M3 Tests

[Bonteburg]

Hm...kind of like a feaure/useability request... I was wondering. Why not automatically disable loops during recording MIDI? All it seems to do is to stack up all the notes you've played beyond repair.

I've messed up many an inspired recording because I forgot to turn off looping.

It would make all the sense in the world were a stacked recording function implemented, but as it is, it's just a potential source of trouble.

Sure you could just unclick the loop icon, but you know how it is, in the heat of composing etc etc.

Marco

[sorohanro]

????
not really get your point...
you can do that in several ways (if I understand correctly your problem)
1 - disable looping
2 - move the end locator of the MIDI part
3 - you have when recording "merge/ new part/ overwrite/ punch/ cancel", just choose "new part"

[Improviser]

Hm...kind of like a feaure/useability request... I was wondering. Why not automatically disable loops during recording MIDI? All it seems to do is to stack up all the notes you've played beyond repair.

I've messed up many an inspired recording because I forgot to turn off looping.

It would make all the sense in the world were a stacked recording function implemented, but as it is, it's just a potential source of trouble.

Sure you could just unclick the loop icon, but you know how it is, in the heat of composing etc etc.

Marco

The list of changes, for test version M 3.0.29 (which I'm using on Windows), includes

"Tuned: No auto loop anymore for newly recorded sequence parts".

This now works fine for me, if I open Mulab to a default new (empty) session, and simply click the Record button (without drawing a part), and play a few notes on my midi keyboard.

Mulab creates a part, on track 1, showing the recorded events, and if I double-click to open the sequence editor, it shows no loop has been set (and there's no 'stacking' of notes, etc). So that's fine, but .....
The bit I don't understand (maybe because I'm not too familiar with the use of auto setting of sequence loops) is:

If I do the same steps as above, but this time I first draw a part (eg on track 1), and then record onto it, I find that a loop is automatically set at the end of the part length. It is present before I press 'Record', and will cause the 'stacking' of notes that you mentioned (if the recording exceeds the part length).

Trouble is, I'm not knowlegable enough to know whether this is normal intended behaviour, or a little bug.

Les J.

[Bonteburg]

????
not really get your point...
you can do that in several ways (if I understand correctly your problem)
1 - disable looping

The thing is when you accidentally have Loop Mode on and record MIDI for a longer period than your loop, you're going to end up with a sequence full of meaningless notes and no way to unravel it ever.

Obviously you could make it a habit to check if Loop Mode is on before recording and then turn it off, but you can still forget it. Having MU.LAB default to 'Loop Mode Off' during MIDI recording would simplify this a lot.

Or MU.LAB could just start a new part and mute the first one and so on, a la stacked recording - but that would be a new feature altogether.

The messy-sequence-syndrome is like a weird unofficial, stacked-recording trap you can walk into when you're not careful. It really has no business being in MU.LAB in my opinion.

[cytone]

I think everyone works differently. If I'm building up a rhythm part I want it to keep looping as I'm adding to it. The last thing I want is for the loop to be turned off when I hit record.

[liquidsound]

I think we have some confusion here...

There are 2 types of loops that could create problems or add functionality to some user's style:

Composition Loop and Part Loop (is there any other?...)

The Composition Loop seems to be OFF on a new session as of v3.0.28.
In this case just Pushing Recording will create a New Part as "long" as the recording session duration without Looping back but it will automatically set a Part Loop at the end the the recording.
This could be a Problem because it imposes a Loop system without choice on the user part.

Another result is obtained in the above set up (New Session) if the Sequencer Loop is turned On before Recording in which case if we are not careful we end up with overlapping notes but as "Cytone" said it is valuable for building a rhythm part. So in this case I agree that the responsibility should be on the user and MuLab takes care of that by starting with the Loop Off.

Here though there is a Bug because if I keep on going with the Loop On and Grid on BAR then some notes tend to leak on the next Bar which it's added to the Loop as Extra...?

Since it seems that Automatic loops are set as a Default (no other choices yet ) by Dragging a New Part or by just ending a New Recorded Part, a compromise could be at least reached, by giving the user a choice of
"Not Creating A Loop" at the end of a new recorded Part.
If you are creating a rhythm part then you really need mostly the Composition Loop...

So this will give a more flexible approach to both styles of working.

I still can't get used to the Auto Set Loop when Drawing a New Part because it does not allow to change your mind. It's like Chess: once you touch a piece You Must Move!!!

