Questions and Answers
Click on a title below to display information in relation to the subject area in question. Entries for specific subject areas may be opened individually, or all at once and then closed independently or together.
In addition, multiple separate entries may remain open and can be closed individually.
Accessibility
General questions (Expand|Collapse).How do I get around this Website?
The website is designed using responsive code, which means display is possible on any device or browser that supports modern code. The following navigation modes are possible:
- Desktop: Navigation Bar, current sub-page(s) indicated in yellow
- Mobile: Drop Down Menu, with link to Home Page of website
- Landing Pages: Sidebar Menu equivalent to In Page links (shown on both Desktop and Mobile pages), referencing pages under the current Landing Page (Mobile only)
- Content Pages: sub-page links to Media Pages below Landing Page level
- Breadcrumbs: Media Page links to Landing Page level
- Link Bar: Parallel access to Content Pages
- Vertical Navigation: Up and Down arrows to go to top and bottom of any page respectively
Are accessibility considerations taken into account?
The site is designed with accessibility in mind, to the extent that development decisions are not made against intrinsic design principles incorporating semantic structure, insofar as navigation is concerned. Some elements such as buttons are dropped from the TAB order, such that only links are preserved.
Facilities such as Subtitles are available for Audio and Video pages, with the latter using inbuilt browser captions, where technology is used to emulate vocals. In addition, Stanza indicators may be enabled at any time using the Verse button.
What web browser should I be using?
For the best experience, our website should be viewed with an up-to-date (desktop) version of Mozilla Firefox, otherwise the latest versions of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge (Chromium) or Android can be used. Safari (OSX) or iOS can also be used, however media may not work fully or at all in these browsers, or on these systems.
The site appears different from last time, is there a problem?
This is most likely due to out-of-date data in your web cache, please clear your browser history and the site should be restored or else open an "Incognito" or Private Tab in your browser.
The fonts look really bad, is this deliberate?
Maybe you are using Google Chrome, which is made for speed and hence why, font rendering is secondary to fast layout.
What if I lose my internet connection?
If your internet connection becomes unreliable or drops out, you may be taken to our Offline page.
Are there any visual indications available, as to where I currently am in the website?
In general, links for the current page will be yellow, for navigation in relation to the directory in which a page is located.
What about links to outside content.
Links to outside content are included to provide additional information, in relation to concepts or ideas expressed or referenced, within this site, as well as details in relation to creative processes.
Some internal links open in a new page and some don't, so why?
Some pages, such as Material and sub-pages, will open links in a new tab, which is to assist with navigation in relation to song contexts
What Controls are available for this site?
- There are "Back to Top" and "Down to Bottom" buttons on each page, that are shown when navigating individual web pages.
- Toggling the Space Bar will open Gallery and Media pages in Full Screen, the modes of which can be accessed manually by clicking on Maximise and Minimise buttons. Pressing Escape will allow Up and Down arrows to be used for scrolling, in the situation where scrollbars are unavailable.
Note: Not all devices support Full Screen mode.
Privacy
Questions regarding privacy (Expand|Collapse).Does this website use cookies?
How is my personal information handled?
Session Storage is used to cache data in the Contact form, which is deleted once a Browser Tab or Window is closed, or when a form submission is complete.
Will the site ask for my location?
No.
Does the site, use push notifications?
No.
Security
Questions regarding security (Expand|Collapse).Is this website secure?
This website uses HTTPS for internet communication, which means all traffic is encrypted, using end-to-end encryption to ensure that 3rd parties cannot read or interpret information either submitted or received by a browser conforming to the HTTP3 specification. Insecure HTTP responses are redirected to HTTPS, using HSTS and as such they cannot be intercepted.
Mobile
Mobile specific (Expand|Collapse).Is there any way to adjust the Screen Orientation on a Mobile Device?
The Screen Orientation can be changed between Landscape and Portrait modes by tapping on the button adjacent to the Menu drop down on a mobile or tablet device that is rendering in mobile view. In addition buttons to lock Screen Orientation are available via a pop-over that can be shown by tapping on the Diamond at the bottom of the screen.
