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dynamic markings

PostPosted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 10:54 pm
by tombax
Work has precluded me from taking as much time as I'd like to learn Notion3. A couple of questions about dynamics: When there's only one voice on a staff, it seems the dynamic markings default to a position above the staff (which caused me a lot of confusion at first). Is there some what that I've missed, to have dynamic markings below the staff?
Also, has there been any discussion about the consistency of crescendos? Comparing the way a three-bar segment, with a hairpin from pppp to f, sounds in N3 and N2, N3 doesn't seem to ascend in volume as evenly, and arrives rather abruptly at the forte.
Tombax

Re: dynamic markings

PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 3:17 pm
by astinov
Hi Tombax,

A couple of points I wanted to make here:

1. The dynamics are placed where you are placing them, basically. So if you click above the staff, they'll be placed above, if you place below, they will go below. You can further tweak them if you click-select a dynamic, then right-click and go to Attachments-Show Below/Above Staff

2. For hairpins - it is very important that the end of the hairpin is attached to the same note as the last dynamic. Otherwise you would get an "open" hairpin which only increases one dynamic. I have often seen that problem, people were thinking they are connecting the dynamics with a hairpin, when infact, they were missing the ending note. We are working on optimizing that behaviour to where if the distance to the note is small enough, it would assume the note's dynamic.

Hope that helps

Lubo Astinov

Re: dynamic markings

PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 6:51 pm
by tombax
Aha! You are right about the hairpins, and that solves my major problem.
But on my first point, I wish you would check again. I can go to attachments and change the location over/under the staff. But only if I place the dynamic above the staff does the note actually sound at that volume.

Re: dynamic markings

PostPosted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 1:58 am
by Mister HU
I've had this same experience when importing an old Notion 2 score via XML to Notion 3. Dynamics are only noticed by the application if they are above the notes. I remember someone else mentioning this in an early discussion soon after N3's release, too.

Re: dynamic markings

PostPosted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 4:15 pm
by astinov
OK, I think I now understand what you were pointing at. Let me see if this clears it up.

Basically when you import a score, sometimes scores include "merged staffs" as we used to call them in NOTION2. This is where the top voice plays one instrument and the bottom another. It could actually be the same instrument, like Flute 1 and Flute 2 separated on the staff. Then, yes, you would need to indicate which instrument you are using the dynamic for by placing it at the appropriate level. So if you're only seeing Flute 1 (top voice) and there are no notes in the bar for Flute 2, you would still need to place it above.

This should only occur on imported scores.

Hope that helps.

Lubo Astinov

Re: dynamic markings

PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 7:29 am
by Robert Cubbles
astinov wrote: 2. For hairpins - it is very important that the end of the hairpin is attached to the same note as the last dynamic. Otherwise you would get an "open" hairpin which only increases one dynamic.

How then do you make a sustained note with a crescendo to an explicit dynamic, followed by a rest ? Is it a matter of luck, or is there some 'official' way of doing this? In Notion 2 it seemed that you could select the end of the hairpin and place the dynamic there, but it is a bit hit-and-miss.

Re: dynamic markings

PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 3:25 pm
by Mister HU
astinov wrote: Basically when you import a score, sometimes scores include "merged staffs" as we used to call them in NOTION2. This is where the top voice plays one instrument and the bottom another. It could actually be the same instrument, like Flute 1 and Flute 2 separated on the staff. Then, yes, you would need to indicate which instrument you are using the dynamic for by placing it at the appropriate level. So if you're only seeing Flute 1 (top voice) and there are no notes in the bar for Flute 2, you would still need to place it above.


It wasn't my experience that the problem occurred only with merged staffs, FYI. At least I'm 95% certain that's the case.

Re: dynamic markings

PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 4:53 pm
by tombax
Nor was it my experience this occurred with an imported score. But I've only had it happen in on one score and haven't replicated the problem when I've tried to do a test. So I will just see what happens in the future.