A function in the Play to select steps instead of creating them, as Fill does. This would bring randomization to every parameter in the Play.
What is the problem?
There is currently no way to randomly select steps, allowing the user to decide what parameters they want to randomize.
What do you want to achieve?
Select steps in the same way that the Fill functions (Density, Euclidian). This would allow the user to have steps randomly selected, and then make changes to those selected steps. This would allow the user to apply any events at their choosing randomly.
Randomize and Chance have limited destinations, whereas my scenario would allow randomization to any parameter. Another scenario; imagine if you have a track that is already populated with steps. The user could say, “randomly select steps with a density of 45%”, then with the random selection, the user can choose whatever parameters to apply/adjust.
Thanks for your replies and questions. The request is to randomly select steps on a track with the chance option. The outcome of this would allow the user to randomize any parameter.
Ok, I understand better your wish but I’m still getting lost in the details. Let me try to “reproduce” the workflow you are proposing, to explain where I’m stuck:
Add some steps to a track, optionally with different samples, notes and effects.
Press the wished button to randomly select some steps in the track, based on a chance function i.e. 45%.
Some of the steps randomly selected might be empty. Nothing happens to them, right? Or will they also receive the effects even if they contain no notes?
Some of the steps randomly selected will have multiple parameters each, and different parameters between them.
What happens now? You say
How would this be done? Manually tweaking the knobs of different parameters? Would these parameter changes affect all the steps selected? For instance, if one step has Low-Pass 2, another has None and then the user tweaks the effect to High-Pass 10, would both steps change to High-Pass 10?
(I have the impression that this feature could work in combination with the creation of a new variation. Leave the original track as is and create a new variation with the randomization applied.)
Steps 1 and 2 are exactly as I wish. For step 3, please see my explanation below. Step 4 is accurate as well.
When I say “the user can choose whatever parameters to apply/adjust” I mean that turning any knobs for any of the parameters and now being applied to the random steps that were selected.
Imagine if the user were to close their eyes and while holding the Shift button, selects a couple of steps on a track. Regarding my wish, the way the Play would function would be exactly the same as how the Play currently would function in the “closed eyes” scenario. I hope that makes sense.
I really like the idea of this creating new variations
I actually applied my “closed eyes” scenario yesterday evening in an attempt to simulate what is the closest to what my wish would do, I confirm that there is a lot of value to creating random selections.
Rounding down an imagined 25% “select” density, I pretend that each time 3 random steps get selected.
First 3 steps randomly selected, I lower the bit-rate on that selection.
Hit Fill, 3 more steps get randomly selected, and bring in some delay for those steps.
Hit Fill Again, assign those to some repeats.
Hope you can see how cool this can be, and I feel it’s so aligned to the Play’s generative/chance philosophy.
@Reviewish Thank you for your explanations. I have copy-edited the description a bit to simplify the language and remove the use of first person, following the guidelines for feature requests.
This is exactly what I thought of as well while was working on my last track.
Using the fill feature not only to produce steps but also to program automation and select steps for randomize/chance is such a clever idea. Fill and Randomize should have a beautiful baby!
Still hoping one day this could be a thing despite the low vote count. I do feel that the idea of “random selection” opens up randomization to every parameter possible on the Play/+ which just brings a nice addition of potential.
