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Messages - Christian Carlsson

2
General Discussion / Re: NWC2 and Linux (Ubuntu 11.04)
I have used NWC on Ubuntu/WINE for may years, with Timidity and Eawpatches.
To install NWC, I simply run the setup executable under WINE. All upgrades take place in the same way. There is no need to have a Windows partition on your computer for this.

Christian


3
Tips & Tricks / Re: Hymns out of the NoteWorthy Box !
Thanks Richard, for pointing this out. I have many times done it by copying and pasting, ending up doing it again if I have made any changes to the notation. Much nicer to have everything in one file.

-Christian
5
Announcements / Re: Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop Linux
It is possible to run NWC on much less resource-hungry Linux distros than Ubuntu. I have used NWC with Puppy Linux on a very outdated laptop (400 MHz Dell, 128 M RAM), and everything worked, except the playback was intermittent, as far as I remember.

-Christian
6
General Discussion / Re: Probably nothing new, especially for Rick...
I frequently have the same problem. In many cases this solution provided by Rick helps.

-Christian
Code: [Select · Download]
!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|Chord|Dur:4th,Slur|Pos:7,14|Opts:Stem=Down
|Note|Dur:8th,Slur|Pos:13|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th,Slur|Pos:12|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Slur|Pos:9|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Slur|Pos:7|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam=End
|Bar
|Note|Dur:8th,Slur|Pos:6|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th,Slur|Pos:5|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Slur|Pos:2|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Slur|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Slur|Pos:-1|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Slur|Pos:-2|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam=End
|Bar
|Note|Dur:8th,Slur|Pos:-5|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:8th,Slur|Pos:-7|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Slur|Pos:-8|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:8th,Slur|Pos:-9|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:4th,Grace|Pos:-2z^|Opts:Stem=Down,StemLength=1,Muted|Visibility:Never
|Chord|Dur:4th|Pos:-10,-2z|Opts:Stem=Up,StemLength=1
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End
9
General Discussion / Re: NWC in Linux problems
I run NWC 2.1 on Ubuntu 9.10 using Wine 1.0.1, Windows version XP. I use either TiMidity or Emu10k1 for midi playback, and everything works without any problems. I have also tested NWC on Puppy Linux/Wine, and that worked perfectly as well. To get the new User Tools kit v. 2.1 to work, I had to use Winetricks and install vcrun2008.

The only problem I ever have observed was the Print Preview issue, causing crashes, but that was only for a short time, with a few files.

If I remember correctly, I have used NWC on all Ubuntu versions since 2006. Initially, setting everything up was harder than it is now. Are you upgrading your Ubuntu installations, or do you make (semi) fresh installs (using a separate home partition)?

I wish I could be more helpful.

--Christian
12
General Discussion / Re: What is the best way to convert a .nwc file to a ps file?
Hello,

I assume that you want to combine NWC notation with other material using a text editor. Under Ubuntu/WINE you can print your notation directly to a pdf file, if cups-pdf is installed. The pdf can then be further processed (cropped etc.) as an image before pasting into a text document. This gives very good control, but the process is lengthy.

I wish somebody would come up with a more straight-forward method, requiring less saving in different formats.

-Christian
13
General Discussion / Re: NWC Newbie Presents...
Welcome to the Community!

I am happy to see another barbershopper here. To produce high-quality barbershop scores you need a set of tricks. This community has helped me to solve all issues I have had, some of the solutions are quite sophisticated. We are fortunate to have several gurus here, who always are willing to help.

--Christian
14
General Discussion / Re: NWC in Linux problems
Some time ago I also had similar problems with some nwc files, for a short while. I am not sure, but I have a feeling that the problem was related to some of my files where I had moved rests off the page using global mod. Normally everything works fine, and the problem may have related to a certain version of Wine only. I recently upgraded to 9.10, and I have not noticed any problems.

