[PD] messy situations: writesf~ feature request

[info at hansroels.be]

Hello,

I think it's a problem that in 'messy' situations you don't have 
feedback from writesf~ to know/see that the recording is happening. With 
'messy' I mean situations where you aren't fully concentrated on 
recording, for example: simultaneously performing on stage and making a 
multichannel recording, moderating a meeting and at the same time 
recording it. I have noticed that after some of these messy situations, 
I didn't have a recording or a channel was missing/silent. I tested 
writesf~ and here are some observations:

A) if you send a [stop( message to writesf~ after [open( the recording 
doesn't start but there is no error message (in the main Pd window); 
next, if you send [start( there is an error message and no recording.
B) if you send [start( -and thus start the recording-, next switch off 
the DSP, switch it on again, the recording automatically continues (from 
the moment the DSP has been switched on again). No error message is printed.
C) if during a recording, the DSP is switched off and the patch -with 
writesf~- is also closed, the recording stops of course but no panic: 
the recorded file is OK and available to be read. No error message is 
printed.
D) If you send a second [start( message during the recording, an error 
message is printed but in fact the recording continues without any problems.

E) If you send [open(, next  [start( when the DSP is off, the recording 
doesn't start but no error message is printed. Next, when you switch on 
the DSP, the recording automatically starts.

F) If the signal connection going to writesf~ is broken, the recording 
starts without an error message, but the recorded file will be useless: 
it only has zeroes.

G) If no signal at all is connected to writesf~ it still records 
(zeroes) if the DSP is on. No error message or warning is printed.

B) & C) & E) are great ! I think D) & A) are a bit strange and in 
situation F) & G) it would be better that the recording wouldn't start 
or at least give some kind of error or warning message).

So here is my  feature request:

 1. writesf~ has an output which displays if the recording is happening.
 2. writesf~ doesn't record or outputs a 'no input' warning message when
    the (upstream) signal leading to writesf~ is broken or missing

Hans


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.puredata.info/pipermail/pd-list/attachments/20210309/bb0c78fd/attachment-0001.htm>