Improvements for Fine Tune Timings

Scripture App Builder SAB Feature Requests
#1

Here are some feature requests related to tasks I’ve been doing using Fine Tune Timings in SAB:
(I’ve copied these from where I had them burried in a different post.)

  1. It would be nice if the fine tune audio HTML was localized for the table headers: Label, Phrase, Start time, Move Back, Move Forward and especially the button at the bottom that says: Save Changes to timing file.

  2. This could possibly be done if the fine tune timings part of SAB would use the SAB Translations.txt file from String Translations. Just add a few fields for the labels above. Yes, you’d want to be able to select the language for the HTML timing files, that might be English if being outsourced to Mission Assist in UK, or a national language (French/Spanish) or possibly in the local language if the team is doing the timing files themselves.

  3. I’ve synchronized timings for a few books (a few dozen chapters) and I’d find it helpful if the current time was shown in the top bar, just above the start time for the next phrase . Currently the time (moment in the audio) is only in the audio bar at the bottom of the HTML. I say this because I find myself constantly looking between the current time (at the bottom) and the time of the next phrase is scheduled to start (at the top). I keep the current phrase at the top of the screen so that keeps me always looking top to bottom, and takes extra time (and coordination).

  4. It would be nice for SAB to export a batch of timing HTML files and also make a copy of the audio files automatically in a sub folder to easily be shared. Think about language projects where they will get external help with the fine tune audio timing files.

  5. An additional feature might be if the button to save changes to timing file would store the txt in the same location as the HTML. Saving in the same folder, or a Timing files sub-folder would just be easier for collaborative team work. Maybe a button could be added on the on the Fine Tune Timings HTML to open up file location of HTML which would make it easy to find and send the HTML, and also easy for the collaborator to find their newly saved timing TXT file to send back to the person creating the apps.

  6. Some keyboard short cuts might be helpful when using the Fine Tune Timings and maybe quicker than mouse movements. For example, I notice that if I’ve already pressed play (with the mouse) then the space bar will pause the audio. But if I click on a new phrase (to skip the end of a long verse) then the audio starts on that new phrase but the space now moves me page down rather than pausing. And a third option is if I click on the - or + to adjust the timing (the main purpose of this HTML) then the space does neither page down or pause.
    I’ve wondered if one could find keyboard shortcuts for the --, -, + and ++ but there are so many of those on the page it might be complicated to make it apply only to the phrase that is highlighted in yellow. Possibly the keyboard shortcuts would be something like this if they would apply only to the highlighted phrase:
    A - move start earlier by 1 second
    S - move start earlier by 0.1 seconds
    D - move start later by 0.1 seconds
    F - move start later by 1 second
    W - play previous phrase
    E - skip to next phrase (allows to quickly check a chapter that is already mostly good)
    The use of left hand keyboard shortcuts would allow a user to have their right hand as a backup tool on the mouse. I think these keyboard shortcuts coule just help save time.

Fine Tuning of Audio Files
Seeking ways to outsource Fine Tune Audio Timings with COVID-19
#2

He’re one more item:
7. Add a button to bring the start of the line to the current location in the audio. For example, if I just played Mark 1:5c and paused the audio, if I click on the on a button left of 6a then 6a would now start at the current moment of the audio playback. Not sure the best short description of the button, but it would “align this phrase start at current moment of audio playback”.
The reason I think this would be helpful is that in many languages the words forward, backward, in front, behind are all abstract, and when training people to fine tune audio files I’ve noticed that my team tends to understand the opposite and end up pressing the wrong buttons for – , -, +, ++. Also when the timing gets way off, it’s not always easy to tell if it needs to move forward or backwards. So with a “Align” button you could simply play the previous phrase then hit the pause button where the next phrase needs to be highlighted. Someone could also quickly fine tune the timing files by simply listening to an entire audio and click on the align button left of each new line as it needs to be highlighted. The align button would move the start of the audio forward or backward as needed to align with the timing of the current audio playback.

#3

@mcquayi and @richard is the the location where I’m supposed to post feature requests? I’ve typed up all my current ideas, but don’t know if I’ve put too many ideas in one message. They are all related to the Fine Tune Timings interface.

#4

Thank you, Andy, for these feature requests. Yes, posting them here like you have done is good.

#5

Here is one more item to add to this list to perfect the Fine Tune Timings HTML:

Eliminate duplicated texts when a subtitle splits a verse:
This example in Genesis 2:4 where part of verse 4 is before the s1 title and the rest comes after. The text from Paratext as well as the MP3 audio only include the line underlined in red, before the colon it should be 4a then after the s1 subtitle 4b should only include the text that comes after the colon:

SAB%20Genesis%202%20timing%20issue
SAB Genesis 2 timing issue.JPG1642×690 133 KB

Here is one other example from Acts 9:19 (also split with one phrase before the subtitle and one phrase after the subtitle):
SAB%20timing%20problem%20verses%20split%20by%20s1%20titles
SAB timing problem verses split by s1 titles.JPG1873×1088 200 KB

In this second example I’ve drawn a red line through the text that should not be visible in the HTML. I’ve highlighted in yellow the parts of the verse that should show up in the HTML. For some reason it doesn’t see it at 19a and 19b, only all of 19, duplicated before and after the subtitle.

Note that in both cases that text is not actually duplicated before and after the s1 title. Also this appears to only be an issue in the Fine Tune Timings because when the apps are created there is no duplicated text, and the subtitles do show correctly. It’s just confusing for those who are trying to fine tune the timing files.

1 Like
#6

@richard It’s great to see these improvements already in the SAB 7.2, from July 9 - great fast work. I see the dev team kept my idea of ASDF for navigation, but replaced WE with P,N - which is logical for previous and next . The reason I had proposed W and E is their position directly above ASDF, and the idea of moving left (previous) and right (next). But having the letters P,N has it’s advantages as well. I guess the logic could be explained that the left hand (ASDF) is for adjusting the timing, where the right hand P,N moves the playback location within the larger text.