Declutter/Clarify Mix Console Channel Selection Hitarea

Cubase
,
#1

I seem to always not select the channel, first time. I click on the “wrong thing.”

I click on the Stereo/Quadro number area (why is this not a valid hitarea?)

Or I click on the Color Selector.

An Alt key for the Color Selector not only seems like a good idea to help solve this issue, but it’s consistent with how the Arrange Window works.

Or I click in the Fader area, forgetting that for some reason it doesn’t select the channel either, but instead moves the fader (with no Undo!), even though the fader, itself, wasn’t clicked on.

The only other valid place to click is the Meters. Maybe it’s just my brain, but I seem to have an aversion to clicking on them. Maybe because, when I do, there is a visual flicker that doesn’t happen when clicking on the Channel Title for selection.

Bottomline: I don’t feel like there is ever a correct area to select the channel. I always seem to have to think about it. And when I don’t (brain focused on music) I often click in the wrong areas.

#2

yep!

I think I aim for the ‘four square area’ for midi (no record button) or I look for an unused insert or send to click.

there is also usually a vertical space between the mixer groups where you can put the mixer ‘in front’.

It is unfortunately another poor GUI design decision (or lack therof) to not have a space for a free focus click. The aiming, however is pretty good practice if you’re into PC first person shooters. When I tell em I use Cubase, they all back up and away. :laughing:

#3

I agree for the most part.

But for this:

It may help to set the Fader behaviour from, Jump to Touch, in the Preferences (should be the default, but for some strange reason, isn’t).
Then you can click in the fader area.

PS. The first thing I do for every Cubase/Nuendo installation :wink:

Hope this helps a tiny bit :slight_smile:

#4

Great suggestion, thank you!

Btw, I’m still clicking on the numbered area. :laughing:

I can’t stop doing it. My subconscious refuses to believe it’s not a hitarea.

But I think it’s more an aversion to clicking on the title area. And then I realized perhaps why, it’s got “a lot going on” with it.

  1. you get a distracting hover button prompting to change its color. The last thing I want to do.
  2. you get a tool tip showing the title (again).
  3. it changes your mouse pointer to a hand (I’m not sure why). Some sort of drag and drop operation? I’ve never used this feature.
  4. it allows you to edit the title (with a double click).
  5. there is some additional visual que related to the title area, itself, where the frame sometimes highlights. I have no idea what that UI state is for. :laughing: I either does nothing (coding kruft), or does yet another thing that’s not about just selecting it. :laughing:

I just want to select the dang thing, not any of those other things (so my subconscious brain must be saying).

#5

3 out of the 5 is related to the overall horrendeous hovering pop-up scheme :smiling_imp:

Nr 1 - A simple Ctrl + click would do, without the pop-up.

Nr 2 - Wasn’t there an option to disable all tool-tips in earlier versions (now it appear to be either some or extended tool-tip showing).

Nr 3 - Drag’n’Drop yes. You can copy the whole channel to whatever channel you drag it. Can be good.

Nr 4 - Like Always. Can be good.

Nr 5 - The Focusing feature and its related Focus Area Borders is a PITA. The whole Focusing system needs a full overhaul. It actually makes me “nervous”.

There are generally too much things popping up, framing every knob and area you touch. All this is making the mixer GUI overly bloated IMO.

#6

The mouseOver is slowly getting annoying.

#7

I like this idea. Just control click anywhere on a mixer channel (I guess besides e) will simply focus the mixer first.

Not sure how I would facilitate being able to target the drop down ‘drawer’ without hitting a hover area. It may just be that they need to tighten up the mapping. Seems like old school director or flash projects where I was too lazy to create a contour map and used a box instead. I prefer prioritizing the dropdown access over the power on/off and options areas. I need to get into those areas quickly and more often than the seemingly huge buttons. They could small be dots for all I care.

#8

atleast if the mixer slots would respond faster, that would be a bit easier to work. instead of waiting for the slow strip opening visual effect after DOUBLE clicking. why not single click??