Adjust cursor accuracy in playback and reduce computer load - GPU
Function to change the accuracy of the note cursor display in MuseScore during note playback.
The idea is to add a function to jump the cursor by a selected note value, i.e. the accuracy of the cursor jumping to the next note, for example every quarter note or every sixteenth note, when playing a score. A feature to be set for those wishing to do so.
At present, the cursor runs very smoothly (without skipping), but this puts a heavy load on weak computers.
This would reduce the load on the computer, mainly the GPU and the power and battery consumption of the laptop.
Comments
This may be something to think about. But as the owner of a few weak computers, GPU is the least of the problem.
In reply to This may be something to… by bobjp
The point is that the GPU is most heavily loaded with the fluidity of the cursor, but also the CPU and RAM is heavily loaded by this, and this affects the high power consumption, especially the battery of the laptop, which significantly reduces the battery life of MuseScore4x.
If there was an option to set the cursor by leaps (by the user), for example, every 16 or 8 or a quarter note, then anyone who wanted to run longer on the laptop battery and not heavily load the computer's resources (especially the GPU), then they could set themselves a less smooth cursor. This would be a setting only for willing users, other MuseScore users would not have to change it.
A strong load on the computer (especially in an extended - multi-voice score), appeared only since the release of the MuseScore4x version. Previously (MuseScore: 1x, 2x, 3x), the load on the computer (when playing the score) was very minimal.
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In reply to The point is that the GPU is… by muzyk72g
How did you determine that the cursor is the problem?
Yes, the load on the computer is more in MU4. It requires much higher specifications than MU3. I think mostly because of the playback engine.
I'm just trying to understand how your suggestion will help. Thanks.
In reply to How did you determine that… by bobjp
I've noticed that the cursor is much smoother in MuseScore4 than it was in earlier versions, such as MuseScore3.6, and the smoothness of the cursor, is most often associated with increased computer performance. These are just my guesses.
But it could be, as you write, that it's the new “playback engine” that was used for MuseScore4 that may be putting such a strain on the computer (GPU and CPU and RAM, which also runs heavily on MuseScore4x).
In general, it would be useful to be able to set this function manually (not for everyone, just for willing users), which would significantly reduce the load on the computer. This would reduce power consumption and give longer battery life to the laptop using MuseScore4x.
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In reply to I've noticed that the cursor… by muzyk72g
Forgive me for repeating myself with some of the issues I described above.
In reply to Forgive me for repeating… by muzyk72g
That's OK. I was just wondering how you determined that the cursor was using so much power. 4.4 uses more power. CPU, Ram, GPU. Everything. Everyone uses their computer differently. I almost never run my laptop just on battery. But I know many people do. So battery life can be important.
In reply to That's OK. I was just… by bobjp
If something runs smoother, faster and prettier, it is usually related to devouring computer resources, especially the graphics processor, but not only. Therefore, the first thing that came to my mind was the cursor when playing a score. However, these are just my guesses, not a certainty. I wrote about this because, for example, in graphics: the better the quality of the Video, the greater the demand for computer resources.
But also every latest engine of any program (as you wrote “playback engine” in MuseScore), used for any program (including MuseScore), also brings changes, often unfortunately affecting the increased load on the computer.
So you may also be right here.
In reply to If something runs smoother,… by muzyk72g
My guess is that moving a simple cursor smoothly is probably a trivial resource consumer compared with the playback engine. You could probably save 10 x the resource it consumes by disabling background OS services which you don't need. You can always re-enable them if-and-when you do need them. Running a laptop screen at lower brightness also saves battery life.
See also https://uk.pcmag.com/laptops/137298/how-to-increase-laptop-battery-life