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List of bugs and feature requests for Orchids

Orchids
#1

Dear all,

After 6 months since the release of Orchids, we would like to gather all the (positive and negative) feedback regarding the software. This would help us in fixing potential bugs but also know the most wanted requests and features that should be implemented next in the software. We are setting to release an upgrade patch to the next version at the end of the summer. Hence, we will receive any form of input and then try to sort it into a list of desiderata that can be included in the next release.

All the best,
Philippe

#2

Dear Philippe,
as I already stated elsewhere, it would be of primary importance to have a new feature that allows SDIF import in Orchids. That will be a major improvement for the software.
All the best,
Francesco

#3

Hi!

  • a score export function (score with playing styles --> *.ly / *.xml ) that -on the user side- doesn’t depend on the use of bach would be fine for non-MAX/bach users like me :slight_smile:

  • a function that exports a plain-text log-file containing all the parameters in use for a specific solution would also be really helpful

Regards
/phil

#4

Hi,
At this moment, my most immediate request would be what Phil mentioned, but not necessarily in any specific format.

It would be really great to export the playing styles information.

Also, when there are solutions which are in real close proximity to each other either in the maquette or in the solutions window, sometimes it is quite hard to discern what the technique is (if the filename option is checked) - because the texts are too close to each other. A solution would be to have the option to check and see each note’s filename on its own by clicking, or hovering over it.

Sometimes, I need the filename to be shown, because certain sounds such as “wah-open-closed”, or glissandi information is not given in the blue colored playing styles indication.

Thanks !!

Best,
-Eren.

#5

Another much awaited feature would be the possibility to import (with a simple drag and drop) entire folders of samples that Orchids would automatically rename to get them readable for its database searching. That would be maybe one of the best improvements for Orchids
Best,
Francesco

#6

Merci pour Orchids Philippe & équipe.

Feature requests:

  1. a good manual that tells the user step-by-step what to do, so as to go beyond listing Orchid’s (mathematician-friendly) parameters and support those whom, as the manual says: ‘feel kind of lost inside the plethora of parameters’ (p6). I am happy to help write such a manual. :slight_smile:

  2. A ‘primary sweep’ function, where Orchids does a quick-scan analysis of the sound and then either recommends, or better still, sets its own parameters, to perform the most appropriate kind of subsequent analysis. This would remove a lot of the guess-work involved. I appreciate that one has to use it, to know how to use it.

  3. The ‘Analysing’ wheel (top right) could be replaced with an analysis progress bar, so that users can see at what rate the analysis is advancing (if at all) and can know ahead of time how long there is to wait.

François.

#7

First of all, congratulations for developing Orchids.

My major request would be to have the possibility of using a MIDI file as input, or to be able to work with OpenMusic’s chord-seq, multi-seq or poly objects. Orchids would then sort out orchestrations.

MusicXML export, as mentioned before would be VERY DESIRABLE. :slight_smile:

All best,
Gonçalo

#8

Hi,
I answer as a member of ircam involved in using and spreading the use of Orchids!

@gato :
in a simple MIDI file, or OM instance, there is pitch, dynamics and rhytmic information, but no information for Orchestration.
Orchids is not intended to orchestrate a sequence like this, but rather to generate a collection of sequences from the analysis of 1 sound, kind of spectral-music-like.

The MIDI file/OM instance, or even a SDIF file (as @francesco suggested), a bach instance, or even a Music XML would be interesting to import to replace the analysis and force the pitches somehow.

MusicXML is easy to export from the “Maquette” Panel of orchids, since MusicXML corresponds to quantified music data.

@francesco, we are currently working on this folder import feature. Expanding the database is a crucial point of the use of Orchids.

@phonocopiste : when you talk about the ‘primary-sweep’ function, would you be satisfied with presets :wink:
For the analysis progress bar, I think the analysis are generally quite fast, hence no need to put a progression. Did you want to mention the Orchestration status percentage?

For the export issues, MIDI export and MusicXML are in my experience very well usable - without using the ircam or ircam-related stuff. Still, in my opinion, working with Orchids and bach hand-in-hand is a very efficient solution.

See more at the ircam forum in Paris in November!

Best,
Grégoire

#9

Dear Grégoire,

Thanks for the reply. Well, MusicXML is already implemented, I forgot! I meant the ability to export in MusicXML an orchestration of a MIDI file or OM object. Sorry for not making this clear.

Regarding using an OM object into Orchids, there is a very rudimentary way of doing it — using PM2’s additive synthesis — but it does not work very well. Of course, this line of orchestration is not connected to ‘spectral music’ in particular: it is more general. But for me, personally, I tend to work the spectral analysis or any other kind of music material generation (through algorithms) and process it inside OM. So the bottleneck is the final orchestration, which would benefit from an automated procedure.

Anyway, Orchids is already an excellent tool. Looking forward to the next version!
Gonçalo

#10

Cheers everyone,

Gonçalo, Grégoire, If I understood you correctly, I think you can achieve what you both mention using Bach, by importing the Midi/SDIF/OM file in Bach using a bach.roll and copy-pasting it to Orchids, since Orchids’ “partials” track (in the main menu) is a bach.roll if I remember correctly.

Hope this helps.

All the best,
António

#11

I think something really useful would be to export Orchids to an OpenMusic object, to load it directly in OM as an ENHANCED-VOICE object or something like that.

Actually, something like Gonçalo said is exactly what would be great: being able to work with OpenMusic’s chord-seq, multi-seq, poly or voice objects, and let Orchids sort out orchestrations. And then, return that data into another OM object. That would be an incredible improvement to help with the creative process.

Cheers,
Alberto.

#12

A feature request here: A umenu in the Orchestra section to select WHICH instruments can be transposed freely to a microtonal grid / transposed only to semitones / don’t transpose. So that one could orchestrate for, say, violin / accordion / and clarinet multiphonics in the same orchestra…

#13

This seems obvious but I have not heard anyone else mention it! I really wish there was better viewing options in this program, especially in the sections where you work with an actual musical score (solutions/maquette). Working with a large orchestral ensemble and it is nearly impossible to see the score’s content! Full screen, expanding the window, zoom in, zoom out etc. would save a work of time.
–Miles

#14

1/ In Maquette, the message “Clear” only clears the proportional or quantized view; it would be nice to have a “Clear All”
2/ It would be useful to save and open a whole project with all the settings loaded in each tab.
3/ a larger/resizable display would be great, it’s impossible to read an orchestra score on this tiny window
4/ In “Analysis” the autopilot button makes Orchids crash (using OSX 10.11)

#15

Hi all,

First I have to congratulate the team that made Orchids possible, one of my dreamt tools since I started to compose many years ago.

However, I have recently downloaded the new version of Orchids installer, mounted the .DMG file and copied the application Orchids 0.9.2 to the Applications folder, as indicated in the instructions.

First abnormal behavior, the launching of the application creates many .MXO files in my Application folder, quite a messy start. I had to create a folder in Applications and move everything inside. I also noticed that the folder ~/Library/Application Support/Orchids 0.9.2 Preferences/ has not been created.

Secondly, once the Orchids is launched and ‘ready’, all the icons ‘+’, ‘-’ and freeze are missing. Therefore I can’t edit the orchestra size or freeze any parameter.

Could someone tell me what could be wrong? Thanks in advance for any clue.

I am running a MacBook Pro 2011 and an iMac both with OS El Capitan 10.11.6. and having the same exact bug on both.

Best,

Daniel