Arranger workflow improvements

[ohm]

I'd like to make the arranger features easier to use. I'll post some ideas here, and would like your comments / ideas.

• Drag'n'drop from slicer to arranger.
  Pretty sure of this one - it won't replace what you have now, merely work as an alternative.
• Zoom is already on the list too, just to mention it.
• Copy / and paste is planned to, as well as undo.
• Tracks default to "snap to 16'th"
• If Snap is activated it will be impossible to insert two events at the same position. (right now it's possible to insert two events in the same place, but you can only see one of them)
• Same with quantize: only the closest events are snapped - if a place is taken the extra event is deleted.
• if snap is activated, events will be inserted at the nearest available snap interval. If that space is taken, the event is replaced, if it's available, a new event is inserted.

This will make basic arranging much faster, while still maintaining the possibilities to disable snap and do detailed arranging.

[GilJ]

100% with the future features for the Arranger (in case they won't play against the performance or stability of this great piece of software of course )

As the new v1.1 of LiveSlice seems to be very stable on my PC, I would like to put forward some features that I'd love to see implemented in LiveSlice (if other users and Jacob find it interesting too of course )

1- Quantize function : be able to apply a 'shuffle' type of quantize on each track of the Arranger would be so... groovy !

2- Show the value of the edited parameter (for example, it is presently quite hard to assign same pitch values to different events of a track)

3- Add some more buttons next to the 'Add Track' button. For example Mute All/Unmute All tracks for the Arrangement; Volume, Pitch buttons etc. witch will be very interesting to see at a glance the Volume or Pitch curves for all tracks in the Arrangement...

4- Being able to use LiveSlice like a Drum Machine with each Arrangement corresponding to a 'pattern': Sync the Play & Stop function of LiveSlice with the host's Play & Stop (I.E. when you click on Play in the host, LiveSlice selected arrangement starts playing, when you Stop the hosts... it stops the Play function of LiveSlice)

Don't know if I was clear enough with my FRs I'm waiting for your opinions

Cheers,
Gil.

[Caleb]

The most obvious thing in my mind is that once you select a slice in the source loop you should be able to paste it multiple times in various arrangements until you choose a different slice in the source loop.

It is extremely annoying to have to keep going back and select the same slice all the time.

Other ideas I can think of are....

Copy and paste arrangement tracks to other tracks or other arrangements, good for working on different variations of the same stuff.

I might just not be understanding this one but ... ability to export an arrangement or single arrangement track into WAV, ACIDised WAV etc..

Also - how do you use the multi-output functionality on the arrangements you create. I can see how to do it with the source loop. Am I missing something here?

There's still a few things I haven't sussed on this tool yet, but these are the things that make me kinda go "Huh?!" so far.

Caleb

[ohm]

GillJ:

I like all your FR's except #3. I'd hate to clutter the interface too much with even more buttons. What you request can already be done via midi.

Now to Caleb's ideas:

The most obvious thing in my mind is that once you select a slice in the source loop you should be able to paste it multiple times in various arrangements until you choose a different slice in the source loop.

already possible. Hold down SHIFT while selecting. I should probably implement a classic, slower more intuitive way of doing this. How about a small popup icon (like the delete icon on events) that, when clicked, will select the slice and keep the selection?

ability to export an arrangement

on the list. Untill then, use the export or freeze function of your host. In energyXT create a sequencer track that triggers the arrangement, freeze it and reimport the audio.

multi-output functionality on the arrangements

on the list. I can implement it in the same way as in the slicer with individual outputs for each event (right click to set the same value for all events)

[Caleb]

Now to Caleb's ideas:

The most obvious thing in my mind is that once you select a slice in the source loop you should be able to paste it multiple times in various arrangements until you choose a different slice in the source loop.

already possible. Hold down SHIFT while selecting. I should probably implement a classic, slower more intuitive way of doing this. How about a small popup icon (like the delete icon on events) that, when clicked, will select the slice and keep the selection?

Sorry - didn't notice the behaviour was already there.

To tell you truth, I'm not sure I understand why the original slice doesn't stay selected by default - why a modifier key or a GUI icon?

Does it make more sense to have it deselect after pasting in a track? I'm not sure I see why.

And I just thought of another one....

The ability to select a slice in an arrangement track and paste it either in the same track or another track the same way you do from the source track except that it pastes the sample with any variations you've added.

