Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] Virtual Mixing Desk
From: R Parker (rtp405_AT_yahoo.com)
Date: Mon Jul 19 2004 - 06:12:33 EEST
--- Olivier Guilyardi <ml_AT_xung.org> wrote:
> R Parker wrote:
> > A drawback I see to the knob only mixer is it
> limits
> > the users ability to visually associate what they
> hear
> > with what they see.
>
> Trouble is sliders are space-taking.
Understood.
It occurs to me that I am commenting on a mixer design
and I don't even know what this mixer is for. What is
its primary purpose?
If live mixing softsynths (monitor mixing), then new
knobishy widget might not be problematic.
If control room mixing, then "typical" knobs are
problematic.
What about a
> colorful approach :
> A little square which is white for 0, black for 1,
> and taking a scale of
> gray colors for intermediate values. You'd ajust it
> the same way as a
> knob, pressing the mouse button and going up/down,
> or with the mouswheel.
>
> It wouldn't remind the user of any physical
> equivalent, but it would
> better suit the digital interface. With a hue scale
> (HSV color model),
> instead of a gray one, the visual impact could be
> pretty efficient,
> though it would require some practice to get used to
> it.
A colored hue scale using metering colors could be
interesting; yellow = low, orange = medium, red = hot.
Whatever the colors are, they need to help you solve
problems without thinking. If they're to gawdy, it'll
be nothing but a blur. Simple example, the cowbell is
obscured by the guitar, the cowbell has plenty of
headroom gain or it doesn't. Ideally, the conclusion
can be reached in a fraction of a second.
Have you tried the LADSPA plugins as Ardour presents
them? There is no "slider." The space that would be a
slider is a transluscent single shade. You left-mouse
+ click and drag the hue around. It's interesting.
Maybe instead of knobs you have circular shaped and
appropriately thick lines with the hues of meters and
you do the left-mouse+click and drag to adjust levels.
Is that close to what you're imagining?
Just reread your proposal and squares or rectangels
are probably better because it would be easier to
interpret levels at a glance.
I guess the summation of my point is that a mixer
interface needs to convey information. Imagine that
we're monitor mixing on the side of a dark stage for a
major label touring show. Maybe the mixer should be
user definable layers of sliders; layer 1 is drums, 2
bass and guitars, 3 keyboards, 4 backing vocals, etc.
The user can define the number of sliders for each
layer and each of them is exposed with a soft button
push.
The routes are user definable so the drums could run
through a bus. This enables the user to adjust the
output level of the entire group or any individual
instrument. I suppose the master/Stereo bus fader
should be exposed at all times.
Is this mixer designed to we can MMC bind hardware
faders to its level adjusting things?
Anyway, I haven't read the thread on lad but I noticed
a monstor long one over there. I really shouldn't
comment on this topic because I didn't read that
thread. Besides, if God hadn't created John Deer, I'd
be out in the field with a pitch fork. Damned it
though, it would be a fancy pitch fork.
ron
> --
> og
>
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