Christian
15
Tips & Tricks / Re: Adjusting slurs using "phantom notes"
If the visible notes need no leger lines, the "No Leger Lines" check box can be used. This has worked for me in most cases, but sometimes this method cannot be used.

I have sometimes also had problem using this method when the slurs end at dotted notes, in which case extra dots appear at the headless notes.

Christian
16
General Discussion / Re: NWC2 viewer
Greetings from Finland.

I share this frustration fully. In my mind the full program should be for those making music or arrangements, and the viewer for those who listen to the music, in many cases learning the music. Therefore at least basic editing should be possible. Ideally, the viewer should do everything the full program does, except saving.

If I could get the chorus singers to buy the full program, they could adopt learning files themselves. At the same time they would be able to change and spoil my rehearsal files, and this would happen, and happens. For this reason I would like to have the option to make the nwc files read-only.

--Christian
18
General Discussion / Re: Wine, Timidity, ALSA on Linux - HELP!
I have used NWC on Wine for several years without problems. NWC is the only reason why I need Wine. When I changed to Linux I did not want to switch to other notation software. I wish NWC could be ported to Linux, making my system simpler.

I wonder how many NWC users prefer Linux?

--Christian
19
General Discussion / Re: Wine, Timidity, ALSA on Linux - HELP!
About a year ago I tried NWC2 on a very old 400 MHz Dell Latitude laptop with 128 M of RAM, running Puppy Linux and WINE. I remember that setting up Midi sound on Puppy using Timidity was somewhat hard, but I got it to work with Eawpatches sound fonts. Playback was jerky and intermittent, but I think it improved when I unticked "Chase playing notes". I cannot recall if I had a really satisfactory end result finally.

If I ever set up NWC on that vintage machine again (it has the latest Puppy installed), I will take notes of what I did and how well it worked. Those of us who use Linux could benefit from sharing.

--Christian
20
General Discussion / Re: Midi prob
I have used TiMidity for midi sound on Linux for years. It may need some simple set-up. There are very good Midi HowTo's for all Ubuntu versions. Works like a charm with NWC2/Wine.

I have not experienced any problems with applications setting volume to zero on Linux.

--Christian
21
General Discussion / Re: Another slur problem
Thanks again, Rick.

I thought that another staff would be required, but was hoping for something simpler. It is really a shame that another staff has to be introduced just to avoid the extra dot that would have been introduced using the previous method. I strongly support your requirement for better tools for dealing with bad slur defaults.

--Christian
22
General Discussion / Re: Another slur problem
Further to the slur issue, the attached file shows different behaviour depending on stem direction. The dotted note  and its position above the system probably make it difficult to use the technique that Rick came up with to improve the slur on the upper system. As this situation seems to occur quite often in my work with vocal scores, further ideas would be very welcome.

--Christian
23
General Discussion / Re: Help needed for Asus EEE
I have never used an Asus, but I have tested NWC2 on my Acer Aspire One both under Linpus Lite and Puppy Linux, and both worked without any problems. Unfortunately I did not record exactly what I did step-by-step, but I think I might be able to help if you run into problems.

You will need WINE to install and run NWC. The easiest way to get wine is if it is available in a repository for your Linux version.

You will need something to produce midi sound. The easiest way is to install TiMidity. Timidity must be set up correctly to be seen by NWC, and should be started before NWC. This can be automated in several ways. You can use nice sound fonts with TiMidity.

Now you should be able to run nwc files by first starting the program. Probably you will have to create a simple script to be able to start NWC by clicking on a nwc file. This is well documented in wine documentation.

To do this you have to use command line a little, but it takes less time to do all this than to explain it.

I have seen more complicated setups described, using Jack. For a UMPC this is absolutely not necessary.

--Christian
24
General Discussion / Re: Another slur problem
Quote from: Rick G. –
...you really should experiment with copying things to the clipboard and pasting it into your favorite text editor. Unlike us window folk, your default text editor probably has all kinds of nifty search & replace features.
Yes, this was a good lesson that motivated to do exactly what you suggest. And yes, Linux has good tools for editing text files.

