import mp3?

[traumatek]

Would it ben possible to have Orion import mp3 samples to audio tracks?

Secondly, am I right that each audio file imported for an audio track, has to be on a separate audio track?
i.e you drag a vocal wav onto the playlist and an audio track is created
drag another onto that track and instead of going on there, it is forced onto another track. Is that the only way?

Thirdly - was there not a way to hide audio tracks? I'm using a VST that adds masses to the mixer, making it a pain to work with
I thought this was added?
If not, could it be??? Surely loads of people must want this??

Lastly - can someone remind me where the EQ is on the mixer!?? I've been using my older version, now cant find it in 8.5

[Lance]

Importing of .mp3 is currently not possible. It's a pretty unprofessional lossy format anyway (and it's not good for sample accurate syncing either as it adds delays to the file at the beginning). I recommend to batch-process all your MP3s what you want to use for importing.

There's no limit, a single Audio Track can take plenty of different files.

You can't hide Audio Track, just mixer strips of multiout VSTis/generators.

IMO sometimes it's much better to use the Sampler or the DrumRack for incorporating audio into a song.

Is the EQ hidden at you? Then click on its window menu icon, Show/Hide EQ is there. Where's the window menu icon of a given a generator, effect or mixer? Downward arrow on the left side of the window title bar.

[traumatek]

Good points re mp3. Yeah, I agree.

'You can't hide Audio Track, just mixer strips of multiout VSTis/generators'

sorry, I meant multiout VSTis/generators
Right-clicking doesn't show this option - where else can it be found?


'There's no limit, a single Audio Track can take plenty of different files'
Hmmm. I'll try again. I couldnt seem to get that to happen


'Is the EQ hidden at you? Then click on its window menu icon, Show/Hide EQ is there. Where's the window menu icon of a given a generator, effect or mixer? Downward arrow on the left side of the window title bar'

I see the EQ 'led' on the mixer, but that's it. Clicking it just turned the light on/off (as usual)
I couldnt find the show/hide EQ on the mixer, ie. expand it out.
It wasnt in right-click either. I'm probably not looking somewhere obvious!??

Thanks!

[Lance]

The downward arrow icons in Orion with the new custom window GUI are much important than you'd think from their small size and 'slight appearance'! It seems their usage is not so obvious. They are menu trigger buttons for every windows of Mixer/Master, Instruments and Effects. You can access many important tasks and options through them e.g. the presets or sidechain inputs for the Effects.


The EQ visibility switch (available on Master too):


The Generator/Instrument menu (Go to the Generator Settings item for the Mixer channel visibility settings of a multiout VST):


The visible Mixer channels settings (you can set the numbers):

[Christophe]

'You can't hide Audio Track, just mixer strips of multiout VSTis/generators'
Right-clicking doesn't show this option - where else can it be found?

Where's the window menu icon of a given a generator, effect or mixer? Downward arrow on the left side of the window title bar'
I couldnt find the show/hide EQ on the mixer, ie. expand it out.

you can hide multi output vsti channel by clicking the setting generator icon
you can hide/show by clicking the little arow at the top left on the mixer channel window

[Christophe]

thanks you Lance, nice post, i can't do it better at the office

[HYPNAGOGIA]

'You can't hide Audio Track, just mixer strips of multiout VSTis/generators'

sorry, I meant multiout VSTis/generators
Right-clicking doesn't show this option - where else can it be found?

'There's no limit, a single Audio Track can take plenty of different files'
Hmmm. I'll try again. I couldnt seem to get that to happen

This is what happens when people dont't bother to read the manual.

For generator settings, check Reference Guide -> Generators -> Guide (Generators) -> sections "The Generator Settings window" and "The VST Instrument Settings window".
For basic Audio Track operations, check Reference Guide -> Generators -> Audio Track.

There's a line, first sentence of the first paragraph under the image, that says "WAV files are added by left-clicking it's track in the Playlist window"... hard to miss.

'Is the EQ hidden at you? Then click on its window menu icon, Show/Hide EQ is there. Where's the window menu icon of a given a generator, effect or mixer? Downward arrow on the left side of the window title bar'

I see the EQ 'led' on the mixer, but that's it. Clicking it just turned the light on/off (as usual)
I couldnt find the show/hide EQ on the mixer, ie. expand it out.
It wasnt in right-click either. I'm probably not looking somewhere obvious!??

