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RealBand
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 51
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OP
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 51 |
What gives with the program help systems in BIAB and RB? I can never get any satisfaction there. I don't care about the new features available in whatever version. I went for help in RB about the De-ess function, which is a menu item under Edit/Autio Effects/De-ess. It has it own help button which gave me a window that said:
The Help for this program was created in Windows Help format, which depends on a feature that isn't included in Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1. For more info, go to the Microsoft Support website.
Not only that when you look to the RB help system and search for de-ess it returns 'no topics found'. Gees, isn't that a menu item? No help?
I find this more and more with this program. The help system needs to be helpful. Not frustrating.
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RealBand
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 51
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OP
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Posts: 51 |
I will have to advise that I downloaded a piece of software from Microsoft to solve one problem and now the help button works on de-ess. However doing a search for that within the RB help system finds 'no topics found'.
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RealBand
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,161
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,161 |
Odd, I didn't find anything under Audio Effects either. However, if you wish to read the help for this Audio Effect then open the Effect Panel and select the Help button. This doesn't explain why the Search function is so limited.
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RealBand
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 51
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OP
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Thanks LynB
The buttons in the help panels didn't give me anything but the error message that I referred to above. In order to make them functional as you indicated I had to download and install the Windows help program from Microsoft. The Microsoft page indicates that it is the Windows Help Program (Winhlp32.exe). The actual name of the file that I installed was:
windows8.1-kb917607-x64.msu
I guess this is for 64 bit systems. It's probably different for 32 bit.
With that installed the help buttons work fine.
However searching the help system still has a great deal to be desired.
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RealBand
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,099
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Joined: Jun 2012
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Windows Help System is actually extremely powerful, as the search filters are fast, data is indexed, and multiple search strings can be used.
As an example you can type the two words: color note
And you are returned all help pages containing those two words (and some derivatives also), in any order, and it is not necessary for the words to be adjacent.
Conversely, we use a separate software product that used to use Windows Help. To save costs, the developers decided to produce the 'help' file as a PDF document. Searching for answers became an immediate disaster. Strings had to match perfectly, or the results were always zero. The search has to wade through 2000 pages on non-indexed data each time. Slow and cumbersome.
You almost needed to know the answer to successfully ask the question.
It may have been a cost saver for the developers, but a massive time waster for all users.
PG Music should be congratulated for retaining Windows Help format. It's more labor intensive to setup and maintain, but usability is generally excellent.
My 2 cents
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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RealBand
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
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Try doing a Bing search on "De-Esser" as well, look for a basic description of what a De-Esser does and how it accomplishes the process, what and how the controls work, etc.
--Mac
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RealBand
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 51
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OP
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 51 |
I have to agree that a help system that pulls up the user manual as a pdf isn't very useful or helpful. I've a few programs like that and don't like it one bit.
I just found it very frustrating that even with a windows help format, a search returns no help topics for a menu item. I realize that some of the audio effects are external programs, so that may be some part of what is going on.
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RealBand
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 51
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OP
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Posts: 51 |
Thanks Mac. I've done just that.
Last edited by nichollstj; 02/01/14 08:37 AM.
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