Suggestions for next DP update

[Timeline]

Allow for Sends to default to -infinity on new tracks.

I don't know how many times I have asked for a pref for this! If I could at least have an option key to set a channels send to '0' level I would be even fine with that but someone at MOTU won't allow either.

I remember one of the first thing I trained the second engineers t do at my studio after a session was over to zero the board. We paid them to accomplish this after every session. Is it so much to ask MOTU for such a simply pref toggle from unity gain to '0' for sends????

Would also like a plugin which sends a channels audio to wifi for cue monitoring headphones.

[jlaudon]

I only have one request. Would be great if MOTU provided some machine-farm capabailities, ie, audio and MIDI networking between multiple macs, hosting plugins on other machines to get more cpu power, etc..

Whichever company comes up with a VE Pro type of solution (without a Vienna Key) to host VIs on other computers connected thru ethernet will probably make a lot of money. It only seems logical for a DAW company to do this (no pun intended )

[chaim]

GLOBAL input all audio fader variable master trim knob, -8 to + 6. This is a must for real mix functionality without messing about with the individual channel faders which takes time.

Effect sends from master faders for effects. This would be heaven for me as I love the overall slap on a final mix or room simulations pre insert effects but post mix data for sends like an effect insert but first in the loop.

+1

[rainmaker]

A way to select MIDI in the MIDI window and the Sequence editor window by swiping over it and have your selection include things like continuous controller data, such as sustain pedal, etc... Kind of like it does in the tracks window. It's very frustrating to go to the MIDI window and not be able to move "all" MIDI data in one swipe.

Rainmaker

[Umbrella]

A way to select MIDI in the MIDI window and the Sequence editor window by swiping over it and have your selection include things like continuous controller data, such as sustain pedal, etc... Kind of like it does in the tracks window. It's very frustrating to go to the MIDI window and not be able to move "all" MIDI data in one swipe.

Rainmaker

Range selection inside the graphic editor?

[benmrx]

I'm 99% sure this has already been brought up in this thread... but can we PLEASE have a preference option to keep plugin windows floating on top of all other windows!! PLEASE... it's such a small, simple thing, but manages to get me quite frustrated at times.

[Tritonemusic]

I'm 99% sure this has already been brought up in this thread... but can we PLEASE have a preference option to keep plugin windows floating on top of all other windows!! PLEASE... it's such a small, simple thing, but manages to get me quite frustrated at times.

It would be a nice option to have.

[chethan]

I am a recording engineer based in India, I largely work with motu audio interface and DP as I find the software and hardware more user friendly. as I use motu for studio production
I have serious suggestions about improving audio quality and mixing in dp.

I have been using Dp from ver 2.7 till date with 2408 mk3 & Pci424 in my DualG5 2.5 machine, I use it mainly for recording and mixing rather than MIDI.

In OS9 Dp used MAS drivers which to my understanding may have connected audio directly from my old Pci324 to DP, but now In OSX audio makes a trip through the Core Audio and then to the software. I am not fully aware of technical details but when I tested various Audio materials [pref: 48k,24bit] through different softwares in the same machine, this was only to find how different softwares sounded through Care Audio not to criticize any software and is just my limited knowledge opinion, I found

logic to had good bass but kind of rounded off HF, slightly better separation of instruments and warmer sound in comparison to DP while mixing [but still I find the user interface complicated,editing & mix automation features are not as good and handy as DP]

second software I used to compare with same audio materials is a demo version of sonic studio sound blade which I found was best to my ears in audio playback quality with good HF detail, wide and natural separation, tighter but clearer, detailed and deeper low end

DP had sound quality nearer to sound blade, but with lesser detail, lesser separation and not as wide but with a nasal tendency and a brittle higher mid freq., but still not rounded as in logic [this was what I felt]

But instead of playing back directly from 24 bit setting, I used 32 bit float and then dithered it to 24 bit with Izotope ozone4 set to Mbit+ on my master fader, now I heard a lot of differences in play back quality

first the nasal quality was noticeably lesser, bass was deeper and punchy, the image was both more warmer and wider than before, clearer in mid freq. with slightly improved separation between instruments. Now I follow this workflow for all my projects and am happy with the results, I am using less compression and eq's

I didn't want to compare DP to any software what I meant is, are the other softwares using core audio in a better way, Can't MOTU have there own MAS drivers instead of routing audio through Core Audio, but still have support for AU plugins. Can MOTU use better Dithering Internally, or Design a better Audio engine with higher fidelity. That said a 64 bit audio engine is the preference of all motu users

secondly I use only one 2408 for my tracking and mixing purpose on my Pci424 and use aux
in DP to rout to an external reverb and delay unit connected via 2408, now instead of using different layers in Cuemix for different mix outputs, which becomes complicated to handle when using more number of outputs and outboard effects during a recording session, Can MOTU design a simple single layout Cuemix matrix with number of Aux, mirroring atleast the First few aux in DP including control and assignment of the aux to output's, so that hereafter we will switch to direct hardware play through in DP for a low latency monitoring and still have the external efx routing and levels copied to Cuemix for artists feedback.
though I don't use any internal AU or MAS plugins while tracking, If MOTU can rout the aux on Cuemix to VRacks through internal bus [with some acceptable latancy] would be of great help.

