DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

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This forum is for seeking solutions to technical problems involving Digital Performer and/or plug-ins on MacOS, as well as feature requests, criticisms, comparison to other DAWs.

Leaving aside some of the functional issues to be resolved (plug-in compatibility, bugs), which statement below best describes your opinion of the new graphic look introduced with DP6?

A) I prefer it without reservation over DP 5.
118
18%
B) I prefer it over DP5, but I feel it's just a little "too bright."
74
11%
C) I prefer it over DP5, but it still needs a lot of work.
120
18%
D) I don't really care... they both (DP5 & DP6) are okay to me.
44
7%
E) I don't like it. I'd be glad to have a redesign, but this isn't close to what I'd like.
128
20%
F) I don't like it. DP5's graphic look was fine and MOTU should have left it alone.
172
26%
 
Total votes: 656

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Mr. Quimper
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by Mr. Quimper »

Glancing at DP7 I'll be disappointed if there aren't any GUI improvements...

As it stands, iss there any reason that plug-in windows could not look like this and not waste 4 times as much screen real estate? On a laptop, I can barely fit some plug-in windows...

...I've "gotten used" to a lot of the cosmetic changes to DP, but some parts of it are just plain bad design, nothing subjective about it.

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The Sound
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by The Sound »

I am rather dissapointed in the color scheme of the waveforms...the choices are a bit to limited for me and it is just hard to look at. When I am in the sequence editor, I liked having all of the waveforms uniform in color with the top bar of each set to what ever I chose. Now it seems my only choice is to have everything black which means that there are no color designations for each type of track (eg: drums=RED, keys=ORANGE, etc.) No more "at a glace" information.

Granted, I haven't had a chance to get used to it (hoping to mix a project tonight) but I still can't help feeling dissapointed.

I have already spoken with a friend who thinks its fine...What do you folks think?
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bayswater
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by bayswater »

The Sound wrote:I am rather dissapointed in the color scheme of the waveforms...the choices are a bit to limited for me and it is just hard to look at. When I am in the sequence editor, I liked having all of the waveforms uniform in color with the top bar of each set to what ever I chose. Now it seems my only choice is to have everything black which means that there are no color designations for each type of track (eg: drums=RED, keys=ORANGE, etc.) No more "at a glace" information.

Granted, I haven't had a chance to get used to it (hoping to mix a project tonight) but I still can't help feeling dissapointed.

I have already spoken with a friend who thinks its fine...What do you folks think?
If you look at the colour preferences, there are a number of options for setting track and waveform colours, and there is a colour menu for each track. The only restriction I'm aware of is that if you choose to have the waveform black, they will all be black, if you choose to use the track colour for the waveform colour, they will all be coloured, etc.
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Tomas E
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by Tomas E »

Actually I'm beginning to feel more and more comfortable with the GUI of DP6. The tab function for instance is very useful. At the beginning I was confused by all the seemingly inactive buttons. For instance the S button for Selection Information and the C button for Cursor Information. Those buttons are also handy as openers of the side columns of the consolidated window.
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The Sound
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by The Sound »

bayswater wrote:If you look at the colour preferences, there are a number of options for setting track and waveform colours, and there is a colour menu for each track.

The only restriction I'm aware of is that if you choose to have the waveform black, they will all be black, if you choose to use the track colour for the waveform colour, they will all be coloured, etc.

Hi, Thanks for your reply!

I have of course looked at the colour pref options, but this is where I get disappointed. The options are all three useless to me. All black was fine before when there was the coloured bar at the top of each waveform.

I could probably get by if at least the colours were present at the left of the seq editor. As it stands there aren't any useful options included.

Is anybody else unhappy with this?
Is there a work around?
Is it possibly for MOTU to add another colour scheme that would look like previous versions?

Are my questions all pointless now that DP7 is out????

Thanks,

-Matt
sacknell
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by sacknell »

The Sound wrote: Is anybody else unhappy with this?
Is there a work around?
Is it possibly for MOTU to add another colour scheme that would look like previous versions?

