Old 09-12-2014, 07:04 AM   #1
RgnKjnVA
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Default Master track; always on top

Much like the header row of a spreadsheet, I'd like to keep the Master track at the top of the Arrange view of a project.

My friend and I were struggling to keep an eye on the master level while tweaking a track, would greatly appreciate the ability to keep that Master at the top when scrolling through tracks like the Split feature of a spreadsheet.

Is there some way to do this?
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Old 09-12-2014, 07:44 AM   #2
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Hey, I am new to this forum so I probably do not have a fancy solution but this would be a workaround.
Make a dummy track under the Master track.
Now make a folder of putting all tracks below that dummy track in the dummy track.
Use the view arrow to make the view smaller. Adept the view of the tracks you want to watch. DO the things you want to do.
When you want your whole project to be visible, undo the dummy folder.
When again in need of looking at your Master track, make the dummy track folder again. Watch how Reaper seems to "remember" all the last settings.
Not fancy, but it will definitely work until one of the great member's here will come up with probably something far better!
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Old 09-12-2014, 07:53 AM   #3
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This isn't exactly an answer to your question, as I'm not aware of any way to accomplish what you're asking. But if the goal is to watch the master levels, you could enable the master track in the mixer view and keep an eye on that as you do your work in the TCP. If screen real estate is an issue, you could make the mixer section very small - just large enough to contain the master track.
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Old 09-12-2014, 08:17 AM   #4
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Thanks for the quick replies, I'll give those suggestions a shot. I typically don't like giving up the real estate for the mixer view but maybe if I can shrink it enough, it'll work.
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Old 09-12-2014, 08:32 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RgnKjnVA View Post
\I typically don't like giving up the real estate for the mixer view
You may want to make it float, so you can move it around to keep out of the way as you navigate in the TCP.
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Old 09-12-2014, 08:38 AM   #6
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You can do it in such a way that it is always avialable to the left. Doesn't use too much real estate or you could just float it like the OP mentioned:

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Old 09-12-2014, 08:46 AM   #7
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You can also just float a tiny JS meter from the master. That's the JS Dynamics Meter sized small.



P.S. Re: General UI design. With all of the empty space on Reaper's transport bar, putting a master meter on there might not be the worst idea in the world.

Here is a master meter, fader, clip indicator and mono/stereo toggle, on the transport, always visible.



Same with Cubendo, master meter and fader on the transport bar, (optionally) always visible.


Last edited by Lawrence; 09-12-2014 at 09:02 AM.
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Old 09-12-2014, 02:42 PM   #8
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Hi Lawrence, how did you get the master meter, fader, clip indicator and mono/stereo toggle, on the transport? Seems a good solution for the free space!
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Old 09-12-2014, 03:43 PM   #9
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Those two images aren't Reaper. I posted them while saying maybe they should do something like that in the future given the free space on the transport. I mean, kinda sounds like a WALTER bit for the transport, meters.

It's just UI stuff, things a lot of others are probably doing just because it makes sense and for no other reason.
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Old 09-12-2014, 04:17 PM   #10
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Yeah that would be very helpful. And another thing that if not wanted.. right click, untick, done forever. I'd like to get rid of the master track in my TCP but it's the only way I have master levels and access to master FX atm ( I don't use the mixer )
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Old 09-12-2014, 05:54 PM   #11
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Sucks that we can't do it still. Been waiting patiently for years for such an obvious feature.
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Old 09-12-2014, 05:55 PM   #12
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That's a ton of real estate for just a master fader

Quote:
Originally Posted by karbomusic View Post
You can do it in such a way that it is always avialable to the left. Doesn't use too much real estate or you could just float it like the OP mentioned:

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Old 09-12-2014, 05:57 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coachz View Post
That's a ton of real estate for just a master fader
Tis true.
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Old 09-13-2014, 03:48 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tls11823 View Post
You may want to make it float, so you can move it around to keep out of the way as you navigate in the TCP.
I guess I didn't set up email notification of replies so I'm just now seeing all of your responses subsequent to mine but I came back because I found the floating master feature.

View >'Floating Mixer Master' is actually a better solution than what I'd envisioned. Thanks all.


Last edited by RgnKjnVA; 09-13-2014 at 06:24 PM.
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Old 09-13-2014, 06:04 PM   #15
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Floating is messy for me. Just put a pin on the orig so we can keep it visible without floating.
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Old 09-13-2014, 06:06 PM   #16
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The way I workaround it is I assigned page up and down to the master volume and I just control it that way.
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Old 09-13-2014, 06:31 PM   #17
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It's all really UI stuff and they'll get around to it sooner or later. What's currently missing from the UI...

