Zynewave.
UncleAge@Zynewave wrote:
@thcilnnahoj wrote:
@Zynewave wrote:
1. Is there a way to add multiple tracks at once with the “+” button on the toolbar?
Not currently. Clicking will open the track properties dialog, for naming the new track. If you need an initial number of tracks, isn’t it sufficient that you have the track setting in the “new arrangement” dialog?
Well… for once, I would take a guess most people don’t know exactly how many tracks it’s going to be in the end. That may be a kind of user error, but it still happens. The situation I sometimes find myself in personally is drum tracks. You can’t specify things like “create 2 group tracks, one with 8, the other with 6 child tracks” in the new arrangement dialog.
Maybe this is best done with track templates… I do however see multiple track creation as a rather basic function. Either way, that’s my opinion on it.Whenever I need a set of new tracks, I create one track, press Ctrl+C and then Ctrl+V for each additional track. As long as the number of required new tracks are below 10, I think this is a faster process than selecting a “Create X new tracks” menu command to show a dialog, inputting the decimal value, and pressing enter. Using copy/paste you also preserve track settings and the effect chain. But I don’t mind adding the menu as there seems to be a demand for it. What should the menu command be called, and where would you want it?
Two things:
1. I would want it in the same menu that has “Add New Track”. So, “Add Multiple Tracks” could be the next option. This would work if…
a. The tracks would numerate automatically
b. A user could select multiple tracks to drag into a group (or even via a context menu)
I see the appeal of copy/paste but it does have the small (and I mean ever so small) downside of giving each track an identical name. Also, right-clicking 15 tracks to add them to a group is not quite as appealing as selecting all of them and doing the same thing in one step.
I can also see an advantage of not filling up this thread with suggestions for this request and moving it to its own thread. I think several users would like input on this feature and it may need its own area for discussion.
thcilnnahojI don’t know if another new menu entry would be necessary for multiple track creation. I would welcome it if it was simply a “number of tracks to create” numerical entry field in the track properties dialog that opens. Otherwise there’d have to be four menu entries instead of two: add new track, add new tracks, add child track, add child tracks. The entry field should probably be reset to 1 every time, so you can continue to use the two existing “new track” menu entries for quick creation of a single track. :-k
@thcilnnahoj wrote:
So one idea would be to have an (optional) set of pre-defined automatically generated categories for, e.g., tracks that hold (non-auto-assigned) input mappings, tracks that have source mappings (or maybe simpler, audio and MIDI tracks, like in the show/hide options of the mixer), automation lanes (plus their parent tracks, minimized as you said) and so on. That would be a basic but useful filter option, in my opinion… I don’t know if, or how deep you plan on getting into it.
More thoughts on this suggestion: it would be of more use not as pre-defined categories but as entries in the track list column (e.g.
@UncleAge wrote:
b. A user could select multiple tracks to drag into a group (or even via a context menu)
I see the appeal of copy/paste but it does have the small (and I mean ever so small) downside of giving each track an identical name. Also, right-clicking 15 tracks to add them to a group is not quite as appealing as selecting all of them and doing the same thing in one step.
You can move multiple tracks to a new group in one step with the “move to new group” menu entry. There’s no way I know of that would do this with an existing group track, and it also won’t work if the tracks you want to move are not next to each other. I like the sound of multiple track selection!
ZynewaveAbout the word “category”: I’m thinking that perhaps “tag” is a better (and shorter) word for it. The word “tag” is commonly used as a descriptor for all sorts of objects. For example in the NI Kore preset browser, or as search words for video, audio and picture files.
What do you prefer: Category or Tag?
druidFrits, I don’t know if this matches with the flow and design feel you are going for in Podium, but you could have just one menu option to add a track, or multiple tracks.
If, in the menu, you had an input box next to the track that always defaulted to 1, people could click on the menu entry to just add one as they usually would, or they could click on the input box, type the number they want, and either click on the menu entry or just press enter.
Here is a picture example (the number was -6 because I copied from the track properties’ gain setting, I blanked the – out, but anyway, usually it would read 1 here, not 6, in my rushed example):
Conquistador@Zynewave wrote:
About the word “category”: I’m thinking that perhaps “tag” is a better (and shorter) word for it. The word “tag” is commonly used as a descriptor for all sorts of objects. For example in the NI Kore preset browser, or as search words for video, audio and picture files.
What do you prefer: Category or Tag?
“Tag” IMO.
MelodyMan@Conquistador wrote:
@Zynewave wrote:
About the word “category”: I’m thinking that perhaps “tag” is a better (and shorter) word for it. The word “tag” is commonly used as a descriptor for all sorts of objects. For example in the NI Kore preset browser, or as search words for video, audio and picture files.
What do you prefer: Category or Tag?
“Tag” IMO.
+1
thcilnnahojIf dynamic categories (like I described earlier… don’t know how to call it) were possible, then I think the first name proposal (tracklist filters or just filters) is still best.