Are my questions all pointless now that DP7 is out????
Sound,
It seems that any GUI questions/statements were pointless all along. If the majority of the users in this forum said they preferred the 5 look over 6, and Motu didn't give us a Gui optional re-write by now, then who are they listening to? At least tell us that it's impossible, or that they just ain't gonna do it.... The fact is, they shoulda said something to us(I guess they did when they announced DP7, with possibly the same Gui we all love to hate :cry:
I had my DP6 privately hand delivered from the U.S. to Japan. I was so upset :x when I found out it was in a plain cardboard box(Motu yellow card), then to see those terrible graphics!!!! I posted immediately, along with a bunch of others, Mr. Steele(thank you for letting us rant) gave us a way to vote, meaning he too was aware of the disappointed users..... And though it wasn't a landslide, it was a majority.... We were looking forward to CHANGE!!!!!! Didn't happen though. I guess it was one of those "You WILL use it and Love it.......... or else" :twisted:

On the bright side though, there were a few really cool 'mods' posted in this forum by other users. If they could do it and offer them for free, why couldn't Motu do it and charge us :?: :?: :?: I would've paid :o for a better Dp6 GUI upgrade!!!!!!!!!!
DP, ProTools,Reason,Mashine, Mac 6core 2013, 4core MacBook Pro, Waves, Slate VMS ONE, McDsp, Softube etc.. Avid S3, Yamaha 01V96i, Digi 003, and a whole lot of 'the next best thing' analog gear, slowly exiting the workspace!!
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bayswater
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by bayswater »

The Sound wrote:
bayswater wrote:If you look at the colour preferences, there are a number of options for setting track and waveform colours, and there is a colour menu for each track.

The only restriction I'm aware of is that if you choose to have the waveform black, they will all be black, if you choose to use the track colour for the waveform colour, they will all be coloured, etc.
I could probably get by if at least the colours were present at the left of the seq editor. As it stands there aren't any useful options included.
-Matt
?? The colours ARE present at the left of the seq editor !!
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dpg4macman
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by dpg4macman »

Yes - The color picker is there. Far left of the sequence edit window of each track. I would like it if colors could be picked from the mixer window - (Maybe you can - I just haven't figured it out yet...?) hey, can't have everything.

I'd like to jump into 7 however for the extra's (Amp. sims, Pedal efx, channel strip...) I've already purchased Amplitube, Trash, Wave Arts Track plug and MultiDynamics plug, etc... I really don't need it. Besides - $195.00 seams a bit much after just spending what I did for version 6. If they through MX4 or MachFive in that might sway me to spend.

My thoughts

dpg4macman :)
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bayswater
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by bayswater »

dpg4macman wrote:Yes - The color picker is there. Far left of the sequence edit window of each track. I would like it if colors could be picked from the mixer window - (Maybe you can - I just haven't figured it out yet...?) hey, can't have everything.
Colour picker is there, but the point was that there is a coloured bar there as well acting as background to the track name. On the mixer, if there' a colour picker, it's well hidden.

To The Sound, just what is it you think is missing?
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kats_corner
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by kats_corner »

dpg4macman wrote:...I would like it if colors could be picked from the mixer window - (Maybe you can - I just haven't figured it out yet...?)....
In the mixer window, if you CTRL-click on the track name the same color picker pops up as is provided from the sequence editor. :-) (And of course OPTION-click lets you edit the track name.)
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dpg4macman
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by dpg4macman »

Awesome - Thanks Bayswater
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bayswater
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by bayswater »

dpg4macman wrote:Awesome - Thanks Bayswater
Other than the remote chance I inspired Kat to jump in, I had no role in this. Thanks also from me to for pointing this out.
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Tomas E
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by Tomas E »

kats_corner wrote: In the mixer window, if you CTRL-click on the track name the same color picker pops up as is provided from the sequence editor. :-) (And of course OPTION-click lets you edit the track name.)
A general advice would be to try all ctrl, option etc combinations on every button. Exploring this way often results in nice surprises. :D To be on the safe side you may want to open a new project for experimental purposes.
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by kats_corner »

Thank you...? you're welcome...? it's all good. :-)

Re the comment about trying all ctrl/alt/etc combos, great idea! That comment made me remember that I actually found that particular CTRL-click by accident - at that time I was aiming for the OPT-click to change the track name, and overshot with my little finger - went 1 key too far. Discovery! :-)

I'm looking in the DP6 manual, and I actually don't see a reference to it - at least not one which I'm intuitively locating quickly. In fact, in the chapter/section on the mixer window, in the paragraph discussing the track name, there IS a reference to the option-click to change the name, but nothing about the ctrl-click to change the color. *sigh* There is a note about using the same modifier keys in the Mixer as in the Track List in order to open various edit windows. Maybe they consider the color picker window to be one of those "edit" windows. I'm not sure on that one - I actually don't use the track list that much, so I haven't memorized the modifier keys to which they refer.
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Re: DP 6 GUI - What do you think of it?

Post by dpg4macman »

THANKS KATS!

:)
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