Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Discuss working with MultitrackStudio for iPad
d_sotos
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2014 11:27 pm

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by d_sotos »

A frequency analyzer in the EQ effect when it is used as a track effect would be useful. As of now, there is a frequency analyzer only when EQ is used as a master effect.
StormJH1
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2014 3:30 pm

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by StormJH1 »

dinoroo wrote:In the piano roll it can be difficult to lengthen a note. Highlighting an eighth note and then trying to touch it with the end of your finger which is three times the size of the note. It'll take a half dozen tries every time before I get it. I much prefer the way this is handled in Genome where you highlight a note and then get a button menu to click on instead.

Also, is there a way to use AudioCopy/AudioPaste within the app without it creating a new track? This would be useful for adding a loop onto the end of an existing loop in a track.
@dinoroo literally hit on the Top 2 suggestions I came here to post about!

(1) I probably mentioned it before, but while AudioCopy/Paste is present, and it does work, what I would like to see is an option within the audio track's editing pull-down to paste within an existing audio track (like an "AudioPaste" button next to "Select" or within the "Edit" menu). The way it works now, yes, you can move audio from one track to another, but that's a bit of an annoyance. Most users don't paste audio clips that are the full length of a 3 minute song. More often, you're pasting a drum loop no longer than 1-4 measures, and then pasting in fills or verse/chorus parts. Or maybe you used an external sampler or sequencer app and came up with a cool background sequence that you want to piece together in a single MTS track.

Although it predates AB and IAA, AudioCopy/Paste remains very important for iPad DAW's because it is not subject to buffer underruns/glitches, and many apps export audio in perfect measure length using ACP. This would be a massive help to music-making in this already excellent app.

(2) I don't want to recommend massive overhauls to the MIDI editor, which is overall quite good, but his point about lengthening notes is a good one - it is a bit tricky to touch only the end of the note without picking up the whole note and moving it. One workaround I sometimes use is to double-click the note where you can edit length like 1/1, 1/4, 1/8, etc. manually in there. To be fair, many iPad MIDI apps have some level of problem with this.

(3) Mentioned this in the thread about v1.5 re: the Matrix Sampler - everything about it is great, and thank you, thank you, thank you for making that a free addition to the base iPad app. The one thing it could really use is a more convenient way to either import or store entire "kits" at one time. Or at least to import them more quickly. I see two ways to do this:

(a) Simply allow audio files or entire kit bundles to be saved as files within the app, once imported. I believe the SoundFont player already functions in this manner (SoundFonts are imported once and then always available with the drop-down menu); and/or

(b) Allow for zip files to be imported from AudioShare with the pads numbered 01, 02, 03... corresponding to each pad. See EasyBeats 3 for an example of this implementation. This would allow quick importing of kits without necessarily having to store the bloat of all samples within the app.

That's all from me for now. THANK YOU once again. It's been gradual since release, but I'm noticing more and more people on AudioBus forum starting to appreciate the awesomeness of this DAW, and that's only increasing with each update.
dinoroo
Posts: 39
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:49 pm

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by dinoroo »

It would be nice to have an adjustable 'release' setting with soundfonts, like on a synth. BS-16i does this, as an example.
Littlewoodg
Posts: 85
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 2:43 am

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by Littlewoodg »

StormJH1
It is possible to copy paste sections of tracks into where ever you need them- copy and paste works with any size slice selected with the "part" tool, and can be pasted any place - same track another audio track even a midi track.
Is that what u r looking for- maybe I didn't understand?
dinoroo
Posts: 39
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:49 pm

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by dinoroo »

He's talking about the AudioShare app. Using AudioShare you can copy midi data to the clipboard, but the only way to paste that data in to MTS is to create a new track first. Then you can use copy/paste the notes from that new track as you normally would, and delete the new track after. But it would be nice to be able to paste the clipboard data directly into an existing midi track without all of that extra work.
papertiger
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2014 2:50 pm

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by papertiger »

I'd like to chime in and add support for the following improvements, which have been alluded to earlier in this thread:

1. MIDI Note editing. Editing notes in the piano roll could use some improvement. I agree with the user that stated that it seems you have to add notes one at a time, and click the little "+" icon each time a you to add a note. I agree that if the "+" icon is engaged, you should be able to keep adding notes until it is disengaged. Gadget has one of the best piano rolls on iOS. iMPC has a good piano roll editor too, but it has some strange multi-gesture quirks.

2. Looping/Cycling. This area really needs some improvement. It seems that no matter what cycling method I use, whether in the editor or using the progress bar at the top, I have to reset the loop after every stop. I don't know of any other apps or DAWs (iPad or desktop) that work like this. A loop option in the transport menu would be ok (like with Auria), but something like Cubasis would be even better. Just something simple, straight forward, and permanent until I want to change it. It would also be wonderful to be able to set the loop using Markers.

3. Keyboard Layouts. It would be great if the performance tools/layouts -- Keyboard, Violin, etc. -- could be constrained to certain scales. Most, if not all, synth apps include this function, and I think MTS would really benefit from it. In addition, a "Fold to Scale" option in the Piano Roll editor would also be very helpful. Gadget has something like this and it makes working on an iPad much easier.

