Interface tweaks

[jonljacobi]

I find much of the interface innovative, and I'm a fan of text over tiny icons most of the time. I like Waveform quite a bit. However, after buying it and kicking the tires for a couple of weeks, there are a few things I'd like to comment on.

As nice as the action menu concept is, I'd like to see it merged with the right-click context menus. Put another way, take the action menu concept and use it with the right-click. Right now, there's kind of a dueling context action deal going on. Also, I find myself mousing a lot more than I'd like to get to the action menus as they're at the bottom and the side, and the object I want to operate on is not. I kind of have the feeling what I'm proposing is where it's going anyway, as there are key commands to open the actions menu in both raw and favorites mode.

Also, the ability to change the order and put most frequently used commands up top.

Other things I'd like to see:

Lists of time signatures and tempo changes, as there is of markers, that will also navigate the timeline. Also, right-click functions for these so I don't have to travel all the way down to the bottom to delete or add them. If there's an event editor, I couldn't find it.

Right-click to insert a clip in the arranger. I understand dragging might have some advantages in some situations, but as in this case it simply invokes a context menu to add a clip on the arranger, why not just a right-click menu? There's a key command yes, but...

The ability to perform actions other than hide and disable in the tracks list. Actually, to be able to perform any pertinent track action such as delete, create folders, group, etc. I suppose there's some potential for harm in that, but the tracks list is a nice, compact version of the arranger pane that gives you a better overview and might actually make it easier to perform such actions.

If some of this is there, and I'm just missing it, LMK.

[SoundPorn]

Yeah I love Waveform i just want the ability to lasso items on the timeline and a different color schemes because I'm not a fan of all the blue.

[gerk]

Yeah I love Waveform i just want the ability to lasso items on the timeline and a different color schemes because I'm not a fan of all the blue.

Alt-Click lets you lasso (in a square shape) in the timeline and there are multiple grey color themes in Settings > Appearance.

[FigBug]

You can set a hotkey for "Show Actions Menu" or "Show Favourite Action Menu" and then you can get the actions menu wherever the mouse is.

[jonljacobi]

You can set a hotkey for "Show Actions Menu" or "Show Favourite Action Menu" and then you can get the actions menu wherever the mouse is.

Thanks. I knew that, but I still think the two combined would be a more elegant solution. Perhaps not.

[FigBug]

Whoops, didn't see you commented on that.

Changing the order was actually a proposed feature, but turns out it's harder to implement than expected because the way the menus are built. There isn't a fixed set of items in the menu, and then some of them get hidden if they don't apply. Instead, the menus get built up at run time and only the enabled items are added to the menu.

For example, you might select a MIDI clip and then arrange the menu so that "Pattern Generator" comes after "Extract Groove From MIDI clip". But then you select 2 MIDI clips and now extract groove is no longer on the menu, so where does pattern generator go now?

I'm sure there is a way to solve this, but I couldn't think of a good way in the W10 timeframe.

As for merging actions / context menu, it's the eventual goal. Do you want everything in the action panel in the context menu, or just the favourites? Or a different set all together?

[gerk]

You can set a hotkey for "Show Actions Menu" or "Show Favourite Action Menu" and then you can get the actions menu wherever the mouse is.

This is actually really useful... now if only I could hotkey to the additional buttons on my mouse (middle button, back and forward).

[gerk]

As for merging actions / context menu, it's the eventual goal. Do you want everything in the action panel in the context menu, or just the favourites? Or a different set all together?

Adding everything would make right click hard to use with so many items. I think adding the favorites to the right click would be the best idea.

[jonljacobi]

I’m a huge believer in less mouse travel and object/methods so right click. But gerk has a good point. Use the panel to create the context menu. Cheers.