Could you have a toggle button for the metronome that will let it be its own clock?
That it can play by itself without the playback running. Sure it’s not hard to make an empty cycle loop but it’s still a little annoying to have to leave what you’re doing if you just want a click track going for a bit. So you would just click the toggle button on the metronome and let it play by itself, for jamming etc.
Or have two metronomes. One is hard linked to the project playback, the other is standalone. It can act independently of the project.
The playback engine has to run anyway, as the metronome is based on the timing/playback. How would you sync it with the project then, once the user hits Play or Record?
You can just hit playback on an empty project (or empty area of the project).
You wouldn’t sync it. The two metronomes would choke each other, like a choke group. Or the toggle button toggles between them. You can’t use the alternate metronome when playback is running.
You have it backwards. In most cases I’m already in the daw but I just want to try something out for a bit. The less clicks and time to open up a metronome, use it and close it again, the better.
But if I’m not using GA at the time…
I still think a second metronome for cubase would be ideal. Another benefit I can think of is having a different metro sound and you can mix and match the sounds. Play both metros at the same time, having the second one with a different preset.
Maybe you have a slow part of your song and fast parts. Have the slow metronome (main) active on the slow and both on the fast. The fast one would have the subdivisions. Maybe a different sound for the bass, using a treble metro sound to cut through, to hear it clearly. A duller sound for treble patterns, so it’s not too annoying.
Yes but you could set up your preset for both metronomes and use one click or hotkey to toggle them.
You could click to toggle enable the main metro. Ctrl click on it to toggle to the alternate metro instead. Or Shift click to enable both of them. There could be a button/hotkey to toggle the sync of the alternate metro. Unsynced it would be standalone. You could play it by itself, independent of project playback. You could have basic kick,hat,snare click track loops on it, or custom samples.
People are suggesting third party metronome apps because they agree with a standalone metronome, but I’m just saying build it into the daw so it’s a little easier.
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I’m thinking of a visual feature for the metronome/s too. Maybe I should add this to the op request.
It would visually blink for you. You could turn the blink on/off, or it could just blink and have no sound, just visual blinking. You could customize how the blink looks. Or you could make the play header needle (cursor) blink. Linked to the alternate metro (not the grid snap). Or even make the piano roll grid blink, or both.
It is a good metronome and it is very dated. All of PG music stuff is flakey, but I have had few problems withiit. The ultimate accompaniment player is PG’s Band in a box.
Just type in a few chords, choose one of 5000 styles and play… much more, but for practice of runs and also full blown song in 3 minutes it’s the best. It’s nearly all live recordings with real musician FEEL. I use it every day for 30 years. More than Cubase. It’s quick, ready and authentic. I might commonly loop a bar or two.
It IS a Rolls Royce product, with great instal support, but it is also very Windows 95 in it’s code base. It can be a VST, but I have learnt not to push it too far as it is as wobbly as a raft on a rapid if pushed. Practice though, it works and is ideal. It’s pricey.
Z