VOGC User Manual: Settings

Voice of the GoatCactus

User Manual

Written by D. David "GoatCactus" Cumming


	Part 2: Settings


Part 1: Studio Window	Part 3: License	Part 4: Acknowledgments

Controlling Voice of the GoatCactus's Behavior and Appearance: Studio, Band and Color Settings

When you ask Voice of the GoatCactus to perform any action involving the creation or modification of a band, it bases its actions on the values of the appropriate studio or band settings. By changing the values of these settings, you can influence the kinds of music Voice of the GoatCactus produces. The color schemes of various windows are determined by the value of the window color settings. You can change Voice of the GoatCactus's appearance by changing the values of these settings. You can display and modify the values of all settings via the Settings windows, accessed through the Window menu.

Part 2 Contents

Studio Settings

Band Settings

General Studio and Band Settings

Instrument Studio and Band Settings

Key Signature Studio and Band Settings

Time Signature Studio and Band Settings

Variation Studio and Band Settings

Name Studio Settings

Controlling Voice of the GoatCactus's Appearance: Window Color Settings

Reverting Settings: Preferences Window

Studio Settings

When you ask Voice of the GoatCactus to create a new band, it uses the studio settings as guidelines. There are six kinds of studio settings: general, instrument, key signature, time signature, variation and name, each accessed through its own window. When a studio is created, its settings are assigned default values. To change these default values, use the Make Default button in the appropriate Studio Settings window. The current values shown in that window will be stored in the preferences file and used as defaults whenever a new studio is created. To revert studio settings to their default values, or to revert to the factory presets, use the Preferences window. Note that changing the values of studio settings does not affect existing bands; it only changes the types of bands that will be created within that studio.

Band Settings

When you ask Voice of the GoatCactus to make changes to an existing band, it uses the band settings as guidelines. There are five kinds of band settings: general, instrument, key signature, time signature, and variation, each accessed through its own window. Pressing the Replace button in a Band Settings window will cause Voice of the GoatCactus to choose new values for some or all of the settings shown in that window. The changes it chooses are governed by the current values of the studio settings.

General Studio and Band Settings

The ten general settings are:

Size: bigger numbers mean more musicians.

Tempo: bigger numbers mean faster music.

Pitch: bigger numbers mean higher average pitch.

Pitch Range: bigger numbers mean bigger variations in pitch.

Duration: bigger numbers mean longer notes.

Articulation: bigger numbers mean choppier, less smooth music.

Collaboration: bigger numbers mean more musicians collaborate with each other.

Variety: bigger numbers mean musicians are more inventive: they play a larger variety of tunes.

Persistence: bigger numbers mean musicians have a longer attention span: they stick with one tune longer before switching to another.

Diffusion: bigger numbers mean less cohesive music: more groups of musicians play different tunes.

Each of the ten studio seneral settings has two numbers associated with it: a low limit and a high limit. Each band general setting is a single number, initially bounded by the corresponding studio general setting upper and lower limits. That is, any band created in this studio will be given general settings values bounded by these limits. For example, in Fig. 20, the studio general size limits are 2 and 8, and the band general size value is 5.

To choose a new value in the Studio General Settings window, click and hold on the current value to bring up a menu of possible choices. The choose a new value in the Band General Settings window, just click and drag the appropriate slider.

To have Voice of the GoatCactus choose a new distribution of values for the settings in the Band General Settings window, press the Replace button. The values chosen will be constrained by the current values of the corresponding studio general settings.

When a new studio is created, its studio settings are based on the default values stored in the preferences file. To set those default values to the ones currently shown in the Studio General Settings window, press the Make Default button.

Figure 20: General Settings windows

Instrument Studio and Band Settings

In the Studio and Band General Settings windows (Fig. 21), the left column shows the names of the instrument groups and the right column shows the names of the instruments within the selected group.

When you press the Add or Replace buttons in the Studio window to add musicians to a band, or replace the instruments of existing musicians, Voice of the GoatCactus bases its choice of instruments on the values assigned to the instrument settings for that band. Each instrument group setting has a value in the range 0 to 15, and within the group, each instrument setting has a value in the range 0 to 15. The higher the number, the more likely it is for that group or instrument to be chosen. For example, in Fig. 21, the groups most likely to be chosen are Snare (10), Cymbal (10), Strings (9), Guitar (9), and Chromatic Percussion (6). Within the Chromatic Percussion group, the instruments most likely to be chosen are Tubular Bells (9) and Glockenspiel (4). Groups are chosen before instruments, so if you want an instrument to be used frequently, assign both its group and itself a high rating.

When a band is created, the values chosen for its band instrument settings are constrained by the values of the corresponding studio instrument settings.

In the Studio Instrument Settings window, a value of "-" for a group or instrument indicates that the value of the corresponding band instrument setting is allowed to take on any value between 0 and 15. If the value is a number, then the corresponding band instrument setting must have the same value. For example, in Fig. 21, all bands created within this studio will have values of 0 for the Sound Effects and Drum Kit groups in their band instrument settings.

