Better enforcement of rests

Let us know which features you'd like to see added to Playground Sessions.
andrewwegierski
Posts: 783
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 4:37 pm

Re: Better enforcement of rests

Post by andrewwegierski » Mon Jun 04, 2018 2:42 pm

Thomas, I would argue that it depends on the tune.

In some contexts, playing over a rest would be wrong - maybe a fast song with a bunch of short note values, very articulate and punchy....

However, in a slow expressive song, it's up to the performer to judge some of the phrasing, durations, etc.

Bottom line is, I understand that the way we handle rests is not ideal, but it is currently just a limitation of the platform. We're planning to undergo a major upgrade within a year or two with major changes to lots of our shortcomings with notation. Like David said, I'm not just blowing smoke when I say that. I spoke to Thomas (PG Thomas) today and this upgrade has been in the works for a while.

Best,
Andrew
Andrew Wegierski

Customer Support Representative
Music Arranger

support@playgroundsessions.com

thowa
Posts: 29
Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2018 4:05 am

Re: Better enforcement of rests

Post by thowa » Sun Jun 17, 2018 3:00 am

Thanks for the update and considering the suggestion.
Just posted alsehwere a response to you saying "We don't have any app updates coming up" - I guess your info here regarding a major overhaul in the works rests that case.

andrewwegierski
Posts: 783
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 4:37 pm

Re: Better enforcement of rests

Post by andrewwegierski » Mon Jun 18, 2018 11:54 am

It depends on what time frame we're talking about.

I'll be transparent and admit that desktop app updates won't be ready in the near future.

About the long term goals, I'm not allowed to discuss any details about it, but it's good to know, for you, the user, that we aren't complacent with the app right now, and we're always thinking about long-term goals. Again, the time table is around a couple years.
Andrew Wegierski

Customer Support Representative
Music Arranger

support@playgroundsessions.com

Laurensss
Posts: 105
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2017 5:20 am

Re: Better enforcement of rests

Post by Laurensss » Thu Jun 21, 2018 3:31 am

Years. That is not great news I must say.

I really question the wisdom of bringing a fourth platform on-line while paying users of your three existing platforms are still waiting for (sometimes very old) issues to be resolved. Some of the circumstances causing the latter are beyond anyone's control, but this is clearly also caused by focus choices on the part of PGS.

Monitoring of note length is not some optional nice to have. And the issue is not just, as I have seen it remarked here, that "playing over rests" doesn't carry any penalty, "releasing keys too quickly" also does not. Note length is an essential aspect of playing a melody and mechanism of counting and constructing a piece that is not trained at all (unless one encounters a measure boundary). I have also seen a remark that handling of rests is part of the creative process and open to interpretation, but that goes for the starting point of notes (which ís enforced), as well so in that case why are we measuring anything at all.

I, with my lifetime sub, really worry how you will keep this app moving forward while juggling four platforms, with the new one extremely heterogeneous in terms of hard-and software combinations. The latter multiplexed with the number of options on the music hardware side, will result in a huge matrix of set-ups and related support issues that I hope you can avoid swallowing you whole.

An update horizon of "years" for what many see as essential functionality is very disappointing. Hopefully this is just you being on the extreme conservative side to avoid any more broken promises.

andrewwegierski
Posts: 783
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 4:37 pm

Re: Better enforcement of rests

Post by andrewwegierski » Thu Jun 21, 2018 10:33 am

Laurensss,

First, let me say, I completely understand where you're coming from.

It's a tricky subject to talk about, but let me be clear. In no way are we waiting to fix those essential issues. I can assure you that developers are working on functionality of the app everyday, and we're working on managing the platforms to the best of our ability. We're confident that we will be able to handle the related support issues. While small issues can be dealt with in a short time span, bigger ones do take time and it is a process. Yes, I'm on the conservative side as part of my job is to bring life back to the forums and avoid any unmet promises. Something like the rests is extremely complicated from the programming side, and it also relates to other functionality issues behind the app. I can assure you that the way we're tackling it is not a temporary, quick fix. That's why we're taking the time to invest in a long term plan. I'm confident that it will yield great results for the app in the future, not just for the enforcement of rests, but an overall better musical experience. The bottom line is, yes, we are taking action on these problems, and that action takes time, unfortunately.

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to talk more with you.

Best,
Andrew
Andrew Wegierski

Customer Support Representative
Music Arranger

support@playgroundsessions.com

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