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A few feature requests

Posted: 04 Sep 2010 02:53
by zenmonkey
Hi,

I'm really impressed with this Synth package; it's pretty much Reason in a VST! :)

There were a few things I've found as odd. I apologize in advance if these have already been requested. I did search through the forum and didn't find mention to them.

1. No way to quickly remove a cable. I discovered ctrl+mouse drag and click to connect cables but the only way I've found to remove cables is the menu on a module via right-click. It'd be really nice if you could put your mouse over the cable and hit ctrl/shift/alt+click to automatically disconnect the cable.

2. The only way to view knob values is to move them. I'd like a method more like the one in Reason where if you leave your mouse over a knob for about 1 second the tooltip pops up and shows you the set value. If you wait over one knob and the tooltip pops up you can move your mouse to several knobs and see their values instantly. This would be very nice to see a knob's setting w/o changing it.

3. The delay module (vst or in KarmaFX) has a very different (to me at least) method to tune a delay in units of beats. I tend to think in musical notation or Hz when setting a delay. It's somewhat trivial to convert beats to note lengths when they're straight notes (1/4 note = 4 beats) but gets much more difficult for triplets and dotted notes. Quick what's 1/4trip in beats? Yeah, I know it's 2/3rds of a 1/4 note but I have to get out my calculator to convert a 1/6th note into beats. It takes me out of the left-brain creative mode for sure. Also I don't understand why the Delay knob is set in beats while the fine tune is set in ms. Pretty please musical + Hz tunings! :)

4. Since I'm still unregistered I do not have a manual. Is there a way to split stereo pairs into mono L and R to process the signal chains separately? The input menus seem to just list the other modules and don't mention stereo/mono pairs.

5. I noticed another thread about portamento. It sounded a bit odd to me with the current implementation. Is it time or rate portamento? When hitting high and low notes both legato and staccato I couldn't get the predictable results I've heard before. Given the choice I'd prefer the option for either like in u-he Zebra or D.CAM Synth Squad.

6. It's nice that you can assign multiple things to a single macro knob. However it's rare I'd like the same range of motion (or direction) for the macro knob. For example, let's say I'd like to make a "dirty" knob. I want to open up a LP filter, add a touch of resonance and add some of the signal in from the bit-crusher. Since this gets louder I'd also like to lower the output volume a bit. As it stands today I scale all 3 knobs the same amount in the same direction. I can't turn up one knob 100% and have another move up 20% or turn one in the opposite direction. See the u-he Zebra2 performance page or the Reason Combinator Rotary knobs as examples.

7. If a patch is starting to get large I noticed there are no scrollbars to extend your work area. The only option I saw was custom layout sizes with a new fixed edge. Maybe something like the Propellerhead Record rack that has a mini window on the right hand side with a colored rectangle you can drag around to get a macro view of the current preset. Here's an included screen-shot if you haven't seen it before. If you've ever played Blizzard's Starcraft it's a lot like the map rectangle in the lower left. ;)
Image

All in all though these are some pretty minor things. The synth engine is amazing, it's definitely on my to-purchase list. Excellent work all around!

(EDIT: Purchased! I'm eagerly awaiting my registration info. Thanks!)

Re: A few feature requests

Posted: 04 Sep 2010 23:20
by MadGonzo
1. right click on the arrow at the middle of the connection to remove it

2. completely agree =)

3. if you right click on the portamento knob you can set different portamento types
i think maybe he can make more portamento types in the future, if explained properly how it will work :S
i wanted something that worked with chords :)

6. i really want this myself, setting ranges from -1 to 1 multiplier (and +/- offset) would have been awesome =)

Re: A few feature requests

Posted: 06 Sep 2010 15:25
by zenmonkey
MadGonzo wrote:1. right click on the arrow at the middle of the connection to remove it
3. if you right click on the portamento knob you can set different portamento types
i think maybe he can make more portamento types in the future, if explained properly how it will work :S
i wanted something that worked with chords :)
1. Ah, thanks Gonzo!
3. Neat, Auto Portamento sounds much more like I'm used to. I need to read the manual to see what makes Auto different from normal.

Thanks!

Re: A few feature requests

Posted: 15 Sep 2010 01:00
by zenmonkey
Kasper, any comment on these? 1 and 3 are for the most part solved but the remaining ideas are still useful I think. :P

Re: A few feature requests

Posted: 19 Sep 2010 22:32
by karmafx
Hi! 8)

Thanks for the questions, and sorry for the slow reply!!

Regarding 2)
Just left clicking on a knob (without moving it) will show the current value.

4) You're right. There's acutally no simple splitter module.
However, it is possible to do it!
Setting e.g. an amplifier module to mono, will return the left channel, so what you need to do is use a second "stereo" amplifier module, and use the stereo invert to output the right channel. Then do you processing on the induvidual channels in mono.
To combine them use the "mixer" module, set in 2xmono mode. First attaching the left signal then the right should get the ordering right.
I should propably make this a little easier in the future! Thanks for pointing that out!

5) Can't comment on those other synths, but right clicking on porta and setting it to auto should make it work more natural. Two modes are available: Fixed or Auto: In Fixed mode (default), glide always takes place. In Auto mode, only overlapping notes will glide.

6) I agree, but there is a way to do that too in KarmaFX Synth too.
Make a "MidiData" module and set the type to "manual" (this means that whatever you draw with the value knob will be output).
Now assign the value knob as a controller and hook up the MidiData module to the knobs you wish to control. Left click and drag on the wire arrow to set the volume levels for the individual knobs (you can even invert the modulation).

7) Micro view is a great idea! I've added it to the list. There used to be scrollbar support in Synth Modular, but I took it out, since it got clumsy with the control panel.

Hope this helps.
If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Re: A few feature requests

Posted: 26 Sep 2010 02:11
by zenmonkey
Hey,

Thanks for the reply! :)

2, understood. It'd still be nice to be able to just hover but I will use this for now.

4, thanks! I'll try this.

5, Auto feels more natural.

6, neat idea. I didn't notice the mididata module. I'll read the manual about it.

7, glad you like micro view :oops: I think it can really optimize usage of space on laptop screens.

Finally, it looks like one of my questions got confused with a different number in the follow-on posts. It's #3 above but I'll re-post here:

The delay module (vst or in KarmaFX) has a very different (to me at least) method to tune a delay in units of beats. I tend to think in musical notation or Hz when setting a delay. It's somewhat trivial to convert beats to note lengths when they're straight notes (1/4 note = 4 beats) but gets much more difficult for triplets and dotted notes. Quick what's 1/4trip in beats? Yeah, I know it's 2/3rds of a 1/4 note but I have to get out my calculator to convert a 1/6th note into beats. It takes me out of the left-brain creative mode for sure. Also I don't understand why the Delay knob is set in beats while the fine tune is set in ms. Pretty please musical + Hz tunings!

I still get a bit confused with beat tunings, maybe I'm the only one?

Thanks again!

Re: A few feature requests

Posted: 04 Oct 2010 19:36
by Koshdukai
karmafx wrote:7) Micro view is a great idea! I've added it to the list. There used to be scrollbar support in Synth Modular, but I took it out, since it got clumsy with the control panel.
Ah! So that's what happened to the scrollbar!

I remember using one on an old demo/beta version and now using 1.14 I was under the impression that something was missing.

I agree that a micro-view with a dragable view-area would be a good thing to have :)

Value display triggered by mouse hovering would also be something nice to have, btw.