Some items to think about

[edemunari]

Hi,
after some initial troubles CopperPhil help me to solve I'd like to post some thought about Copperlan manager improvement. Some are already discussed here but I'd like to summarize my hints all in this mail.

I think Copperlan manager is really helpful especially with Elyseum AL-88 interfaces, but I think we need some more tweaking to get the best.
1. First of all the most requested feature please let us rename the Vmidi port... without this is really a mess managing more than 4 channels, and I have 3 AL-88c 24 channels to address.
2. Please let us choose how many port we wanna use for each midi interface, like the Vmidi ports on Computer, maybe one by one and not in multiple bunch.
3. Let us choose how many midi channels for each port we will use, usually having multiple port interfaces lead us to use one channel per port except for multitimbral synth,
4. The overview page seems cool if you ha few items but if you try to manage 24 channels with the wiring diagram you got a complete disaster, no way to understand where the data flow... especially because every time you change a channel drop setting view all the other square move around...aaaargghhh!!! help us!!! Could I suggest a less magic but more effective view using a stander matrix view? Maybe you could use it also for assigning the path... but I know it could became huge...and so its time for point 5...
5. Connect page ok not bad but I would like to see the port name of the AL-88c not only when I want to connect it but also when I want to check my connection, usually you got only the interface name and not the channel interface name. Please let us see the channel interface connected.

Less important but useful:
6. Already requested somewhere in the forum, a midi monitor
7. a midi transformer for transposing, chord making and so on
9. A midi switcher for switching the snapshot assigning it to a midi controller.

Lat but not least a question/suggestion I can't understand if snapshots are saved on the computer or are broadcast on each computer with copperlan installed, I think the second one should be a great idea.



I think that for now it could be enough, hope being helpful, cheers, Eriberto

[edemunari]

Night nightmare... is there any programming explanation because we can't see the other Copperlan Node, PC or Interfaces, directly as midi port on a PC? a Mac for my pourpose?

I mean, it should be more easy if whenever an interface or a PC is light on I could see it as a MIDI I/O directly in my Software I/O without the needing of connecting to a Vmidi port.

This would be useful when using a Midi Recording Software letting us connect all the other devices as usual for using in stand alone mode plugin or hardware keyboard.

Really enough, cheers, Eriberto



PS: last mail I was talking about STANDARD MATRIX VIEW, sorry for the mismatch word I post... so it was "Could I suggest a less magic but more effective view using a standard matrix view?"

[Copperhead]

Thank you very much for your detailed list.

The answers to your suggestions fall into 3 categories:

1. What depends on the CopperLan Manager application

Renaming the Vmidi ports
This is technically feasible and is planned in the big update of the CPMan. Don't hold your breath, there's no date yet on our agenda.

Improve the overview page
We have plans for a revamped connection and overview system but it is for a big update. In the meantime we'll look at disabling the auto-arrange feature of the overview page.

Manage the snapshot with finer control
This too is on our ToDo list. We plan management in the same way backup tools work: independently selecting what to capture and what to restore. So we know what nees being done but not when it will be.


2. What depends of the interface manufacturer

Set how many ports will be used in a given interface
This depends on what the interface declares. Remember that the CPMan is only a dumb remote control that shows what is to be shown; it cannot modify the product features since it is not dedicated to any specific product or use.
The number of ports to show should be a parameter of the interface itself. (seen and modified via the CPMan). The manufacturer of the interface is responsible for including such option or not.

Set how many channels will be offered in a given port
The answer is the same as above

MIDI monitor feature
To display MIDI activity, the interface should actively report it to the CPMan. (Remember that no MIDI actually flows through the CPMan. You can exit the app and still have all your MIDI flowing.)
Acivity could be reported as any other (dynamic) parameter, but you would have to look at a specific editing location in the product editing tree within the CPMan. To improve things, we could bring all these monitoring points in the global view as color dots or something else.
So the answer is again for the manufacturer to add the feature in his product, but there is some job for us too if we want to make it more user-friendly to watch.


3. What could be done as an app or within a dedicated hardware or interface

MIDI data processing features
Transpose, filtering etc are features that can be implemented within a hardware (typically an interface) or as dedicated apps.
Since there is no MIDI going to the CPMan, it could only be involved as being the remote control of such app if CopperLan based.
There are existing apps to process MIDI. These connect via Vmidi ports as any other MIDI app.

[edemunari]

Hi CopperPhil,
thanks for your explanation, I think that It's wonderful you consider our hints so and that you mostly agree with my thought. I could understand that all this need time, but I think also that, even if some better configuring tools could be amazing, at the end you do this just one time and so at the present Is enough that Coperlan is solid and rocking as it is.

Just to know what dpi you think about, maybe I miss them:
Snapshots are saved on a computer basis or are broadcast on each computer Copperlan connected, I think the second one should be a great idea.

Is there any technical reason because I have to use Vmidi Port to connect an interface to my Mac instead of seeing it directly as midi i/o in the software midi channel chooser?

cheers, Eriberto

[verstaerker]

i'm having a hard time keep the overview .. why changing between overview and connect window? for me this is one screen where i should be able to drag cables - the cables should rearrangeable, changeable in color and should have a custom naming if wanted