A Synthesizer Mode?
This idea came to me after reading the thread @rs2000 posted about having an AU FX Mode in Drambo.
One of my favorite features of Drambo is the compact view mode.
I was thinking a Synthesizer Mode might be cool for those of us who enjoy designing our own synths using Drambo, and then compacting them.
I was thinking if there could be two levels of rack in a Synthesizer Mode. The signal could flow through the modules left to right. First along the top rack, and then continue at the beginning of the lower rack.
You could put the modules you want in both the top and lower racks, and Drambo would treat the connectivity as though the modules are on a single linear rack. This would allow for synths to be built and compacted into a double-level synth view.
When displayed in a small AU window, synthesizer Mode could allow for scrolling both up, down, right, and left, in order to view the entire synth.
The way I'm thinking this might work. Is a new "line return module" would be required. The "line return module" could look like the existing "Section Module". When you finish building your two level synth in Synthesizer Mode. Add a "line return module" at the end of the top rack, and it allows the two level synth to be copy/pasted into an instrument rack, and then compacted into a two level view.
Any synth you build in Synthesizer Mode could also be copied and/or saved for use on a single instrument rack in Drambo's track view. The only difference would be the "line return module" has no function on a single rack. If more than one "line return module" is entered, Drambo only recognizes the first.
The Synthesizer Mode would have the Keys available. It might also include other "Synth App" type features for using Drambo as an AUv3 synth instrument.
Comments
Actually we're not too far away from the concept you've described.
First, we can already use two tracks to build our synth (track 6 has the oscillator and track 7 has the envelope), output of OSC on 6 is routed to ENV on track 7. Track 6 output is not used, track 7 is where the audio leaves the synth.
Add future modules with more controls per column to make the racks' compact views more efficient and we would be closer to your idea.
Although I believe that with such control modules, you'd be able to fit many more controls into the same compacted view than you can now, potentially making single-track racks less of an issue.
I find the idea very interesting if it can be married with the track and rack concept in a straightforward way.
I appreciate solutions that make good use of the available screen space and "feel ergonomically right".
(see the orange connection from OSC on T6 to ENV on T7)
The track interconnection is similar. Ive experimented with that method, but I don't think it's as "elegant" as building on a single synth track. Layers can provide more flexibility on the single track too.
The thing I like most about the idea of a duel-level single-tracked synth mode. Is the thought that you could compact it and end up with an attractive synth that looks like a synth.
For me Drambo is something of a Synth App development workshop. When you're done building you have not just an awesome sounding synth, but you also have features for hiding modules that don't need to be seen. This GUI designer aspect makes Drambo extra fun. You can design both the sound and the interface.
In my opinion, any features that improve the sound design (more modules), and/or the GUI design aspects of Drambo (more UI customization features), will make the App more fun to use.
The sequencer features are cool too, and that's why I like the idea of having modes that allow one user to focus on recording tracks, Another user to focus on Building FX, and a synth mode to focus on Building synths.
If Beepstreet was to make a separate Drambo App devoted to just building elegant GUI synths from modular building blocks, I'd buy it so long as I could afford it.
I hear you, being able to develop a custom UI sounds exciting.
Looking back to how many people really put the effort to actually do it, I'm not sure if that would be worth the development effort.
See TB Midi Stuff. A great MIDI controller app that you can not only build SysEx-capable controllers but also with a photo-realistic UI that looks like a real synth if you want. But how many people have really taken the time to develop such controllers?
Very few actually. Most people want things to "just work" without spending much time.
Or take Lemur. Still the best and most powerful MIDI controller app on iOS but guys who are not into coding at least a little bit won't have much fun developing their own templates.
Sticking to the current Drambo concept, I'm sure that additional modules with more knobs, faders and buttons for a more efficient use in racks will already make them much more useful and more efficient in terms of screen space. This would definitely be a welcome and repeatedly requested first step.
And who knows, once people start using these extensively, they might ask for more ... or just be OK with it.
I agree more complex racks can get very loooooong. I think the means of packing stuff together more tightly would be a big UX improvement.
On the subject of custom UI, that’s going to be a considerable amount of work to implement and it’s going to break the visual cohesion, which I think is a big part of Drambo’s character. The plus side, take a look at NI Reaktor user library. It only takes a shifting core of enthusiastic contributors to release a huge amount of quality content. I’m kinda against a creeping gadgetification of Drambo though, like Lego, I liked it when blocks were blocks, but it would probably bring in more sales. I can’t see it happening thankfully, personally not a direction I’d want to see Drambo heading.
That makes sence.
Just having a greater selection of modules that provide routing, switching, buttons, and signal splitting should make it easier to minimize the number of modules needed for a given project. I'm also very much looking forward to the "Over 50 modules are planned + new features" that Giku mentioned on the audiobus forum.
I'm imagining, that once we have a broad enough variety of various kinds of signal routing modules, and a broad enough variety of modules that have modulatable (controllable) parameters. It ought to be possible to set up switches, knobs, and buttons in ways where they can be used as "controllers" of the parameters on other modules. That way many modules could be hidden in the compact instrument view, and their parameters controlled via those routings. The controlling switches, knobs, and buttons, would remain visible.
Creative usage of layers could provide further ways to compact projects and allow for attractive and efficient UI design.
In short... The current linear rack view can be made more efficient, by simply having a greater variety of modules which provide for a greater variety of methods for designing projects that can be compacted more efficiently.
@Horsetrainer I'm with you 100%.
Remember each module has an option called "Hide in compact view" .. This will be available for knobs soon.