Topic: Preview 2.36: Extended UI and mixer resizing.

Beta 5 is nice – those slider knobs can get really tiny! 😮

Random thoughts and observations:
– It’s good that you restored the dimmed so/in labels. However, they disappear awfully early during zooming. I think that even at the smallest strip size, at least labels like “So” and “In” would make them more discernable and an easier target.

– Since the divider line is back on track headers, any chance of it reappearing in the mixer?

– I’m not sure that completely removing the space between strips is such a good idea… I would contest that Podium has the smallest actually usable mixer strips of all sequencers now (don’t quote me on it!), and it’s enough to fit a lot of them on screen. A tiny little bit of visual separation can’t hurt.

– Forgive me for asking, since I can see that it makes more sense, but isn’t Shift+scroll pretty much a standard shortcut for horizontal scrolling in most other programs?

What I meant about the scrollbars is that they fit in with the ‘old’ round design, which I still prefer, and not as much with the new. Like I said, I think that mixing design styles (round buttons here, sharp corners there, and suddenly rounded corners again on the track headers over yonder) is undesirable. Still, you’re the professional designer (or should I say wizard!) here, so I’ll shut up. 😛
I want to apologize again if any of my ramblings ever so slightly upset you. I also see your point about keeping scrollbar size separate.

Problems:
– It’s impossible to use Shift+Alt+click to set automatic solo in the mixer now, due to the hand tool shortcut. By the way, something that’s always irked me is that automatic solo is disabled when you enable normal solo mode on top of it… the two should be unrelated, in my opinion. Muting should of course mute the track, but restore automatic solo again afterwards. Anyone disagree?

– If you choose “control type: dial”, the pan dials are a little too big for the smallest possible strips. Also, would it be possible to split the control type used in the chain panel and for the pan control, and make the dial centered when zooming out? I think I would like to try using dials for panning again, though I’m not a hundred percent sure I will. It’s probably not worth the effort if nobody else thinks the same.

– I think the control type and gain/pan fader options are quite confusing, and some of them possibly obsolete. Examples: Selecting “disable” for the faders doesn’t really disable them, but shows them inside the chain panel instead. For gain/pan controls, “show value on knob” can’t be properly used anymore with smaller strips.

Suggestions:
– If double-clicking the zoom slider resets strip zoom, maybe double-clicking it again could return to the previous level (like with the navigator).

– Make horizontal scrolling snap to mixer strips – it’s a long standing request that sounds very reasonable. I’d prefer it as an option, though, as I’m not sure I would use it myself. 🙂

– An ambitious one: Ideally I would suggest a small and really simple navigator (at best just colored bars) in the mixer to replace the scroll bar and zoom slider. It’d give a nice overview and the possibility to jump straight to a specific section (if you don’t always use track tags for housekeeping).

– I think that the mixer zoom setting should be saved with each arrangement instead of the editor profile. I’d actually say the same goes for the minimize audio/MIDI/parameter tracks options.
Zoom settings for all editors except arrangement are also stored per profile – it makes more sense there, but not so much with the mixer, in my opinion.

@Zynewave wrote:

Beta5:

Using the mixer zoom slider will lock the zoom on the focus track. To lock zoom on a specific track, hold Ctrl+Alt and use click+drag or the mouse wheel over the strips.

The slide tool can be used on the mixer strips. Hold Shift+Alt and click+drag, or hold Alt and use the mouse wheel.

Let me know if you still have issues with the mixer layout.

Can you explain this a little bit further???

I´ve two tracks in my start project and using crtl+alt +mousewheel as well as click n drag does the same as using the slider on the left…it just zooms in or out the two tracks (track 1 is selected)
What shall locking mean??? First I understood this as being able to zoom just the selected strip in or out, but it affects both of my tracks…

Shift+alt+click n drag turns my cursor into a hand and affect nothing…
Alt+ mousewheel does nothing…

Trancit

FWIW, it’s threads like this one that make me really want to embrace Podium and say goodby to Cubase…

I read that drum map support has been improved in a recent version of Podium and I hope to be checking that out very soon!

Thanks Frits – you have a wonderful vibe here and I wish you only the best

peace y’all
pj

I don’t see any problem with them 🙂

One minor detail I don’t like too much is that when mixer is focused it’s embedded title bar is highlighted. I think the gui would be prettier if it wasn’t highlighted, since I don’t find any point for that.

@Zynewave wrote:

Beta6:

I have been looking into improving the meter animation in the mixer. Previously the meters would freeze when you were scrolling or zooming.

Great news! Immediately makes it at least 48.76% more professional-looking. 😉

A first quick test shows that the GUI still ‘freezes’ for about half a second when I click (and hold) a window title bar but don’t move the window. Also, when I click and move a floating window (that did not already have key focus), there is always a little ‘jump’ when I start the move. It’s always been like this, unlike in other hosts, and isn’t a problem… it might be related, though. This also causes the rest of the GUI to hickup.

@thcilnnahoj wrote:

I’m not sure that completely removing the space between strips is such a good idea… I would contest that Podium has the smallest actually usable mixer strips of all sequencers now (don’t quote me on it!), and it’s enough to fit a lot of them on screen. A tiny little bit of visual separation can’t hurt.

Okay, I take that back – it’s perfectly fine even with the tiniest strips. It’s not going to be often that I’ll need this many, but just being able to fit 80 strips on screen is beautiful! :D/

Here’s a picture for non-licensees who wonder about this beta (smallest zoom setting):

@thcilnnahoj wrote:

I think the control type and gain/pan fader options are quite confusing, and some of them possibly obsolete. Examples: Selecting “disable” for the faders doesn’t really disable them, but shows them inside the chain panel instead. For gain/pan controls, “show value on knob” can’t be properly used anymore with smaller strips.

Thinking some more, I would opt for a global control type setting. That would take care of the browser preview level fader, and it would save you from having to change them in every single profile (I assume you’d usually want to do that).