Wishlist: save pattern page improvements

[borfo]

On the save page, you have to hit save twice to save a pattern - on the first screen you select the pattern and the target, then hit save.  Then, on the second screen you name the saved pattern and hit save again.

 

Trouble is, the save button is in a different spot on the two screens - on the first it's GP#8, on the second it's GP#16.  If the save button was in the same place on both screens, it would be easier to quickly save patterns, especially when you don't want to bother naming the pattern - then you could just quickly hit the button twice.

 

Could the save button on the first screen be moved to GP#16?

 

 

 

Also, it would be great to have a button that would automatically select the first empty slot in the selected pattern bank as the save target (so you don't have to spin through all the slots with the encoder to find an empty one)...  This button could go in GP#8 if the save button was moved to GP#16...

 

 

 

It would also be cool to add an auto-name feature so you could get easy to remember names without having to program them in - you could implement this by having a long list of random words (eggplant, tree, horse, Brazil, lampshade) on the SD card, and having a button on the naming screen that randomly selects one of the words from the list to use as a name.

 

Is it easy for users to add at least a few hundred words to the "PRESET" list without recompiling the firmware (like in a config file somewhere)?  If so, this is already half-implemented...  Maybe the button under the "PRESET" knob (GP#15) could be used to randomly select a word from the list of presets? 

 

 

Usability wise, it would be useful if pressing the <> button (GP#12) toggled cursor position between the first character of the category and the first character of the name.

Edited August 25, 2014 by borfo

[TK.]

On the save page, you have to hit save twice to save a pattern - on the first screen you select the pattern and the target, then hit save.  Then, on the second screen you name the saved pattern and hit save again.

 

The most simple way to save a pattern is in the main page: press EXIT, then GP#10: this will save the patterns of all 4 groups at once

 

 

Trouble is, the save button is in a different spot on the two screens - on the first it's GP#8, on the second it's GP#16.  If the save button was in the same place on both screens, it would be easier to quickly save patterns, especially when you don't want to bother naming the pattern - then you could just quickly hit the button twice.

 

"Pressing a button twice" is not a good solution, because if a bad button is bouncing, you would store the pattern w/o a name unintentionally.

It was my intention to use a different button, and it was intended that it doesn't trigger a destructive action, such as SAVE, Ins, Del...)

 

However, with the SAVE function in the main page, I guess that your request is already satisfied, no?

 

 

Also, it would be great to have a button that would automatically select the first empty slot in the selected pattern bank as the save target (so you don't have to spin through all the slots with the encoder to find an empty one)...  This button could go in GP#8 if the save button was moved to GP#16...

 

Maybe there is a better way that you probably haven't explored yet.

This was an outcome of a discussion with multiple users - we wanted to achieve a comfortable save function and a well structured bank (so not just picking up a random free patch slot.

 

This feature was introduced with V4.077 (see changelog):

o a very useful "quick save" function has been added which significantly improves
     the song phrases handling.

     The new function will store the current mixer and pattern setup into predefined
     bank positions:
       - Phrase A will use Mixer Map #1 and Patterns 1:A1 2:A1 3:A1 4:A1
       - Phrase B will use Mixer Map #2 and Patterns 1:A2 2:A2 3:A2 4:A2
       - Phrase C will use Mixer Map #3 and Patterns 1:A3 2:A3 3:A3 4:A3
       - ...
       - Phrase P will use Mixer Map #16 and Patterns 1:B8 2:B8 3:B8 4:B8

     After the store operation, following references will be copied into the phrase
     slot of the song:
       - 1st phrase step: the current mutes
       - 2nd phrase step: selects the new mixer map
       - 3rd phrase step: selects the new pattern set
       - 4th phrase step: jumps to the 3rd phrase step (could be useful in song mode)

     How to use this function:
     Start a new session, edit some tracks, start jamming.
     Whenever you've found sequences which play well together, change to the SONG page,
     press&hold the SELECT button, then select "Save&Take over Patterns" with GP button 16.
     Thereafter release the SELECT button, and select the target phrase slot with
     one of the GP buttons -> this will store the current mutes/mixer map/patterns
     into the predefined bank positions and insert references into the phrase slot.

     Now you can continue jamming, change tracks, change mixer values, change mutes.
     Whenever you found a new nice working sequence, go to the SONG page and store
     it into another phrase slot (or overwrite an existing slot).

     The stored phrases can be restored as usual with the GP buttons in the song page.

 

It would also be cool to add an auto-name feature so you could get easy to remember names without having to program them in - you could implement this by having a long list of random words (eggplant, tree, horse, Brazil, lampshade) on the SD card, and having a button on the naming screen that randomly selects one of the words from the list to use as a name.

 

Interesting idea ;-)

 

 

Is it easy for users to add at least a few hundred words to the "PRESET" list without recompiling the firmware (like in a config file somewhere)?  If so, this is already half-implemented...  Maybe the button under the "PRESET" knob (GP#15) could be used to randomly select a word from the list of presets? 

 

This would consume RAM memory, but there is not enough memory free on a MBHP_CORE_STM32 or MBHP_CORE_LPC17.

 

I could add this feature to the "MIDIbox SEQ V4 Plus" request list (MBSEQ V4 Plus will require a MBHP_CORE_STM32F4), but it could mean that then I've to refuse other feature request which consume memory as well.

 

How important is this idea? What do other users think about this?

