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Subject:ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Posted by: Zacchino
Date:11/18/2003 10:25:50 PM

Hi everyone,
I've read and noted all the posts of Acid 5 Features Request. To help the Acid Pro 5 developers, here's the compilation of the way Acid 5 should be according to the requests and to nowdays industry Standards :

Compatibility & Engine Improvements:
- VST Effects (No more VST-DX Wrapper)
- VST-Fx/VST-i Full & easier Automation
- Midi learn fonction for Effects / Virtual Instruments.
- Real time recording of surround panner (via joystick ?)
- Realtime Effect Monitoring
- Built-in Midi triggerable Beat-slicer (i.e. Phatamatik Pro)
- Ability to route a Soft Synth through an Asignable Fx.
- Rewire Slave/Client ability

Options Improvements:
- Customizable Shortcut Keys
- Custom 256 Colors for Track Icons
- Custom Sequencer Background Color
- Mixing Hardware Compatibility & Sync (or a Sony Dedicated Mixing Hardware ?)

Top Toolbar Menu:
- Delete orphan files Button
- Ask folder when creating a new project (and remember it for recording Audio/Midi Files)
- Mix Page or Classic Mixing Switch
- An Insert Option

Explorer Toolbar Menu :
- Preview Loop or Preview One-Shot Switch (for Importing more quickly).
- Import to Split Stereo Switch (1 Left Track & 1 Right Track).
- Favorite Folders
- Media Pool like Vegas

Navigation Bar :
- Metronome with count-in
- Punch-in and Punch-out (for Midi and Audio)
- Loop overdub Recording

Sequencer Improvements :
- Begining and End of the song cursors (ReWire Compatible)
- Ability to cross sections over a Copy of the same track
- Track Recording Selection (record enable button on each track, i.e Recording Audio & Midi at the same time)
- Group and collapse tracks (Cubase)
- Freeze track for Audio & Midi Tracks with its Effect Chain function (Render in *–frz.wav ?)
- Little vertical View-Meters per audio & midi tracks to know easily which one is playing
- Numeric assignment capability of Pan & Volume values
- Channel panning cursor (of course !)

Track Properties Sheet Improvements :
- Audio Track Fine Tune Knob
- Multiple Track Editing in one and only Track Properties Sheet (All One Shot, Loop All, Beatmap All, Pitch All).
- Merge to Mono Switcher for Audio Tracks

Audio Edition Improvements
- No dialog box (when hitting the Record Button)
- Destructive recording (more than one recording at a time on the same Track)
- Mono Recording Option (or Tick box ?)
- Level Triggered Recording (i.e. Soundforge 7)
- Capability to drop a marker striking "m" while recording
- Crossfades on the same track (i.e. Pro Tools)
- Reverse/Invert Drawing (Creating a new *-rev.wav and *-inv.wav file ?)

Envelope Tool Enhancements :
- Free drawing of envelopes with automatic "smoothing" option
- Tempo Sync Envelopes
- Pitch Envelopes (i.e. Abelton Live)
- Multitrack Envelopes Control Ability

Midi Edition Improvements:
- No dialog box (when hitting the Record Button)
- Editing midi notes within the main sequencer window Ability
- Shuffle (Swing, Groove Quantize) Knob (in percents ?)
- More than one recording input at a time on the same midi track
- Overall Enhancements (Geniesys' Plugin integration ?)
- Capability to drop a marker striking "m" while recording

Shortcuts Improvements :
- CTRL + Mousewheel = Zoom Vertically
- In the Piano Roll : CTRL + Move selection = Copy
- CTRL + Selection Rectangle = Add Selection (it Does work in the sequencer window, but it doesn't get "blue" when selected)

Maybe that i'm missing some points for some peoples, but maybe that we should'nt ask more so the Sony guys concentrate on Engine's Stability too.

One last Request : Take your time, don't rush.
Let's hope now...

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: Spirit
Date:11/19/2003 9:14:25 AM

Great work fadengo ! :)

But what a list.... be interesting to see what SonyFoundry go with.

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: Jacose
Date:11/19/2003 10:23:41 AM

is that truly the list?

i will check again

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: sugiere
Date:11/19/2003 12:32:08 PM

and multitrack recording, nested tracks and DX-i support?
did you forget this?

if acid 5 is like that, should i leave sonar?(yes)

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: Zacchino
Date:11/19/2003 1:45:23 PM

For Multitrack recording check the list again :
In the Sequencer Improvements section :
- Track Recording Selection (record enable button on each track, i.e Recording Audio & Midi at the same time)

Same thing for Nested Tracks, in the Sequencer Improvements section :
- Ability to cross sections over a Copy of the same track
(is that what you were talking about ?)

