Goodday
Let's first declare some variables before we move on to the equations. First of all, there is no doubt, AudioMulch is the best program for music production ever made. With a few VSTPlugIns It blows every Cubase, Audacity, FruityLoops, younameit at the wall in every way that it is possible to do so. The only reason people prefer to stick to Cubase and FruityLoops is cos they're too stupid to learn how to use AudioMulch which also reflects the main weakness of AM: Organisation. It's as chaotic as a software can get. Here's how to fix it:
1) Multiple Monitor support. You're not going anywhere with AudioMulch and 1 Monitor, Patcher, Properties, Automation need to be in seperate windows. The inability to maximize/minimize a patcher/automation window is a pain. Also minimizing the AudioMulch main window minimizes all the other windows as well. Properties is forced to be in the main window, it cannot be dragged out. This is a trivial thing to fix so please do so.
2) The Patcher window. Instead of a void background start off with a grid like in a 3D Modeling software with a 0,0 point. Just like in a 3D Modeling program, Shift+ClickDrag or RightClickDrag to move the entire field around. Instead of a useless Zoom function add a toggle between simple view with no custom structure and a detailed view as it is now. You need to be able to snap Patches to the grid. Colors/Icons or 2 Input fields would greatly clarify things in addition to only renaming them. The most important thing of all is to be able to summarize a few patches that are connected to each other: Select a few patches, click summarize and you're left with a box that you can reopen and close and rename whenever you want. A list of the patches or a diagram of whats inside could be useful.
3) The Properties window. Disaster. You need to be able to minimize your PlugIns into a TaskBar just like in Windows 7. Keep the Taskbar sizeable and sortable with icons/colors for each window.
4) The Automation window. Disaster. In some projects I get 50 Lines of different automations and at the end I'm so confused I don't even know what I initially wanted to do. It's nice you can drag them out in height but you'd also wanna do the opposite. Minimize them so the automation line shrinks into a bar with a title only. And you'll also want to MOVE THEM AROUND VERTICALLY. Sry for caps but it's absolutely ridiculous. You can set the values of the individual data points alright but you cannot set the exact time or snap them to time. You need a second Inputfield to specify the exact time and you'll get nowhere without that.
5) Data Inputfields. Please supply a calculator for the advanced users.
6) Drums. Great Tool. Very impractical. 8 channels is not enough. You need to be able to select the amount of channels that you'd like. If you keep zooming in, the bars get divided by 4. The last one by 3. What is this? DragSelect with Mouse, Copy, Paste, Delete etc. MDrums & SDrums for Stereo Samples. Alt+Scrollwheel Pans alright, please add another keybind to Zoom in/out.
If you want more people to join AudioMulch you will want to help beginners by giving them VSTPlugIns. Either purchase them as a bundle or free or whatever.
Things like PolyGrid, MidiKeyboard, OscillationMeters (like VosengoSPAN) are an absolute must. Simple Synthesizers for electronic music production (Like FruityLoops 3xOsc and Poizone) and some effects (like Warmverb) would also stop a lot of people from leaving at early stages.
1more tiny thing, the MetaSurface is not really working as it should: http://www.bilder-upload.eu/upload/ff2cc8-1439634655.jpg I used a script to get them pixel accurate in line with equal spacing and the transitions are not parallel.
I hope they will take this thread seriously because I am incredibly serious with this. These are little trivial improvements with a massive impact on the overall software.
Regards
Some nice suggestions, AzulShiva. I share these in this order:
1. minimize properties frames
2.Copy, Paste, Delete Drumspatterns(and those of bassline)
3. tools for summarizing clusters in a patch(container contraptions are my favorite, because their property frame can have own LFOs and Flag-automations, that influence e.g. the bassline, and its effects inside the container, in synchrony)
4.tool for summerizing automation-lanes(I prefer an idea with two fields: above a field for staying lanes, under this a field of less important lanes, these appear only if you select there contraptionbody in the patcher or their frame in the property window; you can drag lanes from one field to the other)
5.tool for a overview over patches(for live; must have makros that define transitions between projects that you have planed before; e.g. influence a gain contraption that let a bassline let sweep in; these makros act in the afterroll of the previous project and the preroll of the following project; a sweep-makro of their clocks must be there, too)
6.A faster way to tipe in automationpoint-values (But I think caps are good if you want a volume-limit, but its less important than a frame that opens immediatly in the right places, to tipe in exact data, when creating an automationpoint, but to tipe in everytime the same for a limit is annoying )
7.Drums, more lines,like you want, but in addition:(There should be 5lines for each of the (8) lines. They can minimize to one, but their triggers are shown all in this one, then. Its for different samples of one drum or different pitches or volumes or CHANNELS or EFFECTS/Envelopes that they trigger (subtle connections; whitelight, this forum)
8.exact time of automationpoints with 2nd input-field
9. new lead contaption with sync and FM(thats not your way; you suggests 3rd party plug-ins; thats good, too, but only if Ross have no ideas for an own plugin)
10.Multiple monitors(I have one big, that do it)
11.3D field with grid(I have´nd understand your idea, but if it´s a 3D tree, this is my ranking)
12.Colours(I don´t know were to rank, if its easy to make 3., if not, lower. Colours are good for lanes, maybe for other things, too. But they must be used sparely, otherwise they work against you)
+additional Deals with some VST/AU producers; I have my own products/sound that I like, but it could be good for Ross; financial and for support and maybe it doesn´t cost anything.
Ross have his own destination, but I want to give feedback.
I don´t know what a calculator is for; maybe for fractions?
I want to add, that there must be a zoombutton where you see notes in bassline, but in minimal extent!
At last I want to say automationline snapshots are very important! this forum, le_kzgl
To get an overview over a bassline/ a drumscontraption, it would be nice to drag a propertyframe to the automations, which stepsequencer is plotted there after this. The snapshots, all in a line, have the drop-down-menu after every repeating, there you can save the changes that you have made.
Its good for order your ideas and add something. You can load more contraptions to compare