Better tuplets - Feature improvement request

[elerouxx]

I'm having an unnecessary hard time with tuplets. Again, Notion has wonderful engraving and we don't usually have to worry about alignment or spacing of things, but, in the case of tuplets, I'm sure Notion is doing it the hard way.

This is an example of unbracketed and bracketed tuplets, with typical articulation.
As we can see in the first measure, Notion always positions the unbracketed tuplet number on the noteheads side, never on the beam side. And it automatically positions slurs AWAY from the noteheads, giving priority to the number (in other words the number is always closer to the notes than the articulation, which is not good).

With bracketed tuplets things get worse. We have the impression that the slurs are struggling to point at the notes that are on the other side of the brackets. This should be at least inverted.

In the second measure we can see the only workaround for this, which is almost as bad: the slurs were set to be drawn below the staff. As a result, the slurs on the 3-plets are small and ugly, and in the 5-plets, we can't be sure which notes the slurs are covering, and there's this weird slur in the middle of the 5-plets.

tuplets_bad.jpg (29.72 KiB) Viewed 3869 times

There are solutions so simple and elegant for this in traditional engraving (and in even the simpler applications, the ones that arent' redefining notation).

Being able to draw the tuplet on the beam side of the notes is my favorite. With or without brackets, there's no chance of error this way! and the notehead side of the notes stays free to get any articulation you want!
Bracketed tuplets look nice on the notehead side, but they only look properly if they are ABOVE the articulation elements, which should always take priority. I illustrate the nice and cool tuplets in this other example, impossible to write in Notion.

tuplets_cool.jpg (33.8 KiB) Viewed 3869 times

Guys, I'd love to see this fixed.

I know Notion isn't intended to be a fully customizable music publishing application. I'm absolutely ok not having to worry about aligning every single element on the score! the way it works, I can compose quickly without worrying on the cosmetic side! But I still think there's room for simple improvements, making things easier, yet scoping the 'redefining notation software' concept.


I know you put a great effort in making Notion 64-bit and the other internal improvements, but it was really discouraging not seeing a single request from the forums make it to the new version. This absolutely put me down, but now I insist. No wish lists, just single posts, hoping you will one day understand how important are these things for us.

[pcartwright]

Did you also post this in the feature request section?

[thorrild]

...it was really discouraging not seeing a single request from the forums make it to the new version.

Have we been reading the same forum?

I remember dozens (hundreds?) of posts complaining about the 32-bit structure of Notion, about terrible gaps in compatibility with Reaper, and other such things, which seem to have been vastly improved, or perhaps even perfected, in the current version. Other complaints, such as those about the limited options for layout and staff spacing, have been addressed.

This is not to say that I disagree with your complaints about tuplets and other aspects of scoring, like cross-staff notation — I can't wait for all this to be improved. I just don't think it's fair or accurate to accuse Notion of being deaf to its users' requests.

Best wishes,
Thorrild

[elerouxx]

I didn't mean to sound rude or unfair, sorry. I gave them credits exactly for the 64-bit version and the internal improvements. I also love the new fret, drum, piano input palettes.

But the fact is that, independent of the dozens or hundreds of posts about these or other requests, the New Features in Notion 4 are two: 64-bit support (which I don't use because of my 32 bit plugins and because I couldn't setup Rewire to work) and interactive Entry Tools (Keyboard, Fretboard, Drum Pad, Chord Library, which I use A LOT).

Notation itself was in need of several improvements, some big, but a lot of them small. However it's is pretty much untouched. In my case, these little problems (hard to read tuplets, lack of courtesy signatures at the end of systems...) and the big Cross Staff problem, are the major caveat. They are the only things I have to warn about to those I recommend the software.

I admit exaggerating when I suggest that they don't think these things are important for us. Of course they do, I'm sorry for that. I actually have hope that, since they focused in the 64 bit compatibility on this version, they might pick Notation in the next one.

[Surfwhammy]

...it was really discouraging not seeing a single request from the forums make it to the new version.

Have we been reading the same forum?

I remember dozens (hundreds?) of posts complaining about the 32-bit structure of Notion, about terrible gaps in compatibility with Reaper, and other such things, which seem to have been vastly improved, or perhaps even perfected, in the current version. Other complaints, such as those about the limited options for layout and staff spacing, have been addressed.

This is not to say that I disagree with your complaints about tuplets and other aspects of scoring, like cross-staff notation — I can't wait for all this to be improved. I just don't think it's fair or accurate to accuse Notion of being deaf to its users' requests.

Best wishes,
Thorrild

+1