4.7 Wishlist

[pcm]

Originally posted by Jeff:

1 - Highlight the two mono tracks, and do aMERGE AUDIO on them
-Switch to the Finder
-RENAME the tracks there to whatever you want, but append .L and .R to them
-drag either of them to the soundbites window, or a stereo track directly
-Select the resulting stereo track IMMEDIATELY
-do MERGE AUDIO one last time on the new stereo track (or you'll be sorry!)
-delete the original mono tracks
- - long, but it works

This is not exactly what I would call funtional. If we are requesting features that are usefull why not make it simple. While in the sequence editor just pull the two mono tracks into the created stereo track. It does work in Pro Tools that way.

I don't know of any other way to do this. Of course I would like an easier way to do it, but this way does work today...

[pcm]

Originally posted by RCcola:
"view comments in SE window"

What's wrong with the drop-down next to the record button/light?

And to the person who asked for a way to easily audition samples/loops/etc and add to track...YES PLEASE. This is so easy to do in Live. And doesn't Logic play at least Apple Loops in sync with your current tracks when you audition?

My personal fave...please let us add the control panel to a pane in Consolidated Windows so it doesn't hog my screen.

This is how it is in Pro Tools. One big, happy window!

I would like to see the entire control bar (whatever it is called) made part of the CW. Why not, it's not like you want or need to hide it.

[pcm]

Originally posted by cor:
Hello!

1. Support for ID3 tags when exporting mp3.
Quite useful feature. now I have to do it in Itunes.
2. grouping soundbites like in samplitude. I dont mean tracks , just soundbites.
3. More colorful interface.
4. Better import window. now it is quite slow to import a lot of stuff.

peace!

I'd like support for AAC. The iTunes format. Way better sounding than MP3, and perfect for my clients with iPods. Should be easy to do, it's built right into the OS!

Yes, the import function sometimes leaves you wondering if DP has crashed or something. A PROGESS BAR at least!

[pcm]

Originally posted by Resonant Alien:

Originally posted by dtobocman:
Improved, faster "freeze" function. I'm sure someone said that.

Yes, yes, yes!!! I forgot that one - pleeease give us a "real" freeze function. DP's "freeze" funtion is a joke - not much better than just doing a plain old bounce to disk, real-time and all.

How about "mono" freeze? Curently, if In try to freeze a mono track, the result is a stereo track! Huh! Who thought THAT was a good design choice?

Ideally, freeze would:

-maintain fader position and written automation data, not generate a STEREO track with the fader reset to 0dB and all automation date GONE.

That would make "freeze" a lot more appealing to me.

[pcm]

Here's what I REALLY want.

I want Pro Tools HD-grade stability. If that means MOTU has to test a few different machines to "QUALIFY" them (like Digi does), then cool. As it stands now, anyone can buy anything, and run DP on it. And if it is solid and crash free (as some people's setups are), then you're home free. But not true for others. And if you are running a pro facility, as I am, this can get very bad very quickly. For example, one of my engineers, who was super solidly in the DP camp for years, won't even hear of using it now. Too many crashes during important sessions. Why? Who knows. And THAT is the problem.

Digidesign "qualifies" certain systems, certain OS's, and not others. Wanna run PT 6.x on a 400mhz "Yikes" G4. No, not qualified. Know what? I tried it, and it's bad news. Wanna run PT on 10.3.9. Nope, don't do it. 10.3.8, yes, cool. 10.3.9? You'll be sorry, don't do it. And so on.

I used to think that they were going overboard with this, that they were just "protecting" their "specs", of what you can expect (128 tarcks, etc.). But now I see that it is an added level of professionalism. They have gone the extra mile to assure pro users that the system they buy and set up will actually be rock solid.

Of course I want DP to run on whatever I choose to install it on, even if it's the bathroom iMac. But there should also be some tested "qualified" recommendations. So we don't have to apologize to clients everytime DP goes south. It's makes everyone look bad, motu included.

For what it's worth, I own a PTHD system. It's true, I can't make it crash. Then again, I followed Digidesign's specs.

I would forego all other feature requests to have this.

[mess]

Originally posted by pcm:

Originally posted by Resonant Alien:

Originally posted by dtobocman:
Improved, faster "freeze" function. I'm sure someone said that.

Yes, yes, yes!!! I forgot that one - pleeease give us a "real" freeze function. DP's "freeze" funtion is a joke - not much better than just doing a plain old bounce to disk, real-time and all.

How about "mono" freeze? Curently, if In try to freeze a mono track, the result is a stereo track! Huh! Who thought THAT was a good design choice?

Ideally, freeze would:

-maintain fader position and written automation data, not generate a STEREO track with the fader reset to 0dB and all automation date GONE.

That would make "freeze" a lot more appealing to me.

Set the output of the track to a mono output. Downside is, if you had any panning automation or panned the track at all, it won't get printed. I think that's why you end up with the stereo track.

[Mario-C.]

Originally posted by qo:

Originally posted by Mario-C.:
1- Solo in place

Maybe our definitions of "Solo in place" are different? If your definition is "solo while maintaining panning perspective" then you might have another listen. This works fine for me in 4.6.

solo in place is a feature common in larger analog desks

[qo]

Originally posted by Mario-C.:

Originally posted by qo:

Originally posted by Mario-C.:
1- Solo in place

Maybe our definitions of "Solo in place" are different? If your definition is "solo while maintaining panning perspective" then you might have another listen. This works fine for me in 4.6.

solo in place is a feature common in larger analog desks

Yes, and several smaller consoles and digital consoles as well. But, what is your definition? I checked that panning and level does indeed work when Solo is activated on a channel. What are you asking for, specifically?

