Teething problems with the Raven

RE;  - I am currently working on uploading some new icons to use in the mix window.


Hi Trevor , Thanks for your helpful reply .....,
Yes that is good news that you are working on some New Icons , and I am sure they will be well received by the users , thank you.


RE; - It sounds like you are attempting to open the icon palette with single touch. In order to open the Icon Palette you must "Press and Hold" the area below the track name.

Yes , you are correct in this assumption , thank you for pointing me in the right path Trevor .


I  must point out though , in the MTi users manual there is no mention that you must "press and hold" , it only mentions "touch" , and as a new user already on a learning curve - this caused me many hours of aggravation (of not having the Icon window work as it should) to the point where I stopped using the Raven so I could get a project finished. This was at a big cost to me in both time and stress levels . 

The MTi Users Manual (pdf) needs to be amendedto show the "correct instructions" . This is the 2nd instance where I have had to "guess and fail in my objective" - because the users manual was not specific enough or give correct instructions. I do understand that creating a perfect users manual is difficult to create in its first instance, but the end result must be proofread many times over - to include ALL the exact steps, and the descriptions should also be written in such a way that they leave the reader confident to move forward with that next task . If the reader still has any questions or doubts or difficulties , then the manual did not give cover the next step sufficiently enough.
The biggest problem often created by Manual "Authors" who are already experts on their given subject ...., is they often forget to "fine detail" their steps of instruction. Manuals need to be "idiot proof" - Some steps or gestures which are simple and obvious to the expert Author, is often "unknown territory" to a first time user .., so these fine details are of the utmost importance ( they also dramatically cut down the workload of tech support staff at a later date by avoiding unnecessary Support Tickets)



RE - If you click on the "custom" tab in the Icon palette you will be prompted with Finder, from there just select the image file you would like to load in.

Again thank you for this tip Trevor, (which BTW , is also not covered in the manual) ..., I must add to your valuable tip (from advice noted last night - in a previous Raven thread) ...., that many users have had difficulties loading photos into the Raven.....,


- and the best advice was to only load .png photos ..., but there are users still having difficulties with this also . So the next advice was to take SCREENSHOTS in .png format - and it was these SCREENSHOTS (in .png format) that apparently loaded trouble free into the Raven 



- The 4 Character display is a HUI limitation, that is the only way to display track names right now. In future versions of RAVEN we hope to change this. If you are having difficulty distinguishing tracks in the mix window I would recommend using the "show comments" button.

Thanks for explaining the HUI limitation , It would be great so see this limitation change in the future .


Q - I just have a question regarding the show comments feature -In my Raven


..., When the show comments button on the Raven is pressed .., my original customised P.T "track name" along with "half" of that tracks comments window(as seen in pro Tools mix page)  "pops up" to be displayed - which is great


-But I need confirmation that this is working correctly as intended ? ..., because the display location of this "pop-up" , is directly below the -30db indicator on the Ravens fader , which obscures the lower portion of the Ravens touch fader . Is this correct intended location and behaviour ?


because ................,  I think this needs to be located ; so that MY customised Pro-Tools track name (that uses all the detailed 8 letter slots allowed by pro tools) sits directly over (and covers completely)  the Ravens 4 digit generic track name ...........,  and also so that the Pro tools comments box completely covers the Ravens black space below the track name (where icons are placed) .


The advantages of this is that ;


1- we can retain our customised " favorite" track names using all the 8 letters that pro tools allows , ( No offence intended , but IMHO the Raven names are too generic and confusing to use and are a waste of GUI real estate IMHO , So Id much prefer to have these covered by the pro tools track name any day , as to me - these are names that each user has developed over years for their own workflow ease . 


2 - The pro Tools comments window covering that black space where the icon reside would also be great for me - because I already have the details i want written here on my previous projects (and from others handed to me for mixing)


..., but another great advantage is that the original P.T comments window is coloured with the users chosen customised track colour , and I much prefer this over an icon , as for me - having this extra flash of colour there at the bottom of the screen (where Im used to seeing it) - along with my customised P.T track name showing above it >>>  IMHO stands out much more to me than the icons do ..., and this is how I am used to working .

- and for a real match made in heaven ...., I,d also try to include the BOLD Colour strip that is usually seen below the comments window on pro tools mix page (even if you had to slightly shrink the whole Raven overlay to fit it in ).




Pro tools worked on their GUI for "many years" to make it as easy on the eyes while maximising workflow , and P.T users also customised their own personal workflows around this , and IMHO the Raven should retain this user familiarity no matter what , and any other changes (like icons) should be optional IMO....,
The Ravens concept on it own (ie; touch screen capabilities, low latency, construction,batch commands) is already exceptional ground breaking stuff, and already exceeds its position against traditional controllers increasing workflow speeds in many ways ..., but please dont forget Protools users already had a workflow before the raven , and IMHO that workflow can be greatly be enhanced by the Raven..., or hindered , So I do think that it is super important to retain maximum pro Tools familiarity for those that want it.


Id put the question out to all the Ravens current users , and potential new customers and ask THEM what their preferences for this would be.  ..., this question needs to be asked to find out ?



Thank you for your helpful tips Trevor , and also thank you for your comments , and for listening 


best regards
David.