Making MuLab More Obvious & Easy
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 12731 posts since 24 Jun, 2008 from Europe
Of course you can! In fact all the MuTools presets you see when clicking on an empty rack slot are all MUX presets. To start from an 'empty' MUX select the MuTools -> Factory -> Effects -> Devices -> Basic Effect. Open the deep editor and there you go.
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- KVRian
- 615 posts since 25 Nov, 2010
Ok got it.
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- KVRian
- 505 posts since 30 Jan, 2007
Greetings from a former Muzys customer who is now checking out MuLab 4 Free and will probably purchase MuLab 5 once it's out.
The thing that jumps out at me about MuLab above all else is that it's so easy to use, especially for setting up tracks to play VST instruments. Click the plus sign, choose Instrument track, choose your instrument, and you're off and running - with an easily identified rack all set to add effects. OUTSTANDING!
Whatever you do with upcoming versions, please don't take away that ease of use.
Other DAWs have cool instruments and effects too. Yours stands out because even beginners can be up and recording quickly, spending their time playing music rather than digging through manuals to figure out how to use the thing.
The thing that jumps out at me about MuLab above all else is that it's so easy to use, especially for setting up tracks to play VST instruments. Click the plus sign, choose Instrument track, choose your instrument, and you're off and running - with an easily identified rack all set to add effects. OUTSTANDING!
Whatever you do with upcoming versions, please don't take away that ease of use.
Other DAWs have cool instruments and effects too. Yours stands out because even beginners can be up and recording quickly, spending their time playing music rather than digging through manuals to figure out how to use the thing.
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- KVRian
- 1441 posts since 4 Oct, 2012 from Utah
Not to mention you can build your own synth/effect in the MUXtorgo wrote: Other DAWs have cool instruments and effects too. Yours stands out because even beginners can be up and recording quickly, spending their time playing music rather than digging through manuals to figure out how to use the thing.
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- KVRian
- 505 posts since 30 Jan, 2007
Making my own synth/effects is a cool feature, but at least for me it's not something that jumps out the way that MuLab's ease of use does.
It also falls under the "other DAWs have cool built in stuff too" category. I have the FL Studio Signature bundle, for example, so I can already build my own synths using FL Synthmaker.
On the other hand, I converted an old computer into a music machine for my nephew. I gave it to him last night.
I had already bought Sonar X1 LE and put it on there. Since I have been tinkering with MuLab 4 Free this week, I threw it on there for him as well.
I showed him that he had Sonar, briefly demonstrated what it was, and also showed him the folder where I had put the series of tutorial videos and other documentation for it.
Then we opened up MuLab 4 Free. We didn't have documentation or videos on it, and there wasn't much in the way of internet access at Grandma's house. But that didn't matter.
In about 10 minutes, we had started a project, added the SI-drums (came with Sonar) on an instrument track, loaded in a Groove Monkee MIDI drum groove, added a second instrument track with a piano from the Cakewalk Sound Center (also in Sonar), played piano along with our drums, and then added a Boss SD-1 overdrive pedal and Marshall JCM900 guitar amp (both from CM magazine), shredding that piano and cranking out the opening riff of "Smoke On The Water".
Yes, he had my help - I had already done the basic setup to select the ASIO driver and USB MIDI connector and pointed it to the place where I had put the VST plugins folder back when I set up Sonar. I showed him that he had the MIDI drum loops and audio loops (they're stashed in a Cakewalk folder since they came with Sonar) and explained a few plugins - like filling him in that "JCM900" was the name of a guitar amp.
But he didn't need much help with MuLab itself. He simply dove in and started playing and recording. And that was the very first time the kid had ever even *seen* a workstation program.
You just can't be off and running that fast with Cubase, Sonar, FL Studio, Pro Tools, etc, even if you're an adult and have played with sequencers for years.
It also falls under the "other DAWs have cool built in stuff too" category. I have the FL Studio Signature bundle, for example, so I can already build my own synths using FL Synthmaker.
On the other hand, I converted an old computer into a music machine for my nephew. I gave it to him last night.
I had already bought Sonar X1 LE and put it on there. Since I have been tinkering with MuLab 4 Free this week, I threw it on there for him as well.
I showed him that he had Sonar, briefly demonstrated what it was, and also showed him the folder where I had put the series of tutorial videos and other documentation for it.
Then we opened up MuLab 4 Free. We didn't have documentation or videos on it, and there wasn't much in the way of internet access at Grandma's house. But that didn't matter.
In about 10 minutes, we had started a project, added the SI-drums (came with Sonar) on an instrument track, loaded in a Groove Monkee MIDI drum groove, added a second instrument track with a piano from the Cakewalk Sound Center (also in Sonar), played piano along with our drums, and then added a Boss SD-1 overdrive pedal and Marshall JCM900 guitar amp (both from CM magazine), shredding that piano and cranking out the opening riff of "Smoke On The Water".