Media
Media files, including Mixes and Videos (Expand|Collapse).Is there a way to select which media I want to listen to on the one page?
Are there any tips for watching or listening to Media?
- The date a file was last updated will be displayed above the Media Player, along with the duration a file will play for, once a file has been downloaded and is ready to be played.
- The download progress will be shown as a percentage of the cached file, prior to the file becoming available.
- Depending on network conditions, a Media file may only be partially downloaded and as such the duration will not reflect actual song-length, however in modern browsers, data is converted to a File Blob and as such it may be available on subsequent page views.
- A caption will appear for Media files in addition to the duration, once the file has been prepared for viewing, that gives instructions on how to handle Media.
A song has ended abruptly, what should I do?
Network conditions, as well as the amount of memory available to the browser will dictate the amount of data that can be downloaded or buffered via a single page request. Partial requests may be alleviated by refreshing the page. Browsers may show when data is being downloaded however if it seems a while has passed and no change has occurred in the web page, i.e. the duration or a percentage is not shown, try stopping the page and refreshing.
I listened to or watched a Media file, but when I returned the file didn't download, how come?
All files downloaded from the website other than via a Browser Helper, are converted to a File Blob, which is segmented according to network conditions. To rectify the situation, refresh or reload the browser.
A Service Worker may also be in effect, depending on how up-to-date your browser is, and as such; media may be available, even when you are offline.
What Shortcuts are available for the Media and Manuscript Players?
In relation to Media such as Audio and Video, Access Keys have been defined via browser shortcuts.
Access Keys:- ALT + SHIFT + p "Play/Pause"
- ALT + SHIFT + m "Mute"
- ALT + SHIFT + s "Stop"
- ALT + SHIFT + r "Replay"
- ALT + SHIFT + u "Subtitles"
Chapters have been implemented using top row keys on a typical (American) desktop keyboard, however consistency around some keys may be questionable:
Chapter Markers:- ALT + SHIFT + ` "Introduction"
- ALT + SHIFT + 1 "First Stanza"
- ALT + SHIFT + 2 "Second Stanza"
- ALT + SHIFT + 3 "Third Stanza"
- ALT + SHIFT + 4 "Fourth Stanza"
- ALT + SHIFT + 5 "Fifth Stanza"
- ALT + SHIFT + 6 "Sixth Stanza"
- ALT + SHIFT + 7 "Seventh Stanza"
- ALT + SHIFT + 8 "Eighth Stanza"
- ALT + SHIFT + 9 "Ninth Stanza"
- ALT + SHIFT + 0 "Tenth Stanza"
- ALT + SHIFT + - "Eleventh Stanza"
- ALT + SHIFT + = "Twelfth Stanza"
Additional commands have been implemented for the Video player, that allow for example, showing or hiding Media such that a song can be heard as audio only, whereby video content is ignored.
Additional Commands:- ALT + SHIFT + v "Visibility"
- ALT + SHIFT + c "Captions"
Keyboard combinations will vary across browsers, for example, ALT + SHIFT works on Firefox, whereas Google Chrome uses ALT alone. Also, Screen Reader software will ignore key commands set by a web page that are reserved for Screen Reader applications.
What Controls are available for the Media Players?
Please note the following points:
- To start viewing or listening to a Media file, click or tap on the Play button and playback will commence; provided the Media has downloaded, which is indicated when the duration of the file is shown. Pausing of Media can also be attained via the Play button, with indications as to the Media state shown in the web page timeline
- Sound can be muted or un-muted; in addition a volume control is also available, to decrease or increase the sound level via Left and Right arrow keys, which are set at specified increments
- Stop will return the media to zero minutes and seconds
- Replay can be used to watch or listen to Media again
- End, will stop playback and return media to the beginning
- Equalisation Controls are available that allow bass, mid-range and treble frequencies to be cut or boosted, for clarity or else to improve the frequency response of a given system
I would like to alter the tonal response of program material, is this possible?
