[linux-audio-dev] Re: [off-list] Read this after your first cup of coffee

[John Check]

On Saturday 21 August 2004 08:27 am, Luke Yelavich wrote:
> On Sat, Aug 21, 2004 at 10:10:47PM EST, Paul Davis wrote:
> > >> erm... actually they can:
> > >>
> > >> http://www.digidesign.com/users/user_story.cfm?story_id=1020
> > >
> > >well spotted that man.
> >
> > well, yes and no.
> >
> > mr boggs doesn't use any aspect of the protools GUI to run
> > protools. he uses outSPOKEN, a speech recognition system, and a JL
> > Cooper control surface. since you could connect this style interfaces to
> > more or less any program, this either suggests that design for the
> > sight-impaired is unnecessary, or that mr. boggs would still be better
> > off with a specially designed, non-GUI system.
>
> Sorry to be pedantic here Paul, but Outspoken is in fact a screen reader.
> There is a difference between a screen reader and speech recognition.
>

It's an important distinction.

> In terms of using GUI software, there is in fact software for Windows, that
> allows blind/vision impaired users to use Cakewalk Sonar with a screen
> reader. Just how this is done, I do not know, but it is done.
>
> > i still don't understand how mr. boggs could edit using protools in
> > the style that such programs have made rather popular. i have a spent
> > quite a bit of time talking with jeremy hall and others about how we
> > could add editing to ardour/ksi, and my conclusion is that its a
> > research project worthy of at least a master's degree, perhaps even a
> > doctorate.
>
> This is certainly worthy of discussion. However, I think it would be nice
> to get a wider point of view, from other blind/vision impaired people.
>
> I am preparing to launch a project to discuss this very issue, among
> others. I will be asking blind/vision impaired users from the Windows
> world, who might be interested in Linux Audio to put forward their views
> about what they would find useful. In this discussion, we could also find
> out how existing Windows users do their work with CakeWalk, and the screen
> reading software.
>

Awesome.

> > the point about GUI systems for tasks like audio editing is that the
> > screen functions as a sort of backing store for your memory. you don't
> > have to remember where all the audio regions/events/clips are, because
> > the screen will show you, both statically and more importantly while
> > moving one (or more) them around. if you can't see the screen, then
> > you either have to (1) remember where everything is yourself, and edit
> > using only that memory or (2) devise some other form of mnemonic
> > design that performs the same role as the screen does for
> > non-sight-impaired users.
>
> I guess this is why people are able to use CakeWalk, and have screen
> reading software developed for it, simply because it doesn't use regions,
> however I am sure some vision impaired users would have good ideas as to
> how the regions issue could be worked around.
>

Indeed :)

> > i have no doubt that with speech recognition and a control surface,
> > tracking and mixing things in the same way that a sight-impaired
> > person would have use a tape machine (analog or digital) is entirely
> > possible. i suppose people used to do what is still called "3 point"
> > and "4 point" edits on systems that had no waveform displays, so i
> > guess that is still an approach to editing that is accessible to a
> > sight impaired user. however, it doesn't seem to come close to the
> > capabilities offered for creative music production by today's DAWs,
> > and those capabilities seem to me to be fundamentally predicated on
> > the visual memory provided by the GUI.
> >
> > --p