infinite loop check box in sliced cues

338 views
Skip to first unread message

micpool

unread,
Aug 19, 2013, 11:04:04 AM8/19/13
to ql...@googlegroups.com
In V3 is there any reason why the infinite loop check box has to  disappear in sliced cues.

There is at least one case where it would be useful to have multiple single loop slices, but for the cue as a whole to infinitely repeat.

Imagine a cue which needs to loop until a devamp, when a coda will play.

The devamp needs to happen within 1 bar  but a 1 bar loop is too repetitive.

If a 4 bar loop could be sliced into 1 bar lengths, with repeat values of 1 (with the coda in a separate cue after a devamp cue) then, if the sliced cue could repeat infinitely  the 4 bar loop would repeat but the revamp could exit the loop and fire the coda cue at the end of the bar currently playing when the devamp fires.

Or is there a better way of doing this?

Mic


Christopher Ashworth

unread,
Aug 19, 2013, 2:00:27 PM8/19/13
to ql...@googlegroups.com

On Aug 19, 2013, at 11:04 AM, micpool <m...@micpool.com> wrote:

> In V3 is there any reason why the infinite loop check box has to disappear in sliced cues.

The primary reason is that the underlying engine doesn't currently have a mechanism to repeat the slices from the top of the file. However, that may be possible to add. I'll add an issue to our tracker.

-C

Joshua Langman

unread,
Aug 19, 2013, 2:40:09 PM8/19/13
to ql...@googlegroups.com
I would actually vote against this. While I understand how this could occasionally be useful, I like the clarity of a file having EITHER a global play count OR slices. I think allowing both could get quite confusing.

micpool

unread,
Aug 19, 2013, 4:15:47 PM8/19/13
to ql...@googlegroups.com
One of the hopes for many theatre sound designers was that the slice features in Qlab3 would allow many situations where to do complex vamping they were running Qlab2 and Ableton Lve together to be done within Qlab. The example I gave in the OP is a fairly common music vamping requirement.  Sometimes the slices will be on every beat. e.g

Dee Daa Dum Bum (4 beat Arpeggio sliced by beat and  looping)
BAAAAM  (Final Beat can be triggered on any beat and stops arpeggio)

Very easy to do in Ableton and could be as easy in Qlab3 allowing Ableton to be dispensed with, for this requirement.

Mic

Dominic Bilkey

unread,
Aug 19, 2013, 5:28:46 PM8/19/13
to ql...@googlegroups.com, ql...@googlegroups.com
Without any major detail I agree with Mic on this one. 

The majority of situations where we reach for ableton are not that complicated and features like this would help us dispense of it. 

Dom
--
--
Change your preferences or unsubscribe here:
http://groups.google.com/group/qlab
 
Follow Figure 53 on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Figure53
 
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "QLab" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to qlab+uns...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.

Lesley Greene

unread,
Jul 23, 2015, 11:20:05 AM7/23/15
to QLab, ch...@figure53.com
Is this something that has been addressed? I'd like to do exactly what's described above--create a bunch of slices in a cue for a devamp cue to follow, but have the entire cue loop until the devamp is called.

Thanks!

Lesley Greene

unread,
Jul 23, 2015, 11:22:28 AM7/23/15
to QLab, ch...@figure53.com
Sorry if this is a repost...

I was wondering if this idea has been implemented. I'd like to do exactly what was described by micpool - break a cue into a number of slices with a devamp cue following, but loop the cue infinitely until the devamp is called.

Thanks,
Lesley


On Monday, August 19, 2013 at 2:00:27 PM UTC-4, Chris Ashworth wrote:

Chris Ashworth

unread,
Jul 23, 2015, 11:22:57 AM7/23/15
to QLab, Lesley Greene
Hi Lesley,

No, it has not changed.  An alternate method to restart the cue is required.

Chris Ashworth

unread,
Jul 23, 2015, 12:33:53 PM7/23/15
to Lesley Greene, ql...@googlegroups.com
In this case you’re looking for the start cue — as of version 3 the go to cue only moves the playhead.

The trick with the start cue is that it won’t restart the cue unless it’s fully complete, and the computer clock (which drives the cue logic) and the audio device clock (which drives the audio engine which defines if the audio cue is done playing) will be slightly off from each other, meaning that to be sure it restarts you’ll need a short delay.

Another technique to minimize the delay is to use two cues, and then restart the first after the second runs, thereby always having one cue loaded and ready to play.

Note that QLab does not guarantee gapless playback between cues, though, so if perfectly gapless playback is necessary when looping to the top of the file this may not work.



On July 23, 2015 at 11:24:52 AM, Lesley Greene (les...@kitchentheatre.org) wrote:

Like a GoTo? 

Lesley Greene

unread,
Jul 23, 2015, 12:37:21 PM7/23/15
to Chris Ashworth, ql...@googlegroups.com
Ok, thanks!
--
Lesley Greene, Associate Producer & Director of Marketing
Kitchen Theatre Company | 417 W. State / W. MLK Jr. Street
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 429, Ithaca, NY 14851
Phone: (607) 272-0403 | Email: les...@kitchentheatre.org
_______________________________________________________________________
"Important conversations happen in the Kitchen."
Join us for our 2015-16 season - subscriptions and single tickets on sale now!
Find us on Facebook and Twitter


micpool

unread,
Jul 25, 2015, 6:21:53 PM7/25/15
to QLab, ch...@figure53.com, les...@kitchentheatre.org
There is a way that guarantees a clean perfect  loop but allows a devamp on any beat. This gives the gapless playback that the start cue method cannot guarantee.

e.g the example I used 2 years ago which was the four beat arpeggio with a devamp to the coda note

Dee Daa Dum Bum (4 beat   looping)
BAAAAM  (Final Beat can be triggered on any beat and stops arpeggio)

The trick is  to run a silent loop 1 beat in length, in a fire all cue alongside the four beat loop and use that loop to devamp to a fire all group containing the coda note and a 0s fade and stop of the arpeggio group cue.

Mic

micpool

unread,
Jul 25, 2015, 6:50:04 PM7/25/15
to QLab, ch...@figure53.com, les...@kitchentheatre.org, m...@micpool.com
Demo workspace attached

Mic
DeeDaDumBumBAM.zip

Arshan Gailus

unread,
Aug 11, 2015, 1:42:23 PM8/11/15
to QLab, ch...@figure53.com, les...@kitchentheatre.org, m...@micpool.com
Is adding the ability to loop entire sliced audio cues in the pipeline?  I'd been meaning to submit a feature request when I came across this thread.

In the past, I've set things up like what Mic suggested with a dummy cue tracking beats, but this will only work for something with perfectly steady tempo (and, for that matter evenly spaced sync points).

The work around of re-triggering the cue could handle arbitrary slices, but it wouldn't allow any changed levels to propagate from one loop to the next.

Long story short: I for one would use the ability to loop entire sliced audio files all the time if it were there.  The various work arounds are great for certain cases, but built in looping like this would open up a lot of new uses for slices and de-vamping.

-Arshan
Demo workspace attached

Mic
Ok, thanks!
Phone: (607) 272-0403 | Email: lesley@kitchentheatre.org
_______________________________________________________________________
"Important conversations happen in the Kitchen."
Join us for our 2015-16 season - subscriptions and single tickets on sale now!
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages