Going back to the original topic, might a modification of the swing function be useful? I haven’t tried using it previously, but just now I’m finding ‘light swing’ too heavy, and also too even. A range within which random values apply could shake things up a bit. One can set up pretty fine-tuned randomization in Cubase’s logical editor, for comparison.
You can edit the swing values now, or create your own custom swing. Just click the Edit box next to the Default Rhythmic Feel.
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Thanks Fred. I found this already and it helps, but it doesn’t do anything to randomize. Maybe I just need to write better tunes 
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That’s not a complete groove track the full length of the flow.
I’m speaking of a complete grove track, where it’s possible to have custom grooves, for each and every beat, all the way through the piece.
Much of the time you might just go with a straight one or two bar groove that repeats, but…an actual groove track has the potential to be the full length of the flow.
Obviously some sort of randomization for each individual player would be great here, but I think part of the issue specific to swing is that there is a common misperception of what swing actually is, and how players swing. It certainly isn’t just playing eighths as triplets. Here are a couple bars using the “Light swing 8ths” preset:
That’s pretty terrible (as you already pointed out) as the rhythmic feel is so artificial and corny, and it’s missing all the phrasing that a player will naturally do, but doesn’t want to see in the part. If I write in the phrasing, but use the “Straight (no swing)” rhythmic feel, I get this:
That’s completely straight, but with the correct phrasing almost swings more than the swing version. Now if I add just a touch of swing to that version I get:
It’s still obviously a computer, but at least sounds a little better rhythmically. There aren’t any settings in Dorico to control offbeat stress, which would really help with a swing feel. Options like offbeat stress, separate default durations for eighths on the beat vs off the beat, etc would all go a long way to helping get more convincing swing playback.
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Mhm, so have you edited the settings shown in the screen you posted previously, or are the examples made using the defaults?
All defaults except for the last one, which had this:
The 2nd and 3rd examples had typical bebop phrasing written in the score, which decent players will do automatically and will not want to read.
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Thanks for that, Fred.
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