Timeline, interesting points about the history of MOTU and their uptake of user feedback and features generally. Like any company, their user-base are never exposed to the bigger picture of what the company plans are, and understandably so. For all we know there might be a private agreement between Avid and MOTU for each to keep out of the other's space. Who knows - I am not suggesting there is and not suggesting this topic for discussion because we wouldn't know if there was.
If however, as could be interpreted from combining comments across this thread, MOTU have chosen to refrain from adding basic features to their mix interface that (my perspective) result in DP not being a viable alternative for MIXING beyond a certain level, then one must assume that MOTU, who have created a great product and obviously care about what they do with attention to detail, must have an agenda which is beyond our purview to understand.
And Timeline, you hit the nail on the head re SSL (my main console at the moment) and other similar products - the basic stereo pan features being discussed here for example have existed since the late 1960s in the analogue world, and are as fundamental to how we mix music as faders, inserts, sends, PFL and etc are. What I find interesting is your perspective that it is (to paraphrase)
no big deal because MOTU don't listen to us so we are not going to get these features anyway unless we are pop stars. I am new to MOTU but not new to software companies so (and I write this with a smile) I TRULY get what you are saying, however I can only say from personal experience that I have been able to make a difference (said with all humility and humbleness) with other recalcitrants (tongue in cheek), so being new to MOTU I am not yet ready to throw in the towel.
This thread was never intended to solve world hunger (tongue in cheek), but regarding value I can see that a concise and lucid set of recommendations or requests have been born from the ideas bounced around here, and maybe now, as you and others have suggested, those people who feel this worthy of attention can separately approach Motu with some reasoned and well thought through suggestions. Of course if this thread comes to the attention of MOTU as well they will be able to see how the ideas were developed and what they were developed in response to. It is then up to Motu to decide what to do with that of course, however if there are no licensing issues, patents, copyrights etc stopping Motu from acting, then we are simply in their hands.
Experience with other companies suggests contact via support or via a corporate website is generally counter-productive for these sorts of suggestions (except with UAD in my experience) so if anyone in the know has suggestions about viable pathways for promoting the idea with Motu please share.
And cuttime - Flux stereo tool is great - but equally so is Motu's trim tool AS A PLUGIN, where neither allow real time control over 50 - 150 channels at the same time when using a control surface and analogue console. Right back at ya -
