Suggestions for next DP update

[James Steele]

I wrote to some people there about it. It's obviously something that could get very tricky and open up a can of worms. The obvious thing is that it could not touch ANYTHING that has to do with the audio engine, like work priority, buffer, etc. because you have to assume that if you're working in a different studio, the studio owner is supposed to have set the optimum settings for that Mac. You wouldn't want loading your profile to upset the balance of a finely-tuned system.

On the other hand... not to shoot my own idea down, but if Macs end up with Lightpeak as standard, I imagine you could simply bring your iLok and a bootable external harddrive with you and be in business too. Plugs and everything. It's one of those things that would require a lot of careful consideration.

[bayswater]

My list is shorter.

1) MIDI Region in TO and SE.
2) Did I mention reversible memory locations so you can use them to skip the playback between them instead of looping? I might have once or twice.

Benmrx: I like some of your suggestion, but it's worth exploring DP a bit. A lot of stuff I originally wanted turned out more about me wanted it to work a particular way than whether DP can do it.

In principle, you don't even need MIDI regions (see Shooshie's posts on this), but this is one instance where learning to do it the DP way is just never going to be easy for the rest of us.

On my second wish item, I've said how I'd like it done, but if DP ever addresses this, they'll probably come up with a different way to do it. Like loops that repeat zero times, or markers that define a skip, enhancements to the Song Editor, or some alternative better than a simple fix.

[bdr]

22) I belive they might have had this in older versions, but a "quick filter" button in the sequence editor.

There is an assignable command

'toggle show active layer only' that works in the SE

is this what you're looking for?

[zed]

We just obviously use DP in different ways. What needs to happen apparently is for MOTU to release 7,247 different versions of DP. Or... just keep adding preferences on top of preferences to defacto accomplish the same thing.

In regards to the "Record" button, MOTU gave us Commands so that we actually *could* customize the controls to work the way is most comfortable to each user. That's a good thing. And more options are always welcome as long as they don't create more problems than they solve.

As I recall that is the default transport control setting. Its pretty easy to go into record that way. If you've changed it to something that requires two hands from DP's normal behavior then we're working from different baselines here, where the degree of "need" for a feature is increased by a non-standard user customization.

The Command-Spacebar to record, is something that I had used for many years before starting with DP. I believe it was what I used in ProTools, StudioVision Pro, and maybe even on my Atari system before that. I can't remember for sure. But it is based on the principle of many old tape recorders (and multitrack recorders) where you would press the Play and Record buttons at the same time in order to record.

It doesn't take any extra thinking or extra hands. It is a simple key press of a thumb and finger of the left hand. Using the "3" on the numeric keypad for this function doesn't make much sense to me since it would necessitate removing your right hand from mouse (assuming your right-handed) in order to press the record button... or you would have to reach over with the left hand.

I commend MOTU for allowing us to configure out systems in a way that works best for us.

For the record, none of my suggestions are for the purpose of making DP look like another DAW. It is all about functionality so that things can be done more efficiently and great music can be made faster and with less fuss. If another DAW got something right, there is no reason why we shouldn't want MOTU to take a good idea and try to incorporate it into DP (or at least make it an option).

I think right now, though before this day happens, I will suggest to MOTU that they add the ability in the preferences to save a comprehensive user preferences file containing key commands, theme "including bundle" and all settings so that I could sit down to DP on your Mac for example, open the prefs dialog and then click a button, browse to my own custom "user profile file" on a thumb drive, and load all my settings at one fell swoop. Then when I'm done, I load yours back in by loading yours off the hard drive or clicking a "Restore user default" button.

I'm absolutely serious here. If MOTU were to expand on making every aspect of the app customizable, such a facility would be valuable. Not only would it serve as a no-brainer method to backup to conveniently restore user settings, but it would make it easy if necessary to sit down at another user's workstation if ever that happened and not be completely lost.

I think that's a good idea, and would encourage it. Perhaps they could build it as an option in "Themes" which would allow customized commands for a particular theme.

Although it seems to me that you could basically do that right now by taking your "Command Bindings" or "Key Bindings" with you when you go to another studio and simply replace them during the session. Wouldn't that swap all the keyboard commands? And then you would also carry with you a custom "Theme" if you have specially configured one to your liking.

