Conquistador's Forum Page

@Zynewave wrote:

Your screenshot shows the track named “zPEQ [Stereo]”. That is the bottom effect track. The lane for the Trilogy track (which contains the MIDI data) is hidden. Right click the Trilogy track and show the lane. You’ll probably also want to hide the track lane for the zPEQ track.

Frits that was it! 😀

All this time using Podium but I only scratched the surface of Compact modes track chain panels.

Incredibly they are some sort of cross between nested folders, group tracks and something else I have not seen anywhere yet. 😛

I have to list the possibilities here (short primer of sorts) as it may help some new users…and clarify some things for me as well (he he)

1. Track Panels are holders for Track FX and Instruments.

2. A track Panel can display multiple types of data (Audio or MIDI) but only one data type is visible at any one time on a Track Chain panels track.

3.The name that is visible on the track chain panel reflects the ‘active track’ within the panel. As one can see from the screenshot (this confused me initially) the active track within the panel was the ZPEQ track. So nothing was visible (no midi data).

As Frits suggested, unhiding the Trilogy track then made that the ‘active track’ so the track panel header changed to show the name of the Trilogy mapping. At that point the midi data was shown.

4. The flexibility of Track Panels includes changing any effect track into a bounce track (even if it is in a Track chain panel). So you could tap your bass signal from any one of the FX Tracks in the panel and bounce a version of it from there.

Taking care to ensure you hide tracks you do not need (and unhide the track you want to see) will ensure you always see the audio or midi data on the track you want to work with within a Track chain panel. Highly flexible.

Remixers should love it as having a Track panel set up just before the main out means you could churn out all sorts of mixes by bouncing a version of your track with different Mastering chains (from within a track panel) just make sure the track panel header shows the track effect you want to work with or bounce enabled track FX you want to work with.

5. If all FX tracks are hidden (look for the tick mark next to the ‘Hide Track Lane’ command when right clicking FX tracks within a track chain panel) then the header for a Track Chain Panel will show the instrument mapping making it the active track. So whatever is on the instrument tracks (midi data for instance) will now be seen on the track chain panels track.

If you combine the Inspectors advanced track management and track Panels layered flexibility you have an amazingly flexible and advanced environment for track management.

LOL I tested 1.95 heavily but somehow most of this went over my head.:) I would dare say that the IGP (Inspector Group Panel) and the TP (Track Panels) are the two most powerful features in Podium.

They are also unique to Podium AFAICT. A video on only these two features with some detail would really demostrate the most powerful aspects of Podium. The possibilites are almost crazy with IGP and TP. If only users could see this in more detail, visually in action.

Please correct any of the above points if they are not correct Frits…and thanks for the solution! 🙂

@Zynewave wrote:

You must have hidden the track lane containing the invisible playing MIDI.

I wish you were right (I checked that many times before starting this thread) but I have gone back to that project again and deleted every other track…just a few left and it is still playing back the mdi data that is not there. Hard to beleive? I agree…but I can send over the project and you can see for yourself. Simply hit play and watch what happens after bar 3.

If that is not a track routing issue then I have no idea what else it could be but it is certainly not a hidden track lane or user error.

Changing between compact/expanded mode in the arrangement properties does nothing to the track routing. It’s only if you start hiding/showing track lanes or mixer strips that it can appear to be visually messed up. Hiding/showing tracks will not change the signal routing though.

I defintely need to spend more time working with hiding and unhiding tracks as part of my workflow in Compact mode as there is more there than meets the eye. When a user uses the commands to hide tracks in a group or a track lane there are subtle changes in the look of a track but routing issues or not…

…something is wrong somewhere that started when I went from using an instrument with an FX chain of up to 3 – 5 FX tracks and unhid them in Expanded mode came back and my midi data was gone but still playing.

I wish I could film this track playing back with no data but Camtasia is not set up on V64 here nor Vegas which I also have. In any case I can send over the project.

OK…have a look at this screen shot…can you see the meters registering data playback with no data (Audio or Midi)?

I specifically took the screen grab when the meters were up to eliminate any doubts about a hidden lane or track still being there in this arrangement. Never seen anything like it but I here it is…

I was certain that if I stripped the project back to only this set of FX chains and a few tracks that the oddity would go away (perhaps some odd routing issue or user error) but no…it still plays. It’s like Podium has stored the data in the track somehow or even though the midi data has long gone it is still there but not visible?!?!?

Now that v2 makes the use of device management and many other aspects soooo much easier, Meters and mixing looks quite weak in comparison now and it would really benefit from a revision of sorts. 🙁

Even a simple updated db value on each mixer strip and track in the arranger would make mixing far easier. While Free G is great (really great)it can get very tedious using Free G (opening closing each tracks Free G plug, to check levels e.t.c).

Really these features should be built in. Mixing in Podium is simply not as easy as some hosts IMO but it would take a very small adjustment to get the ball rolling to improve things significantly here. Even if you could only see a realtime db value in the mixer (and not tracks in the arrangement) right now I would take that with both hands…there is too much guess work without it. The absence of db values (realtime) makes a relatively easy job somewhat complicated.

The other features in Free G like Trim are also absolutely essential for mixing and the proper control of input levels. Really.

The remaining features are all very important but a realtime db value (in the mixer and /or tracks in the arranger) with at least a Trim function and some way to switch to RMS readings are really essentials for a serious professional mixing environment. Podium is a-l-m-o-s-t there.