DTAB Major Update ?

[kevin]

While adding triplets support and the new playback engine to DTAB, this sadly means virtually rewriting all of the programs internals.

What I'd been thinking up to date was to  do 2 major updates.  The first would introduce triplets + Better Play back, and then the second would attempt to build a completely new interface for the program.

 The problem is, this will mean doubling up on a lot of work.  While it will get a new version out sooner, it will mean a lot more work in the long run. Time that could be better spent adding more features

So I'm after what DTAB users actually think ?..

[Balsan]

I regularly experience timing problems during payback. I have checked all my computer resources and there is plenty available.

I am not sure if I am the only one with this problem, but resoving it would really make me happy.

I am using below PC config:
AMD athlon 1.8Ghz
256Mb internal memmory
60Gb HD
DTAB V0.48

[kevin]

Balsan,

 Yeah a few people have reported some lags and pauses between bars during playback.   The current playback engine relies on the hi resolution multi timer ( windows function) to play back the note stream.  The problem is that this requires constant access to this timing device.   Unfortunately a lot of other application use it also.  So it's most probably another background application hogging the timer device also.  One such program that comes to mind is a SETI (i think it's called that)

Although, if you mean the synchronization between the playback and the main window are out of sync.  Well sadly the window updates at a much lower priority than the actual playback.  Drawing the window is very slow. So the current note marker will most likely always lag somewhat.

 One of the main reason for the new update has been to re-build the playback engine.  While i suspect there may well still be problems with other app's hogging the timer.  The new solution is lot more efficient, so any impact should be very minimal.

[Geese]

The problem is, this will mean doubling up on a lot of work.  While it will get a new version out sooner, it will mean a lot more work in the long run. Time that could be better spent adding more features

While I would like to see a new version (and would be willing to purchase it) as soon as possible, I don't mind waiting a little longer, if it means less work for Kevin.

I haven't run into any timing problems, at least not on a regular basis. Every so often I'll get a pause or two in the playback, but it's always due to something else happening on my system, like the hard drive being accessed or something happeneng online. It rarely happens.

AMD XP 1900+ 1.6 ghz
512MB Ram
Windows XP
Hercules MUSE XL Soundcard

I always try to make sure DTab is the only thing running, except when I'm recording it's output directly into cakewalk.

[kevin]

Geese:

 I'm pretty sure those glitches come from too much dependence upon the multimedia timer device.  At the moment the playback engine is saturating the timer with requests.  While it's far easier, it's just not a good solution as it triggers timer events constantly :(.   The new method should resolve these problems by only triggering (hogging) the timer when a note is due to be played.

This should be a lot more system friendly..

[rudiments101]

i'm new to using tabs...have always either found our created my own sheet music when i am working through a new song. very time consuming!

so, drum tabs seem to be a great solution. but i would definitely need triplets (without converting time sig) before i could consider this a suitable replacement.

from a layman's perspective, it would also be helpful if i could copy and paste in a drum tab (eg, from a website) and then play it or edit it in dtab.

when will you make this (triplets) available?

thx!

[kevin]

Hi,

so, drum tabs seem to be a great solution. but i would definitely need triplets (without converting time sig) before i could consider this a suitable replacement.

While I understand where your coming from, Dtab is really not indented to be scoring replacement.  In fact, originally written it was written so I could knock together a few bars of tab, but has thus evolved into a tool for speeding up the fleshing out of tab creation.  Features like playback in the current version were afterthoughts.  

from a layman's perspective, it would also be helpful if i could copy and paste in a drum tab (eg, from a website) and then play it or edit it in dtab.

Yes, it's something that a lot of people have requested in the past.  While possible (to a limited degree) the source tabs would need to fall in to fairly strictly level of standardization, in order to get an decent conversion.  Sadly, the vast majority  don't.   The best solution we could probably offer, is some form of manually driven importer.  It be easier, but it wouldn't be pretty though.  

when will you make this (triplets) available?

Well, whenever I can finally get back to work on DTAB.  The past 13/14 months we've been working flat out to complete our priority commercial project Play Basic.  I had hoped to be finished Play Basic in Jan/feb 2004, but were still going.   I would expect that solid work on Play will continue for at least another 2 months.  But i've been saying that for a while!.  However once it's released, my free time for more enjoyable pursuits like vamping up DTAB, will return.

 While there are newer versions than the current online release, that do feature the revised Play Back engine for last year, none of which, are able to display / edit the new rates easily...  The editing turned out be a far more difficult problem than initially foreseen.   Thus the most likely scenario is that we'll rewrite DTAB focusing on a more flexible display format / play back engine. As patching the existing code, is like trying to force a square peg into a round hole.   Very unnatural.