[James Steele]

Granted. I was just thinking of a "built-in" method of doing this rather than the user having to tinker around with prefs and other files in the Finder.

[KEVORKIAN]

Excellent Suggestions Michael!

You basically covered the top of my list, minus an External Instrument plugin, however I believe that James suggested that this is on their radar now so your list has become my list!

My list is relatively short:

Snap to grid for MIDI- I realize there are workarounds for this, but it IMO wouldn't be that hard to implement. Ableton has an elegant and easy solution in that the selected notes keep their relative position to the grid if you move a whole grid amount, so it snaps to grid the first move, then to relative position the second, simple and unintrusive solution. I work with a real drummer who has a much easier time following a machine level of perfection on the backing tracks, so I do this all the time to my bass lines.

I agree 100%

I do a fair amount of MIDI editing in Live and this is maybe the only thing that it does that I prefer to DP's behavior. Just about everything else about MIDI editing in Live can be a chore, but I hope that MOTU can check out this behavior.

MIDI Regions in the Track Overview- Cut copy paste by region etc. I see no reason to mess with the Sequencers MIDI as one long thread concept, but MIDI in the TO is already semi-object oriented, in that it's broken up in to chunks of data anyway, and not viewable as individual notes etc. Give MIDI region in the Track overview, but don't let that affect the ability to view the whole MIDI track in one go in the Graphic editor and Sequence Editor and you have the best of both worlds. DP is so ripe for this IMO. Markers are pretty great, but other options for manipulating data are cool too, and IMO this is the major reason why other DAW users steer clear of DP, they can't wrap their head around Markers as a replacement for object oriented editing.

100% agree. Make the Track Overview object oriented and leave the other windows alone would be a fine compromise. I would prefer to have the option to view object oriented regions in the SE, but would be fine with having it in any window.

Improvements to the Song Window The song window as well would do with some object oriented concepts, Chunks of different colors and more tools for arranging Sequences. I Realize it's a testing ground etc. but it's again, ripe for improving as a matrix or even incorporating Live's Session view ideas.... OK I'm going south there, but some basic improvements would be great!

I think the most immediate thing they could do for the Song window is to make the Conductor track more editable and accessible from within the song window itself and possibly even be set to override the individual sequence's conductor track.

Not understanding that I had to configure the conductor track in advance for each sequence was something threw off my initial attempts to use the song window. I think that if the control was there in the window itself it would be easier to set things up.

[Michael Canavan]

Improvements to the Song Window The song window as well would do with some object oriented concepts, Chunks of different colors and more tools for arranging Sequences. I Realize it's a testing ground etc. but it's again, ripe for improving as a matrix or even incorporating Live's Session view ideas.... OK I'm going south there, but some basic improvements would be great!

I think the most immediate thing they could do for the Song window is to make the Conductor track more editable and accessible from within the song window itself and possibly even be set to override the individual sequence's conductor track.

Not understanding that I had to configure the conductor track in advance for each sequence was something threw off my initial attempts to use the song window. I think that if the control was there in the window itself it would be easier to set things up.

That's big one, and to make Aux's behave somehow... What would be cool is to have a variable state, say each sequence controls it's own tempo etc. unless the Song Conductor is overriding that setting. That way say for minute changes in speed of the tracks you could adjust it only on the parts than need it. I dunno? I just like the song window. In DP2.7 I used a sampler and not much in the way of DSP audio stuff and worked in the Song window all the time, what with organizing Chunks in there now with plug ins that aren't in every track it gets strange. Each Chunk is using extra DSP using the same plug in etc. so you end up in VI Racks and then printing audio becomes real time.... not the end of the world, just not as elegant as using an old EMU sampler etc.

[KEVORKIAN]

That's big one, and to make Aux's behave somehow... What would be cool is to have a variable state, say each sequence controls it's own tempo etc. unless the Song Conductor is overriding that setting. That way say for minute changes in speed of the tracks you could adjust it only on the parts than need it. I dunno? I just like the song window. In DP2.7 I used a sampler and not much in the way of DSP audio stuff and worked in the Song window all the time, what with organizing Chunks in there now with plug ins that aren't in every track it gets strange. Each Chunk is using extra DSP using the same plug in etc. so you end up in VI Racks and then printing audio becomes real time.... not the end of the world, just not as elegant as using an old EMU sampler etc.

