Creating a Virtual Instrument with Qt

SGaist · wrote on 6 Jan 2018, 21:42

I was thinking more about getting used to the widgets themselves and how to work with them. Once you're used to them, you can start designing your GUI and implement it.

JonB · 10 Jan 2018, 00:50

@Annabelle
Assuming you're still around. Although I do not use Qt 5.10 (the latest Release), I just noticed what I understand to be a whole new feature introduced there: https://doc.qt.io/qt-5.10/qtspeech-index.html

I think/hope Qt text-to-speech might be a huge boon to your intended product!

Annabelle · 10 Jan 2018, 08:08

@JonB said in Creating a Virtual Instrument with Qt:

@Annabelle
Assuming you're still around. Although I do not use Qt 5.10 (the latest Release), I just noticed what I understand to be a whole new feature introduced there: https://doc.qt.io/qt-5.10/qtspeech-index.html

I think/hope Qt text-to-speech might be a huge boon to your intended product!

Yeah I'm still here. I've just recently started school again, so that probably got in the way. QTt ext-To-Speech? Is that sort of like QAccessible? A boon? I'm confused!

JonB · 11 Jan 2018, 15:12

@Annabelle
"Boon" means "helpful or beneficial". I don't know any of the details, just from what you have written previously I thought that anything to incorporate in your wok which aids the hard-of-sight would be a good idea in your product.

Annabelle · 12 Jan 2018, 03:19

@JonB said in Creating a Virtual Instrument with Qt:

@Annabelle
"Boon" means "helpful or beneficial". I don't know any of the details, just from what you have written previously I thought that anything to incorporate in your wok which aids the hard-of-sight would be a good idea in your product.

Since I believe strongly in diversity, my mission is to make products and services that are accessible to anyone and everyone, whether they are sighted, blind, visually impaired, hearing, deaf, hearing impaired, or even physically handicapped, speech impaired or have learning difficulties.

JKSH · wrote on 12 Jan 2018, 03:19

@Annabelle said in Creating a Virtual Instrument with Qt:

Since I believe strongly in diversity, my mission is to make products and services that are accessible to anyone and everyone, whether they are sighted, blind, visually impaired, hearing, deaf, hearing impaired, or even physically handicapped, speech impaired or have learning difficulties.

Yes, that is a very honourable principle.

Qt Text-to-Speech can be used to convert written text to spoken words.

You will need a variety of technologies to make your products and services accessible to everyone. Qt Text-to-Speech is one technology that is helpful to the blind or the visually impaired. However, it is not helpful to the deaf or the hearing impaired.

JonB · wrote on 12 Jan 2018, 08:26

@Annabelle
My understanding, from your earlier posts, is that you are blind and are using text-to-speech technologies --- screen/page readers --- to do your development work.

I would think that you would welcome the fact that Qt now offers to incorporate that kind of technology for your end-users into applications you develop with Qt. That is what the new Qt text-to-speech facility I mentioned provides.

Annabelle · 26 Jan 2018, 00:56

So for example, in the Mixer Window, how would I create an accessible example of a microphone array?

JKSH · 26 Jan 2018, 10:13

@Annabelle said in Creating a Virtual Instrument with Qt:

So for example, in the Mixer Window, how would I create an accessible example of a microphone array?

First, describe how you want to let your users interact with the microphone array.

Annabelle · J JKSH 26 Jan 2018, 00:56

@JKSH said in Creating a Virtual Instrument with Qt:

@Annabelle said in Creating a Virtual Instrument with Qt:

So for example, in the Mixer Window, how would I create an accessible example of a microphone array?

First, describe how you want to let your users interact with the microphone array.

Basically what happens is, the customer chooses a set of microphones (Close, Mid, Surround, Stage, Room, Overhead, Main Mix, Decka Tree), whichever microphones and mixes are presented in each instrument, by navigating to the Microphones menu and right-clicking or pressing the Applications Key, then left-clicking or pressing enter on the microphones they want to select. The instrument then loads the chosen samples, while the other mixes and microphones are either muted or unloaded from memory.

Annabelle · 11 May 2018, 12:04

If anyone is interested, when I complete the manual, I can send it along, so you can get an idea of what the interface will look like. The manual will include keyboard commands, and basic descriptions of the components of the user interface. Will this help in figuring out how to program the different components?

mrjj · 12 May 2018, 14:28

@Annabelle
Hi
Yes it's a very good idea to write manual first.
It gives a overview of the components needed and what functions they must have.

Annabelle · 12 May 2018, 14:37

@mrjj said in Creating a Virtual Instrument with Qt:

@Annabelle
Hi
Yes it's a very good idea to write manual first.
It gives a overview of the components needed and what functions they must have.

After completing the manual, how would I post it for anyone to read? Is there a way to post attachments on this forum?

mrjj · wrote on 12 May 2018, 14:37

@Annabelle
Yes there is but it only likes images and .c files.
Maybe we can cheat and rename it doc to say .cpp
and people can just rename it back.

Annabelle · 26 May 2018, 18:20

I could try that, but I still wonder how I would post it? Is there a button on the message page that is designed for posting attachments?

mrjj · wrote on 26 May 2018, 18:20

@Annabelle
Hi
it only allows images and not doc or pdf.
So to post here you would have to use some other site and post the link here so people can download and watch.

Annabelle · 26 May 2018, 20:35

Would I be able to post it with something like Yousendit?

mrjj · wrote on 26 May 2018, 20:35

@Annabelle
Only if it gives a link and not want email.
https://wetransfer.com/ can do it but you have to click on a blue button to make it show
the option. not sure how well that works with screen reader.

Alternatively, you can use free dropbox and put file there and right click to get link.

Annabelle · wrote on 26 May 2018, 23:01

Someone on the forum said there's a new Qt Application, or maybe it's a Template. QTextToSpeech. I think that's what it's called. When I looked at the documentation
for this application, it didn't say anything about whether screenreaders could speak things like "Buttons", "Checkboxes", "Combo Boxes", etc. It said something about making a text-to-speech application. I'm confused
on which way to go with this, whether to use "QAccessibleInterface" or "QTextToSpeech". If there's a possibility, you can check out Strum Acoustic and Strum Electric, virtual instruments made by Applied Acoustics
of Canada. http://www.applied-acoustics.com. It's programmed in C++, and it responds really well to screenreaders like JAWS. I wonder what template is
used in that one? Is it QAccessible? QTextToSpeech? I'm confused on that one! I want to use the C++ Programming Language for all my programs that I will
make. But I want to make them accessible to people of all abilities, whether sighted, blind, visually challenged, etc.

mrjj · 21 Jul 2018, 23:09

Hi
QTextToSpeech is a technology that can speak written text.
Like reading out loud emails. However, it contains no extra function for
discovery of user interfaces and reading out loud its layout and buttons text with more.

QAccessibleInterface is a way for a Qt program to make more information available
to screen readers. Its not a reader in it self but helps make Qt programs better for that.

So QAccessibleInterface could make information available to QTextToSpeech so it could read the buttons and help navigate the application. But normally QAccessibleInterface is used to help existing screen readers with information.