- Master meters
- CPU Meters
- Midi Activity (global)
- Secondary Time Display

... and some other stuff. Most of that stuff could fit on the transport. Reaper historically hasn't presented a ton of info on it's UI surface and still doesn't. You can look at most major daws and see most of that stuff always on the work surface. With R, a lot of that info is on a secondary layer or a secondary window.

They'll get to it eventually. Compare the three transports below. One obviously permanently presents less usable information and control on the main UI. It's really just a matter of deciding to focus more on the UI. Below, Reaper's is the only one with empty space showing nothing.







Extraordinary coders (the Reaper guys) but UI design is not their forte.

Most things like this in Reaper trace directly back to Vegas, which was what Justin was using when he initially coded Reaper, which also doesn't show much info on it's main UI. You can see the obvious similarities between the two...


Last edited by Lawrence; 09-13-2014 at 07:10 PM.
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Old 09-13-2014, 06:59 PM   #18
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Agreed, CPU would be nice too.

EDIT: Actually Performance Monitor is a Ctrl-Alt-P away, the same kind of small-footprint floating window. Not bad but would be nicer integrated into the main UI.



What does kinda stink about the Floating Master is that the View menu toggle isn't listed in the Actions list so we can't assign key combos to it.

Should I change the thread title? heh heh

EDIT 2: Reaper never fails to amaze me. This action IS already baked in. Use the 'View: toggle master track in separate/docked window' action. BOOYAH!

I learned a lot tonight! LOL

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Old 09-13-2014, 07:54 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RgnKjnVA View Post
EDIT 2: Reaper never fails to amaze me. This action IS already baked in. Use the 'View: toggle master track in separate/docked window' action. BOOYAH!

I learned a lot tonight! LOL
That's the same thing Karbo showed you back in post #6 here yesterday isn't it, the master docked?
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Old 09-13-2014, 07:58 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lawrence View Post
That's the same thing Karbo showed you back in post #6 here yesterday isn't it, the master docked?
No, his suggestion is contained within the frame/panel on the left, not floating.
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Old 09-13-2014, 08:15 PM   #21
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Ok, cool. At any rate,what you originally asked for in the OP...

Quote:
Much like the header row of a spreadsheet, I'd like to keep the Master track at the top of the Arrange view of a project.
... is essentially the Cubase split arrange window where you can kinda "freeze" tracks up top like a spreadsheet. Maybe an FR already, dunno, but since you found something that works for you maybe it's moot now ...



All the other stuff was more off-topic, just wondering why there's no permanent master meter on the UI.
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Old 09-13-2014, 08:51 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lawrence View Post
Ok, cool. At any rate,what you originally asked for in the OP...


... is essentially the Cubase split arrange window where you can kinda "freeze" tracks up top like a spreadsheet. Maybe an FR already, dunno, but since you found something that works for you maybe it's moot now ...



All the other stuff was more off-topic, just wondering why there's no permanent master meter on the UI.
I wouldn't mind that either. I put in a Feature Request for the halibut...

http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.p...39#post1404739
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Old 09-14-2014, 03:56 AM   #23
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Cubase does it right imo. This feature has been asked for for years.
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Old 09-14-2014, 07:08 AM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coachz View Post
Cubase does it right imo. This feature has been asked for for years.
Yeah, I guess. That's a nice UI bit but not what they suggested it also be used for (up until version 7 anyway), hiding tracks. They drove users nuts suggesting it was a practical replacement for an arrange track list... and finally created a track list in v7.

Anyway, UI design is a little bit of an art I guess. Cubendo has some really nice bits spread across their UI. One thing they've certainly always done well is optionally present tons of good info on the main work surface. From the inspectors to info lists to customizable TCP buttons and transport and toolbar, everything you need to see can be on the main work table.

Reaper's UI being largely modeled after Vegas is a small impediment of sorts, them maybe not so much letting go of some of that stuff. While Vegas is certainly a great app and Reaper is certainly a massive improvement over it in many obvious ways, Reaper still holds on to some Vegas UI paradigms that are a little bit dated. I often wonder if Justin had been a Cubase or Sonar or Logic user instead of a Vegas user, what Reaper would be like. It would probably have started off with area selection instead of time selection for example.

But yeah, I recall him saying something to the effect of (paraphrase) "Building a better Vegas" (for audio) and he certainly accomplished that. It just turned out that what he modeled happened to be not the most modern UI for music applications, although... it's docking and some other newer things are done really well.