I'm not 100% on the "make Aux's behave" issue... I use a lot of V-racks and also Aux tracks (for Rewire) and all of that seems to be working well in the song window.

Here is what I would absolutely love to be able to do:

When I'm working on a song arrangement, I would like to be able to separate out the drums, the guitars, bass, etc into separate chunks and then layer them together in the song window. This way I can keep writing and then substitute parts in/out and play with the arrangement by mixing and matching ideas from various chunks.

I can somewhat accomplish this now, however things would be much better if each part could maintain it's own meter and tempo, and if the song window's grid allowed for stricter mapping of overlapping parts.

I think part of what I'm missing is Vision's ability to arrange pieces of music on the fly. I believe that Cubase has a similar song arrangement view, but DP's song window has such potential compared to what I've seen. Hope that MOTU fleshes it out a bit someday.

[zaratero]

OK.. reset my commands to the default, and when I search for "record", the default is 3 on the numeric keypad.... so yeah.. James, my "command - spacebar" is your "3". So, again, if there's a way to have that interact with the "play from selection start"... which has a default of "command - 4".... which is what was being referred to above as "ctrl - spacebar" (does your head hurt yet...?), please let me know..

Press pause before Command-4?

[willheim]

i am sure someone has suggested this but here's another vote to revamp the audio MIDI set up page. both the audio and ,idi set ups need to be more user friendly.

[Midi maniac]

i would like to see a real percussion (orchestral notation)
notation..
also more features anx options for the movie window

[James Steele]

I'd like to see them add a menu item in the "Help" menu that launches MOTUNATION.COM in your web browser. Hahahaha.... Not gonna happen, but it would be cool! They can't though or they'd be seen has endorsing my curmudgeon behavior!!

[Michael Canavan]

I'm not 100% on the "make Aux's behave" issue... I use a lot of V-racks and also Aux tracks (for Rewire) and all of that seems to be working well in the song window.

Aux tracks in individual sequences within the Song will double their output. Say you have an effect on Aux 1 in a sequence, but not on another part of the Sequence later in the Song, the outputs get added together and you get a dry/wet mix of the tracks.

So in sequencing a song in the Song window if you decide to add FX on a track during the process it gets a bit convoluted. I end up just giving in and working in a single sequence. The other method is multiple Aux tracks and using the same audio in each etc. which gets convoluted when finalizing a mix into a single Sequence. All this was no issue working in the Song Window with a big sampler like the E4XT etc.

[KEVORKIAN]

Aux tracks in individual sequences within the Song will double their output. Say you have an effect on Aux 1 in a sequence, but not on another part of the Sequence later in the Song, the outputs get added together and you get a dry/wet mix of the tracks.

Interesting... I'm still having trouble visualizing this perfectly so I'll have to play around with this. When you say "effect on Aux 1 in a sequence, but not on another part of the Sequence later in the Song" do you mean that you have effects on a Aux on one chunk that are not used on another chunk that you end up hearing both versions in the song window?

I haven't come across this yet, likely because I route the majority of my Aux effects to V-racks that are applied to all chunks.

[Michael Canavan]

Interesting... I'm still having trouble visualizing this perfectly so I'll have to play around with this. When you say "effect on Aux 1 in a sequence, but not on another part of the Sequence later in the Song" do you mean that you have effects on a Aux on one chunk that are not used on another chunk that you end up hearing both versions in the song window?

Yes, all kinds of doubling with aux tracks in Chunks.

I haven't come across this yet, likely because I route the majority of my Aux effects to V-racks that are applied to all chunks.

OK when you haven't recorded every instrument to audio yet, but another slow down if you have. As V-Racks have to be recorded in real time in my set up. <--hope it's a flaw in my knowledge, but that's how it goes when I record.

Brings up another request that might be in upgrades past 5, "Render all tracks to audio".
The way around this in 5 is to freeze all tracks and use the frozen audio, move it out of the freeze folder etc. but it's a work around compared to just having a command that does it.