Quote from: Rick G. –
If you have managed to get NWC running on Unix, you have solved tougher problems than this :)
Setting up NWC on recent Linux distributions is very straightforward. I have tried it out on several distributions without any problems. It takes just a few moments to set everything up. The program works OOB on WINE, and midi sound set-up requires just a few easy steps, for which good tutorials exist.

Quote from: Rick G. –
...sorry about "hijacking" you thread....
I think these things are related, and follow the discussion with great interest.. :)

--Christian
25
General Discussion / Re: Another slur problem
Yes, Rick, you are right, now I see that I need to turn off the extra invisible notes in the chords with the muted grace notes. I also see how it is possible to do this using the normal NWC user interface. Thanks for making me study this in detail, it will be useful.
--Christian
26
General Discussion / Re: Another slur problem
It seems that the same effect that Rick's solution gives can be achieved with slightly less code.
Quote
!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|Chord|Dur:Half,Slur|Pos:0z,3|Opts:Slur=Downward,StemLength=4
|Note|Dur:Half,Slur|Pos:2
|Bar
|Chord|Dur:Whole|Pos:-1z,1
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

Thanks for raising my awareness of nwctext.
--Christan
27
General Discussion / Re: Another slur problem
Thank you, Rick.
I like your solution, it looks really good, and it does not require additional staves. It seems to give control over start and end position of the slurs. I am not very familiar with editing nwctext files, but I understand that you have built chords with muted invisible grace notes. Can all this be achieved using the normal user interface?
--Christian
28
General Discussion / Re: Another slur problem
Quote from: Rick G. –
New one. Has nothing to do with duration. The problem is stem visibility:I can't think of a reason...

Rick, thanks for pointing out the root cause. I agree fully with your reasoning.

This problem is bad news for those using NWC for simple 4-part vocal scores, where slurs often end on whole notes. I hope that there is an easy workaround for this.

29
General Discussion / Another slur problem
The time value of the note where a slur ends seems to have an unwanted effect on where the slur starts, if the slur direction is opposite to default (as usually in four-part vocal scores). In the first bar of the attached example the slur behaves correctly, ending on a half note. In bar 3 the slur beginning shifts, because the slur ends on a whole note. Can you reproduce this, or is something wrong with my system?

I am sorry if this has been discussed before. In this case, I would appreciate if you could point me to that discussion.

Best wishes for Christmas
--Christian
30
General Discussion / Re: .PDF?
Quote from: thedoctor818 –
I have ubuntu, & am using a derivative of wine to run nwc2. It works out fine, & as i am used to nwc, I would rather use it than something else. I recently downloaded Primopdf to be able to convert nwc to pdf, but it is not working. When I go to print, & select Primopdf & hit OK, nothing happens. Please someone help.

I have used NWC/WINE/Ubuntu for years, and very often print my scores to pdf. No special software is needed, as printing to pdf is available in all applications. If your pdf printer is not seen, you can very easily add it under System->Administration->Printing.

I do not know Primopdf, but are you sure you know where it stores the pdf it generates, and how the output file is named? Maybe it works?

--Christian
32
General Discussion / Re: NWC2 on Linux/Wine
Quote from: Rick G. –
Just curious:
  • Are you able to use SoundFonts (*.sf2) files with your soundcard?

Rick,
It should be as simple as installing the package "awesfx" and doing "sfxload file.sf2" at the command line, this should work with my SBLive soundcard. I am going to experiment with this next week upon return from a few days of sailing in the archipelago. Thanks for bringing up this question, it may open up a new dimension for me.

--Christian
34
General Discussion / Re: NWC2 on Linux/Wine
Quote
Do User Tools work?
I do not regularly use use User Tools, so my experience is limited. My feeling is that they work OK.

Quote
Are you able to use SoundFonts (*.sf2) files with your soundcard?
I use Timidity (soft synth) with various sound fonts, and I am happy with the results.

