Adding a feature to QLC+: how to proceed? (urgent)

[ciacnorris]

Hello.
Sorry for the title, but I didn't know how to call this thread.

I need a feature for a show: I need to be able to fade out audio tracks in an action list when i switch to the next step (be they added to a cue list as a simple audio or inside a collection of scene+audio). I would also need audio progress time to be displayed in minutes and seconds, in the action list progress bar or in another widget.

I saw that these features were requested in the forum years ago but, as far as I know, have never been implemented.

I don't know anything about programming, but my boss said that maybe we could pay somebody to do that and gave me the number of somebody who could do the job. Of course I would like these features to get into the next release of QLC+ 4, so that I (and everybody) will have them for every operating system I use and in every future release. So the question is: how should I proceed? Is there anything particular I should ask the person who is going to do the job? How can share his work with the official QLC+ developer?

I would have arranged a quick phone call with Massimo (I'm Italian too, so it would be easy) but I see he doesn't want to be contacted in any way.

[janosvitok]

The source code is available on github. There you can download it, make any needed modifications until it's working for you.
That's the first part.

Then the second part: sharing. You (or the guy who does the programming) needs to:
- create github account
- fork the repository (i.e. make his own copy on github, see Fork button top right)
- add changes as "git commits"
- create "pull request" (ask Massimo to pull in the changes from the guy to the main repo)
- Massimo will or not merge the changes to repository and later release new version with the changes
- profit

Exact conditions when the changes are acceptable is a question for Massimo himself. The more cleaner they are the higher the chance is.
Problem is that it's a lot more work to create something maintainable that works for everybody than creating something that works for you.

[mcallegari]

Coding guidelines

What's wrong with the current progress bar ? It's just "time left" and not "time elapsed". You don't like it ?
Audio fade out: good luck with that

I would have arranged a quick phone call with Massimo (I'm Italian too, so it would be easy) but I see he doesn't want to be contacted in any way.

As of this...I admit my statement in the website is pretty much a closure (I've written it after a very sad episode caused by an italian guy....for the record)
It basically says: please respect my privacy.
However, you need to consider that I have a full time job, so there's nothing in QLC+ that can be "urgent" for me.
I'm always willing to hear a business proposal, but you need to take into account the above first.

[ciacnorris]

What's wrong with the current progress bar ? It's just "time left" and not "time elapsed". You don't like it ?

As far as I understand, it's the time left to the end of the step of the chaser, which should be adjusted manually to reflect the audio file's duration. This would slow down my workflow (and generate some other issues I won't bother you with).

My workaround for now is to assign the same shortcut (space bar) to "play the current step" of the songs chaser and to "start the chronometer", and another one (N) both to "move to next step" and "reset the chronometer". It's a problem when, for some reason, I have to move to a previous song (it's a different shortcut that won't reset the chronometer), but I can live with it.

The big problem comes now that I have to manage different shows. I have created another page of a frame with all the lights programs, and that's ok. But for the songs it's a problem, because even if the songs chasers are on different pages of the "Music" frame, the spacebar shortcut will activate both.

Once again, I've found a workaround: I have two shows now, and I control the second show's music from a BCF2000, and I was able to assign as a shortcut to "start the chronometer" both the space bar (for the first show) and the BCF2000's key that I'm using to play music, since the widget takes an input both from the keyboard and an external controller.

But now that I'm going to have a third (and more) show to manage, I don't know what to do. The only solution I've been able to think about is to keep just one action list for all the shows and assign the current show's music chaser to it before every show. Hoping that nobody asks me a song from a different show - that could happen.

I'm always willing to hear a business proposal, but you need to take into account the above first.

I don't know anything about programming, but maybe you could give me some clues about what I have to ask to who's doing the job. I think - but maybe I'm wrong - that it's different to say «here's QLC+, how much money do you want to study it from scratch and find what to do for what I need?» instead of «how much money do you want to do X, Y and Z?»

Of course, if there is any chance to pay you to get these things done in a reasonable amount of time, please let me know how to proceed to talk with you.

[Automux]

Maybe I'm missing something from your setup, but why can't you sync QLC with another application like Reaper? With Reaper you can chain multiple audio files together and place in envelopes which could be used to fade out the song and fade in the next one.

[Rvdlinden]

My thought as well! If audio takes on a bigger role in your controls, then maybe it's time to shift the main control from a lighting console to an audio console/DAW. Ableton and Reaper probably the first that come to mind. Both can work very well together with QLC+ through midi channels, from the same laptop/PC.