Screensets - Flash movie demos -** UPDATE 1 **

Hi

I've been messing around with a Flash Movie maker and come up with a demo on one use for screensets and how to have different "snap to" settings in the TV & PRV.

You'll have to excuse the 'amateur' production, it's the first time I've ever tried anything like this but it does show how to get a couple of different snap to settings set up and instantly accessible with single key presses. It does get a bit repetitive towards the end as my brain starts to melt........... sorry.

TBH it barely scratches the surface of how powerful my favourite subject - screensets - are, but it's a start. I promise this isn't a ridiculing of the bugs although I do highlight one which is easily worked round.

If future updates make saving and loading screensets individually much easier, makes them remember maximised floating windows and plugins/softsynths stay docked, I will be a very happy bunny. I hope someone struggling with the whole new X1 workflow finds it useful.

You may be better viewing it in a full screen browser, F11 in Firefox and I think IE is the same as the resolution didn't quite work out how I hoped.

I'm going to add other screenset videos here as well as further down the thread, so they are all accesible from one place

Anyway here are the links.......

1. A simple 'snap to' example
2. Zooming and track hiding tricks

  I love screensets. Great video or flash....thing 

nice work.  keep 'en coming!

Thanks all for the encouragement. The plug problem is a PITA as is the maximised non-docked window. Once their sorted out and hopefully an individual save/load option they'll be even better.

I've really got into them but I'm still finding out other stuff they'll remember, latest discovery, by HumbleNoise is the magnetism settings. They are very, very powerful, in case I haven't mentioned it.

Nice video and explanation of your technique. Thanks for contributing this useful information to the forum.

Thanks Seth, I think your video productions have little to fear from the likes of me ..........

You've done some great work there FBB and I'm sure this will help many folks here as witness the comments above.  But, alas (and still) to me that's an awful lot of alt and shift clicking just to both get the PRV up and to have it set to a different snap value.  Granted you may, at some future date cakewalk willing, be able to do this with "one click".  But the point for some of us is you used to not even have to click...at all.  And the PRV full screen was always just "one-click" or "hotkey" away.  Always.  Believe me, I understand screensets...they might even come in handy if I'd investigate them further for other stuff...but not for this.  I am still of the opinion that Cake should simply bring back being able to set the TV and PRV snaps to different settings and, if I had my way, I'd also make the multidock an option that one could use or turn off.  Honestly not meaning to rain on your parade.  Again, you did a great job and I encourage you to do more "screenset" videos.  I promise to watch all of them and try to learn what I can.  Thanks for your efforts, ol pal.

ProjectM


I kind of brushed off the screensets as a novelty to begin with since they won't switch instantly on my computer while the browser is open. But, I will dive into the problem and upgrade my videocard for sure and just sell the one I have installed now. The benefit of screensets seems just too good to pass on.

I also am finding changing screensets on my main music pc is starting to show it's old age. Takes it a bit to refresh!

[edit] I saw your other post FBB after I posted this. I will try to see if I have floppy disabled and see if that helps. Will let you know.[/edit]

mike_mccue


Great Job!!!

Is it my imagination or does the midi note turn into a 1 measure glob when you drag it on the 1/8th note snap grid?

Great Job!!!

best regards,
mike

I think that was because he had the MIDI Magnifier tool on.

Great Stuff Fast-B.

Keep the videos coming.

Thanks for the props people, and the questions too..............

I'll address a few...........

alas (and still) to me that's an awful lot of alt and shift clicking just to both get the PRV up and to have it set to a different snap value. 

I don't think there's any more 'clicks' than setting up any other type of template. It is a once only thing so in the grand scheme of things a few clicks to have something there 'forever' isn't much.

I've in the interest of 'science' just timed how long it takes me to do the set-up, not finger blurring race fashion but just how I normally would, and it took 10 seconds. (+ time to save as a template) It came to 4 key presses and 2 mouse clicks.

In the flash movie I did do it slightly differently to how I normally would in that I set the snap to in Screenset 1 before opening the PRV to expose the bug, not to ridicule the software but just to explain it for those that haven't seen it. Sometimes the bug is un-noticeable and at other times it can cause one of those WTF moments as seen in Crush's video where the snap-to 'turns itself off' - in reality what happened was 'the bug'. At some point he had turned the snap-to off in the PRV and then switches back to it. I'm not defending the bug just saying if you are aware you can work so you hardly notice it.

I would normally just open the PRV then set the snap to in the same way I did in screenset 10.

Granted you may, at some future date cakewalk willing, be able to do this with "one click".  But the point for some of us is you used to not even have to click...at all.

Well you can do it with one click but I prefer key presses. I must've missed how to switch the snap-to in both the TV and PRV with one key-press in 8.x. Is it even possible? I don't really feel compelled to try and find out, can a current 8.x user confirm one way or other please?

And the PRV full screen was always just "one-click" or "hotkey" away.

I know that, part of the reason for putting the vid up is because some here of said you can't in X1 where you obviously can.

Believe me, I understand screensets...they might even come in handy if I'd investigate them further for other stuff...but not for this.

Granted this is a fairly simple example but I thought best to start simple before moving on to some of the other tricks, some of which I'm willing to bet a virtual beer (or two ) can't be achieved in 8.x without quite a lot of keypresses/mouse clicks never mind one, (if at all). Stay tuned..........

I am still of the opinion that Cake should simply bring back being able to set the TV and PRV snaps to different settings and, if I had my way, I'd also make the multidock an option that one could use or turn off.

No argument from me there. I'd still use screensets similar to how I use them now but there'd be even more flexibility. I think my head may explode if there was much more...