Quote
Apparently, Wine uses the Windows registry, just like Windows. You might want to check this registry key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\https\shell\open\command
Many thanks for this, it solved the problem! I changed the key to "firefox".
I still get this non-critical error report: "First try failed, probably due to a system setup problem with your default browser. Now trying a different approach...", after which Firefox opens the Access NoteWorthy page correctly.

--Christian
35
General Discussion / Re: NWC2 on Linux/Wine
I have successfully used NWC2 on Linux/Wine for about two years. The program still works well, but the Access NoteWorthy Software.com functionality was lost some version updates ago, and now updating NWC2 is more difficult than it used to be. It seems I have to do it by logging into Windows (my machine has dual boot). Before I could update directly under Linux/Wine.

Has anybody else experienced the same?

--Christian
38
General Discussion / Re: A call for comments on a proposed change to my *Dings suites
Quote
I know that Christian has access and he has already tried the first version, I don't know if he has yet seen the second version I posted 6 days ago...

Yes, Lawrie, I have downloaded and tried your second version, it works for me. Obviously, in many cases I still need to use text as well. Have you thought about introducing still another character to be used to fill gaps as text, one that would have width?

--Christian
40
General Discussion / Re: NWC Viewer limitation
I tend to agree with Ole's and Rob's views.

When I make an arrangement, I do not want the singers who use my nwc files for rehearsing to be able to save changes to my original file. This soon leads to many different versions, I have seen this too many times. Therefore I would prefer the singers to use a version of the program/viewer that cannot save. Printing is nice to have, this way my arrangements can be easily distributed to the singers as nwc files. It is important that the singers can start anywhere in the score, and that they are able to change instruments and volumes to hear their own part.

Very few of our singers have the full NWC program. With the present viewer limitations, I normally distribute my files in midi format, to be played with midi players that give better playback control. I have to send the music to be printed separately as pdf. Obviously, a smart viewer would be much easier and much more effective for everybody.

Christian



41
General Discussion / Re: Wishes...
Thank you Rick,
I think you are exactly on the right track. What you say would make many things easier to contol. I support your clear proposal.
--Christian
42
General Discussion / Re: Wishes...
Thank you Lawrie,
The extender line ends nicely under the last note head if right justified, exactly as it should. It is probably not necessary to use a lyric underscore to end the line. I would very much prefer not to use the lyric underscore, without it the vertical position of the extender line is perfect.

I thought the start of the extender line was more problematic, as it should start right after the word or any subsequent punctuation mark, regardless of the length of the word, the length of the corresponding note or the position in the bar. I could not always make the lines start precisely in the same way in all the cases without the use of a lyric underscore, but I may have not have been systematic enough.

I guess he basic problem is that the word end and the line start are anchored to different notes or bar lines, and are affected by the NWC spacing mechanisms. Perhaps this can be avoided by anchoring the starting line to the same note where the line starts from, using spaces to make the line start after the word, like the attachment.

I appreciate the simplicity of Rich's method, but unfortunately this does not meet the requirements of as specified by the Harmony Society. Dashes are used between syllables, word extenders are solid lines.

--Christian
43
General Discussion / Re: Wishes...
I experimented a little more with text word extenders. They can be connected to lyric "handles" to get them to start and end in the correct horizontal location. To align properly, the same font should be used for lyric and text. The only drawback I can see, is that this way the extenders are vertically placed somewhat lower than the lyrics.

I attach a NWC2 example.

--Christian
44
General Discussion / Re: Wishes...
Quote from: David Palmquist –
Does this work-around come close to what you need?

