Re: [Traverso-devel] Thoughts on plugin strategy

[Remon]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the feedback, please continue the brainstorming :-)

What seems important from the discussion too me is the pre/post fader concept.
I learned that this fader thing is what is displayed as 'gain'  in the 
TrackPanel (right?)

Now, Plugin in Traverso is just an abstraction of an object that does some 
sort of processing, it can be a FFT meter object, or an LV2Plugin object, 
that loads a dynamic library, or a simple gain curve object thing, and so on.

Showing the Fader Curve in well, let's call it 'Effects View' (?), all the 
time seems a bit of overkill, specially if you didn't 'add' it (is confusing 
for the user).
So, since the fader seems so important, what about this:

1) By default the fader is of type GainCurve Plugin, and doesn't show up in 
the 'Effects' View.
2) When going into the effects view, one can add the 'Fader Curve' 
explicitely, it will display as a 'special' type of effect (see 3)
3) When a plugin is loaded, and the Fader Curve isn't 'added' yet, the 'Fader 
Curve' shows up as a special type of view (by for example giving it a 
different color), and making it bypassed, or disabled (only applies to 
teh 'Curve' part of the plugin of course), so one can still move the added 
plugin post/pre fader.
4) when from 3, 'adding' the fader curve is just enabling it :-)


[organizing effects in menu]

Some good suggestions were made, the LV2 has some sort of grouping build in 
allready, so creating an 'effect selecter' grouped on type and with 'native' 
ones at the top sounds good!


> Regarding the plugin GUI's, should they pop up as small windows (as
> traditional) or should we also be able to integrate them into the
> trackview? perhaps docking them into the left of the track (where the
> fixed gain/pan and other stuff is), or dock them into an extra area over
> or under the track, like this:
>
> +---------------+---------------+--------+-----------------------
>
> | GUI for plug1 | GUI for plug2 | etc... |
>
> +---------------++--------------+--------+-----------------------
>
> | trackname      |
> | gain/pan       |      audioclip waveforms...
> | REC arm, etc.. |
>
> +----------------+-----------------------------------------------
>
> I think that would be kind of cool. Simple a small button/symbol in the
> corner of each plugin GUI which toggles if it should be in an individual
> window or docked in above the track. Or perhaps one toggle per track:
> show all plugin GUI's above track or not.

Nice idea!
One problem is the real screen estate this possibly could 'waste'
Perhaps a good idea is to think about:

1) Do I 'need' to edit more then 1 plugin at a time (from it's gui)
2) How often does it happen?
3) If so, does it matter if the gui's 'float' over neighbouring tracks, so we 
don't need 'precious' space by placing the gui's between tracks....
4) ???


Regards,

Remon