Hello,
here’s a feature request that is inspired by Musescores Real-time (manual) note input mode: You can assign a (midi)key (e.g.footpedal or low key on the midikeyboard) to this mode before you start (and you also specify the shortest note you are going to play), and then you tap the beat with this midikey, while entering the notes. So in hard passages you tap slow and in easy passages you tap fast. This would solve the following:
- It’s sometimes quite hard to estimate the tempo at which you can play the piece you want to input. Especially if it’s a longer one
- In most cases, real time midi recording as implemented today is fine. In some cases though where the music accelerates and slows down quite often, you either have problems playing the fast passages (if you set tempo high) or lose time playing the slow passages (if you set tempo low)
- A very personal thing, would be interested if there are others thinking the same: Using real time recording with the metronome feels a bit “merciless” to me, like I’m feeling the pressure to play correctly (pitch) and accurately (note length), whereas with tapping you feel in control and pretty relaxed I guess.
Would love to hear what others think about that.
Best regards
Stephan
We are certainly interested in ways to improve the ability to record in a more flexible and less constrained way in the future.
There’s also (currently) the option in Dorico to temporarily slow the tempo down for playback/recording without affecting the “actual” notated tempo via “Fixed Tempo Mode”. I use this to enter MIDI in real-time more slowly, after which I can then immediately get things back to the way they were on playback.
Since Paul mentioned wanting to find ways to improve the ability to record more flexibly, etc., I did also want to reiterate that it would be immensely helpful to have the equivalent of a “Low Latency Mode” button in Dorico, similar to what they have in Logic. When pressed in Logic, this taxes the CPU less by disabling any plug-ins that would negatively impact latency. While the resulting mix is temporarily affected while the button is pressed and you’re recording, the end result is that you can record in real-time using the actual sounds you’re recording into, without any noticeable latency (and then afterwards you can turn the button off to hear your mix levels properly again, etc. and latency is no longer a problem since you’re just doing playback at that point).
Right now the only way I’ve found to reliably do the equivalent in Dorico is to turn off MIDI-thru and have any sounds I’m recording be played back through a separately opened piano sound from outside Dorico (others have suggested using a keyboard that has it’s own built-in sound). But the obvious disadvantage is that you’re not actually hearing the instrument you’re recording, as you play back, which is definitely NOT ideal (so again just my “two cents” recommendation for “Low Latency Mode” 
)…
Hello,
The idea presented by Asacius is pretty nice! Dorico needs some improvements in the area of real-time recording.
Here are few others needed improvements:
- Would be nice if Dorico is able to recognize both hand playing, even the left one moves about the separation point (key 60).
(this is Overture 5 inspired, but Sibelius has some similar function).
- Still isn’t very easy to get properly looking notes after real-time recording, even if you are following the click correctly.
this needs to be refined, after all we aren’t robots, and most of us are not piano virtuosos. (in this area Overture 5 gives the most
correct score output)
- Dorico needs more serious Quantization/Humanization tool, similar to the one in Cubase. The current one doesn’t work
well in combination with the real-time recording.
- It’s not a must, but would be nice if Dorico is able to automatically create bars during the real-time recording.
The real-time recording is the main input method of the people who are also DAW users, because gives life to the playback.
The upcoming integration between Dorico and Cubase will require all this major improvements to this input method.
Best regards,
Thurisaz