Metrostein Machine

This is a final project for CS 349: Developing Multimedia Applications at James Madison University. Most of this projects features were directly inspired by the functionality of the Tonal Energy Tuner app, one of the most popular practice apps among musicians.

Requirements

• Must have a sound card that supports 16-bit .wav files.
• Must be running in a folder with the multimedia2 API.
• Must have Java JDK installed.

Functionality and Usage

Click at regular intervals based on beats per minute (bpm).

• Pressing the "Start" button will activate the metronome.
• Pressing the same button (now "Stop") will turn it off.

Adjust tempo either through typing, inrementing/decrementing, or tapping the desired tempo.

• In the text field above the start button, a tempo between 1-500 bpm can be input.
• The buttons below the "Start" button (-/+) will increment or decrement the tempo by 1 bpm.
• The "Tap" button after being clicked 3 times will detect the tempo of the last 3-5 presses.
  • After 2 seconds it resets its timer, so tempi below 30 bpm are not supported by Tap.

Choose time signatures from 1/4 - 16/4.

• In the dropdown above the beat buttons on the right side, you can select a time signature.
• Only time signatures over 4 (eg. 4/4, 3/4, 16/4) are supported.
  • It supports 1/4 to 16/4.
• Functionality of meters over 8 or 16 can be simulated by adjusting the tempo and accent marks.
  • Example: You want a 6/8 (3+3) pattern at dotted quarter note = 100 bpm.
    1. set the time signature to 6/4.
    2. set the tempo to 300 bpm (100 * 3).
    3. Change the accents to occur on beats 1 and 4.

Set the click type for each beat in the measure to accented, normal, or none

• All of the beat numbers on the right side function as buttons.
• Click each beat to cycle through ACCENT, NORMAL, and OFF.
• The first beat of each measure will always have a stronger accent when it is on ACCENT mode.

Set subdivisions

• Supported subdivisions:
  • Eigth notes
  • Triplets
  • Sixteenth notes
  • Quintuplets
• Choose a subdivision from the selector under the beat buttons on the right side.

Set the tempo based on ratios

• On the left side, there are buttons which display tempos in relation to the current one.
• Supported ratios:
  • Eigth note (2x)
  • Dotted Quarter note (1.5x)
  • Half note (0.5x)

Known Bugs

• The internal timer uses milliseconds which causes the following problems.
  • It can be playing ~0.3 bpm away from the tempo that it is actually displaying.
  • Very fast subdivisions can be innacurate and sound like they're tripping over themselves.
• The metronome could lag behind depending on how busy the computer running it is. It is not unusual for it to have the occasional stutter.
• While switching tempo, time signature, and subdivisions works while the metronome is running, it can take a few seconds for it to catch up.
  • Subdivisions, when changed while the metronome is running, will take exactly two beats to line up properly.
  • The subdivision will click at the same time as the "Start" button click if that subdivision was already in effect in the last run.
• Every click creates a Dameon thread. I don't know why and I don't know what the consequences are.
• Maybe not a bug, but an oversight. Using the eigth and half button, a user can set the tempo as high as they want or all the way down to 0 bypassing the normal limitations of 1-500.
  • Changing the tempo in each of these boxes ideally should set the quarter note tempo to that respecitve ratio. That's just not implemented.