Zen features requests

[Big Tick]

[EDIT]: closed - Feature requests are now handled at uservoice.


Let's use this thread for features requests. I already have 1:

for each plugin, display the number of available presets on the server

[asseca]

Place the "Offline Mode" setting on the main Zen-screen, so one can set/monitor it immediately.

[edit]Maybe a "monitor online/offline" LED would suffice.[/edit]

[bM3w]

A button next to each VSTi (name in the list) to switch it on and off.



PS: Tick, I got your email, but hadn't had time to answer it yet. Will do it tonight. Thanks!

[Big Tick]

A button next to each VSTi (name in the list) to switch it on and off.

How different is this from the list of vstis in the setup page ?

[Big Tick]

Place the "Offline Mode" setting on the main Zen-screen, so one can set/monitor it immediately.

[edit]Maybe a "monitor online/offline" LED would suffice.[/edit]

Will do !

[bM3w]

A button next to each VSTi (name in the list) to switch it on and off.

How different is this from the list of vstis in the setup page ?

It's more about activating/deactivating the plugins GUI window and get a visual indication which plugin is currently active.

I have something like a little LED toggle next to the plugin name in mind. In inactive state it would be red. Active, but without actually loading the GUI it could be yellow and green when active and GUI window open.

Does that make sense?

[Big Tick]

It's more about activating/deactivating the plugins GUI window and get a visual indication which plugin is currently active.

I have something like a little LED toggle next to the plugin name in mind. In inactive state it would be red. Active, but without actually loading the GUI it could be yellow and green when active and GUI window open.

ok I understand. This requires some more thought. I usually try to apply a "less is more" principle to UI design, so you don't need a red LED to show an inactive state - just no LED at all.

Back to the plugin tag, there are 3 reasons why a tag is displayed:
- to allow searching for presets with this tag
- to allow tagging a preset
- to let you know that the tag is there

In the case of the "plugin" tag:
- inactive plugins obviously bring no results in the search
- you can't (actually, you can, but it is bug - please don't do it ) change the plugin tag of a preset. It doesn't really make sense to take a synth1 preset and tag it as zebra, does it ?

so the reason why inactive plugins are shown in the list of plugins tags is only the 3rd one: to let you know when a new plugin is supported.

Regarding your request, I still don't really understand why this feedback is needed, because:
- when you select a preset, the plugin tag for the preset becomes highlighted. So you have the feedback that the plugin is active, without the GUI
- when you double click the preset, well, the GUI opens - so you see the GUI. Why should additional feedback be needed ? Maybe I'm missing something...

Oh, and while we are on the subject of plugin tags: behind the scenes, Zen will also keep a list of plugins compatible with each other - so that, for example, ZebraCM presets will be tagged with both "Zebra" and "ZebraCM", and found in searches for both.

[bM3w]

Well, yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe it's just the habit to have a particular button/toggle to open and close the GUI of a plugin.

However I noticed that whenever I double-click a preset ZEN opens a new instance of the corresponding plugin. In practice I can open 2 or more GUIs of the same plugin, while only the last one is active and switching between the other instances won't activate them. Shouldn't ZEN automatically close the last instance before another one is opened?



new feature request: up/down arrow keys for switching between presets in the result list.

[asseca]

new feature request: up/down arrow keys for switching between presets in the result list.

+1
Or maybe:

• up/down arrow keys to move to prev/next preset
• ENTER key to load preset
• Shift+ENTER to load preset+open its GUI
• +/- keys to move+load presets

[Big Tick]

What happens when you select a preset:
- if the previously selected preset was for the same synth, then the existing instance is reused. The new preset data is sent to the existing instance.
- otherwise Zen tries to load an instance from the cache of the previous synths, and instantiantes a new one if none is found.

In the first case, if the plugin UI was open, it stays open - unless the new selected preset is a commercial one.

In any case, you shouldn't be able to get 2 plugins UI's. If you did, please tell me how you did it

Regarding your request for keyboard shortcuts, I will add it but keep in mind that vst and keyboard shortcuts don't go along well - as some hosts have their own hooks for the keyboard. So this might not work in every host.

'Tick

[bM3w]

In any case, you shouldn't be able to get 2 plugins UI's. If you did, please tell me how you did it

Oh that's easy!

1) Double-click preset "Arp 303 Drive" for Sylenth1. Sylenth1 GUI opens with preset "Arp 303 Drive".

2) Leave Sylenth1 GUI open, go back to ZEN and double click preset "Arp 303 Pulse". Now another Sylenth1 GUI with this preset opens, but the previous one stays open as well and changes it's preset to "Arp 303 Pulse".

I can replicate that with every preset and every plugin. It does it since the first beta.

new feature request: up/down arrow keys for switching between presets in the result list.

+1
Or maybe:

• up/down arrow keys to move to prev/next preset
• ENTER key to load preset
• Shift+ENTER to load preset+open its GUI
• +/- keys to move+load presets

Yes, perfect!

Regarding your request for keyboard shortcuts, I will add it but keep in mind that vst and keyboard shortcuts don't go along well - as some hosts have their own hooks for the keyboard. So this might not work in every host.

True, but u-he Zebra for example does it well. As soon as you click on the Zebra GUI and go to Patches you can browse through the list with the up/down keys. Just don't ask me how Urs did it, but it seems you are as talented as him, so I assume you'll accomplish that function, too

[bM3w]

[feature request]: add tag SOUNDSET NAME

Many sound designer give their patch libraries names, which I'd like to tag to it's presets.

[Big Tick]

: add tag SOUNDSET NAME
Many sound designer give their patch libraries names, which I'd like to tag to it's presets.

Yes. I think this will be easily done will level2 tags (as subtags of the designer). So when clicking on a designer name, all the banks made by this designer will be highlighted. And because any level 2 tag can be combined with any level 1, it makes it possible to have libraries names shared across several designers.

This means the only thing that's needed is the UI for creating level 2 tags in the designers list.

'Tick

[Big Tick]

Or maybe it's better if we have another list with the soundsets - not linked to the designers list. Both are possible, and quite easy actually, but we must get it right because it will be hard to change afterward.

[asseca]

Or maybe it's better if we have another list with the soundsets - not linked to the designers list. Both are possible, and quite easy actually, but we must get it right because it will be hard to change afterward.

+1