[linux-audio-user] Virtual Mixing Desk

[Russell Hanaghan]

On Sun, 2004-07-18 at 20:12, R Parker wrote:
> --- 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
> > 

I've decided, after much thoughts <sheepish grin goes here> that I don't
like Knobs OR Sliders!

How about a little widget that looks like a faucet?!!  Or perhaps a
pneumatic valve that connects to a control lever such as on a backhoe or
bull dozer?? Perhaps a throttle widget like in aircraft cockpits? Or
even a clip widget like on an intravenous drip line> Yeah! That's the
ticket!

I'm sorry...I can't help myself! :)  I am a bit surprised at the level
of passion over snobs versus liders....er ....whatever. I am kind of
fond of the backhoe lever though. We could then put international
symbols for loud and quiet. Loud = Rabbit & Quiet = Turtle.

All in good fun peeps. Don't take me seriously. My wife doesn't! :)

R~

> 
> 
> 
> 		
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