. I find it extremely helpful to see the patterns that are displayed of each part. Part of my process is to turn on Logic's score to display velocites with color. This is one more tool to analyize, correct, smooth out sections of music. My arranging abilities have improved considerably, since I started doing this.. How much of brain's input comes from vision?
While I realize you might consider some of this frivilous now, and the least important of what you need to do.. different ways of viewing compostion and their material, could be extremely useful.
My use of computers goes back to University of Massachusetts mainframes in 70's, teletype terminals, and huge lists of basic, fortran, cobol, hex, etc. In those days, it took a rocket scientist to try to understand what a certain program did, and how it's processes worked. In fact you had to run 'jobs' - you input the data, and then had to wait for minutes or hours, while the mainframe, some hundred miles away, processed your job, in between others. When personal computers came out, TRS-80, Apples, Commodores, and Atari's. The pace of growth exploded, Each of these steps, helped the user to more completely grasp what is happening, and to effect the outcome.
Three years ago, I purchased Yamaha Tyros an 'arranger keyboard'. I'd also been using Band in a box for what seems 20 years. Both of these products took me quite a while to master all of it's ins/outs. Part of my decision to get Synfire Pro, was that I needed to commit a large amount of time right now caring for my dying mother, a state away.
I purchaseed a laptop when I got Synfire Pro, and am thus able to spend a considerable amount of time, discovering, learning, and using SFP on long bustrips, days at a rural Massachusetts town, with flimsy wi-fi to go. The point is, I was willing from previous experiences to commit a large amount of time to the 'learning process' of a new program.
While you can fire up SFP, and get nice results quickly, it does take considerable time to comprehend all of its' processes, and use them in an intelligent manner. Any process that facilitates this is considerably welcome and necessary for Synfires growth.
I am in tremendous awe of what you guys are doing here, it is cutting edge, and the pace of it's development is slow and dependent on the amount of users you have, $$$ and hours in a day.
Sincerely,
Mark Styles