All Windows/Play, Rhythms and Bounce/Script/Tune Script (Ctrl 171)
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Controls Common to Many Windows
Contents |
Screen Shot (More)
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This is what you get in the More version of this window (you use the More button to show it).
Tune Script
The script lets you set the tempo, rhythm,volume, etc to any desired value at any desired time in the tune...
Anything in the interface which you can change by hand and which affects the tune can also be scripted in this way. So that includes tempo, rhythm, volume, pitch, any controllers etc.
How to get here
The Script button in many of the tasks, or Ctrl + 171
Examples
For example scripts go to Open Script...
How to use this window
Inserting instructions at particular times
First you need to insert the times when you want the changes to happen. The times must run chronologically, so e.g. 10 seconds must be put after 5 seconds.
Then to place an instruction at a particular time, click on the line immediately after it, and switch on Auto script.
Then just use the control and an appropriate instruction will be inserted into the script for you.
E.g. to vary the overall volume at a particular time, click on the volume bar or text field in the main window and a suitable instruction will be placed at the current editing position in the script.
Echoes in the time 0 section
When you use autoscript to insert an instruction, a check is made to see if it has already been set in the Time 0 section of the script.
If it isn't there yet then it gets added. So for instance if you adjust the volume, with autoscript switched on, then the current volume will be placed in the time 0 section of the script if it isn't there already.
This is done because otherwise the value at the start of the script would be "undetermined".
To see why look at this example script:
Time 0
! No volume set for 0 seconds
Time 10
volume 50
Time 20
Volume 100
If you play this script and stop just after 10 seconds, then start it again, it will start at volume 50. But if you stop it just after 20 seconds and restart it, it will start at a volume of 100.
Obviously this is undesirable as the way the tune sounds will sound differently depending on when you stopped it last time you played it.
To fix this you just need to add the desired value for the volume in the Time 0 section. With autoscript switched on then this is done for you automatically.
The time 0 instruction will be left unchanged for all future editing - once it is inserted then that's it done.
You can switch this time 0 autoscripting - but you are normally recommended to leave it left on. It's configured using Auto script time 0 in Tune Script Opts (Ctrl + 187).
The time 0 instructions get played when the tune starts, obviously - and also when you stop the tune as just before it finishes, the time 0 section will get played again to get everything back to their preset settings as they were at the start of the script.
You can also switch off the time 0 reset when you stop play - this is configured as Resets for Stop Play in the more version of Tune Script Opts (Ctrl + 187)
Anything which isn't scripted can be changed by the user
Anything which isn't set in the script can be changed by the user. For instance if you script only the tempi, then anything else, e.g. the parts in play or whatever, can be changed by the user as they will be unaffected by the script.
Actually, instructions that are scripted can be changed by the user too. It's just that whatever changes they make will be temporary - as obviously their changes get reset whenever that value changes in the script.
If unsure just look at the start of the script - so long as the script has been made correctly with all the instructions given a preset value in the time 0 section, then you can change anything except the instructions set in the time 0 section.
Or try a change - play the script, and if your change gets reset immediately it is one of the ones set by the script, otherwise you can vary it yourself.
Tempo is a special case
Tempo is a special case. Normally you want the user to be able to vary the tempo of the entire script, and you want the tempo dial to show the actual rhythm played.
Just adjust the tempo in the main window and the tempo for the entire script will speed up or slow down. For instance if you double the tempo in the main window, then all script tempi will be doubled throughout the script.
Halve the main window tempo at any time and you halve the tempi throughout the script.
You can adjust the tempo at any time, including when the tune is playing.
To make this possible, the Variable script tempi option was introduced in Tune Script Opts (Ctrl + 187).
Details of how it works for Variable script tempi
The script itself doesn't change (that would be too confusing).
Instead, the tempo at the start of the script is taken as a reference point, and the other tempi are interpreted relative to it.
Let's take an example. Suppose the script starts with a tempo of 100, and before you press play, the main window tempo is 60.
Wherever a 100 is encountered in the script, it is played as 60, and shown in the tempo dial as 60.
Similarly 200 will be played and shown as 120 and so on.
Now suppose in a tempo 200 section, the the user adjusts the tempo while the script is playing (with autoscript switched off) - say to 240.
The user has just doubled the tempo, so the tempi throughout the script will be played now at double the previous tempo. So now whenever a 100 is encountered, it will be played as 120.
Now suppose the user stops play. The time 0 resets will reset the script tempo back to 100, but this is now interpreted as 120. So the main window will now show 120, double the tempo it showed originally - because the user has just doubled the tempo using the tempo dial.
More options and details and examples
Try the example script. Or go to Script | Open Script to open some more examples, and read the comments in the example scripts.
Play
Play the tune script - not played when you play the bouncing balls on their own without sound...