Example... I've pasted Slice A in Track A and I've applied pitch, attack and volume changes in it and I want to have that same slice in two other places on the same track and one place in Track B. I would like to be able to select that slice and then paste it in the other places I requite and have all modifiers pasted with the sample reference.

Along with this, I'd like to be able to move a slice around on a track. You can do this now, but it seems limited because you can't drag a slice past another slice.

It sounds like I'm bitching and moaning about everything, but I'm really liking this tool - just found some things that occurred to me while I was using it to put some stuff together.

Caleb

[hao nao]

Now to Caleb's ideas:

The most obvious thing in my mind is that once you select a slice in the source loop you should be able to paste it multiple times in various arrangements until you choose a different slice in the source loop.

already possible. Hold down SHIFT while selecting. I should probably implement a classic, slower more intuitive way of doing this. How about a small popup icon (like the delete icon on events) that, when clicked, will select the slice and keep the selection?

pasting multiple times was the only FR I thought of while playing with the demo last night, but this morning I read the rest of the manual and saw that you were a step ahead of me

but I agree with Caleb ... there doesn't seem to be a reason why the last-selected slice (LMB, no modifier) should not continue to be the current paste-source

and I also like his other idea of "copy with modifiers" from a slice in the Arranger ... now there I could see where a modifier-key or RMB popup menu might be needed

[ohm]

there doesn't seem to be a reason why the last-selected slice (LMB, no modifier) should not continue to be the current paste-source

Here's my reason: If it didn't deselect automatically you'd have to deselect when you wanted to change parameters.
I'm all for trying the approach you suggest - it might be overall better / faster. I can easily deselect the slices as soon as a parameter is selected.
Another option is to make a switch to toggle "keep selection".
Now I come to think about it: once drag'n'drop is implemented you can use that to "insert event and change parameter" in one go - a drag'n'drop operation should definately clear the selection.

Copy events is on the list btw. I'll make a note about the with / without modifiers part

I'd like to be able to move a slice around on a track

would be nice. so when you move across an occupied space what happens? An option is to allow the event to be "dropped" on an empty space only. If you release the mouse somewhere else it's moved back to the original position. "Empty spaces" being defined by the current snap interval.

[Caleb]

I agree - event should only be dropped on an empty space. As defined by snap sounds about right. What about if snap is turned off though?

And definitely copy events with modifiers as an option - would be great!

Your reasoning for the deselect sounds logical within the current design. From a user perspective it feels a little off that's all. At least I know about SHIFT-CLICK though, so I'm sorted in the short term anyway.

Caleb

[ohm]

What about if snap is turned off though?

I'll try to define a minimum distance between events corresponding to a snap interval of 256 - this way you can always at least see the start line of all events.

[DarkStar]

Dragging events in Arrangement Track

In the Arrangement tracks could we drag "events" past one another so that we can rearrange them. For example: A B C D => D B C A

At the moment, we can drag an event only as far as the next or previous event.

DarkStar

[ohm]

Dragging events in Arrangement Track

I'm working on a way of doing this, without accidentally hiding one event behind another.

[DarkStar]

[lalo]

sounds like a bunch of great additions

[Caleb]

sounds like a bunch of great additions

Yeah I hope so.
It's such a cool piece of software, it's great to think of it improving as it goes.

Caleb

[GilJ]

Hi,

Just wanted to add some more precisions about my suggested FRs posted above (I can’t figure out exactly how I could easily do all this by midi )

1- For example the first suggestion talking about adding a Shuffle type of quantization in the Quantize Menu:
Actually, I was talking about the ‘Shuffle’ effect, IE the rhythmic feature, that gives the music a more or less pronounced swing feel (not the random function) Could you please tell me, how I could easily do this by midi ?

2- Show the value of the edited parameter for the event :
Let's say I have a bass loop playing a C note in a track like this: |C C C C | C C C C|
I would like to transform this loop with the pitch parameter into this new loop: |C D A A | E G F C|
As the pith curve doesn’t display any values, this action is actually quite hard to do (and there’s no horizontal grid neither, which is obvious as it would be rather unreadable ).
I've tried doing this by midi, but haven't been able to give a paticular value to an event . Actually, it seems that it is the velocity of a note or a CC that alters the pitch of an event by midi, but these values are not accurate values, if you see what I mean...?

Thanks again for the support

Regards,
GilJ.