The frequency or tonal response of songs can be changed via bass, mid-range and treble controls; which are initially set to 100% and can be altered using sliders located below media players in audio and video pages. Values can be reset by double clicking on the Range Slider control.
Are Stanzas available for the Media Players?
Chapters are included to allow for playback of specific song sections or Stanzas, which may be invoked by clicking on the song section in question. In addition, the timeline for a song page is clickable or may be dragged to a desired point in a piece of music, in order to commence playback at a specified point in a song.
Mixes
Stereo Mixes specific (Expand|Collapse).What audio equipment should I have?
Windows systems use ASIO drivers for audio interfaces and software, or else MME can be used. Core Audio on Apple systems supports audio interfaces directly.
How do I use the looper pages?
The Looper pages may be used to loop over sections of a song, for practicing with voice(s) and allow specific sections to be looped over indefinitely.
To set loop points, an audio file must first be downloaded and subsequently played; therefore once a file is playing, looping can be enabled by checking the Checkbox, located within the Control Panel section of the Looper page, and then setting loop points using from and to times, as specified in the body of each song page.
Values must be entered in Seconds and Milliseconds, e.g., a value of 00:01:27.307 would be entered as 87.307, i.e., 87 seconds and 307 milliseconds.
Loops
Stereo Loops specific (Expand|Collapse).I am clicking Play but nothing happens
You must wait for the duration to be shown before you can press play.
Lyrics
Lyrical Content (Expand|Collapse).Are Lyrics available as a single page?
Lyrics for all songs are available as single pages, in PDF (Portable Document Format) Files, via a sub directory under each lyric page, otherwise WebVTT (Video Text Track) files are can be downloaded, and may be used for Audio and Video playback.
Are Subtitles available for Media files such as Audio, Vocal and Video, if so how do I view them?
Click on the Subtitles drop-down list, to select or deselect Subtitles for the current song page. In addition, Subtitles (Captions) are also available for each line in Video pages, using the Captions Button (when enabled) located within Video Pages.
The Subtitles seem to be out of time with the music, is there a reason for this?
Video files may be combined with Web VTT (Video Text Track) files, i.e. by using a dedicated video playback application; to provide subtitling, which may offer more accurate results than a browser.
Notation
Notated music (Expand|Collapse).Can I obtain music in notated form, as some kind of Manuscript file?
Notation is available in XML format, ala MusicXML, although a proprietary format is used in production.
What shortcuts are available for the Notation players?
In relation to the Manuscript player, Access Keys have been defined via browser shortcuts.
Access Keys:- ALT + SHIFT + c "Count in"
- ALT + SHIFT + p "Play"
- ALT + SHIFT + s "Stop"
- ALT + SHIFT + m "Metronome"
- ALT + SHIFT + t "Tracks"
- ALT + SHIFT + v "Speed"
Some words are shown in the Bass Clef or not all all, what?
JavaScript interpreters are used to display and playback musical notation derived from MIDI files, which does not define voicing for individual notes and as such proprietary files must be edited manually.
Staves
Notation player (Expand|Collapse).Can I alter the playback Speed of the notation?
Playback speed can be changed in decrements of 10% down to 50% of the original playback speed via the Speed button or by using the "v" access key.
The Manuscript Player shows notes being played later than they are sounding, why?
Calculations made in relation to the available pixels on the screen, will differ when the browser window size changes whilst a song is playing; therefore playback must be commenced only after a page has loaded, or restarted when using full screen mode.
Some beats in the Bass Clef appear to come before those in the Treble Clef, what is the reason?
Music Notation files may playback differently to that which is displayed, since conversion from MIDI to MusicXML may encounter quantisation errors.
Tablature
Tablature player (Expand|Collapse).Is more than one Track available for the Notation Player?
Multiple tracks are only available in Tablature pages, as Guitar Tablature files, which can be accessed via the Tracks button or by using the "t" access key.
The Tracklist for the Tablature page has disappeared, how so?
The Tracklist uses a "sticky" position, which is operable only within the boundary where the notation file is displayed.
