MU.LAB Beta C

[pljones]

The idea of having an edit cursor is interesting, will keep it in mind for later.
-- edit --
at the other hand, having an edit cursor in the editor all the time, also when you don't need it, clutters the gui, and may be even annoying, standing in the way. what do you think?
-- /edit --
For now: what about a popup dialog (cfr click the position in the transport) where you input the paste position?

Yeah, I did some more thinking... The cursor represents the point in time, so it's a slicer, like the loop start/end marks - it doesn't take up any space on the piano roll. It wouldn't really need any space on the time bar, either, just have a flashing segment there to indicate it's a cursor?

I'm coming around to the play position being the paste position -- it's already clear in the transport bar...

[libero]

Hi,

I'm trying to split an audio file and I have a problem: if I split it on a beat (1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 etc:) it works, but I cannot split it in whatever point I want.
The same happens during dragging an audio part.
I checked the manual but couldn't find an answer.

libero

[muzycian]

The idea of having an edit cursor is interesting, will keep it in mind for later.
-- edit --
at the other hand, having an edit cursor in the editor all the time, also when you don't need it, clutters the gui, and may be even annoying, standing in the way. what do you think?
-- /edit --
For now: what about a popup dialog (cfr click the position in the transport) where you input the paste position?

Yeah, I did some more thinking... The cursor represents the point in time, so it's a slicer, like the loop start/end marks - it doesn't take up any space on the piano roll. It wouldn't really need any space on the time bar, either, just have a flashing segment there to indicate it's a cursor?

I'm coming around to the play position being the paste position -- it's already clear in the transport bar...

I'm sorry but i don't fully understand what you're saying now (guess because i'm not native english).

Do you mean that you vote for the cursor-way, or do you say the play position = paste position is ok afterall?

[muzycian]

Hi,

I'm trying to split an audio file and I have a problem: if I split it on a beat (1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 etc:) it works, but I cannot split it in whatever point I want.
The same happens during dragging an audio part.
I checked the manual but couldn't find an answer.

libero

Right-click the composition: "Select Grid" -> the finer the grid, the more precise you can work

This is the same principle as in the Sequence Editor -> Edit -> Select Grid.

This info is implicitly in the docs by the indication: try right-clicking everywhere because right-click => context menu => more specialized functions.

I think the docs can keep it on that because the application evolves so fast that it would be almost a separate job to keep the docs up to date if it would need to list each and every function. That would be A LOT of work read by only a few people...

I think it's better for both the user as for mutools if the docs describe everything in a general way, with enough details where necessary.

The application should be self-explanatory once you know the basics.

And it are these basics which should be described in the docs.

I'm not saying the docs are ok now, at this beta stage.

They will be updated before MU.LAB 1.0 is released (eta: before the end of the year).

Besides all this: it's definitely the plan to create various nice in-depth tutorials on how to do certain things.

Then having the docs, the tutorials and this forum together should be OK as help & support in using MU.LAB

[libero]

This info is implicitly in the docs by the indication: try right-clicking everywhere because right-click => context menu => more specialized functions.

Thanks for the answer. In fact I was trying to click everywhere, but being the screen full of tracks, I didn't click on the composition. And still now, as it happened previously, I somehow forgot about the "composition" element and its properties.

I think the docs can keep it on that because the application evolves so fast that it would be almost a separate job to keep the docs up to date if it would need to list each and every function. That would be A LOT of work read by only a few people...

Agree, and mulab is really simple and self-explanatory.

Then having the docs, the tutorials and this forum together should be OK as help & support in using MU.LAB

And this is a good example!

Edit:
Anyway, I have a suggestion.
What about alt+left click drag to drag without the grid?
And what about alt+left click (with the "splitter" tool) to split without following the grid restrictions?

Libero

[muzycian]

Edit:
Anyway, I have a suggestion.
What about alt+left click drag to drag without the grid?
And what about alt+left click (with the "splitter" tool) to split without following the grid restrictions?

I try to keep uniformous methods in mu.lab because then it's simple to learn.

So i want the composer and the sequence editor and the audio lab to behave very similarly.

In the sequence editor, alt+click is used to monitor a note.

So alt+click cannot be used for something else in the composer.

That's hard logics but that's the logics i want to use.

In fact, now i think of it, in the composer, alt+click could similarly "monitor a part". And i the audio lab, alt+click monitors the audio (or the selection). I'll keep these ideas for later.

Now back to your request: i understand you want a quicker way to change the grid.

MU.LAB will certainly get a nice key shortcut system.

And so then you'll be able to assign a shortcut key to popup the grid list, and select another grid.

