UI / UX oddity - suggestion

Perhaps not fixing as such, but rather an option in preference as to whether to behave as it currently does, or as you would rather it did.

Often times I have encoders/sliders mapped to Pianoteq parameters, so I’m adjusting lots of things I may not be seeing in the UI. Morphed ingredient ratios, note attack envelope, and mallet bounce are a few I usually have mapped. That might just be me though. I tend to play pianoteq more like a synth than a piano sometimes.

Interesting and excellent idea Antonio, no rant - but lots of text - hope this helps interest in your idea, which I think is a very good one..

although I would expect this to be a choice - if it's possible, if added. There are good reasons for that (example below // I definitely get where you're coming from with it, but indeed I feel it's not true to say there is no reason to not automatically lock all note-edit changes). I expect deep alterations to evolve with further editing - BUT love the idea of disallowing it in specific note-edits.. so support the idea - the only diff is that I prefer to have the selective choice over when to apply it.

I could envisage it as a new 'brush' (or toggle) in note-edit panels.. by editing while the locking brush/toggle is selected, only those ranges remain locked against any other edits from the front end control sliders etc.. AND/OR a global toggle in 'Freeze' panel "automatically apply Freeze to all note-edit changes" (they will no longer evolve with subsequent control slider changes etc.).

Currently, I don't see a reason for it to be set for all users as a universally 'on' setting, for most use cases. Here's one reason, as an example:

1st step.. go to 'note edit', alter 'sympathetic resonance' (large changes so you will clearly see.. I chose to move the 3 default anchor points into a full V shape). Leave the note-edit panel showing..

Sympathetic Resonance = [3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.95, 3.67, 3.39, 3.13, 2.88, 2.64, 2.42, 2.20, 2.00, 1.81, 1.63, 1.46, 1.30, 1.15, 1.01, 0.88, 0.76, 0.65, 0.55, 0.46, 0.38, 0.31, 0.24, 0.19, 0.14, 0.08, 0.02, 0.02, 0.07, 0.10, 0.14, 0.19, 0.25, 0.32, 0.39, 0.47, 0.57, 0.67, 0.79, 0.91, 1.04, 1.19, 1.34, 1.51, 1.69, 1.88, 2.08, 2.29, 2.51, 2.75, 3.00, 3.26, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53, 3.53]

Next, on the front control, move the 'sympathetic resonance' slider and you see the changes you made remain.. but are 'quantized'.. you may see your 'shape' or outstanding 'dips/peaks' all just squash or stretch. Your edits are there, but moving rationally along with 'new edits' you make.

Sympathetic Resonance = [0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.93, 0.86, 0.80, 0.74, 0.68, 0.62, 0.57, 0.52, 0.47, 0.43, 0.38, 0.34, 0.31, 0.27, 0.24, 0.21, 0.18, 0.15, 0.13, 0.11, 0.09, 0.07, 0.06, 0.04, 0.03, 0.02, 0.01, 0, 0.02, 0.02, 0.03, 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, 0.09, 0.11, 0.13, 0.16, 0.19, 0.21, 0.25, 0.28, 0.32, 0.36, 0.40, 0.44, 0.49, 0.54, 0.59, 0.65, 0.71, 0.77, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83, 0.83]

(select those paragraphs, copy, then right-click paste into the note-edit Sympathetic Resonance panel to see them)..

You see I lowered the front main control for sympathetic resonance, and it squashed flatter the big V shape.

I want that to happen, generally. It's more reality based.. and indeed, whilst it's good to consider sticking to many small alterations (to get a great realistic sound you like), it's also valid to make enormous changes to certain things.. and to lock those entirely may be destructive to some types of future edits, and for possibly most use cases.

In a way, the choice to lock the deep note-edits may be a good thing, but still should be a choice. Without that choice, it would indeed completely break how just the above sympathetic resonance edits work (this works really well IMHO and let's not break it).

The idea of a ubiquitous undo list could be part of that choice (and maybe a fun challenge for Modartt - possibly a quite good improvement being able to undo various things after the list grew.. esp. if also within that meta undo tool, you could also toggle between calculating with 'note-edits locked' or not.. just doing that alone might provide quite interesting and valuable results.).

Nice ideas!!

I agree that separate undo/redo list for each panel will be best. However, if Modartt want to stick with the global undo, an acceptable solution could be to OPEN and pop ON TOP the panel which is undo'ed, so one could undo/redo and SEE what is changing. It think this is a must which will be okay for everybody

I now think I see what you mean - you mostly wish to be able to return to a definite 'state' in a previous edit.. more to do with undo entirely.. but possibly you also exposed a good new option for developing the note-edit panel.

Re undo options, like the idea of allowing user choice, to toggle 'freeze note-edits' 100% (or maybe even allow 50% or other fine grained percentile measures of this for really fluid work), or allow normal quantization of note-edits...

Re undo.. perhaps a choice for 'normal undo' or 'undo list' could be possible. I've used various software products which allowed both ways of working.. sometimes I like to open a long list and undo something particular (photoshop and several other image editing titles are probably the ones most will know of) - but mostly I end up working normally in those kinds of tools - adjusting workflow so I don't need to resort to those too often. But, we all work better and enjoy what we each do. If choice is possible, doable etc.. I just always think of the good old "why not both?".

Over time, a lot of these kinds of things make it into the products - and I think good engineering is in the Modartt DNA, as they often provide several strategic ways to do things in the end.. Just thinking both these things could be quite cool options to have some day

Now that I could get behind.

"I had your idea" over night probably because I read your comment - thank you.

(I still prefer my original suggestion but it seems to have found some resistance.)

There's already something we can do to discover what our Ctrl + Z will do.. with a 1 second mouse click on the 'undo button' - I only recently discovered that

If I'm quickly undoing anything, I don't mind trusting I know I'm undoing the last thing I did.. but if I get up and walk away for a break, return and fail to remember exactly what my last edit was..

then just click and hold for a second on the undo button to see the item - and a handy 'copy' and 'freeze' function is there also.

So, looks like the bones for further functionality exists therein. Given that we can do that, maybe a full list of undos could be built in over time.

Nah I don't think it's the Jankman level of jank UX happening in Pianoteq.

That said I do agree with your last proposal about popping up the relevant panel when executing undo, if it was closed. That makes a lot of sense.