23 Jan
2003
23 Jan
'03
8:27 a.m.
--- Dave Griffiths <dave(a)pawfal.org> wrote:
Module wiring: The biggest improvement is to implement sub-patches [yes, I know
there are plans for this in SSM :] - that way you can hide a lot of detail in a
single module.
For example, a four oscillator synth with a filter, lfo and a couple of EGs
makes for a lot of modules, especially if you include math modules to scale
stuff. All of these could be wrapped up in a single patch with half a dozen
open inputs/outputs.
At the GUI end of things - most modular synths seem to assume one-gui-per
module, which again makes up for a lot of screen space used. In the four-osc
synth example above, there'd be a lot of redundant knobs/sliders for ports that
are actually driven by connections.
I talked to
Robert Henke of Ableton about the philosophy behind their
innovative interface, and one of the most interesting concepts was, that
everything *must* fit into one window. Overlapping or popup-windows are
strictly forbidden in Live, because in a live situation you cannot be
bothered with organising windows on the screen.
I *wish* I could figure out a way to do this with ssm. The best way I can
think of is to use window placement code from a window manager to more
intelligently place the module windows, as AudioMulch does. I guess its not
really a solvable problem for a modular, as you can always instance more
stuff. From the screenshots, that Tassman3 app that Steve
found appears to alleviate
this somewhat by merging related modules into a single
horizontal unit. I
suppose the ideal solution would be some sort of simple GUI builder so you can
create a set of controls for connection to a module, sub-patch, or whatever.
This could to some degree be automated (hide/show controls as connections are
created/removed).
I think ArtsBuilder had this last time I used it - GUI elements were treated
just like modules. Positioning them was a pain though, but it's been about a
year since I looked at it - things may have improved.
I would really have liked to put the module controls
inside the widgets in
the
patch builder, and thus only have one window to worry about - but some of the
module windows are just too big, it makes building patches much more
difficult.
Any suggestions greatfully recieved :)
I quite like the separation of the wiring (which really only for initial
setting up) and the control (which is used when performing). I don't like, for
example, the way the Nord Modular does things, by having wires/connections at
the front: What if you slip and pull out a wire instead of turning a knob
during a performance? Same result as tripping over a cable on stage: Oops!
Mike
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