To choose new values in the Studio and Band Instrument Settings windows, select one or more group or instrument names and bring up a contextual menu by pressing the control key and then clicking and holding the mouse button while the cursor is over the selected names.

To have Voice of the GoatCactus choose a new distribution of values for the groups in the Band Instrument Settings window, press the Replace button under the list of group names. The values chosen will be constrained by the current values of the corresponding studio instrument settings.

To have Voice of the GoatCactus choose a new distribution of values for the instruments within one group in the Band Instrument Settings window, select the group name and then press the Replace button under the list of instrument names. The values chosen will be constrained by the current values of the corresponding studio instrument settings.

When a new studio is created, its studio settings are based on the default values stored in the preferences file. To set those default values to the ones currently shown in the Studio Instrument Settings window, press the Make Default button.

Figure 21: Instrument Settings windows

Key Signature Studio and Band Settings

In the Studio and Band Key Signature Settings windows (Fig. 22), the left column shows the names of the mode groups, the middle column shows the names of the modes within the selected group, and the right column shows the names of the keys.

When you press the Replace button in the Studio window to replace a band's key signature, Voice of the GoatCactus bases its choice on the values assigned to the band key signature settings for that band. Each mode group setting has a value in the range 0 to 1, and within the group, each mode setting has a value in the range 0 to 1. The higher the number, the more likely it is for that group or mode to be chosen. For example, in Fig. 22, the groups most likely to be chosen are Major (1), Melodic Minor (1) and Harmonic Minor (1). Within the Major group, the modes least likely to be chosen are Dorian (0) and Aeolian (0). Groups are chosen before modes, so if you want a mode to be used frequently, assign both its group and itself a high rating. Keys don't belong to groups; they are assigned values in the range 0 to 1.

When a band is created, the values of its band key signature settings chosen are constrained by the values of the corresponding studio key signature settings.

In the Studio Key Signature Settings window, a value of "-" for a group, mode or key indicates that the value of the corresponding band key signature setting is allowed to take on any value between 0 and 1. If the value is a number, then the corresponding band key signature setting must have the same value. For example, in Fig. 22, all bands created within this studio are allowed to have either 0 or 1 for their band key settings.

To choose new values in the Studio and Band Key Signature Settings windows, select one or more group, mode or key names and bring up a contextual menu by pressing the control key and then clicking and holding the mouse button while the cursor is over the selected names.

To have Voice of the GoatCactus choose a new distribution of values for the groups in the Band Key Signature Settings window, press the Replace button under the list of group names. The values chosen will be constrained by the current values of the corresponding studio key signature settings.

To have Voice of the GoatCactus choose a new distribution of values for the modes within one group in the Band Key Signature Settings window, select the group name and then press the Replace button under the list of key signature names. The values chosen will be constrained by the current values of the corresponding studio key signature settings.

To have Voice of the GoatCactus choose a new distribution of values for the keys in the Band Key Signature Settings window, press the Replace button under the list of key names. The values chosen will be constrained by the current values of the corresponding studio key signature settings.

When a new studio is created, its studio settings are based on the default value stored in the preferences file. To set those default values to the ones currently shown in the Studio Key Signature Settings window, press the Make Default button.

Figure 22: Key Signature Settings windows

Time Signature Studio and Band Settings

In the Studio and Band Time Signature Settings windows (Fig. 23), the left column shows the names of the time signature groups and the right column shows the names of the time signatures within the selected group.

When you press the Replace button in the Studio window to replace a band's time signature, Voice of the GoatCactus bases its choice on the values assigned to the band time signature settings for that band. Each group setting has a value in the range 0 to 1, and within the group, each time signature setting has a value in the range 0 to 1. The higher the number, the more likely it is for that group or time signature to be chosen. For example, in Fig. 23, the groups most likely to be chosen are Simple 1 (1) and Simple 2 (1). Within the Simple 1 group, the time signatures least likely to be chosen are 2/2 (0), 2/4 (0) and 2/8 (0). Groups are chosen before time signatures, so if you want a time signature to be used frequently, assign both its group and itself a high rating.

When a band is created, the values of its band time signature settings chosen are constrained by the values of the corresponding studio time signature settings.

In the Studio Time Signature Settings window, a value of "-" for a group or time signature indicates that the value of the corresponding band time signature setting is allowed to take on any value between 0 and 1. If the value is a number, then the corresponding band time signature setting must have the same value. For example, in Fig. 23, all bands created within this studio are allowed to have value of either 0 or 1 for all groups in their band time signature settings.

To choose new values in the Studio and Band Time Signature Settings Windows, select one or more group or time signature names and bring up a contextual menu by pressing the control key and then clicking and holding the mouse button while the cursor is over the selected names.

