Last Line Sometimes Gets a Crewcut

[jahern]

I'm not sure exactly what to call this problem. (So I don't know how to look for it in other threads)

I have created a few cdg files using KPRO. Sometimes, the last line on any given page, kind of has its head chopped off. Anybody hear of this before?

My current settings for the text on the text page are:

Region: Full Screen
Number of Lines: 6
Align: Center
Font: Arial
Size: 24
Color: White
Style: Bold
With Black Shadow

The "Chop" at least removes the shadow from the top, maybe a little more. I can certainly still read the words, but it looks kind of funny.

Oh Yes. I always capitalize all my text so the chop is obviously only occuring at the very top. It happens not during the original line presentation but usually after the top five lines have switched over and the last line is sweeping.

Also, this "problem" is really and truly occuring.

Any Ideas?? Would changing it to 4 lines make a difference?

[Flipeoke]

Not to be blunt, but there is only one way to find out... my guess is that switching to 4 lines may help. Never know until you try, I noticed that sometimes when I use 6 lines the bottom of the line gets cut off...like the bottom of the g's and y's never noticed if it happens to the top, but try switching to 4 lines and see... I don't often use all caps when creating my CDGs, but if the bottoms of my lowercase are getting cut off, it might be a related problem...

Flip (a.k.a. Mike)

[jaddams]

originally posted by Jahern
I have created a few cdg files using KPRO. Sometimes, the last line on any given page, kind of has its head chopped off. Anybody hear of this before?

I created five songs with your exact settings Jahern, I didn't get any chopped off lyrics at the top or bottom. I notice that you said it happens "sometimes." I'll do a few more in the next couple of days and see what else happens.

Regards,

Jon

[George]

This is not a new problem. I've experienced it way back with KHP. It involves four factors. The number of lines, the size of the font, caps, and shadowing. I like to use 26 font, all caps, and find this occurs frequently if I use 26 font, caps, shadowed text, and 5 or 6 lines.

If you look closely at the screen when this is happening, it almost seems as though there is a "panel" set aside for the text, that is slightly larger than the text itself, which makes sense, and a combination of the four elements I mentioned cause the "panels" to expand and overlap, causing clipping, kinda like a flattop haircut.

At least that's been my experience with it. The first cure I try is no shadow, then smaller font.

I've pretty much gotten away from the problem by not using shadowing on the text if using anything other than 4 lines. It seems to expand the size of that "panel", and there's not enough room with more lines and large font. I never see it with 4 lines so I go that route except when a fast song just works better with more lines.

George

[jahern]

Man I like being able to save these projects!!

I took my Pocahantas project and changed it from six to four lines. (I had figured that the young girl who wants to sing for our church talent show might read a six line more easily then something else that changed more often)

No chopping.

Since Jaddams has created some songs with no problem, it seems apparent that the occurence is not 100% predictable but here is my Hypothesis for now:

Given these and maybe other settings with a six line text,
If all the other lines have switched over while the sixth line is still playing, the chopping occurs. I looked at my chops and that element was present.

Another thing I noticed.

The third line (of six) almost routinely was chopping but well after sweeping. This did not occur when I switched to 4 lines.

I don't know what will be easier on the eyes, a four line page where the lines are spaced out or a six line page where the pages change less often.

But for now I'm going with four. I'll probably change my tune when the song gets faster. (No pun intended!!)

Thanks for your input guys.

[jaddams]

Jahern,

I created a few more songs, again using your exact settings, with the same results as before, everything plays very well on my machine. No chopping anywhere. I didn’t notice your third line (out-of-six) problem either.

Thanks to Kpro, now I can edit these songs and format them to my liking. I use four lines.

Regards,

Jon

[jahern]

In another post I stated a working hypothesis as:

...If all the other lines have switched over while the sixth line is still playing, the chopping occurs.

jaddams

Since you have not been able to create the problem in your work, I am curious, has that hypothesis been shown to be wrong?

It's my lunch hour and I am at a school computer, but when I get home I am going to re-tap some lyrics making sure that the last line on any given page takes forever to complete. I will be interested to see if anybody has done that before I get home.

Hasta La Vista

[jimbo]

I used jahern settings but got different results. My lines one and four cut off at the bottom, when the line after it draws. Solution: use less lines. To really see what George was talking about as far as the panel goes, make your letters really big (48 point) and you will definately see the clipping.

[George]

Thanks, Jimbo.

It's kinda like text on a transparant license plate, the plate being larger than the text. The larger the text including shadowing, the larger the plate, until there's just not enough room for it all, and overlap occurs.

You summed it up. Use less lines, or when forced to more lines in faster songs to minimize page changes, opt for smaller text and no shadow to minimize the size of the plate.

George

[jahern]

We established early in this thread that a remedy for this problem would be to sacrifice one or more of the desired settings.

Quote:

I took my Pocahantas project and changed it from six to four lines... No chopping.

I'm different from some people in that I want to find out why results should vary. Jaddams intrigued me with his "no problems" posts. I developed a hypothesis about my problem and tested it.

I ran a song with my first settings. Every time I came to the last line, I tapped it very very slowly. Without exception, as soon as the fifth line switched over, the sixth line went crewcut.
I called that file "AWFUL"

Then I created "AWFUL II" I tapped out the lines and everytime I came to line 6 I went through it at a brisk pace. Line 6 never went crewcut. (I did see my old nemesis Black Ghost Letters quite often though)

Now, why lines 1 and 4 would have problems, Hmmm....
Could the results have to do with the machines that we have???

Only one way to find out.