Overhaul the I/O setup

The whole I/O defining and labelling system needs an overhaul.
It’s OK for an interface with just a couple of inputs and outputs, but it becomes extremely unwieldily for console and external summing users.

To work with a console you currently need to create -

1 all your mono inputs
2 all your stereo inputs odd / even 1,2 3,4 etc…
3 all your stereo inputs even / odd 2,3 4,5 etc…!
4 work in surround…

Then its the same with all the outputs.
There must be an easier way!
Why do stereo and multi channels need defining as buses in advance?
Why can’t you just choose your physical Inputs and Outputs - like you do with a patchbay or console routing matrix?
Computers are supposed to make this stuff easy but its now a nightmare multiple choice system.

Now in C10 when you create a track, its presumed you are a beginner, and so it offers up ‘Inputs’ first, rather than previously created ‘buses’.
Even more I/O to scroll through, and whats more, choosing an ‘Input’ automatically creates a new ‘bus’ - even if you’ve already created one in the Connections! More buses!

Drop down scroll menu’s are unsuitable for this - they are way too slow and unwieldy.
We’ve now got them for choosing the click outputs - and although its currently broken and missing a scroll bar, its way more cumbersome than simply ticking an output to receive click via the Connections page, which is what used to happen.

While we are at it, why is Routing shown at the top of the Mix Console, and Direct Routing at the bottom? They should be together, and there’s really no need to show the main channels output twice, in both Routing AND Direct Routing!

And then please look at the Channel Settings. It’s crazy you can’t set up a channels routing all from here - you can choose a direct output, but not set one up, even though you’re using the exact same dropdown menus!

It’s all very messy and unjoinedupthinking.

Hi,

My suggestion to Steinberg was to make the Add Track window persistent. So if I collapse the “Select Hardware Input” folder, it persists collapsed for the next time. I believe, this would solve even your issue. Then you can work the old Cubase way by using the busses.

Hi Martin

Yes - this will certainly help with the New Track window.

However it still doesn’t address the fact that you need to create so many buses to start with though. Having to scroll through 60cm of I/O on screen to choose stereo input 22/23 gets frustrating real quick! Add in surround and the number of buses you need to create is just crazy.

I don’t know what the answer is, but certainly double nested dropdown menu’s would help - so choosing mono inputs opens a second dropdown menu with Inputs 1 to 24, Stereo odd / even Inputs opens up a dropdown to 1,2, 3,4… etc, rather than the single dropdown list thats there now.

Or have a big window open up like in many VSTi preset browsers where you can see a hundred or so and instantly click on the one you want.

Thats two standard computer menu designs that are waaaay better than whats used at present.

Hi,

To get the Input 22/23, you can use the search function in the window.