Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

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umbilicalbungee
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by umbilicalbungee »

I'm a late comer to this thread, and a new adopter of Mixcraft. I have tried to skim a lot of the posts here and I'm sure there are some duplicates, but I tried to make these suggestions pretty straight forward. Anyway here's my list of improvements I'd like to see in MC 7. I hope this gets read! I put a * next to the ones that are most important to me.

1) First I'd like to suggest that this software be marketed to people doing film scoring. I have found the simultaneous video and midi editing indispensable for this. There is hardly anything else out there that does this, especially not at this price.

2) *fix Video Editing After Tempo Change Bug: http://forums.acoustica.com/bbs/viewtop ... =4&t=15578

3) *allow ASIO audio devices such as Presonus FireStudio to change recording bit rate to other than 32 from within MC settings

4) *Ability to mix down to video only the selected region from the timeline

5) Let lanes have labels on the left track panel including midi channel number

6) *Allow multiple detail views of different tracks to display simultaneously, one above the other, to allow for simultaneously comparing of two tracks.

7) using ctlr-z to undo a recording should auto place the cursor back where it started before the recording (to easily try another take) without having to set this for normal playback also.

8) provide a midi track type that is just a send to another virtual instrument track to provide individual tracks for each midi channel on a single virtual instrument.

9) link midi clip volume envelope to channel volume controller for each lane's channel instead of the whole track volume

10) a channel selection option for creating new notes and editing midi control data

11) closer horizontal zoom

12) *a line tool for drawing midi control envelopes

13) *snap mode to snap to adjacent or vertically aligned clip edges when moving or resizing clips

14) Add hold shift key for when moving an envelope point to lock in vertical value but change horizontal

15) automatically resize and stretch parallel or adjacent clips that are linked or selected together (like midi notes do)

16) *Shift select first and last clips in a range in a track horizontally to select all. Also for a range of tracks stacked vertically. Also for notes in an instrument track. Also for a range on the timeline.

17) * a counter that shows the current time length selected

18) ctr+drag copying

19) History list of changes or at least last change name next to the undo and redo options in the dropdown menu

20) *snap increments down to a sample or video frame to allow more accurate FF and Rewind increments

21) *"Cntrl-," does not work for me for Rewind. Is this a bug?

22) Scrub the video preview while dragging the edge of a video clip to see the current end or beginning frame

23) include video frames on the timeline and counter

24) ability to stretch video preview size larger than original

25) join option for video clips

26) more video rendering format options mp4 etc

27) more notation options like clef transposed display (for instruments in different keys or octave ranges)

28) Lasso, shift-click and control-click to select, copy, and paste multiple notes in notation view

29) more tuplet options than just 3

30) tidy notes option that will lengthen the previous note to fill rests of a specified size

31) score printing that will Print multiple notation tracks on one page

32) notation and piano roll views should follow the cursor when home key is pressed to jump back to the beginning of clip.

33) project tempo control lane that allows accelerando and decenerando

34) 64bit version

35) more keyboard shortcuts

36) import and export edl, broadcast wave, or other industry standard external project file formats

37) *surround sound panning support and file output

38) Ability to draw a midi velocity envelope that averages each preexisting velocity affected rather than replacing them all to keep a human feel while creating fades.

39) A "Get Satisfaction" page to let users vote on new features and remove duplicates
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FlyingsCool
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by FlyingsCool »

lars wrote:An improved Mixer/console would be fantastic:

- Maybe to collaborate with specialists in console emulation like sknote (stripbus) to choose in the mixcraft mixer to have console behavings.

- a good HP and LP Filter on each channel in the mixer would be so helpful to clean up songs before mixing.

- a simple good compressor on each channel in the mixer (threshold, gain comp, slow/fast button)

- a good sounding eq with frequency selection (low, mid, high) and add/atten button

- a good tap saturator on each channel in the mixer

I have to say all the things above were inspired by Harrisons Mixbus Software.

I m recording in mixcraft and love it for its workflow for tracking ! So many good features, my favourite DAW !

For mixing i began to prefer harrison console mixbus as it feels like mixing on a console. You see everything in one window with good HP/LP filter, EQ and Compressor without having opened 20 vst plugins.

It would be a dream to include good console features in mixcraft, it seems to become more and more standard in the DAW world.
While this is a good idea, I'm wondering how you would expect to implement it.
  • 1. Many people have their favorite go to VSTs. So while including default ones is good for new users, many people would probably look at all the new buttons as clutter, and they'll want the ability to turn the default ones off.
    2. How are you going to implement that? Will you have all the knobs and controls available all the time? Eek! What about those EQ's for instance that use a graphics window for moving points around. Overall, seems very complicated to me, and hard to make extensible.
    3. I do like the idea I think I saw in Pro Tools that shows the list of inserts above each channel on the mixer
    • a. I realized I can emulate this by using two or more monitors, and I can organize my track fx windows on the second monitor
      b. I just figured out last night I can undock the details window, woohoo! :) This can go over there too, or on a third monitor
      c. I'm wondering if edit can be combined with title, and the title choice be limited to the down arrow. I dunno, just trying to reduce the interface a little. I understand that's not how the current dropdown list feature works.
Interesting idea, but I like the simplicity of the current interface. Adding perhaps an effects chain drop down at the top of each channel could work nicely I suppose. This maintains simplicity, but still allows lars to have his stripbus easily chosen (since he can make an effects chain list of all his favorite VST's automatically and can even create a preset project all set up the way he likes.)
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FlyingsCool
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by FlyingsCool »

Which brings me to my next suggestion.

