Metronome

Command Location: Tools Menu / MIDI Options / Metronome Tab

The Metronome tab allows you to activate/deactivate the Metronome and contains the ‘Rules for Metronome Use’.  The current Metronome settings are displayed on the tab and the ‘Choose Instrument’ button provides a link to the Metronome Instrument dialog.

Note that these metronome rules may be overridden by Practice Session metronome settings, or Recording session metronome options.

Use MIDI Metronome This check box activates/deactivates the MIDI Metronome subject to the rules contained within the ‘Rules for Metronome Use’ section of the tab. (See Rules for Metronome Use below).
Use Speaking Metronome When the Metronome is active and the Speaking Metronome is enabled, the metronome will count the beats out loud using a human voice instead of the Metronome Instrument.  This is especially useful when learning rhythm.

The counting voice files are stored in the following location:

<USER>\Documents\Rallentando Software\MidiIllustrator Maestro 3\Resources\Sounds\Metronome\Voice

You may overwrite these files with recordings of your own but we recommend first backing up the original wave files.

Rules for Metronome Use There are two rules associated with the Metronome:
  • Use Metronome throughout playback of score,
  • Metronome Intro Bars

and one associated with the Metronome Light:

  • Flash on beat for: [ ] ms

Note:  The ‘Use MIDI Metronome’ check box must be checked or the metronome will make no sound, regardless of how you configure the metronome rules.

Use Metronome Throughout Playback of Score

This check box allows you to choose whether or not to have the Metronome ticking at all times during playback.

Flash on beat for: [ ] ms

The Metronome Light (M. Light) flashes in time with each beat of the music to give you a visual representation of the time signature of the piece, and different shades of color are used to identify the Accented Beat and the Normal Beat.

The ‘flash on beat for’ drop down box allows you to set the length of time in milliseconds (‘ms’) that the colors used in the M. Light are displayed for (or flashed) on each beat of the music. You can choose from as little as 10ms to as much as 500ms.

To prevent any flashing, and instead see just the solid colors, set a flash time of 0.

For more information about the M. Light, see the Metronome Light section of the View Menu.

Metronome Intro Bars

 

Metronome Intro Bars are metronome beats that play before playback of the piece commences, and are a useful way of familiarising yourself with the rhythm of a passage.

The type of Metronome Intro is selected using two drop down boxes.

The first Metronome Intro Bar drop down box contains the following options:

  • No Intro
  • 1 Bar
  • 2 Bars
  • 3 Bars
  • 4 Bars
  • 2 Beats (the shortest intro)

.. when starting:

and the second drop down box has the following options:

  • at beginning of piece
  • at beginning of a measure
  • at beginning of a beat
  • anywhere

You may, for example, decide that when you are starting playback from the beginning of the piece, you would like the metronome to start playing one bar before the start of playback. If you wanted the metronome to play throughout the piece, as well as playing an introduction, you would also have to tick the Use Metronome throughout playback of score check box. If this is left unchecked, the metronome will only play the introduction.

Choose Instrument Opens the Metronome Instrument dialog.