[Bonteburg]

I think everyone works differently. If I'm building up a rhythm part I want it to keep looping as I'm adding to it. The last thing I want is for the loop to be turned off when I hit record.

Another result is obtained in the above set up (New Session) if the Sequencer Loop is turned On before Recording in which case if we are not careful we end up with overlapping notes but as "Cytone" said it is valuable for building a rhythm part. So in this case I agree that the responsibility should be on the user and MuLab takes care of that by starting with the Loop Off.

I have to admit that never occured to me. Horses for course, let's not lose sleep over it.

[tugg]

Short question about Copy and Paste:

Select a sequence -> press Ctrl-C (Copy) -> press Arrow Keys (until vertical line Cursor is at the end of the sequence just copied) -> press Ctrl-V (Paste)

With Mutools 2.7 this used to copy the sequence to the position of the vertical line Cursor (here: end of copied sequence)
With Mutools 3.0.29 the sequence is always copied to the current mouse Cursor position.

There might have been a debate about this that I've missed, so I just ask: Is this behaviour of 3.0.29 intended? (I preferred the 2.7 behaviour, since it almost always is what I want to do with the paste function, and which I think is more comfortable since one does not need the mouse)

Grüße
Uwe

[liquidsound]

If we go by the most common intention in Copy and Paste a Part (I think)
then we intend to position a fresh copy at the end of the Part just copied...
(I really think this is the most common action, if not, then never mind what follow)

In Reason I find the Copy/Past function to be the smartest and practical among all the DAWs.
As Soon as you copy a part, the cursor is positioned at the end of it and then you can just keep on Paste as many parts as you need and they are intelligently pasted at the end of each copy.
(BTW those are Duplicates and not "copy shared" as the one created in MuLab which ("copy shared") are better suited for this )

In seconds, with one hand, you've got a beautiful line of parts ready to go.
I think that the cursor should not move though, in this way you stay where you are in the time line. That is the only thing that Reason adds to a smart operation and it's not necessary. In fact you need to Rewind all the time!

So why not Paste automatically at the end of the copied Part and each time Paste is performed to keep adding one after the other? Isn't that what we would do manually anyway?

[Branis]

Instead of copying and pasting parts after each other in MULAB you can set a part loop and just enlarge the part by dragginng it's right end.

In energy XT2 you have a shortcut that automatically copies (ghost copy) and pastes a part at it's end (Ctrl+D, it stands for Duplicate Part), it seems even better than the Reason method.

[liquidsound]

Instead of copying and pasting parts after each other in MULAB you can set a part loop and just enlarge the part by dragginng it's right end.

In energy XT2 you have a shortcut that automatically copies (ghost copy) and pastes a part at it's end (Ctrl+D, it stands for Duplicate Part), it seems even better than the Reason method.

I know..., I am trying no to repeat XT since I was the one that made the most reference to it in the last year... which MuLab has surpassed IMO with 3.0 .

Enlarging the part is a good way but I find myself wanting flexibility in changing a Shared to a Duplicate (Unroll...) and/or Target the parts more freely.
I do that a lot, instead of using the Mux, for targeting with same Parts [Overlapping Parts in the same place] different Plugins (Drums with a shuffle Bass etc.) to retain flexibility. Another amazing feature in MuLab which is not obvious to newcomers... )

[Eggu]

CPU LOAD in idle mode.

When starting fresh mulab session,
cpu load is very low.

when adding instrument or effect plugins,
cpu load increases, even though no playback,
still being in idle mode.

I suppose this depends on the special plugins,
but is this normal ?
Could this be avoided by using the smart bypass option ?

[Nielzie]

I suppose this depends on the special plugins,
but is this normal ?

Yes this usually depends on the specific plugins. You will probably have the same experience in another host with the same plugin(s). Some plugins consume cpu with animation effects on the GUI for instance (or otherwise), even when they are "idling"

Could you name the plugins that you are having these experiences with?

[liquidsound]

I think Jo is about to drop the M3 bomb...

[Eggu]

I suppose this depends on the special plugins,
but is this normal ?

Yes this usually depends on the specific plugins. You will probably have the same experience in another host with the same plugin(s). Some plugins consume cpu with animation effects on the GUI for instance (or otherwise), even when they are "idling"

Could you name the plugins that you are having these experiences with?

e.g. http://www.soundsonline.com/free-orchestra
.. also without gui cpu load can rise with some plugins up to 30% (dual core).