Advanced options

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This dialog covers a number of options relating to the way TablEdit performs certain background operations. It also covers certain aspects of the way TablEdit's working environment appears on your screen.

Auto-load last open File

If this option is selected, TablEdit will automatically re-load and open the file that was open when you last exited the program.

U.S. Standard Units

This option allows you to use 1/10ths of an inch (1" = 2.54 cm) rather than millimeters as the basic unit for your page layout.

Ledger lines in notation

In order to provide a cleaner interface, TablEdit no longer displays the dotted, grey lines intended to facilitate note entry outside the musical stave by default. If you wish these lines to be displayed selecting this option will do the trick. The result, although less esthetic, can be useful when entering notes directly in the stave.

Simulate Human Playing

This introduces slight, random time lags and volume changes in an effort to simulate natural variations in live performance.

Reset to last used Directory

If this option is selected, TablEdit will automatically use the directory of the last file opened using {File}{Open...} prior to shutdown as the current directory the next time the program is launched.

TablEdit handles four directory types simultaneously:

*.tef files for opening
*.tef files for saving
MIDI files
ASCII and ABC files

Rollover help

Selecting this option activates the "rollover" help function. This is available for each button in the palettes (each key in the case of the "keyboard" palette), the icons in the tool bar and various other symbols in the tablature. Placing the mouse pointer on any of these will call up a text bubble identifying its function.

Extend Bends/Slides

Some sound cards don't support pitch bends greater than two semi-tones. This is why TablEdit, by default, doesn't generate bends and slides of greater amplitudes than this. Selecting "Extend Bends/Slides" allows those with more advanced sound cards to produce true 1>7 slides and bends of two full tones or more. When exporting MIDI files, it is nevertheless recommended that you deactivate this function as there's no guarantee that the sound card of those listening to it can handle this correctly.

Variable Stem Length in notation

Objectively speaking, the ability to display and print variable stem length in the musical stave is an improvement compared to earlier versions where stems were all the same length. You may choose which of these two possibilities you prefer.

Save/Load Configuration with Files

This option allows all of the display, printing and header/footer parameters to be saved along with the *.tef file.

Conversely, if this option is active, when you open a *tef file containing such configuration parameters these will replace the basic settings you've made in TablEdit. An asterisk displayed beside the TablEdit version number in the "Title Information" indicates that the currently loaded *.tef file contains such parameters.

When several files are open at once in several windows, these configuration changes are applied to the active window and those not containing configured files.

First MIDI Instrument privileged

When this mode is active, TablEdit uses a MIDI channel for each string of the first module which has not previously been defined as a Mono channel (See Instrument>Module).

This allows the management of simultaneous pitch-bends on several strings and gives more depth and realism to the audio playback.

In addition, when exported to a MIDI file, each string of the "privileged instrument" occupies a MIDI channel of its own. This makes it a simple means of exporting MIDI files which can later be re-imported into TablEdit or, perhaps, another application without losing the fingerings of the original tablature. The RTMF format offers even more advantages from this point of view.

Note to programmers: MIDI files making use of this option are flagged with a 0x10 MIDI event at the beginning of each track. For a guitar using standard tuning (EADGBE), the high E string occupies channel 0, the B string channel 1, etc...

Rewind when playback completed

Causes the tablature to be "rewound" to the first measure when MIDI playback is interrupted after having reached the end of the tablature.

Print Colored Notes

This option allows the display of notes in separate colors for each string in the notation. When selecting this option, a dialogue is opened which allows you to set the specific colors to be used.

Ad-Tab for Left Hand Fingerings

This allows fret numbers to be displayed and printed out in a different form and or color depending on the left-hand fingering specified for each note.

 

Capo Doesn't Impact Notation

Normally, the virtual capo is taken into account when displaying notes in the classical stave. This often leads to the necessity of changing the key signature in order to avoid excessive accidental alterations in the stave. This option tells TablEdit to ignore the virtual capo when calculating note pitch. For example, a piece played using basic C shapes but played with a capo on the 7th fret is, technically, written in the key of F. The problem, of course, is that its practically impossible to actually play from these notes as each note has to be recalculated individually. The option does not, however, affect the audio pitch of MIDI playback which will continue to take the assigned capo into account.

Playback cursor as Metronome

This option forces the playback cursor to advance a full beat at a time rather than hitting every note.

Playback cursor latency

This option allows you to correct for the offset (latency) between the cursor display and MIDI playback caused by the MIDI drivers supplied with certain sound cards. The correction value is expressed in 10ths of a second. If, for instance, you should discover that, at a tempo of 120 BPM, the playback cursor gets about a 1/4 note ahead of the playback, you would use a setting of 5 (10ths of a second) to correct the offset. Some experimentation may be necessary to find the exact setting needed for your own, particular, sound card/software setup.

Other...

This link allows you to set several specific options which are also accessible as keyboard shortcuts:

Visualinear Tablature
Numeric Musical Notation
Wind Instrument Tablature
Corgeron System for Accordion Tab
Display Note Names instead of Fret Numbers
Always Full Stems in Tablature
Hide pp notes in Tablature
Hide pp notes in Notation
Banjo 5th String Capo Impacts Notation
Fret Nmbers Inside Chord Diagrams
Dead Notes as Numbers
Dead Notes as Xs

The pre-defined selections in the "Special Instrument Name Prefix" drop-down list (Dulcimer, Fiddle, Autoharp, Arab, All-Key) allow you to assign the module a name which will cause a specific tablature display irregardless of the selected tuning (see Special instruments).