Visualize distance / closeness to a key when pitch shifting.

[RJ Skerry-Ryan]

Right now we just snap to the nearest key when pitch adjusting. We should give some feedback on how far you are between the keys.

[Nicu Badescu (badescunicu)]

I want to give this a try. Can you give me some further details? I don't fully understand what I'm supposed to do.

Thank you!

[jus (jus)]

The `visual_key` widget displays the current musical key of the loaded track after pitch shifting. But you down know, how far you are away from the estimated (`original`) musical `key` of the track.

I understand, that the goal is to simply translate the `visual_key` <-> `key` distance and print a value between -12 and + 12 to a widget. The value represents, how many semitones you are away from the original musical key of the loaded track.
Western style music is divided into 12 equally spaced semitones (1 semitone=100 cent).

Some programs allow you to adjust the key in fines steps ( in the cent range, see above), but in Mixxx the `pitch` control allows to changes the key in 12 steps down to an octave lower, and in 12 steps up to an octave higher.

E.g. if a track is in the key of `C`, a `key_distance` widget could translate to:

  C Db D Eb E F Gb G Ab A Bb B C Db D Eb E F Gb G Ab A Bb B C
-12|-11|-10|-09|-08|-07|-06|-05|-04|-03|-02|-01|+-0|+01|+02|+03|+04|+05|+06|+07|+08|+09|+10|+11|+12

[jus (jus)]

Sorry, my nice example is misaligned.
Hope it is useful though. Base C is supposed to be +-0, lower C=-12, higher C=+12

Lauchpad formatting is just awful...

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

Hi Jus, what is the use case for your idea of a key distance widgets?

For me, an slightly different display would be more useful.

If you have an C track in deck 1 and a key shifted track to C in deck 2, you have not indicator other then you ears when the shifted track is at full C.

For now we assume that all tracks are recorded at a full key with a standard concert pitch at A440. So it would be possible to add a distance display in cents to the key value like
C (+13 ¢)
This way you you are sure that you are not off tune if you pitch the track to a displayed value of
C (±0 ¢)

For reference see the discussion in https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/pull/47

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

Hi Nicu,

do you make progress in this? Do you need help?
For me this is essential for the harmonic mixing use case.
Maybe this can slip to 1.12 if we have a solution soon.

Thank you,

Daniel

[Nicu Badescu (badescunicu)]

Hello Daniel,

I am very sorry for taking so long on this. I've been busy with the GSoC proposal for Cover Art Support recently.
If you give me one more week I promise I'll do my best to implement this feature.

I took a look on the code, I've found the part responsible for the visual_key, but I can't find a way to visualize it on the skin.
Is there a preference I should activate?

Thanks for your patience,
Nicu Badescu

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

Hi Nico,

I am not sure where you get stucked exactly. Yo might want to do a pull request, This way we can discuss you changes even if they are unfinished.

What is the way you try to solve it? Will it be part of the
https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/blob/master/src/widget/wkey.cpp

You find a skin featuring the key widget here:
https://github.com/mixxxdj/developer_skins/blob/master/Deere1366x768-WXGA-master-sync-key/skin.xml

Just clone the whole repository to your res folder and start Mixxx with
./mixxx --resourceParth res --developer

[Nicu Badescu (badescunicu)]

I've managed to use the developer skins and see the visual key widget.

I have also read through this pull request (https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/pull/47) and
implementing this feature is harder than it appears.

Is this a good starting point? The KeyUtils::scaleKeyOctaves method?
https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/blob/master/src/track/keyutils.cpp#L236

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

Yes! It is.

[Nicu Badescu (badescunicu)]

Fix commited. See https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/pull/215 for reference.

[Swiftb0y (swiftb0y)]

Mixxx now uses GitHub for bug tracking. This bug has been migrated to:
https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/issues/7215