Having had the benefit of input from several of you (thanks again!) last month trying to fix an issue with Synth Browser and plugin layouts, sadly unsuccessfully, I was intrigued to see that the new Add Track - Instrument feature looked like giving an effective workaround. It does, with the added bonus of directly assigning an output. However, it displays the available instruments in a horrendous monolithic list, structured by developer's name (eek! not something I want to have to wrestle with!). It seems obvious  that I should be able to select a Plugin Layout to make this friendlier, but I can't see how to do that. Anybody know how?

I'm pretty sure that if you want to use a custom plug-in layout for instruments, Add Track won't do it. You need to use the other options.
 
It would be useful if Add Track defaulted to the current plug-in layout.

Thanks, Craig. But that's a shame. I have been having no end of trouble with Synth Rack, because something is corrupting its registry entries, so Add Track seemed like a great sidestep. I can't help thinking that the monthly update cycle is persuading the Bakers to push things into the release when they are not really ready: Layouts seems such an obvious thing here that their omission smacks of hurry. I'll put in a feature request ... and wait.

ChristopherM
Having had the benefit of input from several of you (thanks again!) last month trying to fix an issue with Synth Browser and plugin layouts, sadly unsuccessfully, I was intrigued to see that the new Add Track - Instrument feature looked like giving an effective workaround. It does, with the added bonus of directly assigning an output. However, it displays the available instruments in a horrendous monolithic list, structured by developer's name (eek! not something I want to have to wrestle with!). It seems obvious  that I should be able to select a Plugin Layout to make this friendlier, but I can't see how to do that. Anybody know how?

I just scoured the forum list looking for a thread on the new Track Insert button to ask this very question (I'd already expressed the hope in the pre-release discussion).  I kind of can't believe this list doesn't use the same plug-in layout architecture as the four other lists.  The (unused, I believe) "Synths" registry entry could even have been used for this.  After being graciously taught by Craig to really appreciate plugin layouts we're now given a function that should also use them, but doesn't.  I hope this will be fixed in a coming update.

ChristopherM
Thanks, Craig. But that's a shame. I have been having no end of trouble with Synth Rack, because something is corrupting its registry entries, so Add Track seemed like a great sidestep. I can't help thinking that the monthly update cycle is persuading the Bakers to push things into the release when they are not really ready: Layouts seems such an obvious thing here that their omission smacks of hurry. I'll put in a feature request ... and wait.

 
I think what a lot of people don't understand is that development happens in parallel, so they can be "harvested" when they're deemed ready. In the old model, they were put on the shelf when deemed ready, then rolled into the big yearly update.
 

Anderton
.... development happens in parallel, so they can be "harvested" when they're deemed ready.

That was not my concern here - rather, there inevitably must be commercial pressure on the team to produce a bumper harvest every month, and some months are harder than others. Looking at this month's release, I sense that the person in charge of the harvest was not spoilt for choice. I just have a suspicion that someone thought "near enough is good enough" about Add Track. That's fine, as long as next month the missing functionality is added. To be honest, I am not that keen on the monthly releases (although my urge to have the latest thing still wins out every month) because the constantly changing workflow does become distracting and is not necessarily good for productivity or creativity. Despite its being key to the rolling update program, even the Command Centre seems to suffer from "not quite developed". Maybe I'm misunderstanding something, but every time I select "update all" I find I have to repeat the process, because it hasn't updated all ... but, hey, I'm drifting off-topic (and in my own thread, too!).
 
I think the Add Track function is cool and powerful - it'll be nice when it is consistent with every other area that allows instruments to be inserted.