Currently the interface is split up into:
Menu bar
Track Window
Details Window

I'd like to see a 3rd window added, an "fx" window.
You can still have individual popout fx windows if you want, but I'd love to see an undockable window that is linked to the slider for the mixer, that shows the fx windows track by track, left to right, so that as I scroll the mixer left and right, I see the fx lists. The window should be toggleable (I love making up words), and off by default to keep the interface uncluttered. But, especially if I undock the Details window and move the mixer to another screen, I'd love to see a list of inserts above each channel strip.

I can imagine interesting things could be done with this, especially if sidechaining/ducking (see http://homerecording.com/bbs/general-di ... -168161/2/ especially Gregg Jackman's comments ) is implemented.

It could also be used to help visualize bus and send channels and their connections. Or that could be a 4th window.

I don't want to interfere with the simplicity of the basic interface, but if the user has access to multiple monitors, this could greatly improve visualization of effects and signal routing.
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FlyingsCool
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by FlyingsCool »

The Metronome:
As I noted in the remote app suggestions thread, I would like to control this from the remote app.

the whole concept of how the metronome button is currently implemented confuses me. Why force the user to click at least twice every time they turn on the metronome?

I think the metronome button should be a toggle only, and the user should have another button on the main interface that controls all the actions of the toggle, including BPM, Key, Count In Measures and in what modes the toggle button works.

It took me a while to figure out I had to go to Preferences to change those items, and I was confused, since a menu popped up when I clicked on Metronome, why those preferences weren't there. And what I expected was that clicking on the window that lists the Key and BPM of the project would bring me directly to that preference window, and clicking on the metronome would toggle it on and off.
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Super Fata
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by Super Fata »

Important ones (for me at least):
- Full copy and paste possibillty, including copy and paste of automation. This is the most important one, IMO!
- Midi Effects (Arpeggio, randomizer, harmony tool, etc.)
- A chord folder function (You type the notes you want in the piano roll, group select them and push a "fold" button, which makes all other notes "disapear" from the piano roll. Very practical!)
- Same function with presets of scales.
- Sidechain (!!)

Others:
- An analysing EQ, multiband style with visual representation of the sound.
- A synth with some modern capabillties.

Bug Fixes:
- Fix the clip merge function (both audio and MIDI). This sometimes leaves out portions, especially if there are several clips (it then stops at the end of the first one)
- Fix/perfect the "mix to new audi track function. It sometimes ends the clip while there is still a tail of sound left, espicially if there's a long reverb tail. It's like the mixdown focuses on the MIDI-instrument/audio clip not being "active" anymore, instead of whether the audio has actually ended or not (Reverbs, delays, etc).

Apart from these I'm very happy and content with all the changes in MC6 :D
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Acoustica Greg
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by Acoustica Greg »

Super Fata wrote:- Fix the clip merge function (both audio and MIDI). This sometimes leaves out portions, especially if there are several clips (it then stops at the end of the first one)
- Fix/perfect the "mix to new audi track function. It sometimes ends the clip while there is still a tail of sound left, espicially if there's a long reverb tail. It's like the mixdown focuses on the MIDI-instrument/audio clip not being "active" anymore, instead of whether the audio has actually ended or not (Reverbs, delays, etc).
Hi,

We're not aware of a problem in which the merge option leaves out part of the clips. Are you using Mixcraft 6.1 build 217? If so, can you please submit an Acoustica Support Request and let us know how to duplicate the problem?

In regard to the reverb tails, it wouldn't necessarily be a good feature to lop those off. Did you know you can select the section of audio you want to mix down and then choose the "Use Selection" option when you go to mix down?

Greg
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Mark Bliss
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by Mark Bliss »

Super Fata wrote:An analysing EQ, multiband style with visual representation of the sound.
Do you mean something like this?
Para EQ.jpg
Para EQ.jpg (48.04 KiB) Viewed 5217 times
Super Fata wrote:- A chord folder function (You type the notes you want in the piano roll, group select them and push a "fold" button, which makes all other notes "disapear" from the piano roll. Very practical!)
- Same function with presets of scales.
Unfamiliar based on description, but these sound like interesting tools, could you give an example or link to a more complete description?
Stay in tune, Mark

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Anorax
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by Anorax »

Acoustica Greg wrote: In regard to the reverb tails, it wouldn't necessarily be a good feature to lop those off. Did you know you can select the section of audio you want to mix down and then choose the "Use Selection" option when you go to mix down?

