EXT2 needs simple midi and audio editing features

[jorgen]

Yeah but you need to hold ctrl to use the keyboard to nudge a midi note,

one of the best features in xt in my opinion, becuase you get to not only nudge, but transpose, resize and velocity very quickly

cheers
jorgen

[brendanw]

Quote:
Yeah but you need to hold ctrl to use the keyboard to nudge a midi note,


one of the best features in xt in my opinion, becuase you get to not only nudge, but transpose, resize and velocity very quickly

cheers
jorgen

Um...what he said. hehehe!
brendan.

[soma]

Yeah but you need to hold ctrl to use the keyboard to nudge a midi note, and shift to use <>.
At lest make it still use arrows for both and switch modifiers to change between zooming and moving so that you don't have to move your fingers from arrows to qwerty. geez
...

Standard QWERTY's have dual ctrl and shift buttons, on top of each other for both hands. No need to move hands at all to change snap or move. Not to zoom either, not even on my notebook without a num pad. I just straighten my finger to zoom in, thumb zooms out. Great ergonomics, and in any case you get custom shortcuts in XT2

I don't follow. You have to move your hands from the arrows to the < and > keys to zoom right? Or are you just using the z key? Also how are you zooming with the keyboard?

Ideally, I'd put all keyboard shortcuts as context sensitive left hand only stuff so that I can keep a hand on the mouse for changing context and graphical editing. Can't wait for those custom shortcuts!

Jorgen,
Will the custom shortcuts be context sensitive? e.g. will the midi editor have one function for the key "a" and the arrange view will have a different function for the key "a" and the main window will have its own function for the key 'a"?

[soma]

Jens,
a mouse with custom shortcuts is very helpful, but I'm more of a QWERTY kind of guy. I am too slow with a mouse compared to how fast I can type.

[.jon]

I don't follow. You have to move your hands from the arrows to the < and > keys to zoom right? Or are you just using the z key? Also how are you zooming with the keyboard?

I use my left hand, or actually just the index finger. Possibly scandinavian layout is then different after all? We have the < > key (just one) next to the left Shift.

[jens]

Jens,
a mouse with custom shortcuts is very helpful, but I'm more of a QWERTY kind of guy. I am too slow with a mouse compared to how fast I can type.

yes, I guessed so from your post, but you can set mouse-buttons so that they act as the three modifiers (that's what I have done)

[jens]

I don't follow. You have to move your hands from the arrows to the < and > keys to zoom right? Or are you just using the z key? Also how are you zooming with the keyboard?

I use my left hand, or actually just the index finger. Possibly scandinavian layout is then different after all? We have the < > key (just one) next to the left Shift.

same here

[jorgen]

Will the custom shortcuts be context sensitive? e.g. will the midi editor have one function for the key "a" and the arrange view will have a different function for the key "a" and the main window will have its own function for the key 'a"?

the window with input focus receives the key, if it isnt processed the key will be forwarded to the main window. its focus sensitive.

cheers
jorgen

[soma]

Will the custom shortcuts be context sensitive? e.g. will the midi editor have one function for the key "a" and the arrange view will have a different function for the key "a" and the main window will have its own function for the key 'a"?

the window with input focus receives the key, if it isnt processed the key will be forwarded to the main window. its focus sensitive.

cheers
jorgen

Cheers!

[soma]

I don't follow. You have to move your hands from the arrows to the < and > keys to zoom right? Or are you just using the z key? Also how are you zooming with the keyboard?

I use my left hand, or actually just the index finger. Possibly scandinavian layout is then different after all? We have the < > key (just one) next to the left Shift.

same here

Ah I use USA layout most of the time (at least that is paint I have on my keyboard). Our <> are shifted , . on the right hand side.


Except on a desktop, the arrows are even farther away to the right (you can't reach anything else but del, end, and pgdown from there).

I guess I should switch it to scandinavian when using Xt.

[jens]

I see, Matt - that explains why you find it so uncomfortable...

[DarkStar]

That's where they are on UK keyboards too.

[jens]

you definitely live in the wrong country!

[keyman_sam]

3 would be enough actually. The 3 different nudge types could be nudge per frame, per snap settings, or per sixteenth note. Lets say you are trimming an audio clip, after trimming, you might want to move the clip to the left or right PRECISELY to a frame. Ofcourse, you can do this with snap settings, but imagine if you can nudge it per frame, or per sixteenth note or per measure using the keypad. That would be very quick, provide precise control, and would be easy to use too. You need 8 keys if you want to nudge left and right for 4 different nudge types. In this case, 6 keys would be enough (nudge left/right for 3 different types).


Sonar has this exact feature ,and i find myself using it regularly. Its like a jogwheel for moving audio, only thing you're using keyboard instead of a jogwheel. Very nifty.

I already spotted a while ago that you are a Sonar user - however eXT is not Sonar and it will never be - eXT has itsa own workflow and the best advice I can give to you is to adjust yourself to it if you intend to wcontinue working with it... (I know both applications pretty welkll b.t.w.)

eXT let's you move the items(parts (=clips), midi-notes, samples) by using keyboard shortcuts and eXT let's you set the snap-resolution by shortcuts so that's the way to go here...

I've already adjusted myself in Ext. Infact, recently even while using sonar, i accidentally use a bunch of EXT shortcuts. I've reconfigured some sonar keys for ext shorcuts to avoid the confusion.

Its about implementing a feature that you need, whatever DAW it may be in. Sonar has video, and if asked that in EXT its not like i'm telling EXT to try to be like Sonar. I'm telling EXT to try to have what I want(i dont work with video, but this is just an example). Its about the features that you miss in a particular DAW that you want in your main host. The reason i bought sonar was becos of all the hype anyways (yeah, a mistake i know). When I saw these low-cost apps, i was almost hitting my head on the wall for wasting money.


But it didnt take a while to realise that Sonar's cost was very much fair seeing that most of the low-cost apps dont do what Sonar does. I would have been a fool to think that the low cost apps (At their current state) can do whatever I want to do. For example, you'd have to work with midi in sonar to understand how powerful it is, and how much EXT needs to improve (no offense to jorgen - trying to make a point here). As a sidenote, I noticed in one of your reaper posts, you stated Reaper's quantisation as very advanced. Sonar has more powerful quantisation options than that. And everyone complains that Sonar is weak on the midi side. There IS a reason these expensive apps exist, or apps like reaper, traktion, etc would have taken over the world.


now, after that short, but lovable rant, I'd like to say that EXT2 is in the right direction. When it becomes a good midi SEQUENCER, i'll use it for all my external gear sequencing. Currently, EXT is my favorite app, no doubt about it. And EXT2 WILL replace Sonar, (for me), if it implements the features that I most need. I'm not trying for ALL the features that sonar has. Just the ones that I need that both Sonar AND ext dont have. (oh plz, dont get me started on what i'd wish for sonar to have that ext has)

[jens]

sam, bfore you start explaining Sonar any further to me I maybe should tell you that I'm a Sonar user since V2

anyway back on topic:

I gave you a short but detailed and straight-to-the-point description on how you can already achieve what you were asking for in eXT 1.x and all you replied with is a long, diffuse and off topic rambling...