Bad MuLab 5 review from Music Radar...

[mutools]

No speed bump necessary as you could move your keyboard hand to the first character of your option eg [R] to repeat the events into the new area when you have increased the sequence length. In my opinion it's a far more elegant solution than those archaic / cryptic modifiers. And remember: No modifiers on a pure touch screen. So this screen-based way of doing it can survive on a touch screen.

The thing is, with the way muscle memory works, using a modifier is a single action. Psychologically, it's 'resize relative', 'resize absolute', because you do it at the same time as the action of dragging. They're just different sorts of drags. Using a key is a separate action from the drag, necessarily coming after it; 'resize, followed by...'.

I can follow your reasoning. But i think that a modifier+mouse still is a more complicated action than a single key action, it's definitely a 2 hand action with a higher level of complexity, also taking into account the brain has to recall which modifier combi has to be triggered for the action you have in mind wheres MuLab's screen popup is easier on the mind as it implicitly gives you a memo about the options AND it only takes a single key which is an easier action, imho.

Going deeper into this would need real scientific ergonomic research. Would be interesting, but i can't afford. My conclusion is that both methods may be almost equivalent wrt time-to-execute, but there also seems to be the subjective aspect about which method you feel best with. For you and some others that's using modifiers. For others (including myself) that's not using modifiers.

Take the point about it not working for touchscreens though, but designing for both mouse and touchscreen is a path to nowhere IMO. You need to fork your app to do that. Touch and mouse input are fundamentally different enough that you can't hope to give both sets of users the quality of experience they expect at the same time. (hey there, Windows

You may be right. I'm not yet concrete enough into touchscreen programming to evaluate your statement. I'm simply trying to already take it into account. Like wrt using modifiers i.e. relying on them as little as possible.

Well it's clear we have a fundamental different view on the use of modifiers. All respect for your other view. I assume you also prefer Reaper?

[liquidsound]

I use Reaper extensively, moving away from Studio One.
My primary tool is MuLab and I managed to recreate (almost) MuLab Mouse behavior in Reaper simply because I have yet to find a better flow than MuLab in the Pianoroll
The main reason I couldn't use Podium was the intense use of modifiers just to move around.

[robenestobenz]

I can follow your reasoning. But i think that a modifier+mouse still is a more complicated action than a single key action, it's definitely a 2 hand action with a higher level of complexity, also taking into account the brain has to recall which modifier combi has to be triggered for the action you have in mind

Well, take a gamer. Once they've internalized the button or key combo, no-one actually thinks 'do I need to hold X or Y?' to modify the joypad / keys to walk slowly or zoom in. It's one action -- they think 'I need to walk slowly' or 'I need to zoom in' and muscle memory does the rest. Same with driving. In any case, we disagree -- and as you say, different things for different people. I don't deny the possibility that I'm just a whinger in a tiny minority of users!

You may be right. I'm not yet concrete enough into touchscreen programming to evaluate your statement. I'm simply trying to already take it into account. Like wrt using modifiers i.e. relying on them as little as possible.

It's an issue of design, not programming. As to why fork: look at city layout. One big compromise between different modes of transport. Pedestrians have to wait around for lights to change and put up with noise and pollution from cars. Cars can't move efficiently and can accumulate to traffic because of the amount of turnings and lights that result from making the city navigable for pedestrians. Cyclists are limited by pedestrians and sometimes endangered by cars because they often don't have their own lanes or paths.

Cities work despite this, they have to. In software, it's different. If your program is competing for motorists and it's stuffed full of compromises for cyclists and pedestrians, the person offering a city designed from the ground up around the capabilities of the motor vehicle is going to have the advantage.

Sorry, waffle over. Get a bit passionate about interface design

I assume you also prefer Reaper?

No! Just because I like modifiers and dislike prompts doesn't mean I don't like all the other good stuff in Mulab! I've not tried Reaper for a long time, but it never did fit my thinking...

[sl23]

For me, as a novice user, MuLab is easy to pick up and get into, despite very limited experience with DAW's. There are some things that need fine tuning but my only real gripe is the 'wait note' feature for recording. Where recording starts on the press of any note played. Assigning a note each time is awkward and slows things down. Maybe one day, eh Jo? After all, MuLab is about ease of use!

I'd love to be able to ditch many VST's in favour of MUX too but this also needs expanding in the modules area. That said, it's an excellent idea very well implemented and the best idea for a VST ever!

[DHR53]

I guess I need to post this again for the sake of MuLab having a "proper gui."

I'm not sure what they were looking at other than the default but I see nothing unusual or scary about this gui? The menus in Reaper? Now that's scary!

[mfkne]

for me the main issue is the absence of a good real-time-timestretch algo.

[DHR53]

For OSX users Logic has everything you could need... but if your interested in a small footprint OSX DAW that doesn't have a lot of stuff you may "never use" MuLab does a LOT... albeit with a few things missing or that require a different approach to getting there. I'm used to it because I've customized it with cmd. keys and templates etc. ...but I mainly use VIs and midi not much audio... I can see the audio side is not as appealing. But if audio is your thing, Reaper was and is designed to be a ProTools replacement.

[toxicoh]

For OSX Garageband does almost everything except control external midi devices. Also no VSTs.

So, MULAB is a great alternative, especially for simple projects.

[DHR53]

Garageband is well, awful actually... Let'e hope that's not the direction Logic goes.

[slobajudge]

I knew one thing, Mulab never failed me, but Reaper is (missing piano notes from time to time in the middle of recording - unninstall, I dont have a time nor I want to investigate this). For my needs, Mulab is perfect, and I like the interface simplicity very much.

[jonljacobi]

I saw three stars when I read it, but it indeed sounds like the reviewer didn't have an open mind when reviewing it, nor spent a lot of time with it. MuLab has some unique features and strengths, but it has some odd omissions and quirks as well. Then again, some stuff you might think is missing is actually there if you look around. And the flexibility of the mixing and the mux takes some getting used to.

As to the look, it's definitely not what's currently in vogue or the way things are headed, but that's a matter of taste. To me, it's very easy to use, but takes some getting used to.

[carroll6]

I like MuLab.. a lot. For some reason, I can't get going with Reaper- DUH. The "Arm Track" thing..and I still can't figure out how to get my YouRock guitar going! It shows up in the MIDI setup..I have it enabled.. but I haven't figured out how to use it as the input device, and just start playing like you do in MuLAB. MuLAB fired right up.. I was playing in minutes. So thumbs up for MuLab- don't listen to that criticism!!

[johnny.w]

The review was harsh. The best thing about MU is the built in VSTi.s sound great. There are alot of em also. This is very valuable. Onloy the most expensive version is worth buying, IMO, and at that price point you are compelled to compare to other DAWs in the same range, Mixcraft, Reaper, Cakewalk Studio upgrade, etc. Still, I like this DAW.

[mgiambro]

Well, it just goes to show. When choosing DAWS, you really have to try the DAW out properly yourself and disregard reviews and other peoples opinions on forums. Having read that shortsighted review, it almost put me off trying mulab. I'm so glad it didn't. Having used many other DAWs, I think I have at last found a product that does what I need well, without clutter and hindering my productivity with lots of features I don't need. But this is not at the expense of power. If you dig into the menus, chances are you will find what you need to do. The automation is fantastic and the routing and MUX give unlimited sound creation options. Also, as someone who like to create my own sounds, I like the fact that it is not bloated with generic sounding content like many other DAWS. This DAW is a pleasure to work with and I look forward to seeing how it develops. I hope it keeps true to it's philosphy thus far.