Hi Ward,
I thought I could list here some UI ideas – hope it’ok to do it this way, don’t want to spam the forum with a ton of separate subjects. I can make separate topics if asked to though.
When using the X knob to scroll a top down menu (files, edit menus etc.), a push on the encoder = yes. It feels natural and fast and would let your right hand free for what’s next. Plus, the yes being on the same side as the X, it is not the most comfortable move. (I know a push sometimes do something else, like going to the pulse side of things, but I don’t think it is very useful when you scroll a menu).
In the current state of things, when you switch from one track to another, you land in the last page or section you used to be last on that track. I find it a bit surprising, and I think it would be better if you stay in the section you are in: if I am editing an FX on track 1 for example, and switch to track 5, il land on the fx page of track five. Since you don’t remember most of the time what was the last page you where on a given track, it is more predictible this way, I think (and let you quickly monitor: ok, what are my fx ? my pulses ?). Edit: that may not be true if you are using a track as a dedicated fx track I reckon. An option to “lock” on page or not would be nice
In the current state of things, If you want to access the fx edit menu, you need to already be in the fx section. I think it would be convenient if hitting edit + fx from anywhere brings you directly to the fx edit menu, instead of having to hit fx first, and then edit + fx. The typical situation is that you are editing the sound engine or the pulses and you think “i’d like to add or remove this fx…”
How about a “fx swap” option in the fx menu, so you don’t have to remove and add and place?
Copying a note list to another slot is I think a thing you want to do quite often. I wonder if it is possible to implement a quicker way to do it than the current method – it’s much more easy to quickly copy a pattern for example.
A way to audition a note when you’re in the note list editor? (so without adding anything) ?
I’ve read the post where you explains that blank tracks are not saved with a project to avoid pollution in the folder. I find it a bit unsettling: I often like, after messing around, to recall a blank project and it is not possible then (if I don’t want to turn the machine off and on). Ok, I reckon than the workaround is easy (stop obsessing with blank projects and just put a damn external engine on each track, for example), but still…
In a project folder, the project file always on top ?
Ok, enough for now (on the ui topic, at least)
I am having a lot of fun with the machine so far.
When you press edit + a knob, the first choice in the menu is to manually enter the value, then add modulator, then midi mapping iirc. So far in my use case it has been 95% add modulator, 5% midi mapping, 0% enter value. So I suggest that last one comes last in the list
When opening a project folder it places the cursor on the .proj file, so you can quickly hit [yes] to load it
So you mean when you want to replace an effect with another effect, or change the order of effects (“swap positions”)? The latter is already possible.
To save disk space tracks that are ‘empty’ (no sound engine, only stereo FX) are not included in the project file. When a project is loaded it resets the tracks that are not present in the project to the default ‘empty’ state: no sound engine and stereo FX. Therefore their ‘emptyness’ is saved, but it does not take up disk storage space.
Working on something and then loading an empty project to make something else should be possible because the fact that certain tracks are ‘empty’ is stored, just not as file on the disk.
You can get an empty/init project by: [edit]+[settings] → restart firmware
If you want to change what the empty/init project contains: save a project called “template” inside the folder named “projects”.
When you want to copy notes of a note list somewhere else, you are prompted to choose a destination, but without the visual help you have, for example, when you copy a pattern with edit + pattern – a representation of the keys with slots already populated greyed. So it feels a bit insecure, I often choose one where there is already something by mistake, have to quit, look again at where I have free space, repeat. So it would be nice if when prompted to choose a destination, you have the visual information. What would actually be nice also would be to have a way to quickly copy a note list to another location without actually entering into the note list, in a way similar to the pattern copying stuff – though obviously edit + note list is not available.
How about a “Delete all code” command in the edit menu when editing a cue step ? Shift + No is ok, but when you want to delete large chunks of code it is a bit tedious – and the very handy “insert current state” command makes you enter large chunks of code quite often !
The ability to name your recordings, righ afer the recording and / or later on ? Would help a lot for further use of your recordings, or even simply delete garbage when accessing the drive.
A shortcut for entering a “rest” type note in the note list editor – maybe hitting some free button on the numpad could simply add a rest type note after cursor position (the other values of the note being a copy of the one currently under the cursor). When you want to sort of fake a classic sequencing using a note list, you can find yourself entering quite a large number of “rests” in between notes you want to be played.
Wonder if there could be a quick copy/paste shortcut for steps in a cue. Currently you have to create the new step first, then go into the step you want to copy, engage “copy code” in the menu, then move into the new step to paste the code. Would be nice to simply hit a “copy step” function, move to an already existing step and have a “paste before / after”.
I second almost everything from the first post!
One thing that I’ve noticed using this machine is that the whole system is really well organized, but various interaction (a lot inside submenus) are a bit cumbersome and could be much more fluid.
Special mention for point 13
Using 303 a lot I’ve almost always fill the note list with pitches and then do a few passages and set different note attributes. If each kind of note could be added by a different key it will become a really really pleasent sequencer to use
Edit: having 5 note types and the upper six black buttons free on the note list page, we could have each one mapped to a button and still have one more button free, wich could be mapped to another rapid function, like cycling thru note chance (each press increase the note chance by one, arrived to ten it wraps around and start again from zero, or could be used to increase/decrease octave (push increase, shift+push decrease)… Just thinking out loud here, but the catch would be that we still retain the actual programming layout and add a few, useful shortcuts!
Editing note lists is already possible with the numpad. The lower part of the numpad sort of form arrow keys: left and right goes through the columns (pitch, octave, type, volume, chance), then up down back/forward through the notes, and the keys next to up are value inc/decrement. There’s a visual here: Note lists - PolyPulse manual
If you want to make notes a rest after adding them you could hit decrease value twice when in the note type column to get to a rest.
I do agree that a simple ‘insert rest’ button would be nice!
Yep, I’m aware of that, and is what I’m using right now. Totally usable, just a bit slow because everytime I must cycle through all note types, having a direct button will be faster. But I reckon that having at least the rest on a dedicated button could be convenient.
Glad to help with some tinkering!
