IWBNI in situations where rests are written automatically, it were possible to specify how silent beats, partially silent beats and silent measures should be filled with rests. This would apply to the following functions: Hyperscribe, Transcribe, Retranscribe, Implode Music, Fill With Rests, Import MIDI File, and copying and pasting partial measure regions.

This feature could be implemented by adding a button called Rests to the More Quantization Settings dialog box. This button would display a new dialog box called Rests that could have the following options:

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Rests Dialog Box

Silent Beats in a Measure
[ ] Fill silent beats with rests according to the beat durations of the time signature
  ( ) Triple and compound meter measures only (3/4, 6/8, etc.)
  ( ) All measures
[ ] Allow dotted rests to fill a silent beat

Partially Silent Beats
6/8 time (and 3/8, 9/8, 12/8, etc.)
  Silent Beginning of Beat
    ( ) 1/8th rest - 1/8th rest - 1/8th note
    ( ) 1/4 rest - 1/8th note
  Silent Ending of Beat
    ( ) 1/8th note - 1/8th rest - 1/8th rest
    ( ) 1/8th note - 1/4 rest
[ ] Allow dotted rests to complete a beat

Silent Measures
[ ] Fill all silent measures with rests according to beat durations of the time signature
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Regarding these options:

• Silent Beats in a Measure.

When Fill silent beats with rests according to the beat durations of the time signature and Triple and compound meter measures only are selected, two quarter-note rests would be used in place of a half-note rest in 3/4 time. One could select All measures for music that is rhythmically complex (e.g. music with frequent changes in meters and many composite meters) where there is an advantage to placing a rest on every silent beat of a measure.
 
• Partially Silent Beats.

Various combinations of the options for 6/8 time would result in the following:

Silent Beginning of Beat: 1/4 rest - 1/8th note
Silent Ending of Beat: 1/8th note - 1/8th rest - 1/8th rest


Silent Beginning of Beat: 1/8th rest - 1/8th rest - 1/8th note
Silent Ending of Beat: 1/8th note - 1/8th rest - 1/8th rest


Silent Beginning of Beat: 1/4 rest - 1/8th note
Silent Ending of Beat: 1/8th note - 1/4 rest

• Silent Measures.

Again, in rhythmically complex music there is are advantages to eliminating the use of the whole rest entirely.

Finally, a new mass mover function called Re-Rest to Time Signature (analogous to rebeam to time signature) could be added to allow one to have rests placed in some way that is different from the time signature of a bar. Using this function, one could specify a time signature and select options in a Rests dialog box.

Created: October 29, 1999
Last Updated: January 6, 1999 (based on a submission from Michael Cook)
Version: Finale 2000b