Yes, David, this is very close. I made some slight adjustments, to get the extender line under the head of the last tied/slurred note, and now it looks nice. Similar methods have been suggested by Rick and Lawrie, so I guess that this is the best workaround available for the moment. It matches the definitions by the Harmony Society fairly closely. Here are my adjustments:

!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|Clef|Type:Treble
|TimeSig|Signature:4/4
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:-3
|Note|Dur:Half|Pos:-3
|Note|Dur:4th,Slur|Pos:-1^|Opts:Slur=Upward
|Text|Text:"_______________"|Font:StaffLyric|Pos:-12
|Bar
|Note|Dur:4th,Slur|Pos:-1|Opts:Slur=Upward,Lyric=Never
|Note|Dur:4th,Slur|Pos:-2|Opts:Slur=Upward,Lyric=Never
|Note|Dur:4th,Slur|Pos:-1|Opts:Slur=Upward,Lyric=Never
|Note|Dur:4th,Slur|Pos:0|Opts:Slur=Upward,Lyric=Never
|Text|Text:"_______"|Font:StaffLyric|Pos:-12|Justify:Right|Placement:AtNextNote
|Bar
|Text|Text:"_______"|Font:StaffLyric|Pos:-12|Justify:Right|Placement:AtNextNote
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:-1|Opts:Lyric=Never
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:-5
|Rest|Dur:8th
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

--Christian
45
General Discussion / Re: Wishes...
Quote from: David Palmquist –
...in version 2, you can adjust note properties so they don't trigger a syllable, and in the lyric editor you can set the underscore to be visible.  Doing both seems to give somewhat of a word extender in the lyric, although I'm not sure of alignments.

Visible lyric underscores make the starting word/syllable longer, and make the corresponding note take up more horizontal space. Unfortunately, any extenders created this way cannot extend all the way under the next note head, or into the next bar, as they really should.

Obviously, David's suggestion can be used to give the singer a hint to extend the word, but it does not help to carry the word all the way.

--Christian
46
General Discussion / Re: Wishes...
Quote from: Rick G. –
I agree that word extenders would be a useful feature, but your statement is not an argument that this would be an easy thing to program.

Rick may very well be right on this point. My proposal was based on my feeling that NWC (for my needs) handles horizontal placement/spacing of word syllables and notes very well and I thought that this information could be used to calculate the length of automated word extenders. But I have no idea of how difficult this would be to program.

Using inserted underscores as a workaround is not straightforward, as every extender placement has to be checked using print preview.

--Christian
47
General Discussion / Re: Wishes...
Here is the definition of Word Extenders by the Barbershop Harmony Society:

"When notes are tied over in the melody line, use word extenders to indicate that the word or syllable is sustained. Word extenders are solid horizontal lines, level with the bottom of the letters in the word, that extend from the end of the word or syllable or any punctuation that follows the word or syllable to the end of the next note head."

Underscores inserted as text can be used to do this, but what I dislike is the trial and error process needed to adjust the length and placement. System breaks are painful as well. And what I really hate is to redo these steps if the score is changed. Even the free or cheap versions of other notation programs have this feature included. For me having Word Extenders in NWC would make it perfect for my needs in arranging vocal scores.

--Christian
48
General Discussion / Re: No preview with Wine
Today I upgraded to NWC 2.13 on my Ubuntu system, and at first I had no preview. However, doing Print Setup, as Rick suggested, solved the problem, and preview now works nicely.

--Chris
49
General Discussion / Re: Wishes...
I support all the suggestions in this thread, but as I use NWC mainly to produce vocal scores, I'd like to add one further wish: Word Extenders.

Word Extenders are horizontal lines that remind amateur singers to hold tied or slurred notes. In many notation programs Word Extenders are used by default. Many organizations publishing vocal scores request the use of Word Extenders.
Inserting Word Extenders by postprocessing with a desktop publishing program is hard work, easily leads to omissions, and makes re-editing scores extremely labor intensive.

I think that NWC handles spacing of words and syllables very well, and I believe that addition of horizontal lines from the end of a syllable past the note head of the last of connected notes should be possible as a lyric option. Having this I could easily fix several hundreds of scores to meet the requirements of the Barbershop Harmony Society.

--Chris