(or eventually we could even make a "select finest grid" function as target for a shortcut key. feel free to remind me about this once the key shortcut system is there)

[pljones]

Do you mean that you vote for the cursor-way, or do you say the play position = paste position is ok afterall?

I think, now I understand it, what's there is okay. I click on the transport bar to set the play position and hit paste. My idea of a cursor position would have been so similar as to be a worthless complication, rather than a simplification.

[muzycian]

Do you mean that you vote for the cursor-way, or do you say the play position = paste position is ok afterall?

I think, now I understand it, what's there is okay. I click on the transport bar to set the play position and hit paste. My idea of a cursor position would have been so similar as to be a worthless complication, rather than a simplification.

That's indeed what i want to avoid: adding unnecessary complexity.

But i still admit that having to stop the sequencer to paste at a proper position is not ideal...

And also the fact that you didn't find it intuitively, at the contrary, rather difficult, means it's not an perfect method.

So there is definitely room for improvement here.

[oldguy]

Hi Jo,

Here are some suggestions to make it more obvious why the audio doesn't play sometimes:

1. When the CPU overloads, the sound stops and the play button doesn't work. The first couple of times this happened, I thought Mulab had crashed, and restarted it.
Two days later, I discovered the 'OVERLOAD' on the CPU meter, clicked on it, and restarted the audio....

My suggestion is that you make the 'OVERLOAD' flash, and have it either scroll or blink in sequence - 'OVERLOAD' 'CLICK TO' 'RESTART' 'AUDIO'. Then it will be obvious what needs to happen.

2. While I now understand how to stop editing on a .wav to get it to play, the solution is not intuitive. I'd suggest that when a .wav is checked out for edit that you either shade / grey / etc. or add a mute symbol to the audio part and when left clicking on it, have the 'EXIT EDIT' in bold and/or at the top of the pick list.

Cheers,

-Oldguy.

[libero]

Hi!

feature request:
I find quite difficult to draw the automation for the pan, because left and right pan are separated. if I draw one automation line for one channel, it would be nice to see in transparency (or with another colour) the line for the other channel. Otherwise is quite tedious to jump back and forth from one channel to the other.
Or is there already a better way to control panning?
Regards,
Libero

[pljones]

Not sure if this has been mentioned. If you use the rubber tool to erase automation while the sequencer is running, it pauses for a while.

[muzycian]

Hi Jo,

Here are some suggestions to make it more obvious why the audio doesn't play sometimes:

1. When the CPU overloads, the sound stops and the play button doesn't work. The first couple of times this happened, I thought Mulab had crashed, and restarted it.
Two days later, I discovered the 'OVERLOAD' on the CPU meter, clicked on it, and restarted the audio....

My suggestion is that you make the 'OVERLOAD' flash, and have it either scroll or blink in sequence - 'OVERLOAD' 'CLICK TO' 'RESTART' 'AUDIO'. Then it will be obvious what needs to happen.

You're right, some improvement necessary there.

2 improvements in beta D:

1) The "OVERLOAD!" text wil be in red, which is taking more attention.
2) When in overload mode, also clicking the play button will do a reset!

2. While I now understand how to stop editing on a .wav to get it to play, the solution is not intuitive. I'd suggest that when a .wav is checked out for edit that you either shade / grey / etc. or add a mute symbol to the audio part and when left clicking on it, have the 'EXIT EDIT' in bold and/or at the top of the pick list.

I understand your request. Added to the whish list.

[muzycian]

Hi!

feature request:
I find quite difficult to draw the automation for the pan, because left and right pan are separated. if I draw one automation line for one channel, it would be nice to see in transparency (or with another colour) the line for the other channel. Otherwise is quite tedious to jump back and forth from one channel to the other.
Or is there already a better way to control panning?

You got a point.

A possible workaround for now:

-> insert a MUX in Rack
-> put an Amplifier module between audio input and output
-> assign a meta parameter to the amplifier stereo panning
-> now you can automate that MUX meta parameter => stereo panning

Of course you can save this MUX patch e.g. as "Stereo Panner" for later re-use.

So then you only have to do:

-> insert MUX in Rack
-> load "Stereo Panner" patch

Besides this, i'll research how to make basic stereo panning automation easier.

[muzycian]

Not sure if this has been mentioned. If you use the rubber tool to erase automation while the sequencer is running, it pauses for a while.

Indeed.

This issue is high on the whishlist, and will be improved before the 1.0 release.

[libero]

A possible workaround for now:

-> insert a MUX in Rack
-> put an Amplifier module between audio input and output
-> assign a meta parameter to the amplifier stereo panning
-> now you can automate that MUX meta parameter => stereo panning

Of course you can save this MUX patch e.g. as "Stereo Panner" for later re-use.

Thanks for the tip, really useful.

libero