Handling display time offset is dumb

I have a project that starts 4 beats after the start. Display Bar offset works great. There should be a way to link display time offset to display bar offset so 0 bars is 0 seconds without having to sit there and fiddle with trying to make the time offset correct by trial and error.

Hi,

This happens, if you set it to 0.

I don’t think you understand my issue. If there is an offset in the display bars, then you need to manually adjust the time offset to match the new 0 bars location.

You don’t make it easy with a title like, Handling display time offset is dumb

Are you asking that when you set a Bar number display offset that Cubase calculates where the Minutes:Seconds should place the zero?

Steve, that’s why I added more info in the text.

Yes, that is what I’m asking for.

There should be a way to link display time offset to display bar offset so 0 bars is 0 seconds without having to sit there and fiddle with trying to make the time offset correct by trial and error.

So there should be one of those little link icons for those that want to link the parameters. Then there is the option.

Are talking about this ?

Yes, the second thread is discussing the same issue.

That’s a known issue.
Instead of moving the grid lines so that Zero is on a thick grid line, it keeps the lines where they are and only changes the values. For this reason it shows decimals… which is a huge design flaw.

You can manually put in the time offset like I said above, it’s just that it’s a manual process.

Does the grid move when you do that ? Or does it only change the values for each increment ?

Well it’s definitely doing unexpected things…

I think I figured it out:

Changed Display bar offset to “4”
Set cursor to the new 0 bar
Set timecode to cursor:
-this is where there’s an issue. The time that is displayed in the pop up window needs to be changed to 00:00 and then the seconds will match the beats. I think this field should default to 00:00 because the command is literally called “set timecode to cursor” and the cursor is at 0.0.0.0

No, the seconds grid lines don’t adjust, but the time itself shifts so even though 0 is not on a grid line, it is at the start of bar 0.0.0.0 (which meets my needs)

But the seconds/timecode already follows the bar offset, I mean zero is always at the start of the project, why would you need to set it again ?
The issue is when you try to set the zero anywhere other that the project start. The only workaround for this is to adjust the tempo so that the start of bars lands onto a main grid line on the Seconds grid, that is 5, 10, 15, etc, put the cursor on a bar and only then use Set Timecode at Cursor. This is the only way to have the zero on a grid line and get it displayed right at any zoom level. After this you can change the tempo and zero on the Seconds grid will properly stay.

Edit :
I think I understand what you mean by “the cursor is at 0.0.0.0”. No really, if the Cursor is at let’s say Bar 4, then it is at 4.1.1.0. If it’s at Bar 0, it is at 0.1.1.0. There can’t really be a “zero” with bars and beats.
when opening the Set Timecode at Cursor dialog it displays the current Cursor position (in timecode). That’s why you need to specify your own value, you want Timecode = 0 to be under the Cursor, so you have to set zero as the value. The command is called Set “Timecode” at Cursor, not Set “Zero” at Cursor.

No it doesn’t. That’s the point of this thread.

Sorry for the confusion, I meant it always follows the Project Start.
Anyway we both know what the problem is :wink:

Yeah. I appreciate your threads. They got me to my solution. I didn’t know about the set timecode to cursor thing.