Edit wheel, the long asked for trim scrub function? Advances?

[Jules]

Come on digi, it's a bore to have to pop out of scrub the whole time, & trim scrub doesn't operate on the ProControl edit wheel. There have been 2 revisions of PT since the feature was available in the program. Digi - you promised not to leave the ProControl behind, whats going on here? YOU HAVE!
http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif
Jules

[This message has been edited by Jules (edited January 31, 2001).]

[John McDaniel]

Ditto... me too... second that emotion.

AND

I keep hearing things every few months from my regional rep about a trackball replacement option for the ashtray.... er... I mean track pad.

Gannon?

Anybody?

[Chris Lambrechts]

yes PELEEEEEZZZZZZZZZ

------------------
Chris Lambrechts
digi, is this one OK ???
(no I'm not a member or employee there, I don't even know them but they try to add their 2 cents ............ and I support them doing that)
http://www.copyrightcontrol.com/Clients.asp

[PTPerson]

Ashtray, that's hysterical!!, now replacing that useless trackpad with a trackball would be a great idea!!!!.

I can't see why this wouldn' t be possible.

[John McDaniel]

I've been told that what prevents an easy trackball option for the ashtray is that there is metal underneath that would have to be cut away to accomodate the additional depth required for the trackball. It's not an easy field installable thing. I say give me a hack saw and let me at it!!

j mcd

[Jules]

Gannon?
Digi?
Come on guys! Get back to us here!
Jules

[Chris Lambrechts]

http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif IT IS NOT IN 5.1 http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif

------------------
Chris Lambrechts
digi, is this one OK ???
(no I'm not a member or employee there, I don't even know them but they try to add their 2 cents ............ and I support them doing that)
http://www.copyrightcontrol.com/Clients.asp

'coz its on the edit pack???????
now that's an expensive ball............

'coz its on the edit pack???????
now that's an expensive ball............

[gk]

Hi all,

Trim/scrub didn't make it into 5.1, you're right. We managed to get over 120 new features into the 5.1 app, which is our largest release ever, but this feature isn't one of them. Trim/scrub is high on the list of what to get done and if it were trivial to do we would have done it already. Don't worry about ProControl being left behind! That is not going to happen at all, It's just a matter of what we can accomplish and when, but we will get it done.

As for the trackball in ProControl, we do not have the solution in hand for a retrofit of the trackpad. I'll be honest and say that the liklihood of it happening is pretty low, due to the difficulty and invasivness to the top cover. We have been looking at possible ways around it, but haven't come up with a practical solution.

Sorry for the disappointing news.

-GK

[Chris Lambrechts]

Sjoko, you're backbuttoning again http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/grin.gif http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/grin.gif

------------------
Chris Lambrechts
digi, is this one OK ???
(no I'm not a member or employee there, I don't even know them but they try to add their 2 cents ............ and I support them doing that)
http://www.copyrightcontrol.com/Clients.asp

[John McDaniel]

Gannon sez:

Don't worry about ProControl being left behind! That is not going to happen at all, It's just a matter of what we can accomplish and when, but we will get it done.

Ahem.... err... uh...

excuse me, but...

The ProControl HAS been left behind.

TWICE: when 5.0 was introduced in 1999 and now with the intro of 5.1. Sorry Gannon, but the facts must be made clear here.

regards, j mcd

[Jules]

One excuse after another, bit depressing,
Jules

[Greg Malcangi]

Hi Gannon,

<< We managed to get over 120 new features into the 5.1 app >>

While I'm very pleased with my ProControl and PT in general, I do have one question:

I'm sure looking forward to some of the new features but don't you think it makes sense to get the existing features working correctly before adding new ones?

Greg

[Jules]

5.1.1 bump
http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif

[gk]

I hate to tell you that it didn't make it into 5.1.1 either, Jules et al. I'm sorry. This was one of those incredibly painful decisions to make but the amount of engineering time versus other bug fixes and features pushed this one out again. Not much more to say about it than that other than I wish it were already done.

-Gannon Kashiwa
Control Surfaces Product Manager
Digidesign

[John McDaniel]

Folks:

The only thing you can do is make a stink about this if you want something done. Write a real letter on paper to Digi. Corner reps at demos. Walk up to people like Rockwell, LeBolt, & Abowd et al at AES and tell them exactly what you want and why. Be polite, but firm. Unfortunately, when things go this long unresolved, they tend to fall further and further down the to do list. I'm sure my rep that's been telling me that a trackball solution for the PC was in the works repeated what he'd been told. Alas, the trackball solution was the Edit Pak; not a fix for the original Pro Control. This applies to a number of shortcomings on the original control section of the PC. The fix is an expensive, space consuming module that is VERY difficult to justify if a particular workstation is not doing surround.

Gannon:

You've been honest and forthright in this forum. That's appreciated. It would be nice if you'd comment a little more often, but I'm sure that you're very busy and you probably tend to this forum on your own time.

Here's what I think we PC users want from you: a bit more of an advocacy attitude. As product manager of the ProControl you need take the approach that the complete satisfaction of the end user is important to the success of your product. Tell us that you are going into the next meeting and start banging on the table with your shoe and making a point about some of these issue on our behalf. Then come back and tell us that they told you to **** off, cuz it ain't never gonna happen.

After a recent demo of 5.1, I waited until everyone had left and then reminded the rep that if Digi wanted to sell ProControls as a result of these demos, he was going to have to touch it at least ONCE during the entire evening. Get these guys some time on PCs so they have at least minimal chops on them!

later, j mcd

[gk]

Thanks for your comments, John.

You're right, I do surf the DUC on my own time, hence some lapses in my attentiveness to it. Sorry about that. As far as being an advocate, I am very pro ProControl and my stance is clear. I have 3 systems at my studio now and am an avid user (of more than just the faders!) I try to teach people to use it as deeply as possible, but as is evidenced by some of our demos, some people are quite happy mousing around instead of really using it.

Your point about getting things on the agenda is well taken. We, as a group, try to work things out in a way that makes the most sense for the platform at large but let me tell you, that process is not easy and always calls for painful compromises of one sort or another. It's one of the worst parts of the job - having to do something that you know is going to make some people unhappy, sometimes *really* unhappy. Or worse, not being able to do something that folks will really be psyched about. The point is, stamping my feet to get something I think is important done isn't really the answer. More resources is the answer. There is a person behind every line of code and piece of hardware that makes the magic we all enjoy and make our livings from.

I am doing my best to be the ProControl advocate you want and I appreciate all of your support.

Thanks!

-GK