Zynewave.
sugesI really like Podium’s interface and it looks very promising, but I must be honest, I am having a REAL hard time figuring it out. The learning curve is very steep. There’s no one thing I can point that I don’t understand–my learning style is to read the manual, or the tutorial, or SOMETHING, understand all the features, then work.
There is absolutely no documentation for the program, and I know I cn’t be the only one who’s using this program who really can’t figure it out. I think it should be made a priority before any new features get added, for someone to write a step-by-step getting started manual, with screenshots. Or get those “Presentation” videos up. Because I can promise right now I’d buy this program if I knew how to use it.
Also, why is ReWire support not planned? A significant portion of professional dance and electronic music producers like myself use it for drum programming and sometimes analog sound design. Then it’s pumped into the “real” sequencer to use nice VSTi’s and do a proper mixdown.
ZynewaveHi suges,
I am glad you haven’t given up hope. I am just about to upload the latest beta with the last remaining essential feature implemented. This coming week I will then work on the presentation videos. I consider these a must before I am going to announce a version 1.00 release.
There is absolutely no documentation for the program
I know the documentation bit is lacking. I intended the online guide to be the manual. Have you read the guide? What areas did you find lacking (apart from the unfinished pages)?
Also, why is ReWire support not planned?
Simply because I haven’t had time to examine the format. If there are many users that want this feature, I will of course look into it.
SardaukarI agree. I feel Podium has great potential. However, its very difficult to get up and running with it. Once you understand it, and have set it up, im sure its very powerful.
But i believe people arent going to be willing to put the time and effort to learning how to use it….they want that ‘ahhh!’ factor. Something that only comes with decent tutorials and documentation.
Im sure if these were provided, so many more people would start using Podium.
sugesHi Frits,
I’m glad the presentation videos and documentation is your priority. I’ve read the guide–wouldn’t you say it’s more like a features overview than a manual? I think it serves more as marketing collateral, and it worked–it was viewing those pages that made me want to try Podium in the first place.
In any case, what I need in a manual or a video is the walkthrough or quick start guide. I want to know how to make a simple track from start to finish, including:
1. How to use it to play MIDI on my keyboard
2. How to use it to play VSTi’s
3. How to use it to record vocals and live instrument performances
4. How to work with pre-recorded performances (as wave files I guess)
5. How to mix and EQ my production
6. How to place and run finalizing plugins like compressors and ditherers.
7. How to bounce the whole thing down to a 2-track wave file.
I’m sure to you and all the veteran users here these are trivial questions, but I am completely baffled. I think primarily I’m used to using the Windows-standard drop-down menus to be able to work through all the features a program offers, and that’s how I learn it, but as you know the layout is unique in Zynewave. Anyways, I hope this helps you understand what educational issues need to be addressed in yoru documentation.
I’m glad you haven’t completely discounted the ReWire idea. Hopefully I’m not the only one of your users who would use it!
Suges
ZynewaveI’ve read the guide–wouldn’t you say it’s more like a features overview than a manual?
The top level in the guide are meant to work as a feature overview and when you go further down in the guide menus the descriptions get more detailed. If you take some of the detailed guide pages, like this, I would find it hard to write a more detailed explanation. Is it the layout or style of writing that needs to be improved?
Thanks for the quick start suggestions. I have just uploaded the second video (studio setup) to the presentation page. I would appreciate if you could take a look at that and let me know if this is useful to you?
Frits
sugesI have finally gotten somewhere in Podium! I’m so excited, it’s quite cool.
I first started by watching your new video. I had NO idea you could drag inputs around to different tracks. But perhaps the best part of the video was when it showed you going through the startup wizard. Now, whenever *I* ran the startup wizard, I would just follow along, do whatever the “Red arrows” told me to do, but I had no idea what it was REALLY doing.
In your video you clicked on Create Audio Mixer Mappings, which of course created the Devices folder. BUT, in your video you did something I’ve never done before, which was double-click on that devices folder, thereby revealing what’s inside it, as you proceesed through the “red arrows”.
