Repro-5

[SLiC]

So why start with a half-assed approach when we can go all the way and make something everyone can live with?

You are surely missing the point, its software, you are supposed to launch something late, half-assed and incomplete then charge for regular incremental updates (about 4 years and 8 paid updates seems about normal) until eventually the end user has something that actually works as intended/advertised.

[egbert]

I find the idea that the search for a text string in a database being the complicated bit quite a mystery. I get the impression this is actually the case from how badly it (searchable database) has been done in some other plugins (which will remain nameless) but I would have imagined that locating a text string in some data structure would be an under-grad level problem.

[Urs]

I find the idea that the search for a text string in a database being the complicated bit quite a mystery. I get the impression this is actually the case from how badly it (searchable database) has been done in some other plugins (which will remain nameless) but I would have imagined that locating a text string in some data structure would be an under-grad level problem.

Well, one thing chases the other. First of all we needed a fast way to scan all presets and put them in a database. Then we needed to refactor what a directory is: Not just a folder on the harddrive but also a selection of files based on database search. This alone required us to mangle thousands of lines of code. Then, due to whatever reason, we had to change form ASCII handling to UTF-8. Then, the search field had to be a platform control in a transparent overlay window on top of our UI. Considering how creative different DAWs deploy different hacks to make the life of plug-in developers harder, this was very difficult. But also, we had to refactor contextual menus to use icons. So we had to refactor our internal pixel graphics format to supply icons fitting each platform. Then we had this consistency flaw of a User folder on Mac, but non on Windows, which ended up in week long discussions about how to solve this. Then we also needed to preserve module presets like in Zebra and Hive, with the different ways to access them. And then also, because the developer who did all of this is new to the code, he plastered everything with asserts, and I had to try and remember why I implemented things like I did 13 years ago (when I wasn't thinking about not being the only developer). So yeah, this kind of endeavour expectedly is a bug fest. Because it puts a design on something that wasn't designed, but added to over the years, with all sorts of hacks which now need to go.

[noiseboyuk]

/\ /\ I love this answer /\ /\. I will paste it on my wall for the next time I dare to utter the words "this must be SO simple to code..."

[masterhiggins]

So why start with a half-assed approach when we can go all the way and make something everyone can live with?

You are surely missing the point, its software, you are supposed to launch something late, half-assed and incomplete then charge for regular incremental updates (about 4 years and 8 paid updates seems about normal) until eventually the end user has something that actually works as intended/advertised.

You've just given away Steinberg's and IZotope's business plan away for free.

[egbert]

/\ /\ I love this answer /\ /\. I will paste it on my wall for the next time I dare to utter the words "this must be SO simple to code..."

What Urs has explained shows how implementing a feature that has been around "forever" becomes complicated by legacy code and other factors in the modern multi-platform world. Eg Find/replace "text string" was there in WordStar 35 years ago.

[mevla]

Candid question: Is the new browser worth all that trouble ?

[Urs]

Candid question: Is the new browser worth all that trouble ?

Preset search and Favourites folders have been one of the top feature request, if not the top most, for many years.

Some of the side effects is UTF-8 support. Which will reduce many other problems we have massively, i.e. when people with non-Latin characters in their names buy our stuff - just think about the growing market in Russia and Asia. We have support incidences every week, sometimes several a day.

Much of the stuff has to be done at some point anyway. So now is that point. If it wasn't now, it would stall some other release.

On a side note: It's also "now" because we did that very successful Diva-celebration-sale last year. We can survive a stalled release for a couple of months. If not now, it might as well be never.

[Cinebient]

I´m sure i missed that somewhere but can we do then custom tags or have i to use the default tags for every patch i make. Otherwise i need at least a "weird" category.

[Urs]

I´m sure i missed that somewhere but can we do then custom tags or have i to use the default tags for every patch i make. Otherwise i need at least a "weird" category.

Tags are set by us. We're open to suggestions though.

Reason: If everyone could add their own tags, every 3rd party soundbank will have a lot of its own. We'd get an inconsistent chaos. Or, if your own couldn't be passed on by soundbanks, 3rd party banks would degrade into badly tagged ones, if the designers only use their own.

[Echoes in the Attic]

I´m sure i missed that somewhere but can we do then custom tags or have i to use the default tags for every patch i make. Otherwise i need at least a "weird" category.

I hope there's no category like "Weird". What weird sound couldn't go into an Effects category? Or it's a weird pad, it would still go in pads. it's just a weird pad.

I just hope you stay away from the insanity and redundancy of the Omnisphere browser which went ludicrous in V2. Native Instruments do it pretty well I think and you guys already support NKS. Might save yourself some time just using those tags, or similar.

[Echoes in the Attic]

I think there is a space just to the left of the slop knob that needs a button. Just like how the glide knob above it has the unison button. But this new button should flip the mod matrix to slots 3 and 4.

I've never been someone who asked for more mod slots in any synth before. But repro-5 would really benefit from a couple more. Of course it wouldn't bother anyone hidden behind the first two.

[Cinebient]

I´m sure i missed that somewhere but can we do then custom tags or have i to use the default tags for every patch i make. Otherwise i need at least a "weird" category.

Tags are set by us. We're open to suggestions though.

Reason: If everyone could add their own tags, every 3rd party soundbank will have a lot of its own. We'd get an inconsistent chaos. Or, if your own couldn't be passed on by soundbanks, 3rd party banks would degrade into badly tagged ones, if the designers only use their own.

O.k. a bit sad for me personally since i like tagging things in my own weird way
But i can understand that it might be a better thing for more famous synths to try to avoid chaos. Even the different between soundscape and soundscapes could be confusing.
Chaos would be another great tag for me
Are the tags already all set and is there a list anywhere. I remember a screenshot but don´t know if that was the whole range since i already missed some there.
Of course i can think it can be hard to set these tags since you never can please all people.
At the end i have trust in U-he to do it right and i´m sure i can live with it.
It only can better than it´s already is, so no loss at all. I mean i already can live with the patch browser like it is right now. F.e. some famous synths have really too much tags that i would need a week to exact find what i´m looking for if i have thousand´s of patches.
But my favorite patch browser is still in a small synth where i can tag everything like i want because i like that i can tag each bank with it´s own categories.
I understand that it might not possible when a search should work across 100 of patch banks from different sound designers so now that you explain it it makes more sense.
Maybe it will be a thing i just like and won´t miss when i use it the first time.
Thank´s anyway for that insight and listening to the small customer, it´s really appreciated.

[zerocrossing]

/\ /\ I love this answer /\ /\. I will paste it on my wall for the next time I dare to utter the words "this must be SO simple to code..."

You should see my code. Every time I'd rig something together (always just for a mockup) the engineers used to laugh at my 200 lines of code and say, "why not just do it this way?" "This way" was usually about 6 lines of code.

[noiseboyuk]

We're open to suggestions though.

I love how you make life hard for yourself!

Warm and Hollow would be two very common search terms for me that I can't see... pretty damn good list you have there already though.