One problem of the current Media Bay: Cognitive Load and Factory Content

Cubase
,
1

I find myself on the hunt of trying to remove factory content from my Media Bay. Why? It feels overbearing seeing so much information.

When I am attempting to solve a problem and fulfill an objective with the Media Bay, I am automatically forced to dig through hundreds of preset files under certain conditions. Each time I start a project, the factory content is automatically enabled. Here’s how this causes some problems. This interrupts the workflow because it requires, in some instances, that you have to open up the media bay and turn off the factory content… each time.

In this screenshot, as soon as I created a project from scratch and went to the track preset option, I’m shown many presets that I don’t need to see.

Screenshot 2023-05-15 082541
Screenshot 2023-05-15 082541619×650 27.8 KB

In order to remove the factory content (again) I have to perform 5 steps:
1 Click Setup Window Layout on the right hand side
2 Click Filters
3 Click Location Tree
4. Deselect Factory Content
5 (Optional) Click Remove

This is too many steps.

Why am I concerned with de-selecting factory content? Answer: Cognitive load.

When accessing the Media Bay, or any pop-up window using the database, it defaults to a large collection of likely unrelated data. This can become confusing and interrupt the workflow. As the video points out, we would call this, “Extraneous Load”. Often I only want to browse through my personal collection of presets instead.

For example, if we’re using Finder on a MacOS, it doesn’t default to a massive collection of files spread across the system.

What’s disappointing is that I actually want to remove the default presets not because I don’t find them interesting (I’m ambivalent) but because they always get in the way of my tasks. I have a feeling most others who request this feel the same way:

As it stands right now, I still have no idea how to remove it and so I’m forced to deactivate this Factory Content folder for every new project. Hopefully this can be reconsidered in the future.

2

Open the Media Bay (F5) and de-select anything that you don’t want on the left pane. Cubase will ask you if you really want to remove that content and then do that.
image

3

I know. My post addresses the fact that you’re required to do this all the time you create a new project. I also gave a clear scenario where if you go immediately to the track presets… Ugh. Nevermind.

4

Hmm, works here. I created a new project, and the factory track presets are still gone.

5

If you keep Cubase open, it works. If you exit Cubase, it may not work anymore. Specifically, I’m actually using Nuendo 12 on Windows. One of the links I post is from a user who states the same. They always have to deselect it.

6

I closed and opened Cubase several times, track presets stay deselected. Maybe if you re-install/update Cubase, they somehow get enabled again? Dunno .
If it gets actually randomly selected again after so-and-so many restarts or whatever, I’d definetely consider that a bug.

1 Like
7

Oh great. Then maybe we’ve narrowed it down to a software version issue. I had assumed it was intentionally designed that way. Thanks.

8

Have you tried deleting the mediabay and let it rebuild completely, then delete the entries? Maybe your mediabay file is from older versions which were buggy and something wrong got written into it. Worth a try (maybe not delete it, but move it someplace else).
Else, what I have actually done is marking may own presets with five starts and then filter or sort by rating. That worked quite well for me so far.