Can motu improve the performance of Pci424 [may be 424 mk2] by adding a direct word clock connector and super clock connectors in the card there by avoiding the word clock from making a round trip through lengthy audio wire cables.

lastly If MOTU extends support for available video cards from Blackmagic and motu [HD express] from within DP for video playback with out delay it would be more usefull

I know I am expecting too much, but still if somebody listens to me and kindly do the needed It would help many

regards
chethan

[mess]

A way to select MIDI in the MIDI window and the Sequence editor window by swiping over it and have your selection include things like continuous controller data, such as sustain pedal, etc... Kind of like it does in the tracks window. It's very frustrating to go to the MIDI window and not be able to move "all" MIDI data in one swipe.

Rainmaker

Range selection inside the graphic editor?

Or use the I Beam instead of the lasso tool.

[bayswater]

Here's my wish list (after a cover to cover read of the V7 manual)

1. Implement MIDI Regions with control over transpose, shift, quantize, etc., at the Region level.

2. When editing in Sound FIle editor, provide monitoring of the soundbite as selected in the SE in the context of the Sequence. Allows monitoring the effects of the audio edits within the music. Alternatively, enable functions from the Sound File Editor in the Sequence Editor, e.g., allowing editing Beats in Sequence Editor.

3. Allow Markers to be linked in pairs that define a time range. Click on first to select the range. Note, the resulting ranges can overlap so a selection can go beyond the next Marker.
Bundles Window should show the first output pair of a VI.

4. Add Sends to the Audio track settings in track settings menu under Inserts

5. Allow Markers to be edited wherever they are displayed.

6. Allow the fader and level meter in mixer channels to be shown and hidden independently of each other.

7. Allow Start and End Memory locators to be reversed so they define a range to be skipped during playback, rather than a range to be repeated while looping.

8. Allow multiple instances of the Mixer, each with its own track selector.
Add a track selector to the Meter Bridge (only affecting Tracks). Add a width setting so it matches the Mixer track widths exactly. Allow it to be docked above or below the Mixer.

9. Add an option to normalize to levels other than zero db

10. Allow Chunks that are playing at the same time in a Song to use their own Conductor tracks.

11. Allow Clippings Folders (other than Startup Clippings) to have accessible subfolders.
Implement a “Windows” window where you can specify whether each window floats, and its “float priority” when several floating windows exist. Also specify which Space a window should be in when using OS X Spaces. Save these items in Window Sets.

12. Add a shortcut for Show Tags.

13. Add a preference to toggle click preferences between count-off only and always click. Allows you to have a click during recording through the whole sequence, and then have it only during count-off after the recording is done.

14. Move Manual chapter heading footers to the outside of the page so they are visible when page flipping.

15. Provide an improved way to display missing plugins so the entire name can be seen (for cases where there are several plugins with names that start with the same words.) (see p 776, Col 1, para 1)

Some nice to have stuff that I think would make it easier for new users to ramp up:

1. Drop “Soundbites”. Call them Regions like everyone else.

2. Drop “Chunks”. Call them sequences, songs or V-racks.

3. In the manual, describe V-Racks as Instrument Racks, rather than as Sequences that lack many essential characteristics of Sequences.

4. Rationalize the use of the term Solo. Currently used to refer to a number of different functions.

5. Fix the typos and add clarifications to the manual (something users could help with).

[htieksppircs]

• it would be nice if MOTU can come up with a brain storm so that, when changing the buffer setting, all samples don't have to unload and reload.

Right on brother! I have been begging for this for years. I change buffer settings a lot between tracking and mixing. It's so frustrating to have to wait for all your plug-ins to reload just to be able to CHECK your buffer setting. Please, just a display next to the bit rate and sample rate that shows the current buffer setting and allows you to change it without digging through menus. How hard is that? If they have to unload and reload the MAS in order to change the setting, well maybe that's unavoidable, but can I at least look at it? Please.

64 bit anyone? I want to be able to use all of my RAM!

[hrw]

• it would be nice if MOTU can come up with a brain storm so that, when changing the buffer setting, all samples don't have to unload and reload.

Right on brother! I have been begging for this for years. I change buffer settings a lot between tracking and mixing. It's so frustrating to have to wait for all your plug-ins to reload just to be able to CHECK your buffer setting. Please, just a display next to the bit rate and sample rate that shows the current buffer setting and allows you to change it without digging through menus. How hard is that? If they have to unload and reload the MAS in order to change the setting, well maybe that's unavoidable, but can I at least look at it? Please.

64 bit anyone? I want to be able to use all of my RAM!

+1 for sure!!!

[FutureLegends]

• 64bit, yes!

• Better integration with CueMix. Accessing talkback shortcuts in DP and transport commands in CueMix for starters.

• Ability to edit beats in SE window. Just add a new view in the scroll menu called 'Beats' (to go along with soundbites, volume, pitch etc). That allows you to adjust, disable, add beats while in context. Having to go to Waveform Editor to do that is just silly.

• Clean up the interface. Vast improvements with themes, but still too evident that that many thing have just been duct taped on. Fonts are still too small in many places...

• Plug in folders. I know you can do this in the Finder but I spent some time doing that but then when an update came it installed duplicates of the plug-ins that were in folders. Since then I've been reluctant to do that again. Should be possible to arrange your plug-ins from within DP.

• Keep working on improving VI performance

• Bite gain/volume, adjustible graphically directly in SE window.

[hrw]

Fix the bundles mess as pointed out in quite a few posts on this forum.

[delcosmos]

Fix the bundles mess as pointed out in quite a few posts on this forum.