 

 

Usability wise, it would be useful if pressing the <> button (GP#12) toggled cursor position between the first character of the category and the first character of the name.

 

Good idea, added to the Wishlist: http://svnmios.midibox.org/filedetails.php?repname=svn.mios32&path=%2Ftrunk%2Fapps%2Fsequencers%2Fmidibox_seq_v4%2FCHANGELOG.txt

 

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[borfo]

 

Edited August 26, 2014 by borfo

[TK.]

Many proposals, but somehow they don't harmonize with the way how I would do this.

 

E.g. I would never make a save function accessible from the PATTERN page - this page is intensively used during a live session, an unintended SAVE will hurt.

 

Or predefined slots not only in the SONG, but also in the SAVE page... too much programming effort at my side for a single guy who requested this. Meanwhile I don't implement individual requests anymore, only if I see the potential need for many users, or some special need for myself.

 

How about the following approach: in the SAVE page, press SELECT, then select A-H via GP#1..8 (if required), and trigger the save function by selecting 1-8 via GP button #9..16.

This is similar to your request, but wouldn't be in the (dangerous) PATTERN page.

 

And/or a dedicated SAVE button with the same capabilities?

 

 

Right...  Forgot about the RAM thing - it would be useful, but it's not that important if it can't be done from a file on the SD card without using up a lot of RAM.

 

Parsing a long list from SD Card w/o RAM caching will slow down the user interface, and/or could affect the sequencer timings (especially if the sequencer loads from SD Card in parallel, e.g. the .mid file player).

 

Doing some clever caching (pre-fetch entries depending on increments/decrements) is possible, but not worth the effort.

 

So, I hope that a dumb "doesn't work" from my side is a sufficient answer for such a request.

 

 

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[borfo]

How about the following approach: in the SAVE page, press SELECT, then select A-H via GP#1..8 (if required), and trigger the save function by selecting 1-8 via GP button #9..16.

This is similar to your request, but wouldn't be in the (dangerous) PATTERN page.

 

And/or a dedicated SAVE button with the same capabilities?

 

That would be perfect (edit: although this could result in people who didn't mean to use the quick save function accidentally saving over things by unintentionally pressing GP9-16 - maybe there should be a confirmation page after selecting 1-8 (this would also allow quick save users to see whether there's anything in the slot they selected)).

 

EDIT AGAIN:  Actually, the "SAVE" button would have to be somewhere on the save page - maybe A-H and 1-8 could both be selected using GP9-16

 

Parsing a long list from SD Card w/o RAM caching will slow down the user interface, and/or could affect the sequencer timings (especially if the sequencer loads from SD Card in parallel, e.g. the .mid file player).

 

Doing some clever caching (pre-fetch entries depending on increments/decrements) is possible, but not worth the effort.

 

So, I hope that a dumb "doesn't work" from my side is a sufficient answer for such a request.

 

Absolutely - just an idea I had, not thinking about RAM usage...  If it's not easy, it's not worth doing.  I'd wind up using the "quick save" function you describe above all the time anyway.

Edited August 27, 2014 by borfo

[TK.]

Well, both proposals don't really make the SAVE function more comfortable.

Multiple key presses are required for this "safe save" handling, but actually you wanted a simplified solution.

 

Back to a dedicated SAVE button, which you could somebody could assign to a free button (e.g. F1..F4) and/or to a bookmark?

 

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[borfo]

Save button definitely works for me - that could pull up the same sort of 16-slot display as SONG page+SELECT does, and it could save the currently selected pattern into slot 1-16 when GP1-16 is pressed.  Patterns for Track Group 1 could use 1:A1-16, TG2 could use 2:A1-16, etc.  (Or maybe it should be 1:A17-32, etc. - that way these saves wouldn't overwrite the save-all-patterns slots available in SONG page+SELECT)

 

What pattern slots are displayed on the BLM pattern screen?  Is it 1:A1-32, 2:A1-32, etc?  The pattern slots on the save screen should be available on the BLM....

 

 

...I hope I'm not coming off as being really pushy here - this was just an idea I had that I thought would be useful.  I'm not demanding that it be implemented or anything.  This sequencer is really amazing just as it is.

Edited August 27, 2014 by borfo

[TK.]

Ok, in this case I would prefer the simple slot option which works nicely together with the Slots in song page. The dedicated button would be called "QUICK_SAVE".

 

Are there other opinions (from other users?)

Would somebody use such a button?

 

What pattern slots are displayed on the BLM pattern screen?

 

What do you mean exactly with the BLM pattern screen?

 

It isn't possible to store patterns from a BLM16x16+X - is this really necessary?

Do you own a BLM?

 

...I hope I'm not coming off as being really pushy here - this was just an idea I had that I thought would be useful.  I'm not demanding that it be implemented or anything.

 

Yes, I understand it this way and therefore will only provide a solution if multiple users request this and if we come to a conclusion.

 

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[borfo]

What do you mean exactly with the BLM pattern screen?

 

It isn't possible to store patterns from a BLM16x16+X - is this really necessary?

Do you own a BLM?

 

I'm using the lemur BLM.  I know you can't save patterns with the BLM, I mean that whatever slots are displayed on the BLM's pattern launcher view (I think 32 (edit: 64) slots are visible for each track group - I'm not sure which slots are displayed though, although they seem to start from 1:A1) should match the pattern slots available through a quicksave function - so you could easily save a pattern using the SEQ, then easily launch it using the BLM.

Edited August 29, 2014 by borfo