This showed me for the first time what exactly the wizard was creating for me. That’s when I realized that every input, output, setting, etc., was an object nested in a vast hierarchy. This helped me understand the logic behind how the program was laid out.
I went on my own to see how the objects are configured by the wizard. I tried creating my own MIDI ins and outs from scratch. Perhaps this is a good time to let you know, I had no idea all this time what a MAP or MAPPING was. It took me hours to figure out that it was basically an OUT hahaha. I had set up all my MIDI ports wrong, clicking the “route ins to outs” checkbox assuming it would create a MIDI thru situation for me.
Once I finally sorted it all out and got a very specific configuration customized for my studio setup, I was unhappy because my main browser was cluttered full of objects. I had created folders, but I could drag the objects into the folders. That’s when I realized what the list browser was for. Did you know you can’t select multiple objects and drag them all into a folder in the list window?
Anyways I got it all organized and I was able to whip up an arrangement with MIDI coming out of my Kuzweil AND using some softsynths as well.
Tomorrow I will attempt to record some audio, do a mixdown, and bounce the whole thing to a two-track.
I will take another look at the guide as well.
Suges
sugesI stand corrected…the Guide IS very detailed. I guess I didn’t read it too closely the first time. Admittedly, the top-level pages read kind of like a Deitel & Deitel “How To Program in Java” guide (“the plugin is encapsulated, then instantiated into child objects…”) hahaa. Ahh OOP, where would we be without you.
In any case, I’ll just have to work slowly through it.
ZynewaveGreat feedback suges, I have learned a lot from your post.
I went on my own to see how the objects are configured by the wizard. I tried creating my own MIDI ins and outs from scratch. Perhaps this is a good time to let you know, I had no idea all this time what a MAP or MAPPING was. It took me hours to figure out that it was basically an OUT hahaha. I had set up all my MIDI ports wrong, clicking the “route ins to outs” checkbox assuming it would create a MIDI thru situation for me.
I was hoping that the majority of users would never have to configure the mappings manually. What was it that you needed to customize? Maybe I can solve this by adding some further options to the wizard.
I had created folders, but I could drag the objects into the folders.
In the browser you can hold down the control key to drop any objects you’re dragging into folders (unless you have switched off auto arrange mode).
That’s when I realized what the list browser was for. Did you know you can’t select multiple objects and drag them all into a folder in the list window?
Yes, I know 😳 It’s on the plan.
I’ll go back to work on some more videos now. Keep the comments comming 🙂
sugesCool, glad I’m helping!
Hmm. Well, what I ended up doing was creating one MIDI input, set to channel 1. So I would use that to control my keyboard and softsynths.
Then I made 16 seperate MIDI outputs (maps), so I could control all 16 of my keybaord’s MIDI channels seperately, cause I have a Kurzweil K2000 so I load seperate instruments on each channel and then get the sequencer to play them all at the same time.
Ah yes holding down control…now that I finally read the Guide in depth, I figured that out.
Cools, I’ll keep you posted as the experiments continue.
Zynewave‘The hierarchic engine’ video is up. I will press on with the remaining videos during the weekend, but I must admit that this is tiresome work. Can’t wait to get back to programming again.
Let me know if I’m still on the yellow brick road here.
sugesOnce again EXCELLENT video…I learned so much. I didn’t know you could do a quarter of things you showed there…now I finally see the value of the ‘hierarchic engine’.
Yeah I know doing the tutorials probably sucks compared to coding, but this work you’re doing right now is SO valuable. At least to me and those of us who come from the “simpler” sequencers like Cubase and Cakewalk…you can understand this level of control is totally foreign to us…but then we see what you can do with it! And it’s like, WHAT have I been missing?
Keep going guy!
Suges
ZynewaveAt least to me and those of us who come from the “simpler” sequencers like Cubase and Cakewalk
That comment made me go 😯 and then 😆
Thanks for your encouragement, I’ll carry on then 😉