Viewer Play Speed

Topic: Viewer Play Speed (Read 4709 times) previous topic - next topic

Viewer Play Speed

2012-02-04 09:00 am

I'm using Viewer 2.5 Beta 9. Proposing to give Viewer to choir members. Believe they would find play speed variation useful, e.g. to slow down fast passages during play.

When using the menu commands, Play Slower and Play Faster act immediately as implied by the command names. Play Speed pops up a box for the user to choose a % of, presumably, the specified song tempo. The % value displayed appears to be 100% if the play speed hasn't already been varied or the % representing the current speed if it has already been changed.

The behaviour of the short cut keys is inconsistent. Alt - (Play Slower) slows down in an identical manner to the menu command but Alt + (Play Faster) pops up the % dialogue box. Is the Alt + behaviour a bug?

To avoid confusing the users, I propose to tell them to:
*** use the menu commands Play Slower and Play Faster only. To use the Play Speed command requires a deeper understanding of the interface which I wouldn't propose to burden them with;
*** avoid the use of the short cut keys because of the inconsistenty between Alt - and Alt +.

Is my analysis correct?
Regards

Re: Viewer Play Speed

Reply #1 – 2012-02-04 09:14 am

It's not the viewer that's wrong here - it's your fingers.

The minus key can be pressed without the use of shift and so ALT and - works ok.

However, plus and the = are on the same physical key and so unfortunately, you have to hold ALT, SHIFT and PLUS to get the keyboard speed up function.

ALT and = which you have been pressing brings up the dialog box to enable you to set the percentage speed exactly.

The viewer is not at fault here.

Re: Viewer Play Speed

Reply #2 – 2012-02-04 11:01 am

Doh! Thanks Rich.
David

Re: Viewer Play Speed

Reply #3 – 2012-02-04 12:36 pm

If you are using a full keyboard, the + and - keys on the Num Pad are generally easier to use.

Re: Viewer Play Speed

Reply #4 – 2012-02-04 07:27 pm

It would be a welcome improvement, if the Viewer and NWC could have "Play Panels"
with functions similar to either of the attached samples,

Re: Viewer Play Speed

Reply #5 – 2012-02-04 09:22 pm

In Noteworthy Composer, Zoom In/Out require Alt. Before the Viewer had a speed adjustment, it made sense to make Zoom In/Out just plus or minus. I would suggest that Zoom In/Out use the same shortcuts as Noteworthy Composer. Plus, minus and equal could then be used to control the speed.

I would think that the typical user might want to change the speed dozens of time, mostly in real time. Changing Zoom seems to be a once per song operation, with playback usually stopped.