Mixcraft beta test

[EL34]

I have a few things to note about the M3 beta. If I misssed something, let me know, I spent about 3 hours with it so far and I looked around first to make sure these things were not obvious. I probably missed a few things
I tested the M3.3 most recent beta.
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I miss the preference toolbar button, I use it a bunch on mixcraft. It's a quick way for me to change many things. Doesn't take up much room on the toolbar and the toolbar is not full.

I can't set the exact volume and pan values? The slider is not getting it done. The list of values is nice but it's hard to set a value that's between those values.
I need a right click function dialog box to open to enter the exact value for volume and pan when you right click on the volume and pan icons.

The other functions have a right click function, such as set your picture for the track, set your arm pref's, etc.
Volume and pan need right click functions also.

Bad takes or start over wav's seem to be added to the project folder. Could't find a way in M3 to ask if I want to save the recording. Gonna end up with a ton of bad takes without this feature.

Seems to be some sort of snap-to grid on the tracks?
I can't select and then sweep my mouse right up close to a sound to shorten it. Seems that it's snapping to a grid left or right of where I want to crop? How do you turn off this snap-to feature?

How the heck do you get the metronome on? I have sounds selected for it but it doesn't come on when I click the on button.

No project moving utility???????????
Greg, Do I need to start ranting about this again?????

Importing mixcraft projects into M3???
I hope this can be done, I will just keep using mixcraft if M3 can't import all my projects.

I am getting this weird click/distortion noise when playing back a project. The noise is not there on each wav file and the noises move around when playing. They are not in the same spot on playback every time. I'll post a MP3 of these noises tommorow.

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It's a real cool program so far, looks good, nice work.

Did I mention it needs a project folder moving/renaming/file utility????

[Acoustica Eric]

The programmers are not finished with the app yet, there may be functions that appear in the final release. But if you want to rant, then feel free
I agree that it would be cool to move a project. But, I have not seen this feature in other apps I have used either.

[EL34]

Rant? Sorry, did I give the impression I was ranting???

This was just my first impressions/observations of mixcraft 3.

I know the program's not finished, that's why I am throwing in my .02 on features I think M3 needs.

Doesn't matter if other programs do not have file move utilities, this is something that is extremely useful, it is needed and it would push M3 over the top. I have no idea what other programs offer, I only use mixcraft and this is something I need to do all the time.

How do you move projects to a DVD?
Do you always know what the name of a new song/project is going to be?
what happens when you start recording a song and then think of a title later?
How do you rename a project folder?
What happens when you move a project to another disk drive and then try to open a project?
What happens when you move a wav file that is part of a project?

I bet others would follow suit and copy this feature.

[Acoustica Eric]

Hi EL34, no, i only said rant because you did, I was just kidding with you.

Yes, it would be a useful feature, I have seen it in programs like MS Publisher.

Keep your fingers crossed

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

It sounds like you evaluated build 1, which was missing its metronome sounds. Build 3 is available (as of this writing) on the beta page. Also in build 3, bad takes are erased when you load a new project or exit the program.

Snap can be turned off in the toolbar Snap drop-down setting, or using the View >Snap menu.

We're getting a few requests for the ability to type in exact pan values, but how much do you really need them? I mean, can you even hear the difference between panning 75% and 75.2%? Isn't a slider all you really need?

Mixcraft projects should be importable in the next beta build (after build 3).

In regard to the noises, are you using ASIO to record? Do you have a multi-processor computer? Hearing a sample would be helpful. Does that mean the noises are there when you mix down? Or are you going to record the playback of the project?

Edited to add: Also, see if the problem goes away with build 3.

In regard to file management, one feature that arose from your comments was the ability to have a different recording folder for each project. As for your other suggests, we'll see what pops up in future builds. Right now, the developers are still adding to the foundation of the program, so to speak.

I passed your comments along to the developers, but if something doesn't seem to be working, or you have some "constructive ciriticism" be sure to send a bug report directly to the beta team.

Greg

[EL34]

This was build 3, not build one.

Not using ASIO to record, I was recording from wav just like I do with mixcraft 2.

I use 30%- 33% volume levels and pan's all the time.
It's a pain to try and get 30% each on two identical tracks panned 75/25 L and 25/75 R

The pops and clicks are not present in the recorded wav file.
They are random on playback, not in the same spot everytime.
I'll get that sound sample tommorrow.

