Stretch markers do not work with OSARA

[smoleduard-web]

Hello,
I am a blind REAPER user working with the OSARA screen reader extension.
My setup:
•
REAPER version: 7.59
•
OSARA version: osara_2026.1.25.2094.87c83375
•
Operating system: Windows 11
I am unable to insert stretch markers.
Steps to reproduce:
1.
Open any project.
2.
Place the edit cursor on an audio item.
3.
Press Ctrl+M to insert a stretch marker.
Expected result:
A stretch marker should be inserted at the edit cursor position.
Actual result:
Nothing happens.
Additional details:
•
If I search for the action via the Action List (F4) and press Enter on “Insert stretch marker”, nothing happens either.
•
When Keyboard Help is enabled (F12), pressing Ctrl+M is announced as “Insert stretch marker”.
•
I tested this in multiple projects.
•
I also tested in a portable installation of REAPER with default settings — the issue persists.
Thank you for your work on OSARA, and thank you in advance for looking into this issue.
Best regards,
Eduard Smoliakov

[ScottChesworth]

It's probably working, but it doesn't speak. Here's how to check:

1. Select an item, then hit Control+M.
2. Hit either Control+Semicolon or Control+Apostrophe to move through stretch markers in the selected item. If that finds any, then you know insertion worked.
   If memory serves I was asked not to make this speak by default because we have users who insert many stretch markers to map non-linear source material, they'd find screen reader feedback distracting. That said, if this is in fact working on your machine and the lack of feedback was confusing, perhaps we could make feedback optional in OSARA config.

Try that test, let us know what you find.

[jcsteh]

   If memory serves I was asked not to make this speak by default because we have users who insert many stretch markers to map non-linear source material, they'd find screen reader feedback distracting. That said, if this is in fact working on your machine and the lack of feedback was confusing, perhaps we could make feedback optional in OSARA config.

1. Were these users inserting stretch markers while transport was stopped or playing? If playing, could we link this to "Report time movement during playback/recording"? I don't think we had that option back when this decision was made.
2. To some extent, I think feedback is important. Where we can reasonably group things (like Report time movement during playback/recording), I think an option is reasonable. But adding options for individual cases like this is a slippery slope. If the user really doesn't want to be disrupted by speech at all, why not turn off speech while doing this kind of editing?

[ScottChesworth]

could we link this to "Report time movement during playback/recording"?

They're inserting while playing, workflow is something like tapping along with key transients then snapping and converting stretch markers to tempo/time sig ones. I was thinking maybe tie it to Report markers and regions during playback instead? Just the word markers being in that option makes it seem like a better fit. Thing is, that's not on by default, so the default UX would still be no feedback.

[jcsteh]

They're inserting while playing

That does make this easier then.

I was thinking maybe tie it to Report markers and regions during playback instead? Just the word markers being in that option makes it seem like a better fit.

I follow your logic. On the other hand:

1. Report markers and regions during playback will report markers you encounter while playing (even if you're just sitting back not touching anything), not just markers you add. Those are two quite different things. In the former case, things are being reported even when you didn't perform an action. In the second case, you explicitly triggered an action. The Report time movement during playback/recording setting was added precisely to effectively say "I'm playing audio, anything I touch here that might be related to the current playback position in some way shouldn't be reported because it will disrupt me". I accept that the naming is a bit confusing in this case though, so maybe we do need a second option.
2. Report time movement during playback/recording is what currently gates whether insertion of project markers is reported or not.

[jcsteh]

maybe we do need a second option.

Or maybe we just need to rename the current one.

[ScottChesworth]

Sure, I can adjust the name to include stretch marker insertion.

[jcsteh]

Project markers as well. I was really hoping for a name which somehow encompasses these things without just making it a big long list of things. But maybe "Report time movement and marker insertion during playback/recording" is fine.

Is there anything else people frequently do while playing because they can just tap along with the audio? That's really what we're talking about here: scenarios where you are tapping along with the audio playback because you're dropping things at or manipulating the play cursor.