Rapid Comparison Switching

[kozikowski]

Exactly. I was going to say I keep counting up to two when I inspect the solutions.
Koz

[steve]

Exactly. I was going to say I keep counting up to two when I inspect the solutions.

So let's move this to the "adding features" board.

[Robert J. H.]

Would it be worth having an additional Solo button behaviour option?

• None
• Simple (like the current "Simple") [default]
• Multi (like the current "Standard")
• A/B

The A/B option would be for the specific case cited by Koz (which I think is a fairly common use case).
With the A/B option selected:
1) (ideally) the Solo button label would change to "Solo A/B" (not sure if that is possible).
2) If the track that has its button pressed is not soloed, clicking the solo button solos that track (unmuting if necessary). Only the soloed track plays.
3) If the track that has its button pressed is already soloed, clicking the (currently depressed) solo button, un-solos that track and soloes all other tracks.
4) If a track is muted and soloed, mute takes precedence. The purpose of this is that it allows A/B comparison of two tracks when there are more than 2 tracks in the project.

Example - A/B compare tracks 3 and 4 of a 4 track project:

1. Select the "A/B" option for Solo button behaviour in Preferences > Tracks.
2. Mute tracks 1 and 2 (so they will not play)
3. Start playback, loop playback, quick-play or loop quick-play
4. • Repeatedly click the solo button on track 3 OR
   • repeatedly click the solo button on track 4 OR
   • move focus to track 3 or 4 and use the keyboard shortcut to toggle the solo button.

I can't see any improvement to the current behaviour.
If I want to make an A/B comparison with 4 tracks:
- mute tracks 1 to 3.
- only track 4 plays
- press solo on track 3
- only track 3 plays

I use this kind of switching all the time.

Do I miss something?

Robert

[steve]

I can't see any improvement to the current behaviour.

For the most common case of A/B comparison (comparing two tracks: track A with track B), an "A/B" option is much more obvious. Had there been an "A/B" option, koz would not have asked the question.

[billw58]

If I want to make an A/B comparison with 4 tracks:
- mute tracks 1 to 3.
- only track 4 plays
- press solo on track 3
- only track 3 plays

I use this kind of switching all the time.

Brilliant. We should put that in the manual. It works because Solo overrides Mute.
-- Bill

[kozikowski]

No it doesn't. Which Preference track mode are you in?

No combination of Mutes and Solos will produce one button which switches between two solos. I always get B, AB, B, AB; or A, AB, A, AB. I never get A then B then A then B by repeatedly pushing one button.

Koz

[Robert J. H.]

No it doesn't. Which Preference track mode are you in?

No combination of Mutes and Solos will produce one button which switches between two solos. I always get B, AB, B, AB; or A, AB, A, AB. I never get A then B then A then B by repeatedly pushing one button.

Koz

This works only with the standard mode for solo.
The simple mode unmutes the track first--unnecessarily, I think.

Robert

[Gale Andrews]

If I want to make an A/B comparison with 4 tracks:
- mute tracks 1 to 3.
- only track 4 plays
- press solo on track 3
- only track 3 plays

I use this kind of switching all the time.

No it doesn't. Which Preference track mode are you in?

No combination of Mutes and Solos will produce one button which switches between two solos. I always get B, AB, B, AB; or A, AB, A, AB. I never get A then B then A then B by repeatedly pushing one button.
Koz

This works only with the standard mode for solo.

And that trick was exactly what enabled James to win the day with Standard Mode being default.

The simple mode unmutes the track first--unnecessarily, I think.

I disagree, because "Solo on" muting all the other tracks and "Solo off" unmuting all tracks is intuitive. Your trick is not at all intuitive.


Gale

[Gale Andrews]

Would it be worth having an additional Solo button behaviour option?

• None
• Simple (like the current "Simple") [default]
• Multi (like the current "Standard")
• A/B

The A/B option would be for the specific case cited by Koz (which I think is a fairly common use case).
With the A/B option selected:
1) (ideally) the Solo button label would change to "Solo A/B" (not sure if that is possible).
2) If the track that has its button pressed is not soloed, clicking the solo button solos that track (unmuting if necessary). Only the soloed track plays.
3) If the track that has its button pressed is already soloed, clicking the (currently depressed) solo button, un-solos that track and soloes all other tracks.
4) If a track is muted and soloed, mute takes precedence. The purpose of this is that it allows A/B comparison of two tracks when there are more than 2 tracks in the project.

Example - A/B compare tracks 3 and 4 of a 4 track project:

1. Select the "A/B" option for Solo button behaviour in Preferences > Tracks.
2. Mute tracks 1 and 2 (so they will not play)
3. Start playback, loop playback, quick-play or loop quick-play
4. • Repeatedly click the solo button on track 3 OR
   • repeatedly click the solo button on track 4 OR
   • move focus to track 3 or 4 and use the keyboard shortcut to toggle the solo button.

Sorry but I think this is still too complex for average user. I somewhat like the idea of pressing one button only to toggle between hearing one track on its own then another on its own, but we can do that now in Standard Mode.

So I don't see Steve's idea is any more intuitive unless the button label could clearly indicate what was going to happen. What would be the difference between repeatedly clicking solo on track 3 and solo on track 4? That is already confusing me.

Clicking Solo on Track 3 alternating with Clicking Solo on Track 4 works (and is intuitive) in Simple Mode. No need to pre-mute any tracks.

Now, what I would find least RSI-inducing to perform A/B comparison would be a toggle shortcut that enabled the focused track only to play, overriding simple and standard modes. Perhaps the Mute / Solo buttons on the non-focused tracks would grey out, and the focused track would show Mute off, Solo on. When you press the shortcut again to toggle focus-play off, the Solo/Mute buttons revert to as they were before you pressed the toggle shortcut.


Gale

[Robert J. H.]

And that trick was exactly what enabled James to win the day with Standard Mode being default.

The simple mode unmutes the track first--unnecessarily, I think.

I disagree, because "Solo on" muting all the other tracks and "Solo off" unmuting all tracks is intuitive. Your trick is not at all intuitive.


Gale

It is exactly the way our 48-track mixer worked, back in 2000.
The other choosable mode was that pressing a solo button released all other solo buttons, pressing the button twice released this one too.
But it never mangled with the mute buttons, they kept there state, only overwritten by the solo button's priority.
That's why I see it unnecessary to affect the mute as well.

Robert