I’ve only seen a couple of requests for this type of feature, but there was no response and I think people would love it.
I am proposing the idea of making a brightly colored, quite thin bar that we could assign to divide the Audio, Midi, Groups, or Fx channels in the Mixer. Changing the color of a Channel to accomplish this forces us to compromise the color selection we prefer. Besides, I’ve tried it and it doesn’t really work.
The Zone feature has its purpose, but it has its own agenda and it could be used really well in combination with what I’m requesting.
I prefer to have my Audio, Submix and Fx channels on the same screen.
I scroll side to side when needed.
There’s always, IMO, an unnecessary hesitation when I need to locate those dividing points.
I think about having this often when I’m working.
Thanks for all that you do…
Meanwhile, as a temporary measure, you could try using multiple ruler tracks for this. Different colours and time etc. (This us how I do it).
How do you get the ruler tracks to show in the mix console?
I was just out in the studio working and thought about this.
I noticed there are empty boxes above the Channel numbers for the GROUP & Fx Channels.
If I could Color a box, say the 1st Group channel, & the 1st Fx channel, it seems like it would be a lot easier to program and if I could make the color the same as that channel, its’ placement would jump out at me.
Problem solved.
Pleeeze ??
I just checked out a video on ruler tracks…
Good idea.
I’ll see what that looks like tomorrow.
THANKS! I appreciate the response!
Right-Click a Track head. Select ‘Add’.
Select ‘ruler’
You’re getting Ruler Tracks to show in the Mix Console?
To my knowledge, only Channels can be shown in the Mix Console and a Ruler Track does not have channels. But perhaps I’m wrong.
I had made a feature request ages ago that didn’t gather much attention, but it went like this:
Those empty boxes could house one toggle that would apply visibility agents for connected tracks, and one toggle that would be the same thing, but an exclusive agent, hiding all other tracks.
In other words, a spill for Group, FX, and VCA tracks. That’s one way to declutter things a bit. The other one is constantly using the command “Show Channels connected to selected” and a good assortment of Visibility Configurations.
I wouldn’t say no to a divider though.
I’d be happy with a few more zones. Three I find is not enough to split visually
Would using channel type filters and channel visibility configurations work for you? eg set configuration 1 to just show audio, 2 to show midi etc? Assign a key command for each configuration.
You are correct!
Maybe…
Could you give me an idea how to set that up?
Or, where to go to find out how?
Thanks for the suggestion.
It doesn’t divide, but as @farfaraway suggested, perhaps make use of channel type filters.
And you are not limited to just Audio, Midi, group, Efx channels. Using groups you can check/uncheck for whatever specific channels you want to view.
For example in my main template I have Audio, Group, Efx, Return Efx, Sub-channels, Stems, then to main outputs. Note the Return Efx, Sub-channels, and Stems are really just group channels, but configured via left zone visibility to show them as their appropriate channel visibility.
If you make use of the 4 mix consoles using channel visibility configurations plus hide/show in the left mix console zone for each visiblity, then assign these mix consoles to shortcuts, your workflow can be enhanced greatly.
It would be great if, depending on the mix console that was focused, you could use different visibility schemes.
Unless im misunderstanding you, thats exactly what you can do.
For example, if you have to share mix console 3 with 2 different visibility configurations, once console 3 is ficused, then use a KC to switch to whatever configuration you wish.
Maybe I expressed myself wrong, I know what you want to say and what can be done. what I know is that the configured Visibility Agents are remembered in all MixConsoles. What I wanted to express is that I think it would be great if you could even have independent agents according to the mixconsole. Of course, it will always depend on what you need to see at that moment. Imagine the potential for a user who needs more than 200 tracks. I think that managing all this with a mix console is a bit tedious. It is definitely something pending for Steinberg to be able to implement this entire system to even be able to remember it in all projects (otherwise it is always better to use a template, fortunately) but I think we are on the way.
Okay, So I set up (2) Mix consoles and made it easy to switch from one to another.
The Results:
It slowed down my workflow.
It felt ‘clunky’.
And worse of all, there’s the ‘out of sight- out of mind’ problem, which I unfortunately just experienced and which had such dire consequences, I stopped what I was doing to vent my frustration.
One thing I like about the way I set up my workflow is that I know exactly what’s going on with just a glance. Multi screen swaps don’t permit this.
I just spent a couple of hours going though a polishing phase with a 10 minute song, which takes several passes.
I was almost done when I popped over to another Mixer and realized that earlier, I had set one of the Submix faders down to -5 Db. I immediately realized why that process does not work for me.
I never would have forgotten ( or missed) that fact if I was using the One-Screen-for-all Mixer Channels method that I have always used.
So, again, Please, give us the ability to recognize Dividers in the Mixer.
It is a frustrating distraction trying to work without them.
Thumbs up for trying!
It’s not “clunky” here however users set-ups are often different.
Are you using 1 display?
If I understand you correctly, I don’t need to switch nearly as often as you because I’m using 4 displays, 3 of them 34-inch Ultra Wides.
For display 1, mix console 1, it’s always showing audio/instruments.
For display 2 mix console 2, that display is split…1/2 Project Page, the other half mix console 2. Mix console 1 and 2 are always linked.
For display 3 mix console 3, I switch between all Group Channels, EFX channels, efx return channels, Sub & Stems channels. Note all of those except efx are really group channels, but configured in the left zone.
Mix Console 4 is shared with display 3 mix console 3, and contains midi and more audio in/outs. I don’t use mix console 4 as much as the others.
Display 4 is usually reserved for meters, Supervision, history, and the Channel Edit.
With this said, I make use of Global Work Spaces so on occasion all the above changes, especially when using drum or key editors.
We all have frustrations. It’s best to configure what best works for you. For example, for me, whenever adding a group channel…that channel will show up in mix console 3 for efx return and sub & stems, so I have to often edit via the left zone, and update. It’s a pain, and it’s been reported many times.
Unlike most users, I don’t keep my channels very “slim.” I have found that being able to read all the mix console sends/inserts etc is more beneficial. That means more scrolling, however multiple screens helps as well as classifying each track.
In the Project Page if I don’t want to scroll vertically, I press a Metagird button (ie key command for a macro or PLE) and since my tracks are coded by type for example audio=name of track.aud, group= name of group.grp etc then only those show up, and are also color grouped correctly. If you are synced, then the appropriate mix console should reflect this too.
My normal projects are 100-150 audio tracks. Some of them just a 1-shot. If I were doing thousand track count orchestra stuff, it would be very different.
I’m not against dividers unless it screws something else up. I’m simply trying to make the best of what is currently available.