Otherwise, if the feature’s finished as is, then I’m fine with either category or tag.
However, I want to say that I think “tag” is not perfect either. In my opinion, it works backwards compared to how it works in photo applications, for example, where you take a photo and assign tags (descriptors) to it.
Here, you create or select the tags first, and then assign tracks to them. This is fine – I just think it’s not the way tags usually work…?
ConquistadorI’m seriously wondering if the tag idea should be extended to files in the Browser :-k as you said its kind of what is expected of them for tagging files.
Maybe Group is better. Track tag might work as it is self explanatory almost or Group Tag. One word would be ideal but not three.
I think Track Tags or Group Tags would be my choice for now anyway 🙂
UncleAgeTag or catagory may be what it is but it’s function is to filter. So my vote is to call it “filter”. And the tag idea for the browser is a good one.
H-manPodium Configurable Composition Track Groupings or,
PCCTGs (Pee Cee Cee Tee Gees …can we ever have too many acronyms???) 😛
Conquistador@UncleAge wrote:
Tag or catagory may be what it is but it’s function is to filter. So my vote is to call it “filter”. And the tag idea for the browser is a good one.
Track filters may be better. “Filter” on its own might be a bit confusing. As for the tagging feature in the Browser it would be nice for 2.26 but if the 2.26 beta stretches on for a long time (4 weeks or longer) I am quite happy to wait for that until some point in future. No rush 😉
I am much more interested in selecting multiple tracks and choosing how many tracks to insert into a project.
ZynewaveBeta1 is up:
Changelog so far:
• Introduced a new track tagging feature. A set of tags can be created for each arrangement using the Track Tags dialog. Tags can be organized into mutually exclusive groups. Tag groups can be used to organize tracks into categories such as: instrument type, microphone placement, performer, and so on. Selecting tag buttons in the arrangement editor will show only the tagged tracks in the tracks and mixer regions. The tag button right-click menu has commands for mute, solo and record arm.
• Added a new track toolbar to the arrangement editors. The toolbar contains buttons for adding new tracks, global solo, mute, record, and the track tag bar. The toolbar is automatically added to the editors when you load a Podium setup created with an earlier version of Podium.
• Added buttons for global solo, mute and record arm to the new track toolbar. The buttons will light up when any track is soloed, muted or record armed. Moving the mouse cursor over a button shows a popup with the names of all affected tracks. Clicking the button will reset the mode on all the tracks.
• Creating a new arrangement will automatically set up tags for master, returns and tracks. The audio tracks are now placed at the bottom of the track list.
• Made some adjustments to the sizes of some toolbar buttons. Use the “restore default editor profiles” command in the setup menu to get the new default look.
• Removed the tracks region menu button located below the last track, as it is made redundant by the new track toolbar.
• Added “Polyphonic Pressure” to the “New MIDI parameter” submenu in the inspector parameter panel.
Note that track tags are not yet saved to the .pod file. This beta is for those of you who want to try how the tag system works. I’d like your opinion about it. After you’ve tried it, I’m curious if you still think “track filters” is a better description than “track tags”. I abandoned the “filter” description because I thought it could be confused with DSP filter processing, as in EQ plugins or synth filter sections, etc.
The tag dialog and the tag toolbar are more or less complete. I have some work to do with how the tracks region behave. In this beta I have not yet made the mixer respond to tag selection.
Zynewave@thcilnnahoj wrote:
However, I want to say that I think “tag” is not perfect either. In my opinion, it works backwards compared to how it works in photo applications, for example, where you take a photo and assign tags (descriptors) to it.
Here, you create or select the tags first, and then assign tracks to them. This is fine – I just think it’s not the way tags usually work…?
You don’t have to create the tags first. You can start with no tags, and once you have so many tracks that navigation starts to be a problem, you can create the tags and apply them to tracks. I don’t see how this is backwards compared to the way tags are used in e.g. photo apps. I tried opening the Windows Photo Gallery app, and it appears to me that you can create a set of tags without assigning them to photos.
UncleAgeSo far so good but…
@Zynewave wrote:
Selecting tag buttons in the arrangement editor will show only the tagged tracks in the tracks and mixer regions.
I see the effect in the tracks region but not in the mixer.
LiquidProj3ctThanks you for improve the template system workflow. I notice it very user friendly now without infinite menus and with automatic refresh.
My only problem with the new track toolbar is that it takes too many useful vertical space in podium. That’s the cause I only work with one profile, because I want to avoid vertical space waste.
Maybe you could join transport tool bar and track toolbar, or give the option to add track toolbar controls to transport tool bar, or allow two toolbars in the same row, or create an special “toolbar container” which can hold two or more toolbars, or create a “free toolbar” which can have controls of any avaliable toolbar in Podium.
If you open default profile in 1440×900 screen (as mine) you’ll see tons of unuseful and wasted space.
Thanks you again 🙂
Best regards
ps: looking foward mixer strip improvements 🙂