I think a large UI overhaul for v5 would be well received by many. I don't know it doing that would fit in with their general philosophy though. I'm not sure I ever see Reaper doing what some other products have done at times, completely changing their UI.

[/Pie hole flapping]

Last edited by Lawrence; 09-14-2014 at 07:23 AM.
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Old 09-14-2014, 10:50 AM   #25
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This is a Feature Request from 2009 on this. Trying to revive it. Go vote by clicking on the 'Users who would use this feature' link to the right of Semiquaver's FR...

http://forum.cockos.com/project.php?...=113#note20992
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Old 09-14-2014, 10:56 AM   #26
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2009? Oh god I'm so without hope now
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Old 09-14-2014, 11:07 AM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lawrence View Post
Yeah, I guess. That's a nice UI bit but not what they suggested it also be used for (up until version 7 anyway), hiding tracks. They drove users nuts suggesting it was a practical replacement for an arrange track list... and finally created a track list in v7.

Anyway, UI design is a little bit of an art I guess. Cubendo has some really nice bits spread across their UI. One thing they've certainly always done well is optionally present tons of good info on the main work surface. From the inspectors to info lists to customizable TCP buttons and transport and toolbar, everything you need to see can be on the main work table.

Reaper's UI being largely modeled after Vegas is a small impediment of sorts, them maybe not so much letting go of some of that stuff. While Vegas is certainly a great app and Reaper is certainly a massive improvement over it in many obvious ways, Reaper still holds on to some Vegas UI paradigms that are a little bit dated. I often wonder if Justin had been a Cubase or Sonar or Logic user instead of a Vegas user, what Reaper would be like. It would probably have started off with area selection instead of time selection for example.

But yeah, I recall him saying something to the effect of (paraphrase) "Building a better Vegas" (for audio) and he certainly accomplished that. It just turned out that what he modeled happened to be not the most modern UI for music applications, although... it's docking and some other newer things are done really well.

I think a large UI overhaul for v5 would be well received by many. I don't know it doing that would fit in with their general philosophy though. I'm not sure I ever see Reaper doing what some other products have done at times, completely changing their UI.

[/Pie hole flapping]
Interesting stuff re Vegas. Man, I can't imagine tackling a UI redesign with so many elements to account for! Yipes
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Old 05-10-2017, 05:13 AM   #28
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Three years after... Is it now possible to have the master in the transport bar or to lock the master track above the others?
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Old 05-10-2017, 08:14 AM   #29
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Nope nope nope
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Old 01-23-2018, 02:04 PM   #30
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Stumbled on this while searching for a way to keep a master fader easily accessible on my laptop. Going on four years, does anyone know if this is an option yet? Can't seem to figure out a way.
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Old 01-24-2018, 05:47 PM   #31
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Nope nope nope damnit
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Old 01-25-2018, 01:05 AM   #32
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Track sticking in the arrange view is a really desired feature : https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=165577
Please bump this thread if it interests you :P

--
But if all is needed is a simple master fader/knob that you could dock somewhere, you may consider making a script

There is some mixer/fader scripts out there, from minimal Script: me2beats_Adjust metronome volume.lua to heda's track inspector or mixer. Track Inspector can do the trick (there is a lot of options to reduce things displayed)

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Old 01-27-2018, 05:51 AM   #33
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It's been many years and they haven't addressed it or even discussed it so I'm guessing it's just too complicated for them to do.
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Old 01-27-2018, 07:10 AM   #34
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Master metering in the actual empty space of the transport bar, as suggested by Lawrence up there, is a great request, though. No arrangement view hacking needed, "simply" spawn a nice metering section there, that would rock
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Old 01-28-2018, 08:40 AM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lunar Ladder View Post
Master metering in the actual empty space of the transport bar, as suggested by Lawrence up there, is a great request, though. No arrangement view hacking needed, "simply" spawn a nice metering section there, that would rock
If the volume control is there too, I'm all for it.
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Old 01-28-2018, 11:44 AM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coachz View Post
If the volume control is there too, I'm all for it.
Still better to make it sticky because the only reason I'd ever want the master track in the TCP, instead of beside it like I use it 99% of the time is for it's automation. That's really the only use I have for it as the tabs on the left are far more useful for me personally - and that master has better metering anyway. Then again my Faderport controls my master, so no biggie to me if it's sticky, I'd use it, but I already have multiple ways to not have this problem for the most part.
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Old 02-09-2022, 02:00 PM   #37
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Is this Possible yet

Can't fins a solution?

Thanks
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Old 02-09-2022, 02:11 PM   #38
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Will likely never be done.
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