Greg
I think he's referring to when he bounces a track to another audio track, which will sometimes cut off the reverb tail, especially long ones once they reach a certain amount of quietness (but are still audible to the ear).


Mark, I think he means one like the Acoustica 31 Band EQ, but with a spectrum analyzer included in the interface of the EQ.
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FlyingsCool
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by FlyingsCool »

Acoustica Greg wrote:
Super Fata wrote:- Fix the clip merge function (both audio and MIDI). This sometimes leaves out portions, especially if there are several clips (it then stops at the end of the first one)
- Fix/perfect the "mix to new audi track function. It sometimes ends the clip while there is still a tail of sound left, espicially if there's a long reverb tail. It's like the mixdown focuses on the MIDI-instrument/audio clip not being "active" anymore, instead of whether the audio has actually ended or not (Reverbs, delays, etc).
Hi,

We're not aware of a problem in which the merge option leaves out part of the clips. Are you using Mixcraft 6.1 build 217? If so, can you please submit an Acoustica Support Request and let us know how to duplicate the problem?

In regard to the reverb tails, it wouldn't necessarily be a good feature to lop those off. Did you know you can select the section of audio you want to mix down and then choose the "Use Selection" option when you go to mix down?

Greg
I think that was his point; when mixing down a midi track, he says that it seems to be using the midi commands as a guide as to where to end the mixdown instead of the audio produced, or that perhaps it's setting a volume threshold(?). I interpreted this as behavior he didnt want. If I understand what you are saying Greg.

Your workaround seems like it would be a good idea until it's fixed, assuming it works.
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Acoustica Greg
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by Acoustica Greg »

umbilicalbungee wrote: 18) ctr+drag copying
Mixcraft currently has Alt+drag copying. That's way better. :wink:
pedrosura
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by pedrosura »

Suggestions:

1)Change the color of the track and frozen track to be different. (I had all track frozen except one which was only highlighted and it took me a while to realize it was not frozen. If an unfrozen track is highlighted it looks blue the same color as the frozen tracks)

2)I wish there was a "Slow" toggle button. You can setup the "Slow" speed in preferences. The idea is that you toggle the slow while recording or rehearsing a complex part and then un toggle it and resume normal speed. When working with MIDI, it is better to record at a slower speed and then speed it up for listening. I find myself changing the speed back and forth all the time..

3)I wish there was such thing as a midi track that can output midi to the current track and/or to a virtual instrument. I have arpeggiators that produce midi for dance music and it is very cumbersome with the current setup. It would be great if the midi track would send the midi data to any other track or tracks and make other virtual instruments come alive.

4)I second the posibility of changing the background from white. It is tough to work in the dark.


Love this software. Cant wait for MX7!
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FlyingsCool
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by FlyingsCool »

pedrosura wrote:Suggestions:

1)Change the color of the track and frozen track to be different. (I had all track frozen except one which was only highlighted and it took me a while to realize it was not frozen. If an unfrozen track is highlighted it looks blue the same color as the frozen tracks)

Nice :)

2)I wish there was a "Slow" toggle button. You can setup the "Slow" speed in preferences. The idea is that you toggle the slow while recording or rehearsing a complex part and then un toggle it and resume normal speed. When working with MIDI, it is better to record at a slower speed and then speed it up for listening. I find myself changing the speed back and forth all the time..

Again, yes...

3)I wish there was such thing as a midi track that can output midi to the current track and/or to a virtual instrument. I have arpeggiators that produce midi for dance music and it is very cumbersome with the current setup. It would be great if the midi track would send the midi data to any other track or tracks and make other virtual instruments come alive.

Can you use a Send to an Aux track for this? Or is that what you are saying is cumbersome to do? How would you define what the "current" track is? IOW, how would you define which track is feeding which track?
I'm not knocking the idea, sounds great to me, just looking for more detail on how to do what you want, and how it'll be less cumbersome than how to do it now.


4)I second the posibility of changing the background from white. It is tough to work in the dark.


Love this software. Cant wait for MX7!
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Mark Bliss
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by Mark Bliss »

I wasn't sure either, description is lacking clarity.
Thought maybe he was talking about "side chaining"?
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Acoustica Greg
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by Acoustica Greg »

mbliss wrote:I wasn't sure either, description is lacking clarity.
Thought maybe he was talking about "side chaining"?
Mixcraft 6 cannot direct MIDI from one virtual instrument track to a virtual instrument on another track. It can send MIDI to an effect, but not a virtual instrument. Mixcraft 7 should address that issue.

There are arpeggiator plugins that can use MIDI to control other virtual instruments and that's what pedrosura's referring to.
Anorax
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Re: Mixcraft 7 suggestions?

Post by Anorax »

Acoustica Greg wrote:Mixcraft 7 should address that issue.
This wouldn't happen to be a feature confirmation now, would it? ;-)

Bless you Greg, bless you
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