Thanks for your consideration!

M
Support
Posts: 1717
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2004 2:17 pm

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by Support »

For the record: all suggestions are much appreciated!


Giel Bremmers
papertiger
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2014 2:50 pm

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by papertiger »

Support wrote:For the record: all suggestions are much appreciated!


Giel Bremmers
Your consideration of them is appreciated even more. :D
qaratechop
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2014 4:15 am

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by qaratechop »

I guess I wouldn't mind an easy and straightforward way to:

a) duplicate a track including its FX settings and what not. Obviously a bit of a prob if you're using an IAA instrument or effect but would be handy for instances where the in built stuff or imported SoundFonts are being used.

b) duplicate a song. Often I like to mess around with things in a different key. Can be a bit of a chore to get everything back to how it was if the original key turns out best.

Thanks for any consideration.
Support
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Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2004 2:17 pm

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by Support »

qaratechop wrote:I guess I wouldn't mind an easy and straightforward way to:

b) duplicate a song. Often I like to mess around with things in a different key. Can be a bit of a chore to get everything back to how it was if the original key turns out best.
Note that you can export the song and then import it again. It probably doesn't qualify as 'straightforward', but it is fairly easy ;-)


Giel Bremmers
qaratechop
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2014 4:15 am

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by qaratechop »

Thanks very much for your response and the song duplication tip. I hadn't quite got around to properly fiddling with the export option.

May I also put in a request to add an option at launch to create a new song, select a previous song or load the last session? As it stands, automatically loading the last autosave creates instances of any associated IAA apps, sometimes leaving you with unwanted background processes if you wish to work on a different song.

Because of the funky way IAA loads audio units sans their UI, shutting them down usually involves returning to the home screen, 'loading' the app and then killing it manually. Even worse, for FX apps such as ToneStack, this procedure makes the microphone input live resulting in a sudden burst of feedback if one is not careful.

Or I guess we could just wait for Apple to get it together a bit better.
Grumpka
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2014 2:10 am

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by Grumpka »

Just want to say that I am loving MTS. Purchased the pro version a few days ago.

I've read through the PDF, but couldn't find this feature;

1)Can we add the ability to loop the playlist? (I'm actually hoping it's there and I just missed it, lol)

2)I'd also like it if you could record controller midi data without a note press first.
(IE: you can't record fader/knob presses/cc messages without playing a note first).
If you are controlling an external midi device or other software, you may only be wanting fader/slider messages and don't need notes.
Picky, and the work around is, well, press a stink'n note. Still, it would be nice if MTS would just record the controller data stream from the start.

Hope those are good suggestions, rather than just two things already there and I'll be showing how much of a newbie I really am! :oops: :lol:
Support
Posts: 1717
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2004 2:17 pm

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by Support »

Grumpka wrote:Purchased the pro version a few days ago.
This is the iPad forum ;-)
Grumpka wrote:Can we add the ability to loop the playlist?
That's currently not possible.
Grumpka wrote:I'd also like it if you could record controller midi data without a note press first.
It does record them, but it doesn't play them back until a note is played.
There are reasons for that, but maybe this can be improved. I'll add it to the list.


Giel Bremmers
StormJH1
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2014 3:30 pm

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by StormJH1 »

Giel, thanks a lot for update v1.6 - some great MIDI improvements, and I will talk about that on the thread about the update.

But an important question, followed by a feature request:

When you are in "draw" mode to add MIDI notes to the grid, can you only add one note at a time? If so, why?

Other piano roll editors allow you to touch all over the grid and create a pattern, which you can then move around and edit at a later time. In MTS, I can add one new note with the draw tool, but then have to touch the draw button again to add more.

Unless I am missing how to do this, can this be addressed in a future update? I think it would greatly improve the usability of the MIDI grid as a creation and editing tool. Thanks in advance for your response!

EDIT: User @Littlewoodg explained to me on another forum that there is a second way to do this. You can drag notes from the vertical piano on the left of the MIDI grid, and then tap again on the grid to add the note with out having to hit the "draw" button every single time. While I do prefer at least the option of the pure draw, I understand that it was a design decision not to have it in there, and this alternate method is suitable workaround for me (as it does allow you to preview the notes you are placing).
Support
Posts: 1717
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2004 2:17 pm

Re: Future development (MTS users please chime in!)

Post by Support »

StormJH1 wrote:User @Littlewoodg explained to me on another forum that there is a second way to do this. You can drag notes from the vertical piano on the left of the MIDI grid, and then tap again on the grid to add the note with out having to hit the "draw" button every single time. While I do prefer at least the option of the pure draw, I understand that it was a design decision not to have it in there, and this alternate method is suitable workaround for me (as it does allow you to preview the notes you are placing).
There's certainly room for improvement.

Some history:
The desktop versions originally didn't have these 'mode' buttons in the bottom-left corner. You'd have to use Alt keys etc. to add notes (this still works by the way). About 5 years ago the mode buttons were added in order to make the editors work with touchscreens. Ironically, 5 years later the buttons aren't quite cool from an iPad user's perspective :lol:


Giel Bremmers
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