I tried to open the Tracklist and Speed menus at the same time but they appear mangled.
Transparency is used so that it possible to move a menu to where another is currently stationed, which can be fixed by hovering over the menu in question and waiting for the arrowhead cursor to appear.
Vocals
Vocal synthesis (Expand|Collapse).The voice(s) sound really weird, who did this?
The voices for most songs use phonemes, to reproduce vocal tones, which are computer generated.
Are real voices used for any of the material on the website?
No, only synthesised vocals are used.
Scrolls
Subtitles (Expand|Collapse).Can I view subtitles as a karaoke file?
Only if subtitles have been edited to support multiple lines at once.
Multitracks
Multitrack Audio (Expand|Collapse).How do I listen, interact or download Multitrack files?
Multitrack files can be heard by pressing the play button at the bottom of the screen.
The browser will synchronise playback of files, however if not all files (or any) are playing, this means that not all content has downloaded and playback must be stopped and then recommenced.
Adjustments can be made such as relative volume, muting and equalisation, as well as effects on selected tracks. Individual musical sections can be accessed by clicking on the title for each section.
Soloing of sections can be performed however Multitrack pages are designed in the first instance to allow only one section to be heard at once. To hear multiple sections together it is necessary to set the volume at just over half way, which can be accomplished by double clicking on the volume slider for each section.
If you would like to download files for use in your own software, to allow for greater control over sound and instrumentation; a download link is available at the bottom of each Multitrack song page, with additional higher quality files available via Cloud Storage.
I'd like to hear an Instrument or Group of instruments on their own, how can I do this?
It is possible to mute unneeded sounds or else Solo groups of instruments. If the volume of a particular Group is set to be greater than 0.5, then soloing another group will not effect the status of the particular Group in question.
Moveover, double-clicking on a Range Slider handle will in most cases reset a value to default, or else in the situation where a group should not be silenced; then setting of the volume to 0.51 will occur.
How to I reset the volume for an Instrument or Group?
Clicking on the Unmute control for an Instrument or Group, will reset volume to the default value.
How do I reset the volumes of all Instruments or Groups?
Clicking on the Reset button in the Transport section will reset all volumes to their default values.
I am panning a track to one side and yet I still hear it on the other side, why is this occuring?
A combination library functions and Web Audio is used to deliver multitrack playback, which means that in some cases audio is routed to a destination twice.
I can see references to equalisers and effects, but I do not know how to use them.
Click on one of the double arrows to open various sections of the console, including equalisation and effects such as compression and distortion.
Video
Video Media (Expand|Collapse).I hear sound for a Video but there are no images, what's going on?
As vocals are computerised, a file may be available that does not have any still images or else video material available and hence is provided as is.
I navigated to a Video page, yet no Media is visible, really?
Some Video pages may contain only wave file (audio) media, since no pictures have been included; thus while sound quality is otherwise better, nothing can be seen hence the Video container is minimised.
The viewable area for the video disappeared after the file downloaded, I don't understand.
Although some pages contain videos, not all pages under the Video subdirectory actually contain Video Media, since while droid vocals are used in all Video pages, nonetheless some media may not be accompanied by images or else use a common video format.
Masters
Master Mixes (Expand|Collapse).What is a Master Mix?
A Master Mix, is a final stereo mixdown of individual multitrack stems, whereby the stereo mix used for the master has had no across the board enhancement used, other than standard compression.
Statistics
Song Statistics (Expand|Collapse).What are song statistics, all about?
Basic information, including Key and Time signatures.
Recording
Recording and capture (Expand|Collapse).Can I use my own voice to sing along, as Karaoke style music?
Multitrack pages can be "sung" along with (when enabled), providing a microphone and sound device is present on the system (laptop sound devices will likely exhibit some latency).
Can I record my own Audio?
It is possible to record your own audio, and upload it to the server (when enabled), via the Audio Recorder page, provided you have a microphone.
Access Keys:- ALT + SHIFT + r "Record"
- ALT + SHIFT + p "Play"
Can I record my Screen and Audio, at the same time?
