Bad MuLab 5 review from Music Radar...

[mutools]

Maybe it's the two-faced character of MuLab that's confusing for some: Simple (interface, unbloated feature-wise), yet deep (modular structure, shortcut system/deeper menu's)

Simple and deep are kind of contradictions and it seems difficult to balance. Some might want some simple things a little deeper (or less restrictive) and some might want some particular deeper parts more simple to do.

Could be a problem to clearly target a particular type of audience perhaps?

You're right it's a dangerous and difficult balance-adventure indeed.

Maybe make 2 editions, a simple edition for beginners, without all the modular editing stuff available for faster approach and a deep edition with all enabled for power users who need it all.

I sure want a beginners version to have preset sounds from the start. That implies that MUX is included.

Normally when opening presets users only see the front panel of a MUX preset. Most of them are easy with only a couple of very relevant parameters. Only when you explicitly go into the deep editor, the vast modular space is opened.

I know some of the preset front panels don't look good enough to be attractive to the eye and therefore influence the brain so things seem to sound even much more pro top-quality. Technically it's nonsense but psychologically it's so important. Working on that aspect atm.

[dakkra]

Reminds me of a wine test someone did. He took the same wine and put it into to different bottles. One bottle looked like cheap wine and the other look really classy and expensive. People actually tasted a difference between the two wines. Our brains are awesome

[chk071]

Reminds me of a wine test someone did. He took the same wine and put it into to different bottles. One bottle looked like cheap wine and the other look really classy and expensive. People actually tasted a difference between the two wines. Our brains are awesome

Again, that is your subjective view on things. I remember i tried MuLab some years ago, and it completely didn't click with me. I didn't know what to do in it at all... didn't get the rack stuff or anything. I must admit that was at a time i didn't really get much of the music software related stuff, but using Reason before was no problem at all for me as a beginner. That said, i'm pretty sure tick with it just nice, it's just that people and brains seem to work differently...

[robenestobenz]

There will alway be more advanced feature requests (eg APDC, built-in bit-bridge, crash sandboxing, etc...) which would be nice to have, but which are clearly advanced power user features.

I dunno, I think these are all features which improve the experience, maybe offering non-technical users the biggest benefits. For example, upon encountering a bit-bridging or APDC problem, who's going to find it easier to solve -- a power user, or a novice? I'd argue that a non-technical/novice user is by definition going to gain the most from technical concerns being automatically handled for them.

I'm not arguing these particular features should be given precious development time, but they're definitely not just for power users.

I disagree with loads of built-in modifier combis. They're terrible to remind. And they assume that you read the manual. Which is not creative fun. Anyway, on top of some unavoidable built-in standard modifier combis, also the shortcut system allows you to use modifiers so you got some freedom there too.

That's true, but on the other hand you only have to remember a modifier once. You'll be asked what kind of note length change you want to perform forever.

One big problem for me - sub-menus actually NEED a click to unfold. This is very uncommon and reduces speed of work.

This used to bother me a bit as well. Stick UseUnfoldedContextMenus=[number] into <Mulab folder>\User\Settings\MainSetup.Txt to have them expanded n-levels by default. I love this combined with Mulab's awesome find-as-you-type support for lists. Clicking on a rack slot, typing in EQ22 and having EQ22 load up before I've even typed the first '2' is even faster than the browser!

@dakkra: I disagree with the interface looking Win2k (and I really dislike the busy, over-bitmapped look of FL Studio) but I definitely agree on the play cursor! The first thing I do when I unpack a new version of MuLab is overwrite it with a thin one. I'll email you a zip with the file if you want.

[dakkra]

The first thing I do when I unpack a new version of MuLab is overwrite it with a thin one. I'll email you a zip with the file if you want.

Please do! contact@dakkra.com

Haha I knew someone would disagree! Main reason is because it's more of an opinion matter than anything else

[EvilDragon]

I disagree with loads of built-in modifier combis. They're terrible to remind. And they assume that you read the manual. Which is not creative fun. Anyway, on top of some unavoidable built-in standard modifier combis, also the shortcut system allows you to use modifiers so you got some freedom there too.

That's true, but on the other hand you only have to remember a modifier once. You'll be asked what kind of note length change you want to perform forever.

Exactly!

[mutools]

I disagree. In your mind you have to make the choice anyway. Once you've made the choice your hands will execute your decision. And even then i'm not sure if using modifiers is faster than pressing a single key as modifiers are used together with a key/mouse so maybe it's even more work!

[EvilDragon]

It's just a different workflow and some are more used to it, that's all I usually have one hand at my keyboard and one on mouse, and it's very fast working like that, instead of move something with the mouse, ooh, a popup, move the mouse over to the button you want, click. Definitely a speed bump there.

[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.

[EvilDragon]

Right, I am not interested in utilizing touchscreens in my regular DAW work.

[mutools]

Ok no touchscreen for you. What about the keyboard solution i described? Isn't a single key faster than a modifier+key?

[EvilDragon]

I'm just very much used to pick a modifier first then do the mouse thing. In Reaper I can even change the modifier keys WHILE doing the mouse thing, so... that's the great thing about it for me.

It is quite a subjective matter, I agree.

[Tricky-Loops]

I'm just very much used to pick a modifier first then do the mouse thing. In Reaper I can even change the modifier keys WHILE doing the mouse thing, so... that's the great thing about it for me.

It is quite a subjective matter, I agree.

I never used modifiers. I've used key shortcuts if I can remember them... But modifiers? Is it called "modifier" when I press a key and use the mouse button simultaneously?

I must admit many people are happy if they can do things faster with some customizations but I rather make 3 work steps instead of one...being fast isn't my main goal...

[robenestobenz]

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...'.

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 8)

@Tricky: yup, that's it. Also a familiar concept in games, e.g. holding x to sprint.

[Tricky-Loops]

@Tricky: yup, that's it. Also a familiar concept in games, e.g. holding x to sprint.

Yeah I remember. Of course I used modifiers in games. I've tested a lot of free games when I made a practical training at the BRAVO Screenfun in Munich, and they had the strangest keyboard + mouse modifier combinations...

Sometimes I didn't even know the keyboard & mouse combinations because they were written in Korean language...