Automation Envelopes Overlaid Upon Tracks

Ideas & suggestions
1

I sometimes wonder why automation envelopes are horisontal when tracks they refer to are vertical. Current way of working feels backwards to me as I’ve to refer between line numbers where my notes are to line numbers where my envelopes change instead of seeing their relations visually. It would be quite a lot of faster (at least for me) to work if I could see my automation in context with notes and their effect rows either as side-by-side vertical track or as overlaid lines on notes (that latter one with some hotkey for quick on/off).

2

yep, I wish there will be automation curve display next to the note track. thinking of expanded-like delay column thingy, you know.

:rolleyes:

3

Or a simplified vertical view of track/notes upon or under automation view.

4

yeah, i also thought several times about this strange issue “why everything is vertical except envelopes? my brain doesn’t like that switching between layouts.”

5

i don’t understand that too. the strong point is our vertical flow, but some things are not vertical, and sometimes have 2 different layout for that is pretty wrong, and yes your
brain will flip continuously between vertical and horizontal.

so you can’t visualize an envelope near pattern commands.

if timeline is vertical, every timeline related event should be placed on that following the direction: automation, piano roll, arranger, everything.

6

IMO this is not about either vertical or horizontal. But both ways please :)
The good thing about the current setup is that is screen efficient and you have separate zoomlevels.
You can see the entire track, while in the pattern editor you would have to zoom in/out all the time.
And of course you can have other things in the middle view while you manage automation.
So I see no reason to change the current setup as it would still be very useful as a state between changing automation in an arranger and in the pattern editor.
Later on the automation window could also be an editor/preview of all kind of clips and other elements.

So to make everyone happy I would love to:

  • be able to flip the automation window vertically (and be able to move the window wherever you want, and also have optional synced zoom view)

  • see other elements in the automation window as well (rename to graphical editor?), elements like note bars/samples/waves/automation

  • Add dedicated columns to pattern editor that you can toggle as graphical or hex/dec/minisliders columns

7

I don’t know, I remember using a tracker with vertical envelopes and finding it really uncomfortable.

8

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9

I for one don’t think this should be a top priority, though in the future sure.

I would rather have the ability to see and edit automation for several patterns at once.

Making a overlay automation can easily become cluttered unless you darken the content in the background.

There is also the question of what is top and bottom level. Is it right, left or perhaps even middle?

10

That’s why you would turn on the envelopes for the parameters that are interesting for the edits you’re currently making, for as long as you are making those edits.

No, that is not a question. Just make it dependant on the text direction of the OS (left to right for most of us). There, perfect fire and forget solution :lol:

11


Or, maybe a solution is to allow us all to adjust the envelopes according to our preference.