It is possible to record your own screen (when enabled), along with real time audio and download or upload, via the Screen Capture page, providing you have a microphone and supported browser.
Can I record my own Video?
It is possible to record your own video (when enabled), and download or upload, via the Video Recorder page, providing you have a webcam and microphone.
Access Keys:- ALT + SHIFT + e "Enable Web Camera"
- ALT + SHIFT + r "Start Recording Video"
- ALT + SHIFT + s "Stop Recording Video"
- ALT + SHIFT + p "Playback Video"
- ALT + SHIFT + d "Download Video File"
- ALT + SHIFT u "Upload Video File"
- ALT + SHIFT + o "Disable Web Camera"
How do I play back Media I have recorded?
Media you have uploaded will appear on the Player page.
Access Keys:- ALT + SHIFT + p "Play"
- ALT + SHIFT + m "Mute"
- ALT + SHIFT + s "Stop"
- ALT + SHIFT + r "Replay
I see "NaN!" after a file has downloaded, what does this mean?
Some formats, such as .webm are not recognised correctly by some browsers such as Google Chrome, in terms of establishing their duration.
Downloads
Downloads and archive media (Expand|Collapse).I'm getting a 404 error, yet a download link appears to be available.
Mulltitrack file(s) are periodically deleted as newer versions become available. Either clear the browser cache or when refreshing the web page (Chrome) left-click and hold the mouse button on Refresh in order to "Empty Cache and Hard Reload" or else in Firefox use CTRL + Click on Refresh to re-open the page in a new tab.
How can I use Subtitles in my own DAW program, without having to buy any software?
In the Information section at the bottom of Download Pages, there may be a link to download a video file with Hard Coded subtitles.
Galleries
Image Galleries (Expand|Collapse).Are there any tips for viewing the Galleries?
Please allow some time for images to load before attempting to navigate a gallery.
What Controls are available for the Galleries?
Please note the following points:
- If you are using a Desktop browser, you may be able to use keyboard navigation in addition to controls available on the page, such as Enter and Arrow Keys
Contact
Contact information (Expand|Collapse).How long do you take to respond to Contact requests?
Responses normally take less than 48 hours for enquiries submitted via the Contact form. Alternatively, an Email can be delivered or otherwise call made or else SMS sent to 0426 864 046 should you wish to contribute to any content or offer feedback on the website.
What do the coloured borders mean for form fields?
The following applies to the Contact Form:
- Red indicates a Required field
- Yellow indicates an Optional field
- Orange indicates a field has Focus, however will also indicate incorrect data has been entered in an Optional field
What happens to personal information used in Contact Form submissions?
If your internet connection becomes unavailable during a form submission, information entered in the Contact form is retained; including when navigating to other pages but data is deleted once the form is submitted.
If the Browser History is cleared, information may be retained temporarily in this instance but may be cleared by deleting the browser cache.
Information entered but not submitted can be removed immediately by pressing the Reset button.
Content sharing (Expand|Collapse).
How do I Bookmark this Website or a page?
You can add the site or page as a Favourite or Bookmark, via a Browser. Some devices will also allow a shortcut to be saved onto the Home Screen of your mobile device or tablet.
How do I share content in this Website?
There is a horizontally centred diamond at the bottom of each page, that can be tapped or clicked, which has a share button however sharing currently only works in Chromium based browsers.
Is there an app for this website?
There is no app for the website but some pages allow installation of a Progressive Web Application (PWA), that installs a shortcut on the home screen of modern phones and tablets.
How do I install a Progressive Web Application (PWA)?
An installation button will appear at the bottom of the page after such time has elapsed, once a web page has been opened, which can be clicked so that an installation prompt appears, otherwise installation is available via the Browsers' main menu.
Please note that app installation via a dedicated button is only available in desktop Chromium based Browsers.
I installed a page as an application, yet it takes me to the home page instead, how ridiculous!
Progressive Web Applications are a new feature of the web and may not work as intended since there is currently no agreed standard.