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Topic: Vertical misalignment of stemless notes (Read 2900 times) previous topic - next topic

Vertical misalignment of stemless notes

The issue of how to put stemless black noteheads (used mostly for chant) into NWC files comes up from time to time. The usual answer is: in Page Setup, make one of the fonts the NWC font, use Insert with the key for letter "k", adjust the font size as needed, and there they are.

I seem to have the font NWC2STDA (STDA does not sound good! a condom might have prevented it). The stemless noteheads are there, all right, and by using left, center, or right justification (ALT-ENTER) I can put them horizontally in the staff more or less where I want them. But vertical alignment is not good; the notes are a bit below where they should be. If a note is supposed to be in a space, it impinges on the line below just enough to cause some confusion; if it is supposed to be on a line, the line intersects in not in the middle but about 2/3 of the way to the top of the note, again causing some lack of clarity. I can raise or lower only by whole step increments, so I have no way to correct the vertical placement.

I don't know whether NWC2 will include a solution; users have been asking for stemless notes to be one option among the regular quavers and crotchets and all for years now. But as I am not among the elect, I have only the NWC Viewer at this point.

Stephen

Re: Vertical misalignment of stemless notes

Reply #1 –
Check out my music fonts. Some of them were specifically dimensioned for alignment to NWC. You would place text, and use hidden "real" notes. In particular, try NoteHedz font.

Re: Vertical misalignment of stemless notes

Reply #2 –
NWC 2 solves the problem. Setting "override stem length" to zero results in a stemless note.

Noteworthy (each version) scales its music font by 4/3. I have been able to get acceptable alignment by making the font size = (4/3 * the staff size). When between values, try them both.

The best way I have found to get stemless notes in 1.75b is to put rests in at position -9, Color: User2. Put the note heads in as text: Centered at next note/bar, prior to the rest.  Then set the color of User2 to white. Use a hidden staff for midi playback.

NWC2STDA has uses beyond this. I have requested that it be always available, scaled to align exactly to the ledger lines.
Registered user since 1996

Re: Vertical misalignment of stemless notes

Reply #3 –
Ah, yes. I forgot that there are separate forums (currently) for NWC1 and NWC2. NoteHedz font works, and aligns the same, in either version of NWC. But it was specifically intended as an enhancement to NWC2, which allows invisible note-heads and changed stem lengths.

Re-scaling the NWC2STDA font, with a different name, would not be too difficult. BUT: (1) If any symbols in the font are changed, then there could be an issue with versions, and (2) Different font programs use different methods of placing glyphs (drawn characters) to grid and to baseline. If more than one person gets involved, the glyphs are likely to become very funky.