This seems to be the only part that's missing from the help file: what those things on every window in entire Orion are. Never tried clicking them?

[Christophe]

i disagree with you : orion 8 is less user friendly than orion 7
those little arrows are just meaningless !

[HYPNAGOGIA]

i disagree with you : orion 8 is less user friendly than orion 7
those little arrows are just meaningless !

I agree about the arrows, but even if you didn't know what they are, you would never wonder? Or try clicking on them? Or just wonder where all the options went from the instruments' toolbars, or why every single thing (except for Playlist and Event Editors) has that arrow in their titlebar?

It just seems improbable that a person knowing all that stuff was there, wouldn't wonder where it is now, and more so for the simple fact that there's an actual change in the looks (that arrow pointing down, I guess it just reads to me like "drop down menu", I don't know) would think it's there for "cosmetic" reasons. If you haven't noticed, all elements that are present inside Orion are first and foremost there for functional reasons, as they all do something. If I didn't know anything but the fact that "everything does something" on the elemental level, first inclination would be to click it and see what it does. Well, first I'd read the manual and see if it says anything about things. But there's no reason to be afraid to click on things - not like anything will break.

[Lance]

i disagree with you : orion 8 is less user friendly than orion 7
those little arrows are just meaningless !

Well, it may be. It may depends on the users too.

Old users have to relearn the UI a bit. New users will start to learn it now. Orion is still much easier to master than the other DAWs.

I'm just learning an audio-oriented software right now to assist Orion with it. It has much more little switches and buttons and thingies than Orion, but I'm exploring them very rapidly, simply because I try to click on everything which seems to be a switch or something.

[Christophe]

you will not believe me but i asked some months ago how to hide EQ
and some days ago how to link transport buttons to hardware
and learn recently that the option to copy all, hidden from the menu in v8, is CTRL-SHIFT-C !

[Lance]

and learn recently that the option to copy all, hidden from the menu in v8, is CTRL-SHIFT-C !

Me too. I never used that shortcut before as there was a copy dialog.

There was a shortcut wallpaper floating around years before. It would be worth to dig it up. But additionally the Copy All item must get into the Edit menu along with its shortcut notice, otherwise new users won't find out this 3-button shortcut on their own by accident and will use to keep asking how to copy all or requestin to add copy all or at worst they don't ask but think Orion is so limited as there's not even a common copy all and uninstall the demo.

[Kriminal]

There was a shortcut wallpaper floating around years before. It would be worth to dig it up.

http://www.novakill.com/orion.htm

[traumatek]

Lance (and cc) - many thanks for the very clear explanation! As you note, I'd missed how key those arrows are

Hypna - 'This is what happens when people dont't bother to read the manual'
yes, but the designer knows full well that most may not bother to read a manual
The bottom line is that some of the options are not all that intuitive.

or of course I could say 'that's what happens when the manual becomes a pdf that's silently installed with the updated version'
;o)

If I hope to hide a mixer channel, then it's most obvious to right click on that and hope it hides
same for the EQ.
Right clicking on the mixer, the EQ or the EQ LED gives no option to hide/un-hide. Perhaps it should do?


'what those things on every window in entire Orion are. Never tried clicking them?'
Hypna
yes, of course I have, but in earlier versions, or I forgot what was in there.


At the end of the day, a more intuitive system will have more users - good for all
My last few experiences with Orion have been
- the drum machine 'fit' causing a bug
- the sampler filter cut-off with a bug (may not be Orion's fault)
- and several changed aspects of the mixer etc not being intuitive
It's still my #1 software, but comments here are designed to help, not just be critical

cc
'and learn recently that the option to copy all, hidden from the menu in v8, is CTRL-SHIFT-C !'
I keep forgetting that! things should all be in the menus etc where possible IMO


hypna
'It just seems improbable that a person knowing all that stuff was there, wouldn't wonder where it is now'
sure, but the fact is, I wasnt sure where they were and couldnt easily find them
Now, unless I'm particularly dim, then that tells you something
The intuitive workflow was what sucked many of us in to use Orion in the first place
I've tried other software like Ableton and Cubase, but didnt continue because the workflows were not intuitive

[Christophe]

hypna you forget that some people can't read english !
using a software : yes, reading a manual : no