Version Evolution and My Future with Tracktion

[sworkshop]

I was sad when Tracktion went away. I used T2 for many years.

Overjoyed to rejoin the fold and currently use T6 with fine results.

One problem...I record live jazz and blues. Yes, I perform post production editing, use commercial plug-ins and many other manipulations but....

No midi, no loops, no chopping dicing or working inside a tempo box.

With the new features in Waveform, Tracktion is perhaps keeping in line with current DAW competitors. Good for them.

I see less and less for me, however, since straight ahead recording is not what most people do these days (got this comment directly from Tracktion helpdesk). The target demographic is EDM.

Will Tracktion lose it's utility, simplicity and charm? Has it already? The simple workflow and lack of distracting visuals was one of its greatest strengths.

Am I alone with this or does anyone feel the same way?

[operandx]

I've used every version of Tracktion/Waveform since V1. In the main I'm a recording type of user. Fell in love with the workflow. I don't think any of the new stuff gets in the way of plain audio recording. Some of the stuff added since earlier versions augments the process eg comping, count in for loop record (missing for ages). Clearly an app focussed solely on audio rec with little MIDI functionality is doomed to fail in today's market.

[chico.co.uk]

It's not clear what you actually want. If you mostly record live audio, no midi, it already does that. So you can keep doing that.

If that's all you're doing, the gui, and workflow is broadly the same as it's always been. The last change I can think of that would have impacted that "negatively" is maybe the removal of bendy arrows, about 8 or 9 years ago.

Warp time as a clip effect is very handy for fixing small timing errors, playing audio live, by the way.
But you can broadly ignore it, if you don't want to do that.

[MBO]

As goes for audio improvements Waveform integrates very nicely with Melodyne via ARA, not so many DAWs support this option.

Personally I would enhance the comping options as mentioned in another thread but I understand the limited resources of the dev team.

But where is the option Import track from Audio CD which was in the T5? Is there any reason it disappeared?

[Trancit]

I have to say, I am absolutely from the other side of the market...

I am a classic trance guy and I welcome very much the move Tracktion did with Waveform...
I know the software since V1, but I never got used to the one window workflow with inline editing only and inline mixing only...

I have to agree with the others... For people loving Tracktion/Waveform for what it was, it didn´t change anything... you can forget additional Midi editor or mixer window and work the way you are used to...

But for people, who needed it to be at least a bit more like a traditional DAW, the move they made was a godsend...
Can be still improved, but hey, for which software this isn´t true...

I personally have to say a big THANK YOU for bringing it more into my attention ...

[jochicago]

My projects are a mix of audio recording and MIDI. I love how easily it all works and blends in the same GUI.

As someone who is doing both (at a home studio level), I'm confused as to why you feel that the recording side is being left behind. What features do you find are missing from before, or should have been added over the years? Or is it an issue of workflow/GUI?

[jabe]

If you can keep an old machine running, that may be enough for some. Operating systems get old and unsupported. Hardware goes bad. New connectors are invented. Computers get faster. New gadgets need newer connections/drivers/compatibilities. Software turns up with new but useful abilities. New target media appear and older ones fade away.

Anyway...

[TSC]

Just one comment on this thread - we are absolutely NOT specifically focused on EDM - none of our team would have made that comment

We actually aim to be quite genre agnostic - just focusing on great creative solutions for a wide range of music production styles

Some members of the team love EDM production, some love acoustic recording - we have some exciting plans for both

[pathworker]

it will take some convincing before I upgrade to WF9 but largely I think tracktion are doing a pretty good balancing act as far is the direction of features goes.
it still has the left to right minimalist, yet feature rich workflow which is great. several DAWS have gone the "features for features sake" route merely as a marketing ploy whereas tracktion have striven for efficiency and practicality over and above the "cool" factor.

if your aim is to do off the bat live recording just focus on the features that work for you and ignore those that you don't need. you don't have to get the bundle pack if you don't need it, that's my penny's worth anyway.

[Trancit]

... we have some exciting plans for both

Don´t let anybody stop you... feel free to tell us more...

[PierreG]

Just one comment on this thread - we are absolutely NOT specifically focused on EDM - none of our team would have made that comment

We actually aim to be quite genre agnostic - just focusing on great creative solutions for a wide range of music production styles

Some members of the team love EDM production, some love acoustic recording - we have some exciting plans for both

I go all the way back to T1 as well. So very grateful for it's rebirth and continued evolution!

Great to hear TSC clarify the intent behind it's ongoing development, which to my thinking is a great approach. Relieved to hear that EDM is not the sole focus of this diverse platform. I continually request that a good chunk of the focus remain on basic stability, functionality and the addition of comping features like group editing (viewtopic.php?f=22&t=494818&hilit=group+editing).

I've been majorly focused on using T / W for recording and mixing real instruments, yet see myself launching (finally) into more of a hybrid approach that uses all of what Waveform has to offer; including loops, soft synths, MIDI and the new composition tools.

I agree with those who've pointed out that the original clean Tracktion interface remains largely intact in Waveform, thus we haven't lost the key elements of what brought us here in the first place. Having the option to stay lean and clean, plus the ability to enable the new features as we expand our processes.

Cheers!

[zzz00m]

I would add that the best new Tracktion feature that I assume would appeal to a straight ahead audio recording person is the new Mixer Panel, introduced in Waveform 8, that can be undocked to a separate tab or monitor.

The best excuse I can see for an upgrade in regards to audio recording!

[jochicago]

RE: Mixer Panel
It is a sweet addition. Makes good use of my second monitor. However, being a new feature I feel it needs a round of revisions.

For instance, I would like an option to link the tracks on both screens, so that when I double click track #24 on the mixer, the main edit screen scrolls to that track (it already widens the track, but doesn't go there nor selects it for edit), and also the other way around, so if I click a track for edit on the main screen, it becomes selected on the mixer. If the screens were linked, I could click on a track on the main edit screen, and see its options on the mixer screen. This would allow me to leave the menu/transport bar minimized on the main screen (or even remove it).

The point is that these new features are a good way forward, and I think we are all excited about seeing all this stuff continue to grow and mature.

[morelia]

I feel a bit the same. There has been a lot added that I am not interested in and the main thing I would really like (audio quantise) was suggested by support as a future feature several versions ago. Having said that, without the program growing and getting new users it would probably not continue to be supported (or worse still be in the hands of Mackie).

[zentatonic]

Warp time as a clip effect is very handy for fixing small timing errors, playing audio live, by the way.

Is there a way to expand that panel? I tried getting into the warp time feature, but it just shows up too small...