For DXi Support... In my point of view, it'd be unuseful because most of DXi Synth exists in VSTi
(except for Dreamstation i know). And the best softsynth are VSTis. But it's a personnal opinion.
In the point of view of a firm like Sony's Mediasoftware Department, it'll be a waste of money to buy this technology (i think so).
Anyway, the title of the post is "Most Wanted"...

I skipped the "Acid as VSTi" too and i almost skipped the "Acid as Rewire Slave" requests...
Because it wasn't the goal aimed by the software in my point of view !

I know, this means that the list a a bit subjective. But objective in the logical evolution of Acid.

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: DKeenum
Date:11/19/2003 1:57:52 PM

Rewire slave doesn't interest me, but it might be a progressive marketing decision. It might sell more copies.

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: BWO
Date:11/19/2003 2:47:24 PM

One industry standard that's missing is discreet center channel panning.

BWO

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: brux
Date:11/20/2003 12:41:19 AM

the OPTION... in options.... to work with a darker background, or different colour background....well, it's important for me anyway...

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: ATP
Date:11/20/2003 9:08:16 AM

"the most faithful" users you say? and who determines this? you?

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: Spirit
Date:11/20/2003 9:42:44 AM

I'm the most faithful. And so is my wife. ;)

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: Iacobus
Date:11/20/2003 10:35:05 AM

Ummm...that's nice and all, but none of those features are as important to me as, say, having a Media Pool like Vegas'. (See my post for more info.)

I'm sure that Sony appreciates your efforts, Fadengo, but I'm also sure Sony has a list as a result of inquiring in the thread they're monitoring.

Iacobus
-------
RodelWorks - Original Music for the Unafraid
mD's ACIDplanet Page

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: Zacchino
Date:11/20/2003 12:13:50 PM

You're right mD. But i really want Acid to become an industry Standard like we all do ! That's why i wanted to underline the features i listed. Knowing that the developers were monitoring the other post of course. The meaning of mine was to figure out "how the hell will they process all these features in the next version".

Should have entitled this post this way ^^

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: SonyJennL
Date:11/20/2003 12:46:04 PM

I'd like to say that response to the feature list post has been very helpful.

Thanks everyone for the fabulous feedback! (And keep it coming!)

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: FFred
Date:11/21/2003 8:00:15 PM

if it doesn't have slave ability, i'll look elsewhere

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: Zacchino
Date:11/21/2003 10:54:41 PM

I do understands the guys who wants Acid as a Rewire Slave...

But i don't understand those who want Acid as a VST Instrument..
What the hell ? A Sequencer in another Sequencer ?

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: ATP
Date:11/24/2003 4:30:29 AM

ACID as a VSTi will not be a sequencer in another sequencer. in fact, it's the exact opposite.

ACID VSTi will enable you to trigger loops loaded in ACID from within your host application (like Cubase). so, ALL editing will be done only in ONE application. you don't need to use the timeline in ACID since you can play the loop from Cubase and use its timeline instead.

the problem with ACID as a Rewire Slave is that you'll probably end up having to edit your song twice, once in the host application, and once in ACID. that's why i want a VSTi, simply because it's the most efficient integration with other sequencers.

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: SHTUNOT
Date:11/24/2003 2:14:26 PM

What exactly do you mean by trigger loops? Acid isn't set up like FXpansions dr008/kontact/battery/project 5/ etc... so I'm not sure what you mean by this. Have you tried rewiring reason to acid? Thats as efficient as it gets. What would you like it to do? Explain the exact steps to how you would like it to work cause I'm lost on this one.

I'm into having acid as a rewire slave so that I can go to acid and do all the cool stuff acid does and just have the audio come up in the app of personal choice. Mine being Vegas 5[keeping my fingers crossed]. I would simply multitrack in vegas and create music beds in acid. So I have to flip back and forth. No biggy. It saves me time from doing the rendering dance I do now between vegas and acid. Making it a Vsti is a waste of resource because the rewire spec is better than vsti. ie:not made by steinberg so you know its not released half ass. Both apps are in sample accurate sync. etc...

Ed.

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: ATP
Date:11/25/2003 7:34:01 AM

i'll try to keep it as simple as possible. this is how i think ACID VSTi should work.

1) open cubase project.
2) open ACID VSTi.
3) open loop in ACID, don't draw it on time-line, just open it.
4) go back to Cubase, set track to ACID VSTi, channel 1 (loop1).
5) press key on keyboard. now the loop from ACID is played at the bpm of the project in Cubase, at the pitch of the key hit on the keyboard.
6) record midi in Cubase.

but seeing the puzzled responses i get i guess either nobody understands or they don't care. so if ACID were to come out as a Rewire Slave (which is much more likely) ill be happy enough. i just don't like double editing when it really isn't neccesary that's all.


Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: juan2003
Date:11/27/2003 8:49:07 PM

Very well, Joel !!!

