"We want to take things out of the box, turn them on and see them leap into action without having to read anything"

taken from a blogg about user interfaces (2007).

The Sequencer Window.
If I were a new user, who knows chord E A and D on the keyboard and has a shrewd idea of what a sequencer was, if I was exploring the interface as part of my dipping my toes in the water, if I pressed a button marked "Sequencer"

I would expect to see a sequencer view.


What the user actually sees actually get is:

1] A pop up box asking him to choose between a 'melody' and a 'soloist'

Bemused by the difference (don't soloists play the melody?). The user click one at random

This presents the user with.......... a question about mutlichannels

The user begins to wonder if irt is some sort of initiation test, all he wants to do is see the sequencer.

He clicks a guess again...

He is presented with another warning message saying the track screen will be blank "Great!" he thinks and click on still hoping to find...... a sequencer.

What appears is a strange screen showing buttons for all or none of - nothing. It does not look like a sequncer at all. He tries in his mind to compare it to a sequencer, but there is just not enough resemblance to make any connection. He is baffled.

By chance he clicks the video button and a strange video appears (check it out). Whatever is being explained does not answer the question where is hte sequencer?

Yes where is the sequencer?

Well weeks later you discover, there isnt one. At least there is one but you have to go out of the program load into RB and work from there.

All you wanted to see was a sequencer. You wanted to see the Audio and the MIDI tracks along with your recorded tracks.

Months later it dawns on you what PG thinks is a sequencer is only something that applies to the "Melody" track and the "Soloist" track. You Wonder why you cant see the MIDI for the MIDI drum.

Proposed Solution

Provide a proper sequencer window.

Drop the notion of melodist and soloist (whilst cleverly retaining their function)

just have tracks and track types.

Make any track recordable by the user.

On any MIDI track make the Notation and the Piano Roll screens accessible by clicking on the tracks in the sequncer.

Make a chord track behave like a chord does already and show this at the top line of the sequencer


Show the parts underneath

on MIDI tracks have a notation button, which glows when notation is available. On clicking, provide three choices "score view" "manuscript view" and "Sequencer view". The Manuscriot view shows the part in concent with other parts. The Sequencer view shows the part in (treble or bass or twin) under the sequencer track.

Make similar functions available for the Piano roll view.

Be able to edit and move chunks of things with tools

Make Transport controls moveable and dockeable

Melody and SOLOIST tracks can still remain but simply as a track type in the sequencer. As a specified type they would have specific editable attributes.

each track type would have its own attributes - Real Tracks might have to arrive in blocks. Cut shape and fade tools would be provided.

Stop the need to work in two applications integrate them intelligently.

If this was done the new user would click on a sequencer button and see a useful sequencer, with useful tools.

Currently it must appear almost designed to confuse.

Z

provide a editable mixer that floats resizes and twins with this.








Last edited by ZeroZero; 04/30/15 09:53 PM.
Win 11 64, Asus Rog Strix z390 mobo, 64 gig RAM, 8700k