impressions: SunVox on iPad

[polyoptics]

Love it!
Reminds me of the mod edit and scream tracker days..... Mixed with modern interface and tools. Great stuff!!


The modular section is amazing as is the gui. The arranger is wicked although I wish that I could use the 'single pattern play' to play a pattern selection instead (2 or 3 patterns instead of just 1).

The only real criticism I would give (in my limited use so far) is that the old style tracker up top is outdated:

It was painfully slow to input and edit note sequences. Selection, modification, navigation IMHO were terrible. I loved the look for nostalgias sake, but I found it counter productive personally.

I wonder if you have considered a grid based matrix sequencer as a possible addition or alternative? IMHO this would be an invaluable asset for usability.

I've heard you are planning midi support which I can't wait to try, I hope you can get clock sync working via core midi and the CCK for the iPad.

Thanks for creating an amazing bit of software,
-poly

[polyoptics]

A few more days in now:


The tracker/sequencer does not work well on iOS. It is very cumbersome to use in all cases. I see now there are other posts about the same thing, so this is a known issue.

I realize that sunvox is not created specifically for iOS, but I hope this is something that can be adressed some day because the software is great otherwise.


On a side note, I wonder if there is a way to animate node parameters (generator,fx, etc). That would be killer.

[SolarLune]

Yes. I believe you set the first two numbers of the controller section (the four parameter line, 0000, next to the right-most four-parameter line) to the number of the synth parameter (e.g. 01 is volume), and the right-most column parameter is what to set the parameter to. I.e. 0100 4000 will set volume of the selected instrument (you have to enter that, as well) to 8000 (4000 in hexadecimal).

[NightRadio]

Automation:
http://www.warmplace.ru/wiki/sunvox:man ... ern_editor

Code: Select all

Example of changing cutoff frequency (global controller) of the Filter from min to max value:

NN VV SS CCEE PPPP
-- -- 01 0200 0000
-- -- 01 0200 1000
-- -- 01 0200 2000
-- -- 01 0200 3000
-- -- 01 0200 4000
-- -- 01 0200 5000
-- -- 01 0200 6000
-- -- 01 0200 7000
-- -- 01 0200 8000

The “Cutoff frequency” controller has a number 2 in the Filter.

And you are right about iOS. But now i'm trying to make SunVox more adapted for this system.

[polyoptics]

Agh I see! Thats very cool. Thank you.


For what it's worth here is my humble opinion: Sunvox seems to be fighting itself.

You have very modern elements like the node based editor, arranger and the way the interface works being dragable and user defined, which is very forward thinking and extremely intuitive. Cool, smooth, functional, impressive!

Then you have the tracker and fx editing which is archaic and confusing. Literally like stepping into a time machine. Unnecessarily complicated, crowded, chaotic, uninspired.

I really appreciate the amount of work you must have put into sunvox, it really shows. It's an awesome application, no doubt about it. My wish would be that you somehow had the time and man power to update the sequencer/tracker interface to match that of the rest of your masterpiece.

Thanks for making something so damn cool, that I feel compelled to give feedback.

-poly

[Vitor]

It's all about personal preference.
Me, being from a tracker background (TCB tracker anyone?), love the interface. The touch based interaction does not suit the classical approach very well, but the new D-Pad feature does help a lot.

I think a few changes are needed to ease the navigation:
- support for touch select instead of dragging to change steps/columns
- support for keyboard navigation (dock or BT keyboard)
- the D-Pad need two more arrows to change tracks

[juanjo]

I totally agree with polyoptics.

The tracker editing style was designed when there were only text and cursors. Today'm really lazy get to work with this system.
Obviously if you have a lot of practice with trackers you do not mind, but I think it removes much of potential audience (almost all, in fact).

Perhaps it could be retained in the background, but setting on top an grid-piano roll like interface.

Beyond that, I would like to have more modern features. For example, to drag any module parameter and let edit it's value curve in the sequencer (instead of the tedious and counter intuitive current effects edit process).

Another important thing I miss is the immediate access to parameters of several modules at once, in order to play live. I would propose to drag also from the module parameters to the upper-left area (currently mostly empty) where the control bars left permanently accessible.
I also agree with polyoptics that seems a great music application, but unusable in practice because of these issues.

As additional data, my plan was to prepare repertoire on Mac and iPad, and play live only with the iPad, in sync (not control) with hardware midi-analog sequencer.

[juanjo]

…to the upper-left area (currently mostly empty)…

I mean the upper-right