Play/Pause/Stop or "Real Stop Button"

• Jun 18, 2020 - 22:13

Old topic > New angle: [Playback in MuseScore, still not intuitive]

      ----- PROBLEM: -----

I click a note, then I click the 'Play button' (Shaped like a triangle) or the spacebar: >Playback Starts
I click the Play button again or hit the spacebar: >Playback Stops

Something has changed now but nothing warns me about it. The selected note is the same, the time in the lower right corner of the Status Bar is the same, BUT THE INTERNAL PLAYBACK POSITION IS DIFFERENT. If I now click the 'Play button' it won't start from the note still selected, it will just resume playback.

That is the behavior universally understood as Play-Pause-Play
So, the 'Play button' SHOULD HAVE CHANGED from the Triangle Symbol to two vertical rectangles, (depressed if possible, or twinkling) because that's the expected symbol for "Pause on hold" and that's the real status now: "Playback Paused" In sum: The symbol in the current version does not indicate the actual playback state.

Let's say I realize during playback that I need to start it all again from the last selected note, something I couldn't foresee and I just realize now; then I have to go a couple of bars back, or even pages, find that note and click it again, (even if it is still looking blue as selected) and start playback.
The only PRACTICAL WAY I've found to break away from this "Playback Paused" situation (without grabbing the mouse and navigating around so much) is to use the arrow keys, and move one step to the right, then one step back to the left, and now that the "Playback Paused" is really broken I can start all over again. Why?

      ----- SOLUTION: -----

This is the NEW FEATURE NEEDED: a "Stop button" that can break the "Playback Paused" status. Is just that simple. Question: Is it already a key that does this that I don't know? or a shortcut? Please let me know.

I'd rather have the spacebar acting like "Play / Hard Stop" (always from the last selected note) and a different button to act as: "Pause ON / Pause OFF"
But I know you guys are fans of doing Play-Pause with the spacebar so I'm not dreaming that much, but at least the Play button should change it's icon after the first click, and indicate that now it will act as "Pause OFF" when I press it again.

      ----- THE WRONG SOLUTION: (Yet, the recommended workaround) -----

The wrong solution is already implemented, I have to set a loop, but that only works when you know beforehand that you want to stay for a while over a couple of measures. Most of the time I can only realize that when I'm already listening to the music.
*There is this new "Toggle 'Loop Playback'" button next to the 'Play button' that actually looks like a concession made unwillingly. I bet just a regular "Stop button" would have satisfied lots of users. Don't get me wrong, loops are also great, but for something different.
*Also, this loop function is not very useful from the main screen: What if after using the loop I now want to move on and start again from a different note? I need to open the F11 panel, and find the button that sets the loop start, because the "Toggle 'Loop Playback'" button can accomplish only that much by itself.
*If I consistently use this workaround, I better set a keyboard shortcut for the 'Set loop in position' button... That's really not very friendly to new users.
*A final reason why loops are just a workaround but not the best replacement to a "Real Stop" button is that loops also put a "scary flag" on my screen (I'm serious, first times it scared me like I was doing changes in the score and I guess it could also scare new users) I felt punished for wanting to start playback three times from the same note.

Thanks for reading, thanks for all the new features, thanks for this awesome free software. Best regards.

Comments

• Jun 19, 2020 - 20:40

Yeah, same old answer since the time of... MuseScore 1? it gets a bit frustrating.
I fail hard trying to show you that I'm talking about a new feature indeed, something the program doesn't currently have.

Looping is great, but for something different, something deliberate.
I'm kindly asking instead for a way to "Opt out" from the "Playback in progress" without having to re-select the note I already had, moving forward and backward, or doing any other trick... I just need a key or button, something I can set a shortcut to, something I can configure and use... a lot.
In other words once I start the playback I also want to be free to break off that. To say it more dramatically, I'm asking for the "right to forget" the playback in progress and start again, and easily repeat that action if I wanted, or just go on.

Just having to click again that note will make it sound... again, and in some situations it gets annoying, if I move back and forth I'll have to hear two notes before I can start playback again from the point where I'm working. I can do it silently selecting the whole measure, but if the phrase starts with a pick-up then I need to select the next measure and add the necessary notes to the left... every time. Usually when I stop the playback is because something went wrong, I may really want to give it another try, but I can't without navigating, clicking, moving back and forth, or configuring a loop that will probably involve opening the F11 panel and so on. Sometimes with this re-clicking the selected note I unwillingly go into Edit Mode... so it gets even more frustrating.

Does it sound like asking too much? you can easily do just that in Sibelius with the "P" key that here opens the piano, and is also a very fast way to get to the place where you were working if you scrolled away. Once MuseScore 4 integrates DAW compatibility and new functions it will attract new users from other fields that may want just what I'm asking here, a spontaneous and easy way to hear the same passage over and over. It's an easy fix that I'm sure would be much appreciated.

How many people have asked for this already? How many more will have to keep on asking?
https://musescore.org/en/node/268574
https://musescore.org/en/node/295360
https://musescore.org/en/node/106421 <-(I'm in this one as "nzwork")

Looping doesn't solve my problem, it's not spontaneous or intuitive, the only thing that comes a little close to what I need is the rewind function, which I truly love, but still a workaround.

Reply

• Jun 19, 2020 - 21:42

I get that it's not exactly the same, but the loop function does have the effect you describe. It might not be intuitive, but once you know it's there, it does work, and is pretty close to instantaneous. At most one extra click as far as I can tell, no matter how many times you restart the playbac.

Meanwhile, see the discussions about the upcoming designs for MuseScore 4, which will focus on playback and sequencer-like functionality. Good chance you'll find what you want there. I'm just trying to see how you can already have 99% of that today, if you want. Have you tried it? It really does work. Just define a shortcut for the command to set loop in position. Press this before starting playback, and then you can restart as often as you like. It's exactly like what you ask for, and it takes a single keypress. Not intuitive indeed, but highly effective for now, while you want for the enormous improvements yet to come with MuseScore 4.

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• Jun 19, 2020 - 22:36

Yes, thanks Marc, that's what I usually do, I just wrote something about Edit Mode yesterday and then I also remembered about this another lost cause and decided to give it a try again.
I've used Sibelius since 2002 (and Encore 95 before that) so I got used to Play/Stop. When the first version of MuseScore appeared I switched over and with the Loop Mode implemented I also started using it, and yet... most of the time I just go for the arrow keys.

I guess my complaint is over the philosophy that in order to start playback a couple of times from a given note I should "Toggle" to a different mode, a different mindset altogether... and also that there is nothing I can set a shortcut to, to discard and forget the current playback position.
Truth is I can use the program as is, with looping and rewind. I'm very grateful for everything done so far.

Yes, I'm excited about the new features and fixes we'll see in MuseScore 4 and hopefully this will also get considered, if not I'd like to propose a "more honest icon" to truly reflect the Play button's behaviour.

That was funny.

Attachment Size
Play.jpg 38.34 KB

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• Jun 19, 2020 - 23:30

FWIW, I agree that a command to do a full stop, or one to always start from selection would be good. I would also like to see a command to play only the selected range, including limiting playback to just the selected staves. These are all the sorts of things I hope make it into MuseScore 4. Icons, I don't really care so much, I don't tend to look at them, but I'm happy others do :-)

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