[mistermarr]

Gosh-- wonder if MOTU prints a thread like this out, because I've asked for some things for years over email without even a "thanks for the suggestion" reply. I submit these very reasonable requests (and please chime in if I'm missing a way to do some of this!)

1. AUTO SAVE. Please! Please! Please! Some of us crash and would like our work back! Some of us aren't perfect in our saving habits! yes I know there was a funky script someone wrote but that got complicated quickly. And make it so people who hate autosave can turn it off.

2. An assignable command that goes like this: "SET SOUNDBITE START TO COUNTER" Gosh this would be great for sound design. One click and your footstep is on the frame you scrubbed to... no more nudging.

3. The ability to change the measure number you would like to sync to your video, as in Logic I think. Handy for adding 2pops. Lots of SMPTE addition and subtraction could be avoided this way. Right now you can kind of do it by inserting measures after setting the start of your chunk, but if tempos or preroll changes you're still adding seconds and frames in your head.

4. COLORS THAT MAKE SENSE! Can the Rainbow color scheme actually make your tracks all the different colors of the rainbow?? Right now it makes all my tracks various shades of red and orange. I've gone through all the preferences and I'm stumped. In Protools all your tracks are radically different, and I like that and I think it's not too much to ask.

5. ABILITY TO ASSIGN MULTIPLE TRACKS TO THE SAME COLOR IN LESS THAN FIVE STEPS. Right now it goes like this: Highlight, find Assign Color in pulldown menus, click "Same Color", choose color you want, hit "OK"

How about Highlight some tracks, move one of the highlighted track's colors to the one you want and voila, they're all that color?

6. DAE Support for Rewire (Not holding my breath on the summit in Yalta that will be necessary to get MOTU, Digi, and Propellerheads to work this treaty out)

7. RUBBERBAND LINE DRAWING/EDITING FOR CONTINUOUS MIDI DATA LIKE VOLUME AND PAN-- does anyone else find it hard grabbing those tiny errant MIDI dots all day??

8. Along the lines of #7, can we get MIDI VOLUME easier to access? Like in the grand Edit page when you can edit audio and MIDI together, make it one of the things you can look at and draw, just like in audio tracks?

9. A feature that automatically turns a Stereo track into 2 mono tracks. Handy for getting a video with VO on one side and scratch music or SFX on the other.

sorry for making this a long rant! it's only cuz I use DP EVERYDAY!

[sdfalk]

It's hardly a rant if it's constructive.
Your suggestions seem very constructive

[Mugambi]

Hi All-
I've been reading this forum for a long time and I thank you all.
I've learn so much here it is definitely making my DP experience much more pleasureable. I go here first before calling tech support because of the vast knowledge base!

Anyway, here is part of my wishlist.

1. Can we make MIDI notes snap to grid instead of snapping to relative position? For instance, if there is a note that's late, I want it to snap to the gridline instead of snapping to the relative position of the grid mode setting.

2.Be able to copy volume, mute, etc., information and paste without erasing soundbites. Why do I have to make an extra move in the view filter when the correct view is in the SE window already?

3. Less keystrokes, more built-in Intuitiveness

4.Is there any reason for not having a volume start point in volume view ? Mutes?

5. If you have auto record on, it sure would be nice if your selection would end up in the in and out.

6. If you going to have the soundfile/waveform editor window, can it scroll like the SE window without extra strokes so I know where I am?

7. I'm getting old and the track overview is getting hard to see.

8. A selected soundbite should definitely be highlighted when you open the soundbite window without holding down keystrokes.

That's it for now. If anyone has any answers to these, I'll be on the watch.
thanks!

[wonder]

although a basic need, the COLORS issue seems to be a big one.

hey motu!!, we dont need 48shades of red! How about CONTRASTING colors?

[Shooshie]

Reading the various entries into this thread, I'm often surprised at how many of them already exist, but people don't know about them. I've tried to illuminate a few of those in some of my posts, but many, many more remain. I don't have time to do it, but I hope that you all will do some searching in the manual and the COMMANDS window. Also, check out our community tip sheet, which keeps getting lost down below. I'll bump it up to the top of the page for you.

Don't get me wrong. A lot of these wishes are really valid ones, and ones which I, too, echo. But it seems that in every list there are from one to a few which already exist. Others have work-arounds. Learn the software, folks! I know it's huge and in some ways it's getting formidable, but it's an amazing set of tools. Don't lose hope; keep learning!

Shooshie

[Shooshie]

Originally posted by wonder:
although a basic need, the COLORS issue seems to be a big one.

hey motu!!, we dont need 48shades of red! How about CONTRASTING colors?

It takes about 1 minute to set up any set of colors you would like. They actually made it very easy to do. Set the color on each end of your ranges (rows). It fills in the rest.

Further, I have a QuicKeys set that enables me to choose any of about 20 colorsets instantly. If I need greater contrast or a different reference system, I can hit about three keys and have it, three more and be back to where I was before.

Shooshie

[Mugambi]

Don't get me wrong. A lot of these wishes are really valid ones, and ones which I, too, echo. But it seems that in every list there are from one to a few which already exist. Others have work-arounds. Learn the software, folks! I know it's huge and in some ways it's getting formidable, but it's an amazing set of tools. Don't lose hope; keep learning!