[EL34]

Ok, here's the M3 test file.

The first nasty scratch noises starts at 4 seconds.
Note, this is version Mixcraft 3, version 3.
The sound is not on any of the wav files that M3 recorded.
The sound comes and goes during M3 playback.
The sound changes, it is not in the same spots. If you hear the sound in M3 during playback and then rewind to the same spot, it will not be in the same spot.
http://76.162.4.197/Misc/Music/files/M3test.mp3

Notes:
The hardware in my XP p4 is fine.
It works perfectly fine in mixcraft 2 and all other sound programs like winamp, etc.
I recorded this just like I do in Mixcraft 2. I record from the wav output of guitar rig.
It os not overload, the tracks are not clipping, it happens even in the quiet parts.
Sound card is a SB audigy platinum, all drivers are current.

[EL34]

Just found another thing that M2 has that M3 doesn't.

I right clicked on a wav file in a M3 track to find out where the file is located and look at it's properties. There's no sound properties selection?
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Ok, here's the simple solution for Acoustica on the file utility deal.

Have a menu item that saves the project to a text or XML file format.
I'll take it from theere.

As it stands, your mxc project files are in hex and not user friendly.
I can parse a tabbed text file or XML file and do file functions.

This would be very easy for your programmers to do and it gets me off your back about the file utilities thing.

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The programmers are not finished with the app yet, there may be functions that appear in the final release

Suggestion: Post a to- do list so peole don't spend time asking for features that are going to be included in the final product. It's a waste of everyones time.

[Acoustica Eric]

Hi EL34.
Yes, that is an aweful noise isn't it?
I have heard that in my own recordings before, long ago and can't remember what it was.
Have you tried lowing the input level, even though it may not show as clipping?

Let me make sure i am correct here.

You record this in mc3, play it with mc3 and you hear this noise right?
Ok, then you render to mp3 and the noises appear.
But when you record, and then play 3-4 times, the noises are in a different spot each time right?
So this is a playback issue, not a recorded sound.
I will see if I can get mc3 to do this here. It probably won't though, because any time you try to show someone something, it never repeats
I have also been using mc3 a lot with different instruments, loops, samples, etc. And it has not done this on my machine.

As far a posting a to-do list, that is up to the ceo, I can't say if they will do that or not.

Just thought of this, have you checked to make sure the sample rate and bit depth are the same as you have them set in mc2?

[EL34]

Eric,
Everything is set the same as Mixcraft 2.
44100, 16 bits, stereo, same soiund card, same recording technique.

Ok, this is the important bits.
There are only two sound/wav files in that recording.
I can play back the wav files in winamp and the distortion is not there.
The distortion is not part of the recording.
The output levels in M3 are set low, they are not clipping.
The wav files are not clipping.
It's not the .mp3 process, it's there when playing back in M3.

Ok, hang on, I am going to create a Mixcraft2 project using the exact same two wav files used in the mixcraft3 project.
Hold on, be right back.

[EL34]

Here's the same two wav files turned into a Mixcraft 2.51 project.
The wav files were recorded in M3 V3.

I tried to set the pans and volume levels the same as the M3 settings.
The only effect in the classic master limiter on the main.

Mixcraft 2.51

Mixcraft 3 V3

New question. How do you set the master volume in M3???

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

First, have you filed bug reports on the problems? Posting them here is much less effective than filing bug reports on them. Also file bug reports with your wish list for features you'd like to see. We don't have a to-do list in a format I could post here, and it would be subject to change anyway.

Not all features will show up in the next build, or the build after that. This was a major redesign from the ground up, and we have to get the big pieces in place before we can move on to other items.

In regard to the noise, have you tried adjusting the playback buffers? Go into the Sound Device preferences and try doubling the value for number of buffers and buffer size.

In regard to the sound properties, they are on the sound tab that appears at the bottom of the screen. There's only one item missing right now and that will be added.

We're probably not going to add a preferences button to the toolbar; how about a Ctrl-P keyboard shortcut instead? We're trying to keep the complexity down, and preferences are settings you shouldn't have to mess with too much.

The XML feature is a good suggestion, but so is the actual file management feature, which could still show up at some point in the future, after stuff like say, the help file, gets completed.

Greg