I even think it would be good if there was a sort of 'legacy' key for those that don't like the new ways. But there isn't, I doubt there will be so I'm just trying to get working as best I can with what I've got. (Which I happen to like more BTW)

Honestly not meaning to rain on your parade.

I know, you haven't and you couldn't, I'm old enough  (unfortunately )  and wise enough (well maybe) not to take offence to anything. I'm Mr "Super Chilled" or I am until I'm on a racetrack on a motorbike........

Again, you did a great job and I encourage you to do more "screenset" videos.  I promise to watch all of them and try to learn what I can.  Thanks for your efforts, ol pal.

Thank you and I intend to.

I guess I just don't get it.   It seemed like just double clicking to get into PRV, and then closing the window when done always worked for me.   though granted that doesn't change the snap settings.   But I've never really thought about them enough to know I'm going to want to go to a particular one.  

As I said above it's a fairly simple demo but I could never change snap-to's in the PRV & TV in 8.x as quick as that. Perhaps it was me missing something in the earlier version.

Think of this one as more a "introduction to Screensets" - Once you realise that screensets remember just about everything (or rather will when the bugs are ironed out ) the possibilities become huge. Imagine having 10 different instances of the same project open all at the same time instantly swapped at any time by a keypress and you get the idea.

I should also point out that I'm producing those on a single screen when I actually use two monitors. that obviously makes them even more flexible as both the TV and PRV are actually open together.

@mike_mccue. Seth was right it's microscope mode. I'd changed resolutions to make the end result fit better but then didn't change the microscope mode just so I didn't mess up my regular settings too much. Although you've now got me thinking maybe they are per screenset as well. That opens up even more possibilities..........

Many thanks FBB!  Nice of you to go to all that trouble.  My X1 upgrade should arrive this week (ordered from Etcertera three weeks ago....) so I'm going to bookmark your post so I can try these moves!

Thank you. As it has already been pointed out this is a very simple example. It is a set up I use though. I've posted elsewhere on my full complement of SS and I do use this although at different SS numbers.

I have the "Snap to" set to my 2 most common settings but then change them within those screensets as required.

I'm going to be adding more "tips & tricks" that I use with them to this thread, as & when I get the time. There are some very neat "impossible in previous versions" tricks.

It's when you start combining the "basic" screensets with some of the tricks they really come into their own.

I found screensets to be one of those "Wow, I've just seen the light" kinda moments........

Ok I'll shut up now..........

FastBikerBoy


Think of this one as more a "introduction to Screensets" - Once you realise that screensets remember just about everything (or rather will when the bugs are ironed out ) the possibilities become huge. Imagine having 10 different instances of the same project open all at the same time instantly swapped at any time by a keypress and you get the idea.

Exactly!

I found screensets to be one of those "Wow, I've just seen the light" kinda moments........

That's what I have been trying to say and just didn't know how!!

Reading this thread I came to realize that I can have different snap-to settings in PRV with different screensets and go to each one instantly. IOW I am working a hi hat part and I need 1/8 notes, but I play a part and think I need a roll there also, go to another screenset that has 16th triplets or similar and get that down and go back to the hi hat part. Going give this a try.

First up, thank you FBB for taking the effort to make and share this video! The rest of my response is not really directed at you but rather at Cakewalk. I am just using your post as a reference.

FastBikerBoy

Hi

I've been messing around with a Flash Movie maker and come up with a demo on one use for screensets and how to have different "snap to" settings in the TV & PRV.

The first time I tried Screensets and saw that it changed the Snap-To settings, I assumed it was a bug and I still sincerely hope it is. It breaks all software and GUI design concepts of clear delineation of procedures and features. I really don't understand how Cakewalk could think that the Snap-To settings should be part of window layouts. It really makes no sense. I am sorry to say but it reeks of incompetent software design skills. I know people that failed the "Introduction to programming"  course at university because they didn't delineate procedures properly. This is the FIRST Computer Science course! This is programming 101!

You'll have to excuse the 'amateur' production, it's the first time I've ever tried anything like this

The video is fine. It is clear and gets the message across. That is all that is needed.

but it does show how to get a couple of different snap to settings set up and instantly accessible with single key presses.

One of the things I checked and tested in X1 was the keybindings for the Snap-To settings. I could easily assign CTRL+NUM_PAD numbers to various Snap-To settings. Starting with CTRL+0 turning Snap on/off, CTRL+1 to set the Snap to Whole Note Duration, CTRL+2 to Half, CTRL+3 to 1/4, etc all the way to CTRL+7 for 1/64th. You could bind CTRL+8 or CTRL+9 to triplets or some other setting you use a lot. (If I remember correctly, there was no option to bind the Snap-To/Snap-By toggle which is a real shame!).

I find this much more logical and faster than using Screensets to change Snap settings.

As for switching between PRV and Track View, CTRL-TAB always worked fine for me in previous versions of Sonar (and every other properly implemented Windows application). I really expect Screensets to change screen layouts. Not Screen layouts and some other random stuff...

If future updates make saving and loading screensets individually much easier, makes them remember maximised floating windows and plugins/softsynths stay docked

Indeed and copy the Global Layouts concept (and implementation! Do it properly!) from Cubase.

UnderTow

benstat


As an alternative method, the next version of SONAR X1 Helper will automatically switch between different snap values as you click between the PRV and the TV.

That makes sense. I assume it will remember the last setting in each view?

(I have been considering suggesting two separate Snap-To settings for PRV and TV but I am a little weary of how it would get implemented by Cakewalk. They should start by making everything Key-bind-able  and IMO, remove the Snap-To stuff from Screensets. Consolidate before moving on to new features...).

UnderTow