A user asked me today
Another thing came to my mind: some kind of “exclusive” toggle mode for multiple buttons would also be nice. Maybe I have overseen such a feature, but I noticed it while I was creating the buttons for the different waveforms for the Oscillators. Currently I have to turn every button of when I want to activate another.
To which I replied
Google button groups in midi designer. I’ll help if you need of course. Thanks!!!
Sent from my iPhone
Which no doubt led the user to the blog entry on button groups.
Then the user asked the question that I would’ve asked:
That’s the feature I tried to describe :). But why do I need an extra knob or slider for it?
And here’s my answer:
It’s a great question. The short answer is “just because” but the long answer has to do with integrity and with not being able to guess how users are going to use things. The button-groups feature works through a super-knob so it gives you all kinds of flexibility (none of which I predicted). For instance, you could have a super of THAT knob that jumps through the entire range, or a button “stepper” that steps you through the super. You could even have the super (or another super) be controlled by the accelerometer!
The other part of the answer is for efficiency: by doing it in this way I avoid adding additional UI elements in design mode. There’s no mention in the UI of button groups and almost none of steppers. Yet people are using these features in their rigs without problems. You can move the clutter to your pedalboards by sliding the pages up, if you like, or put them on a different page.
What about multiple MIDI messages? That’s a huge hassle right now.
One thing that will get included as a first-level feature is multiple MIDI messages. Right now it’s a huge hassle to do that using super- and subcontrols. In fact, there will be a lot of reworking in the near future to handle a lot of user pain points around the issue of programming multiple MIDI messages. Some of these features will also add functionality.
User response:
Your tip with moving the super controls to a separate page is perfect. Thanks for the advice.
I like your attitude! It is clear to see that you are sure about your product and take customers seriously. Keep up the good work!
<<blush>> and many thanks!