Workflow First Impressions

[Pthetitan]

This isn't a bug report but I feel it might be useful feedback. I made a track to get the hang of the general workflow improvements and here are my initial thoughts as someone coming from MX8:

- Overall color scheme is sleek.
- The new mixer is fantastic; robust features and looks great on a second screen.
- The frequency viewer does it's job without being in the way.
- Curved automation works beautifully.
- Transport arrows are too close to clickable parameters; easy to misclick.
- Tempo in "New Project Settings" window is squished and somewhat hard too see.
- Tempo arrows going up by .10 Tempo seems unneeded.
- FX on and off on the track sidebar could use a more noticeable contrast difference between "on" and "off".
- Step Edit mode with the hotkeys for changing note duration will change how I create in a big way; 11/10

So far this is what stood out to me immediately and stuck with me when I wanted to sit down and just create something. Loving the changes so far.

[Tranceprod Dan]

Agree on the arrows being too small/close to the clickable values. I miss click on them a lot more often with this current UI setup.

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

Thanks for your feedback!

Greg

[Javan21]

Everything is nice looking.
I am still having problems with performance, i know this is not the final version but its a bad start so far. Its when i am using plugins on multiple tracks. Also i think 32bit plugins need to go if you are using 64bit it just adds popping for me.

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

Which 32-bit plugins?

Did you install the optional legacy plugins? Because you don’t have to if you don’t want to.

We offer the legacy plugins for backwards compatibility.

Greg

[Ian Craig]

Hello,
unfortunately, due to eye-iris adjustment problems meaning that I get blinded if I have to look at lighter writing on a black background I will not be able to use MX9, as there are no configuration options beyond making the play area switchable to a hideous off-white, which doesn't help me be able to read details from the other black background areas.
Aside from that, I don't see anything much new to test. It only seems to contain a couple of touches that could have been done in MX8. The video rendering problem when using both Kaleidoscope left and right simultaneously that I made a video description of 2 and a half years ago, when I then had to make a second demo of, about a year ago, as the first one was ignored (& I was then told a bug report had been filed) is still there, even now.
There is no added support for other video file types, there is still no event list editor and still no way to record the notes output from software sequencer plugins.
Good luck to everyone who has waited 3 years to be asked to support this lack of development. I see no reason to upgrade and one major reason not to (aside of my frustration at this all). I will continue with MX8 and/or switch to other using DAWs.

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi Ian,

I'm sorry you feel that way about the new version. I was feeling pretty good about the feature set of Mixcraft 9.0, because a lot of the features originated right here on the user forums. For example, the option to add micro-fades to the start and end of every audio clip. There are features I'd think that you'd be especially interested in, like the new LFO controller option for plugins, vocoder tracks, curved automation, and the option to draw various wave shaped CC patterns.

In regard to the look of Mixcraft, I'm told we're planning to have a lighter skin. Maybe in the next build?

In regard to the kaleidoscope video effect issue, here's the backstory - the guy who worked on the video features in Mixcraft was busy this time around creating the dockable transport feature (one of the top requests here on the forums), along with the dockable details tabs, and the new look for MIDI / Audio / LFO controls (among other things).

I've updated the bug report for Mixcraft 9, so that it's not forgotten. You're the only one who had reported this issue, and other things took precedent.

Greg

[Ian Craig]

Okay thanks for the explanation Greg. Fair points. I'll wait for the build with the lighter skin

[Acoustica Greg]

Not in build 430, though.

[Ian Craig]

Thanks for the video link Greg.
I am really surprised to see how many substantial workflow changes there are (having watched the first half of the video). If only I had received that first I would have been convinced very quickly.
The Tempo mapping feature is great looking and like lots of other features it's a very big game changer (it should also work with the studio version of melodyne very well, where the same feature also exists). Hardly any of these features are apparent from the initial blurb without the video. For example, it was not apparent that the tab windows could be undocked (only apparent that the transport bar could be), also the step sequencer looked like there was no way to insert rests (the arrow keys advance or go back through the steps, so it's a great advancement to workflow speeds, rather than useless, as it originally appeared).
As I said, I'll have to wait for the colour tones visual options (i.e. non-black background) to appear before I can test it, but it does look like a great advancement and I obviously won't need to bother switching to using alternative DAWs apart from to record software sequencer/arp notes. Thanks guys

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

It's something we do with every version: the new features are just sort of blended in with what's already there. We always try not to make new versions bewildering for existing users, and to preserve the workflow.

Greg

[Ian Craig]

Hi,

It's something we do with every version: the new features are just sort of blended in with what's already there. We always try not to make new versions bewildering for existing users, and to preserve the workflow.

Greg

Yeah, but you have to be aware that the features exist.
I did delve into it, firstly with build 426, then with build 430. There are significant problems with vst3s (though a lot less with build 430, there are still plenty. A lot of them cannot be activated at all, whilst there is no problem with the vst2 versions, others do not display properly. Mostly this isn't important but with AAS plugins the naming procedure of new presets you create with their vst2s doesn't work (it puts 2 letters in instead of one, making preset file saving practically impossible), which forces the use of their vst3 versions. I seem to recall String Studio VS-3 being an example, a large part of it is not displaying making it unusable. There is also a large number of WAProductions not being able to be activated in vst3, things like Screamo & Mutant Delay and Reverb.
I am glad to see that the team has learned from the great modulation capabilities of Melda Productions and Fab Filter. To have those kind of capabilities within a Daw is fantastic in itself.
By the way, even if it takes until Mixcraft 10 I think the master track could be expanded still further, in terms of function, by increased modularity in the same way Voltage modular works i.e. you can route audio through to a sampler II module, control modulation of the captured audio within the module, feed FX, have clock dividers etc. It's a thought for version 10 anyway.

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

I downloaded Screamo and I see that it loads, but it doesn't activate. Very odd.

Please make a list of VST3 plugins that don't work for you and post it here or submit it as a bug.

Edited to add: and Screamo (VST3) does work in Mixcraft 8.

We do know that the VST3 version of SampleTank 4 seems to have a crashing problem, and there's nothing we can do about that.

Greg

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

Now I've installed the VST3 version of AAS String Studio VS-3, and that seems to function normally in Mixcraft 9 build 430. The interface is displaying just fine for me.

Can you post a screenshot of what you're seeing?

Greg

[Ian Craig]

Yeah, that one seems to load here too now, I may have got it confused with build 426, as it was before I fell asleep or it may be one of the other AAS plugins. I'll have to check it out. Anyway. I'm rescanning to try to get Dimitry Sches' Thorn v1.1 to load in 64 bit as it has only loaded for a good while in VST3 (as if it's invisible, so I'm moving the location of the 64bit dll). He (Dimitry Sches) took up with Plugin Alliance and released v2 but I found it too slow due to their protection system (i.e. it took 20 seconds or more to change presets). I'll get back to you after I check with a few screenshots of errors and things.