Audacity Forum

GRIPE 1: The Effect menu list is so long (40+ items) that it extends below the edge of my screen AND THERE IS NO SCROLLBAR! So it was taking quite a while to step down the list to those at the bottom. HOW ABOUT A SCROLL BAR, GUYS?
GRIPE 2: A few weeks ago, I discovered the option to create keyboard shortcuts for my favourites on the Effect menu, which was s-o-o-o useful and saved me a lot of time. THEN I installed the latest version 2.0.1 and it wiped all my shortcuts.
Can't you save these in a separate config file that doesn't get wiped when I upgrade?
Please?

Topic moved to the "Feedback" section.

philiptory wrote:GRIPE 1: The Effect menu list is so long (40+ items) that it extends below the edge of my screen AND THERE IS NO SCROLLBAR! So it was taking quite a while to step down the list to those at the bottom. HOW ABOUT A SCROLL BAR, GUYS?

No need to SHOUT.
If you go into "Preferences > Effect" you can set grouping options so as to shorten the menu.
See: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/ef ... ences.html

Also you should be able to scroll down the list by clicking on the downward pointing arrow at the bottom of the list.

Also you can quickly jump to a specific effect by opening the Effect menu and then typing the first letter of the name of the effect. Pressing the same letter again will jump to the next effect that starts with that letter.

It is hoped that future versions of Audacity will make the Effect menu more customisable.

philiptory wrote:GRIPE 2: ...[snip]... and it wiped all my shortcuts

This is a known issue due to changes to the format of the configuration file, which was necessary so as to support translation of effects and menu customisation. It is noted near the top of the Release Notes in the first highlighted box.

Hello Steve, and thanks for replying so promptly.
However, all this LADSPA/LV2/Nyquist/VAMP/VST is complete Jargon/Gobbledegook, and doesn't tell me exactly which effects each one switches On or Off.
The Help Guide ASSUMES the reader knows what they mean. Great for the professional Sound Engineer, but probably not for most of the users.
To use an adage from Sales Training many years ago, "When you ASS|U|ME something, it makes an Ass of You and an Ass of Me".
The Help Guide needs to show us a list of Effects, and beside each one, a note of which of the LADSPA/LV2/Nyquist/VAMP/VST options that it is based on. Otherwise you leave us to Guess; and my Top Adage for software design (I was a Software Product and Quality Manager for some years) is "Don't Make Me Guess".
You have a great product, extremely versatile, but it needs a few tweaks on Usability and a bit more detail in the Help Guide.
My current business, running for 15 years now, is as a Technical Author; I write technical documentation for companies, and I teach a Technical Writing Course across 11 countries.
I want to point the developers in the right direction here: thank you so much for the work you have put in over the years - but try to remember the less technical users - and particularly the New Users. A good product is so instinctive that it doesn't need a Help Guide.
Best regards,
Philip Tory, Director,
[Advert removed]

If you don't understand the LADSPA/LV2/Nyquist/VAMP/VST options, don't use them. You can keep the effects listed alphabetically by effect name (default) and still set the "maximum effects per group". Try setting "maximum effects per group" to 15. That will give you all of the built-in effects at the top of the list, then your plugins in groups of 15 below the built-in effects.

philiptory wrote:You have a great product, extremely versatile, but it needs a few tweaks on Usability and a bit more detail in the Help Guide.

Are you offering to help?

Hello Steve,
My only offer of help is - I hope - constructive criticism and useful suggestions.
I tried the "Maximum effects per group (0 to disable): to 15, but this just adds further mouse movements to get to where I want to select.
To make the Effects menu easier to use, can I suggest a simple tick box next to each item, and a Favourites list at the top. See the attached image. The full list is in strict alphabetical order - no split sections, which are a bit bewildering to a new (or any?) user.
Then just tick your favourites, and each one jumps to the top section. In the screenshot I created, I have ticked the only 13 effects that I ever use (these are for processing sermon recordings for our church web site), and I never need the others. Hence an easy Favourites list at the top.
The selections would need saving to a config file so that they are retained when updates are implemented.
This could be useful to a lot of users. What's your opinion?
Philip T.

philiptory wrote:I have ticked the only 13 effects that I ever use ... [snip] ... and I never need the others.

That sounds like an ideal use case for creating keyboard shortcuts: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/ke ... tml#change

I'll add your "vote" for Effects "favourites" as you suggested.

Do you want to vote for mousewheel scrolling of the Effect Menu? It is not something we can do yet, though.

philiptory wrote:However, all this LADSPA/LV2/Nyquist/VAMP/VST is complete Jargon/Gobbledegook, and doesn't tell me exactly which effects each one switches On or Off.
The Help Guide ASSUMES the reader knows what they mean. Great for the professional Sound Engineer, but probably not for most of the users.
To use an adage from Sales Training many years ago, "When you ASS|U|ME something, it makes an Ass of You and an Ass of Me".
The Help Guide needs to show us a list of Effects, and beside each one, a note of which of the LADSPA/LV2/Nyquist/VAMP/VST options that it is based on.

Which page do you have in mind?

http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/in ... yzers.html seems quite close to what you want. It is linked to in the Sidebar on the left. It doesn't mention the class of effect those are, because as shipped Audacity only comes with built-in effects and Nyquist (and two LADSPA) plug-ins (these are under the divider in the Effect Menu).

http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/effect_menu.html mentions the different classes of effect.

Do you have a specific suggestion for improvement?

Gale