It's that time again, PT 9 Suggestions!

[TimNielsen]

OK, with 8.03 I finally have a version of PT8 that I can actually USE, bugs are squashed enough that it's for the most part stable. So let's start looking ahead, here are a few things I really really want to see implemented someday:

1) Option to Export Selected Tracks as New Session. It exists for exporting selected tracks as OMF, why not as a PT session? So many times I just need to hand off a couple tracks from my session. As it is, I have to make a new empty session, and then import those tracks. This should be an EASY thing to implement.

2) Volume Graph information, and the option to embed the audio, into an exported region. Without these two things, this feature is completely useless to me. With it, I could use it constantly to send a small group of regions to a colleague.

3) Pan window follows track selection. I just want ONE pan window open, and I want it to have the ability (an option is all I'm saying) to follow my track selection. If I click a mono track, it can change to a mono panner, etc. But I just WANT this, I really do!

4) Fade Files. It's simply time for them to go. They get corrupted. They take time to draw, they waste space, they click and pop on elastic audio tracks, they're in a general a major and completely unnecessary thing with the speed of even the slowest of modern computers. I understand you needed them on a Quadra. You don't now. Fade should just draw a volume graph! Seriously, get rid of Fade Files.

5) Multiple Marker Sets, let's say 4 or 8, that can be shown or hidden independently. Heck, even if I can only view ONE of them I'd be happy. But so many times, I want another set of markers for something completely independent.

6) Fix the dang scrolling bug once and for all. Try this, take and make about 100 tracks in an empty session. Duplicate a blank space, just making a simple single audio file and region. Now take that region from the top track, and try and drag it to the bottommost track. It might take 20 seconds to scroll through all those tracks. Now take it from the bottom track and move it to the top. Maybe 2 seconds. Something is seriously buggy there, and it's painful to use! My sessions routinely have 200 to 250 tracks, and it's nearly impossible to move regions around when it is this slow. I often just start pulling tracks around to get them closer together so I can even move stuff. Seriously, it's a problem, and NO version of PT before 8 did this.

7) the region list should default to show NONE of the stupid extra options that I have to turn off in every single session, OR it should be smart enough to remember my preference. I never want to see 'Color, Timebase, Processing State or File Type, Channel Name, or Scene and Take. And it's a royal pain to have to turn these off on every session I make or get sent.

8) Some way to 'lock' Disk Allocation. I want to take a session, and say 'this is, and must be the location for all audio files used in this session, for every new track, for anything dragged from the finder, etc'. If I drag something from the finder, I want it forced to copy because it knows I'm demanding a single audio file folder be used. I'm good about housekeeping, I am, but this would just be handy.

9) Oh, and fix RTAS and VIs :)

[uno1234]

I just want it to work and be able to trust Digidesign products again. Not a single new feature in more important to me.

[reneo]

And again: folders in you regionbin. And the ability to expand this folder hierarchy to the finder. So you'll have one Audio Files folder and within that a 'Voice Overs', 'Effects', etc folder...

Another one:
RTAS undo, even after a few days and hundreds of edits later, you can undo a rtas render or recall the used settings...

[ronwasserman]

Originally Posted by TimNielsen

4) Fade Files. It's simply time for them to go. They get corrupted. They take time to draw, they waste space, they click and pop on elastic audio tracks, they're in a general a major and completely unnecessary thing with the speed of even the slowest of modern computers. I understand you needed them on a Quadra. You don't now. Fade should just draw a volume graph! Seriously, get rid of Fade Files.

I disagree with this. Some times I have 30-40 tracks and need to fade them all (lets say) 0.3 sec sooner. I can accomplish this in a few seconds with fades. Writing automation to fade that many tracks would take longer.

[relaxo]

Two words....

Freeze Track

What else can shave 4 minutes each off 30 bounces a day?!? That's two hours more on the DUC per day

What else allows you to use 100 reverbs or 100 different VIs in one track?

[jeremyroberts]

Originally Posted by relaxo

Two words....

Freeze Track

What else can shave 4 minutes each off 30 bounces a day?!? That's two hours more on the DUC per day

Quite the contrary for me! My DUC time is when the machines are working/bouncing/playback.

[jeremyroberts]

Originally Posted by TimNielsen

4) Fade Files. It's simply time for them to go. They get corrupted. They take time to draw, they waste space, they click and pop on elastic audio tracks, they're in a general a major and completely unnecessary thing with the speed of even the slowest of modern computers. I understand you needed them on a Quadra. You don't now. Fade should just draw a volume graph! Seriously, get rid of Fade Files.

I don't agree as well. I use fades as a creative function. There's NO WAY that i could recreate the flexibility with automation lines. Well, there is, but not nearly as intuitive or organic.
I sometimes draw automation over a fade.
and crossfades... there's art in there.
Careful what you wish for!

[summit01]

Originally Posted by TimNielsen

4) Fade Files. It's simply time for them to go. They get corrupted. They take time to draw, they waste space, they click and pop on elastic audio tracks, they're in a general a major and completely unnecessary thing with the speed of even the slowest of modern computers. I understand you needed them on a Quadra. You don't now. Fade should just draw a volume graph! Seriously, get rid of Fade Files.

Leave the fades, BUT make them load in background when opening the session.

[midnightrambler]

Fade files are ace! Why would you want some nilly willy automation in there instead? I just want them to work properly with elastic, that's all.

I still laugh when I see that Logic thing - "calculating fades" - every time you first press play on loading. Pile of cr@p.

[Ru_C]

Originally Posted by jeremyroberts

I don't agree as well. I use fades as a creative function. There's NO WAY that i could recreate the flexibility with automation lines. Well, there is, but not nearly as intuitive or organic.
I sometimes draw automation over a fade.
and crossfades... there's art in there.
Careful what you wish for!

I think you are arguing about different things.

The original poster just wanted the removal of fade *files*, not fades as a function (a separate thing from automation of course)

Other DAW's calculate fades realtime in Ram memory, without scattering hundreds of tiny 100k files over your drive.

My main requests for Pro Tools 9 would be..

* Fully assignable key commands, for *all* functions without exception.

* The ability to do more whilst playback is engaged (take protools out of loop mode, activate scrolling, add a track, arm a track etc).

Every other serious DAW has these functions, & PT can feel very old, clunky & unfriendly without them.