Yes, he had my help - I had already done the basic setup to select the ASIO driver and USB MIDI connector and pointed it to the place where I had put the VST plugins folder back when I set up Sonar. I showed him that he had the MIDI drum loops and audio loops (they're stashed in a Cakewalk folder since they came with Sonar) and explained a few plugins - like filling him in that "JCM900" was the name of a guitar amp.
But he didn't need much help with MuLab itself. He simply dove in and started playing and recording. And that was the very first time the kid had ever even *seen* a workstation program.
You just can't be off and running that fast with Cubase, Sonar, FL Studio, Pro Tools, etc, even if you're an adult and have played with sequencers for years.
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- KVRian
- 505 posts since 30 Jan, 2007
One other thing I always loved about the old Muzys and am happy to see in MuLab: it's a portable app.
You don't have to "install" it, and it doesn't muck about with the Windows registry in any way. Installing it simply means copying/moving its folder to wherever you want it. To uninstall it, just delete the folder.
That has me looking forward to trying it out with WINE on a Linux system.
You don't have to "install" it, and it doesn't muck about with the Windows registry in any way. Installing it simply means copying/moving its folder to wherever you want it. To uninstall it, just delete the folder.
That has me looking forward to trying it out with WINE on a Linux system.
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- KVRian
- 616 posts since 27 Jul, 2001 from france
I have already asked this and got no answer : I wonder why the way of drawing curves is not the same for midi CC and parameter automation (the latter is better) ?
And for the Gain, Stereo Panning, Stereo width ans Mute of a rack, the 2 ways are possible...
I really don't understand why there is a difference, it's something a bit confusing...
And for the Gain, Stereo Panning, Stereo width ans Mute of a rack, the 2 ways are possible...
I really don't understand why there is a difference, it's something a bit confusing...
PQ
free software at : http://pquenin.free.fr/pqnaudio
free music at : http://www.soundclick.com/thepqueninproject
free software at : http://pquenin.free.fr/pqnaudio
free music at : http://www.soundclick.com/thepqueninproject
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- KVRian
- 763 posts since 27 Sep, 2009 from Bristol UK
I struggled with understanding Muclips coming from a short lived Live8 environment in which I was getting annoyed with the time stretching distortions (warps)
If there existed a Mux ready made to encompass the chopping up of loops as happens in the composer view that would have progressed me no end , as it is I'm still trying to work out how to do it and probably never will. I like the Rex-ness of chopped up loops and the ability to modify each part with all kinds of modulation/changes
As it is Mulab is my new VST host with a nice workable and simple piano roll but desire for the Muclipped chopped loop ability.
I'm comfortable with modular synths and have played with a few patch leads over the years but modular midi is a bit hard
Hope Mulab stays the same and does'nt try to be like other DAW's
If there existed a Mux ready made to encompass the chopping up of loops as happens in the composer view that would have progressed me no end , as it is I'm still trying to work out how to do it and probably never will. I like the Rex-ness of chopped up loops and the ability to modify each part with all kinds of modulation/changes
As it is Mulab is my new VST host with a nice workable and simple piano roll but desire for the Muclipped chopped loop ability.
I'm comfortable with modular synths and have played with a few patch leads over the years but modular midi is a bit hard
Hope Mulab stays the same and does'nt try to be like other DAW's
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- KVRian
- 615 posts since 25 Nov, 2010
A stupid thought: square drumpads instead of round ones in MuDrum (and 3 or 4 in each row) 
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- KVRAF
- 2691 posts since 28 Mar, 2008 from a Galaxy S7 far far away
Nah! Prefer the round ones, looks better. A compromise? Add two extra to the top row?
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- KVRian
- 852 posts since 3 Mar, 2009
It's just two different type of data. One is represented as midi data (with all it's limitations, but can be saved in midi files - if i'm not worng), the other (proprietary) automation data.pquenin wrote:I have already asked this and got no answer : I wonder why the way of drawing curves is not the same for midi CC and parameter automation (the latter is better) ?
And for the Gain, Stereo Panning, Stereo width ans Mute of a rack, the 2 ways are possible...
I really don't understand why there is a difference, it's something a bit confusing...
Cubase had these two sets of data since years and as you can create both for the same parameter, they even invented means to decide which data to use how.
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- KVRian
- 615 posts since 25 Nov, 2010
and one in the middlesl23 wrote:Nah! Prefer the round ones, looks better. A compromise? Add two extra to the top row?
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- KVRAF
- 2691 posts since 28 Mar, 2008 from a Galaxy S7 far far away
NO! 
it looks good as is we don't wanna be square do we? 
it looks good as is we don't wanna be square do we? -
- KVRian
- 1441 posts since 4 Oct, 2012 from Utah
I think circles is part of what makes Mulab unique. Also they allow for velocity testing by clicking inner or outer parts of it. Also they look like cymbals which i think are quite attractive 