The features that you requested for Acid Pro 5.0, they have been answered like never before (more than 100 replies).

We are very thankful to Sonic Foundry - Sony, by to have allowed to contribute to us to the development of this new version for Acid Pro.

We are very sure that Acid Pro 5.0 will be the best update of all the previous versions.

If Acid Pro 5.0 could be release for twenty of December, it would be an excellent Christmas present for us. (is only a desire)

Thanks!!

So long!

Juan :)



Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: Zacchino
Date:11/28/2003 5:44:11 AM

The main reason why people don't work with Acid is its professionnal capacity to be instable ^^.

So, 5.0 : the sooner the worse.

One thing they should invest on are crash-dedicated beta testers.

From personnal experience, I can't count anymore all the times Acid has frozen or fatal exception-ed up. I could write a whole book on that one !

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: Polaris20
Date:11/29/2003 7:07:07 AM

Multitrack recording and VST effects would be the two things keeping me from using Acid exclusively. The effects freeze feature would be outstanding as well though.

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: Beanstudio
Date:11/29/2003 10:18:38 AM

http://www.sonyplugins.com !!!

Port these to VST & DX for use in Acid.

Right on the Sony Plug Ins site, in the FAQ it says..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Will your plugins be available for other platforms?

At present, our plugins are being developed for both ProTools TDM and Powercore platforms. Other platforms will be supported according to demand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, let's demand it.

Jim

BEANSTUDIO Mastering

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: jtxx000
Date:11/30/2003 7:49:17 AM

What about Midi CC envelopes?

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: JasonMilo
Date:12/1/2003 3:47:05 PM

I had this in the Vegas Audio forum for Vegas 5 enhancements. I omitted a few of the Vegas specific ones, but a few of these are not on the list at the top of this thread.

1. Single file for surround encoded material (i.e. multichannel wav)
2. Surround plugins
3. DTS / Dolby Prologic IIx / MLP encoder

1&2 are the most useful for me, and I understand that #3 would cost Sony money.

#1 would make it possible to make surround "loops".

#2 A surround version of Acoustic Mirror would be the coolest thing around for reverb!

#3 The ability to make DTS-CD's would be a very cool addition for surround sound people. It would be much easier (and cheaper) to get surround sound material to clients / friends since there is no "official" Dolby Digital CD spec.

Had to put in my 2 pennies,

Jason Milo



Subject:ACID 5 :THE SON OF ACID AND VEGAS
Reply by: ZAZKUASH
Date:12/1/2003 11:34:50 PM

I was using a lot ACID 1, 2 and 3,and Vegas 1,2 y 3 ,then I was migrate to SONAR 2.
If Sony make this changes to ACID i could be again an Acid customer
1)Many Loops or one shots in only one track: Ctrl+right click with the paint tool show you what sample you are going to drag or work wit ,(all of they are in media pool or in a new "Sample Pool" before)
2)Integrate multiple MIDI-compatible control surfaces (Mackie, CM Labs, Tascam , HUI compatibility,more)
3)Multitrack recording like Vegas (i cant leave Sonar beacause of this), i dont like the window recording for audio and midi
4)Zoom in the MIDI Track and edit from here not in another window
5)Make a son of ACID and VEGAS a real competitor of CUBASE and SONAR , an Audio and Midi Sequencer of SONY

6)Plus all of FADENGO things

Subject:RE: ACID 5 Most Wanted Features List (For the Acid Pro Developers)
Reply by: gunhed
Date:12/15/2003 7:54:19 AM

- Ability to automate more if not all the effects and their sliders/values.

- Track Export / Import: I spend a lot of time developing variations on tracks and also collaborate projects with friends. I run into "synchronization issues" where I like what my friend has done on a track and must painstakingly paste it into the "current" project and reproduce a mountain of settings to get it just like my friend made it. It would be nice to export an entire track and everything that goes with it (which synth or WAV associated with it, all envelope settings, FX, patterns painted onto the track, everything needed to fully reproduce the track). Perhaps save it with an ".act" extension. Then, when working in another project, that track could be imported and function exactly as it did before.

- It would be nice if I could copy surround keyframes and paste them at other locations. This would be a nice feature for other markers as well, such as being able to select a range of volume markers or panning markers and paste them into another VSTi or on top of a loop track - useful if you're repeating a pattern of changes or trying out a new synth and need to duplicate the volume/panning layout.

- MIDI tracks should optionally be able to have their own, unique envelopes (like loops do) instead of always having to place them into the Bus Tracks view. This would not only allow the envelopes to be viewed more easily during playback, it would allow multiple tracks (i.e. tracks 2 and 4 using synth 1) of the same VSTi to automate different volumes and panning, etc. without having to add an additional instance of the same VSTi (i.e. track 2 using synth1 and track 4 using synth 2, where synth 1 is a clone of synth 2).

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