ReaGroup

[spikemullings]

A thread to talk about folders, tracks showing or not in the TCP and MCP, routing within groups and, hey, I’m not telling you what to post here.

Currently, for me, folders are OK but are a bit of clunky way of dealing with grouping tracks. My ‘umble opinion is that an overhaul is needed.

Some developments are fairly uncontroversial in themselves – e.g. folder in folder or nested folders or whatever you want to call it - but might be more divisive in execution.

I would also hope not to have too much dissent from the idea that the TCP should be as flexible in terms of what is shown or not as the MCP – if you group your drum tracks so as to have a single fader for drums, and you don’t intend to do any automation on that track, you don’t necessarily want that track taking up space in the media items panel.

I also don’t like losing track numbers in the MCP when tracks are grouped as happens at the moment. I also want folders to fold up completely and not leave micro tracks visible (although I also respect the view of any user who wants that for a reason).

I’d like to be able to hide/show midi tracks, but in fact I’d like to be able to hide/show whatever I want to.

A show all button is needed on the MCP (and would be on the TCP if I got my way) for those moments when you want to look proprietarily over your project.

But I am not sure whether some of the track viewing options on the Master Track button are a quarter as useful as a good set of screen sets are.

What my feeble brain can’t think through is as follows:

1 – what, if any, automatic routing should result from grouping/foldering tracks? Should a dialogue open with options? Create sends to parent, create receives from parent, etc etc.?

2 – and, relatedly, should foldering/grouping get involved with dealing with multiple track channels?

3 – how is grouping/foldering going to look, particularly when you have complicated nested groups/folders and possibly multi-channel routing?

Would anyone care to chip in with more ideas on this, and, if possible, mock-ups?

[spikemullings]

Bad form, I know, to bump one's own FR

But just before it fell off into the wastelands of page 2 and beyond I thought I'd give this one more chance to garner some comment.

There have been some glancingly related topics coming up recently [scrabbling around to try to self-justify]

So, anyone?

Edit - I have just rea-called that "group" is already terminology in use with Reaper to do with grouping items.

[Tallisman]

I'll show this some love.

I agree that tiny view is one step from complete, or perhaps a preference setting from complete. I would appreciate being able to completely hide the child track inside the folder.

- And when hidden (completely) their levels should be invisible to adjacent track selection (select all ignores them) such that when you move multiple faders on multiply selected tracks the child track of completely folded tracks' levels are ignored. This, IMHO, should be extended to folder in folder / nested folders when they are introduced.

In fact, I think that a whole Vanish feature set should be implemented some thing along the lines of this:

Vanish Lists [TCP and MCP] make selected track(s) Vanish from View and editability / Vanish Toolbar Icon Vanish MCP Master channel icon:

• Tracks should be able to be hidden from TCP view as they can be hidden from the MCP.
• An Icon in the toolbar should illuminate when tracks are hidden from the TCP
• o Right click any track on the TCP to reveal a Can Vanish option and a Vanish Now option in the context menu. Vanish now immediately hides the track from the TCP view and adds the Can Vanish flag to that track. Can Vanish leaves the track visible in the TCP until the Vanish toolbar icon is enabled. Always Visible is the 3rd option in this set, and excludes any Visible track from becoming invisible when Invert Vanished is envoked.
• o Right clicking the illuminated icon should reveal a context menu with a list of the currently Vanished tracks. Selecting from that list should make that track temporarily visible again (does not remove the Can Vanish flag). Shift selecting from that context list removes the Can Vanish flag and makes the track immediately visible.
• - - Show all at the top of the list temporarily disables the Vanish function.
• - - Clear all Removes all Can Vanish flags and all tracks are again visible.
• - - Invert Vanished toggles the currently Vanished and Visible tracks’ states… making the Vanished temporairily Visible and tweakable.
• o Left clicking the icon toggles the Vanish feature:
• - - Toggle on all tracks with the Can Vanish attribute disappear from the TCP.
• - - Toggle off all vanished tracks are made visible again.
• o Shift left clicking the Vanish toolbar Icon should invert the Vanished/Visible tracks—all vanished become visible and tweakable… all tracks that were visible should become hidden (those with the Always Visible flag are excluded from the inversion.
• o Vanish function should supersede any track Pro Tools-like track groups.
• o Vanished tracks should be considered Fully Locked against edits and tweaks made in the TCP. No parameter should be adjustable when vanished, they cannot be removed from the project and Items cannot be edited, nor automation, etc.
• o When a Group of items / tracks is being edited, and contains items/ tracks currently Vanished, a warning dialogue pops up: apply to vanished Items/tracks? [OK] [Ignore Vanished] [Always Ignore Vanished items in this group] [Cancel].
• o ALT Left clicking the Vanish icon Clears all Can Vanish flags making all tracks immediately visible.
• o CTRL+Shift Left Clicking the Vanish icon copies the current TCP Vanish list to the MCP. ALT+Shift + Left clicking the Vanish Icon Removes the Vanish list from the MCP making all tracks visible and Tweakable in the mixer.
• o The Master Channel Needs a corresponding Vanish Icon independent of the Arrange Window Vanish Toolbar Icon, that does the exact same thing to tracks in the mixer.
• - - Any track vanished from the MCP is not editable/tweakable in the MCP.
• - - Alt+Shift left-clicking the master channe’s version transfers the MCP Vanish list to the TCP vanish list.
• o Both the TCP Vanish List, and the MCP Vanish list should be Doc-able tabs

Hmmm... it seems to me I have just hijacked this somewhat. Sorry.
Consider it a bump for folder love and tcp love and mcp love and reaper love.

boogiewityabadselves!

.t

[spikemullings]

Now that is thought through!

Competition standard Feature Requesting from Tallisman!

Thanks T.