To have Voice of the GoatCactus choose a new distribution of values for the groups in the Band Time Signature Settings window, press the Replace button under the list of group names. The values chosen will be constrained by the current values of the corresponding studio time signature settings.

To have Voice of the GoatCactus choose a new distribution of values for the time signatures within one group in the Band Time Signature Settings window, select the group name and then press the Replace button under the list of time signature names. The values chosen will be constrained by the current values of the corresponding studio time signature settings.

When a new studio is created, its studio settings are based on the default values stored in the preferences file. To set those default values to the ones currently shown in the Studio Time Signature Settings window, press the Make Default button.

Figure 23: Time Signature Settings windows

Variation Studio and Band Settings

In the Studio and Band Variation Settings windows (Fig. 24), the left column shows the names of the variation groups, and the right column shows the names of the variations within the selected group.

When Voice of the GoatCactus makes a variation of an existing band, it copies the original, and then makes one or more changes to the copy. Each change can be either a major or a minor variation. A minor variation is the equivalent of pressing one of the Replace buttons in the Studio window; a new value for one of the band's properties is chosen, based on the current value of the corresponding band setting. A major variation is the equivalent of choosing a new value for one of the band's settings, then pressing one of the Replace buttons in the Studio window to choose a new value for the band property based on the new value of the band setting. The Number of Variations setting determines the number of times the above procedure is performed on the copy.

Each variation group setting has a value in the range 0 to 15, and within the group, each variation setting has a value in the range 0 to 1. The higher the number, the more likely it is for that group or variation to be chosen. For example, in Fig. 24, the Minor group (6) is twice as likely to be chosen as the Major group (3). Within the Major group, all variations are equally likely to be chosen. Groups are chosen before variations, so if you want a variation to be used frequently, assign both its group and itself a high rating.

When a band is created, the values of its band variation settings chosen are constrained by the values of the corresponding studio variation settings.

In the Studio Variation Settings window, a value of "-" for a group or variation indicates that the value of the corresponding band variation setting is allowed to take on any value between 0 and 15 for a group, and between 0 and 1 for a variation. If the value is a number, then the corresponding band variation setting must have the same value. For example, in Fig. 24, all bands created within this studio will have value 3 for the Major group and 6 for the Minor group in their Band Variation settings. Furthermore, all variations within the Major group will have values of 1.

To choose new values in the Studio and Band Variation Settings Windows, select one or more group or variation names and bring up a contextual menu by pressing the control key and then clicking and holding the mouse button while the cursor is over the selected names.

To have Voice of the GoatCactus choose a new distribution of values for the groups in the Band Variation Settings window, press the Replace button under the list of group names. The values chosen will be constrained by the current values of the corresponding studio variation settings.

To have Voice of the GoatCactus choose a new distribution of values for the variations within one group in the Band Variation Settings window, select the group name and then press the Replace button under the list of variation names. The values chosen will be constrained by the current values of the corresponding studio variation settings.

When a new studio is created, its studio settings are based on the default values stored in the preferences file. To set those default values to the ones currently shown in the Studio Variation Settings window, press the Make Default button.

Figure 24: Variation Settings windows

Name Studio Settings

When bands are created, they're assigned names based on their method of creation. The format of the name is <creation tag><sequence number><time stamp>. The creation tags are controlled by the four Studio Name Settings, accessed through the Studio Name Settings window (Fig. 25). To change a creation tag, just type in the appropriate box.

When a new studio is created, its studio settings are based on the default values stored in the preferences file. To set those default values to the ones currently shown in the Studio Name Settings window, press the Make Default button.

Figure 25: Name Settings window

Controlling Voice of the GoatCactus's Appearance: Window Color Settings

By pressing the buttons in the Window Color Settings window (Fig. 26), you can change the background, text and highlight colors for all Voice of the GoatCactus windows. There are three groups of buttons: Studio Window, Studio Settings Windows and Band Settings Windows. The Studio Window buttons affect the Studio window only. The Studio Settings Windows buttons affect all six Studio Settings windows. The Band Settings Windows buttons affect all five Band Settings windows. Press any Choose button to bring up a color chooser. Press any Replace button to have Voice of the GoatCactus choose a new color for you. Press the Switch buttons to switch the background and text colors, or the highlight and text colors.

Figure 26: Window Color Settings window

Reverting Settings: Preferences Window

There is no undo for changes made to window colors through the Window Color Settings window. However, you can get back to the factory preset colors for one or more groups of windows by pressing the Revert To Factory Presets button in the Revert Window Colors section of the Preferences window (Fig. 27).

There is no undo for changes made to the Studio settings through the Studio Settings windows. However, you can get back to the current default values for one or more Studio Settings windows by pressing the Revert To Defaults button in the Revert Studio Settings section of the Preferences window (Fig. 27). If you'd rather go back to the factory preset values, press the Revert to Factory Presets button in the same section.

Figure 27: Preferences window