Adjustable Fade

[Gale_Andrews]

Thanks, Steve.

@steve

Version 30. Curve summary:
Comparison with version 26

• Linear: Type = Fade Up/Down. Mid Fade = 0 (default)
• Exponential: Type = Fade Up/Down. Mid Fade < 0
• Logarithmic: Type = Fade Up/Down. Mid Fade > 0
• High Curve: Type = Fade Up/Down. Mid Fade > +50
• Cosine: Type = Fade Up/Down. Mid Fade = +50
• _ legacy Cross Fade In/Out:_* Type = Fade Up/Down. Mid Fade ~ +90
• ‘S’ Curve: Type = S-Curve Up/Down

Mid Fade Cut/Boost can also be used with “S-Curve” types to raise or lower the amount of gain “mid fade” (not available in v26)

• “Legacy Cross Fade In/Out” was not available in version 26.

While Fade Up + 90 is something similar to Cross Fade In it is obviously (visually and audibly) not the same. The Cross Fade In carries on getting louder right to the end, but your variant with the slider doesn’t.

@steve

Exponential This type of curve becomes less useful at very low levels because the curve becomes increasing “flat” but never decays to complete silence. Version 30 closely approximates an offset and scaled exponential curve, without the requirement to set multiple parameters, by using Mid Fade Boost/Cut < 0 .Version 26 avoided the need for manually setting multiple parameters by hard coding “useful” ratios.

So at Mid Fade Boost + or - any values, the curve still decays to “approximately” silence?

@steve

Logarithmic I can’t think of any specific reason to use a logarithmic curve in preference to other “convex” curves

Why do other editors include it then? To me it sounds nicer than the S curve.

@steve

Logarithmic Version 26 uses a hard coded offset of -145 dB which will produce approximately the inverse curve of the Envelope Tool. Unfortunately this is likely to be curved too much for practical use when fading from or to silence. For this type of curve to be really useful the user should be able to specify the offset and the scaling factor in addition to the initial and final gain amounts, but this is getting really complicated and hard to visualise.

Does this mean it is not an inverse of exponential, i.e. does not approximate to silence?

I think it’s unfortunate that the Fade Up/ Down can’t have a name that describes it, even if the curves are no longer linear if you actually use the slider. Is there a known term for it?

The real “problem” (for those who see it like this) is I guess the Mid Fade Boost? You could have a “logarithmic” fade type, but what this really does is set the boost to some number > 0. Since Nyquist cannot move that slider to whatever positive number we think is suitable as the starting point for a log fade, all the slider could actually do is act as a modifier on that starting point? We could no longer call it Mid Fade Cut/Boost. It would be Mid Fade Adjust or something? Is this too confusing? I’m not too confused by it.

But if it needs to be 30c after all that (which needs presets, disabled controls and one more control), please go for it if you can stomach it. I think it will make such a difference for beginners trying to learn.

I would have these presets myself but I’m interested what others think:

Linear In/Out
Exponential In/Out *
Logarithmic In/Out *
Old Cross Fade In/Out
‘S’ Curve In/Out

• having some shape that doesn’t leave you listening to near silence for 1/3rd of the fade.

I have assumed (rightly or wrongly) that the EQ Power and Quick would be close enough to each other not to be worth having both. Or would I be disappointed using “EQ Power” as a standalone fade?

For the title of whatever we might use, I don’t think “Quick” is very good, but what to call this has always been hard. I have suggested “Old Cross Fade” but there is still a chance Cross Fade will survive.

Do you object to having the Handy Presets higher, like first or second? I actually don’t mind, even quite like them at the bottom, but they would not be very “handy” for screen readers down there.

BTW, the “c” in the second “S-curve” wants capitalising I assume.


Gale