When I am moving knobs in a plugin, looking for the sound I want, I use to bypass on/off the plugin to compare the original source with the processed source. That’s a basic procedure that I make a lot of times.
Too many times I find myself moving the knobs with the plugin bypassed, changing the effect of the plugin, but obviously hearing the original source without any change. This usually happens to me when I am very focused in a very small change, very subtle.
I think it could be great to disable the controls of the plugin when the plugin is bypassed.
In other words, when the plugin is bypassed, all the knobs and controls of the plugin are blocked, no one can be moved, switched, etc.
This feature could be applied in Preferences and in the header of the plugin window:
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Preferences: An easy checkbox in plugin section saying something like “Always disable plugin controls when bypassing the plugin”
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Header Plugin Window: The current button of bypass of the header (yellow when bypassed, grey when not bypassed) could be bigger than now, and divided in 2 sections. The first section would have the current icon, and the second section would have a padlock. Depending on the Preferences checkbox, when clicking the first section, the bypass would turn yellow the first and second sections (plugin controls disabled), or yellow the first section and grey the second section (plugin controls enabled). Clicking the second section (padlock) when bypass is on, the feature of blocked controls would change.
*Another option that could be also functional and maybe easier to implement, is to turn yellow all the header of the plugin, or reduce dramatically the contrast of all the plugin when bypass is on. In summary, a visual change that clearly shows that the plugin is bypassed.
Anyway, I would prefer the option of disabling controls.