Topic: Preview: Compact track layout

Frits, you can do a competition here in this forum. Competition about interface concepts, ideas. Best idea will be implemented in Podium 2.;) This competition gives only pluses and more users in future.

Oh, I thought it was on purpose.
I hope that we will see all of this soon in siruation by ourselves !
Anyway, thanks for your work.

I checked Kjearhus plugs (Classic and Gold), Crysonics, Fish fillets and they all showed the correct parameter track identification of plugs in brackets while in Compact mode….it appears a simple restart of Vista was enough. Strange. One to keep and eye on though.

@Zynewave wrote:

First attempt at embedding group panels (or rather track chain panels) in the track lane headers:

Any comments are appreciated, even if it’s just Yay or Nay. I’m curious whether people think this is a good development.

A few questions first… The big grin on this smiley 🙂 might give my viewpoint away though… 😛

1.Where are the track meters? Are they not visible in Compact mode? (They are in Beta 3).

2. Each empty track has a Level, Send and Pan parameter independent of the FX mappings parameters AFAICT, if that track feeds into an Effect Track the now child track (if clicked on) will show the parameters for the Effect track above it (in the parameter panel) but…in your screen shot the Level and Pan parameter tracks are still visible how so? Especially if you are in Compact mode. Maybe I do not work that way and have missed a key Podium feature all this time…but please clarify thanks.

3. What mode is your screenshot in? Expanded or Compact?

I initially wanted to see a horizontal representation but…I think a vertical representation mirrors the flow of things in the GP so I think your vertical approach is actually much better.

1.If we now have this info in the track header containers / holders are they fully accessible tracks as in Expanded mode or the current Compact mode in Beta 3? Or only for viewing with the GP still needed in Compact mode for some things?

1a If so what are those things that will not be possible in Compact mode, when working within those new track headers?

Ok…thanks for answering all of my questions. Got some more though…

But first…
I personally think this is the single biggest addition to Podium ever, we now finally have multiple effects on one track!

Seeing that audio file on the “Drum Bridge loop 1” track span the length of the “Send 1”, “Send 2” and the “zPEQ” track (and of course any other additional added effects tracks in the that header) is great!

I think most of us still are not 100% sure because the gap between 1.94 and 1.95 in functionality is pretty wide in places and we need to see this thing running for ourselves. But if I have understood you correctly so far this is a potentially fantastic addition.

Questions…

1. Can I also change a track type in Track Properties as per normal to a bounce track from within the track header?

I say this because a new user looking at that amount of information duplicated in the GP and at track level (once a new arrangement is created) might simply be very confused. When I initially saw your latest screen shot I was totally puzzled by the need for an exact duplication of info (with a slight difference using a container) at track level.

It looked waaaaaaaaaaaay too busy.

But I ‘got it’ soon afterwards. I thought hold on…if you take the GP out of view it makes a whole lot more sense as you are not mentally trying to make sense of so much info between the GP and visible track headers.

It has to be Track or GP in Compact mode IMO to really work Frits. Maybe only allowing for a necessity to go to the GP to move tracks to avoid messing up the hierarchy or something.

2.I think even now in compact mode one can drag tracks vertically. Still Possible within track headers?

3.I think the key here is to avoid having a default set up in Podium that has track headers + the GP visible at the same time. Too much info. The trip wire here is that in Compact mode a user must access the GP to add an effect track but is that really necessary now with track headers Frits?

4.If I understand your changes correctly so far one could now just use the track headers for all GP functions with the exception of adding an effect track..correct?

Why not add the New effect track command to the right click menu of track headers in the Track view? That way the GP will be come optional not essential when in Compact mode…I really think this move would simplify Compact mode further, thoughts?

Thanks.

@Zynewave wrote:

1. Can I also change a track type in Track Properties as per normal to a bounce track from within the track header?

Yes.

That could be really huge for creative use but…if I converted the zPEQ track (under “Send2”) into a bounce track how would Podium draw that waveform if I wanted to bounce that zPEQ track (tap from that point in the tree) in real time? Would it overwrite the audio file to the same track in your screenshot?

As I already pointed out in an earlier post, if you have selected a track further down the track list, the master and the group lane headers may not be in view, and so the group panel can be used to always have the complete signal chain available.

Fair enough 🙂 I guess that message must be made crystal clear in a video or Wiki tutorial to avoid making it all look too busy. But I do understand the GP + track view necessity better, once I have used Podium with the latest changes it will be even more clearer.

The potential is huge. It is a unique, powerful, different and very flexible way of working that somehow does not fit into the Cubase, Logic, strictly linear approach as such or the Live 6 Session view, P5 Groove Matrix analogy either.

It is just a workflow unique to Podium that is great. With enough info explaining this in much more detail I think you could really hit a niche with Podium which would be incredible in a very competitive host market. It looks like your original idea for Podium (years ago) has matured very nicely indeed. Well done!

2.I think even now in compact mode one can drag tracks vertically. Still Possible within track headers?

Not yet.

I can almost guarantee that this will be requested. I certainly already see parallels with other hosts that show more than one FX per track (as Podium can do now) but…other hosts allow them to be drag re- ordered. Thankfully you said “…yet”. I think this has to be in there. A big FR IMO.

The trip wire here is that in Compact mode a user must access the GP to add an effect track but is that really necessary now with track headers Frits?

You can insert effect tracks using the context menus on the lane headers

Cool. 8)

So…GP (Group Panel) for the whole picture of the tree and management of all parts of the tree (all tracks) while the new “Track chain panels” in track headers are for per track micro management of tracks at track level.

Would that be a suitable summary of all the key changes in 1.95 so far in simple terms? I have to ask for my own clarification and also for those who have read this thread but perhaps have not posted to give feedback because it might simply have been a bit too confusing as the changes are quite widespread this time.

@Zynewave wrote:

if I converted the zPEQ track (under “Send2”) into a bounce track how would Podium draw that waveform if I wanted to bounce that zPEQ track (tap from that point in the tree) in real time? Would it overwrite the audio file to the same track in your screenshot?

Maybe I misunderstood you. If you insert a bounce track it will be shown on a separate lane, effectively splitting the chain into two halves on respectively the bounce track and the original track. I’m still thinking about methods to avoid having the bounce sound on a separate track.

I was referring to bouncing from within the track chain panel(maybe you were as well). The zPEQ track under send 2 in your image is inside a track chain panel but it is one of 3 tracks inside that track chain panel that is graphically sharing that waveform to the right, or sharing the same audio track.

So if I right click on the zPEQ track (under Send2 in your latest image) and enable the “Use track for Audio bouncing” option turning the zPEQ track into a bounce track…will the waveform on the right be overwritten if I now try and bounce on that ZPEQ track from within the track chain panel?

Pre 1.95 we would add a group track to the ZPEQ track to bounce it but a track chain panel can have any number of Effect tracks in it…so how and where do bounce track waveforms appear if one converts an existing effect track within a track chain panel into a bounce track?

While I could wait for a ready download with track chain panels it will likely save you having to undo dev work or worse if these questions and feedback uncover potential problems with 1.95 in it’s present state of development.

Just offering some useful feedback here.