Play Script is only used for PLAY Sound
The bouncing balls on their own don't play the script at present - it is only played when you play the rhythm using the PLAY Sound button.
You can still play the script without sound however. To do that, use the PLAY Sound button and mute all the parts in Show All Parts (Ctrl + 9) - i.e. PLAY Sound (muted).
How the bouncing balls play the auto generated scripts for the rhythm cycles
For the rhythm cycles, which you can make for instance with the "Make cycle of rhythms" in Rhythms and Polyrhythms (Ctrl + 89), the bouncing balls can follow the cycle just as they do when you play it with sound - they do that by getting the cycle of rhythms from the line:
Metronome Auto Generated from: 2 measures 7 8 1 1 + 2 measures 4 3 1 + 2 measures 5 6 1 + 2 measures 6 7 1 + 2 measures 5 9 1 + 2 measures 8 9 1 + 2 measures 7 9 1 ! + 7/8 + 4/3 + 5/6 + 6/7 + 5/9 + 8/9 + 7/9 + 7 rhythms
(or similar)
at the head of the auto generated script.
Play
The script to play - to play it make sure you have PLAY SCRIPT switched on - and then play the tune. To find out more see the tool tip help for Tune Script (Ctrl + 171) (just hover mouse over the title bar)
Auto
Switch this on and tune instructions get automatically added to script...
The instructions are added automatically whenever you change a parameter, check box etc - or just click on a control if it affects the tune.
They are added at the current editing position in the script. If necessary duplicate instructions are also added to the time 0 section of the script - this is done if the editing position is at a later time. ,
Adding copies of an instruction to the time 0 section as it was before you change it makes sure the tune plays the same way every time you play the script.
You can auto script all the tune ids in a window. To do this, use Alt + click anywhere in the window with this option switched on. Alternatively use Caps lock physically held down + click.
If this option is switched on when you open all the values for a window from Organise Windows | Reopen, then all the tune ids in the window, hidden or otherwise are auto scripted. They are also auto scripted when you do a reset of them all from the Organise windows window.
Ins
Inserts the script time into the script at the current editing position - or as near as possible to it...
Where does the line get inserted in the script?
This inserts a time field at the current editing position - or immediately after it if the editing caret is positioned in the middle of a line. The caret is usually shown as a blinking vertical line.
However the times are checked to make sure that you put them in the right place in the script, for instance if you try to insert 10 seconds before 5 seconds, then the editing position will be adjusted to an appropriate place in the script.
If the script already has an instruction for the desired time, then it is left unchanged and nothing will happen when you click on this button.
What is the time format?
The format is Days ::: Hours :: Minutes : Secs.
Examples:
4 : 5 ! four minutes and five seconds.
3 :: 4 : 5.678 ! three hours, four minutes, and 5.678 seconds.
Put any instructions to be played at that time in the tune after the time field.
Adusting the times after you insert the instruction
There's a quick way to adjust the numbers later if you want to change them. Just click on the number in the text and then drag up and down with the mouse with the CTRL key held down.
Alternatively, use CTRL + Page Up or Page down.
Hold down SHIFT key as you adjust the number to adjust up / down 10 at a time. This method works with any numbers in Bounce Metronome
Using this with autoscript
When the tune is playing, you can also use autoscript to insert instructions automatically at the current time reached.
You use SHIFT + click on the control with Auto Script switched on.
The SHIFT inserts the current tune time immediately before the auto scripted instruction.
Go
Silently fast forwards the tune to the time shown then starts play...
You can alternatively use Start Play at Any Time (Ctrl + 165). It does the same thing as this button - silently fast fowards the tune to the desired time.
Help For Tool Tip - Shift + F1 (F1 or Ctrl + 141)
Leave this Help Window open as you learn how to use Bounce Metronome...
This window shows extra help for the controls and windows as you work with Bounce Metronome.
You can show this help window at any time with F1.
Var. speed
This option lets you vary the tempo of scripted tunes using the tempo dial even when the script includes tempo instructions...
It does it by varying the way the tempi in the script are interpreted, depending on the actual tempo you set in Bounce Metronome.
The first tempo instruction in the script is taken as the starting point, so whenever that tempo is encountered in the script, it is interpreted as the actual tempo you have set by hand.
Then other tempi are speeded up or slowed down accordingly. So for example if the first script instruction sets a tempo of 50, and a later instruction sets a tempo of 100 - suppose the actual tempo is 30. Then first instruction is reinterpreted as 30 BPM, just as set in the tempo dial. The next instruction at double the first tempo is interpreted as 60 BPM. Similarly 25 BPM in this example would be interpreted as 15 BPM and so on.
You can also set the script tempo yourself by adding a "SCRIPT TEMPO" instruction at the head of the script. For instance if you set the script tempo to 50 and the first tempo in the script is 100, then it will be interpreted as double the script tempo - so double whatever tempo you set with the tempo dial before you start the script.
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