Boray's new invention for non-motorized faders

[Boray]

Wouldn't you like to be able to load a song, press a scene button and then be able to begin mixing right away instead of go checking virtual fader values...? With motorized faders you can, (as they move to the virtual value right away), but you could just as well have been able to do that with non-motorized faders as well... How?

Instead of the way it works now, it could work like this:
Every time you move a fader upp, then the virtual value (the "real fader value") will just be increased. Every time you move a fader down, then the virtual value will just be decreased. In other words, the fader position and the value don't have to match.

There could be two extra buttons to make this work smoothly:

"Bypass"; While holding it down, you can move any fader without adjusting the value at all. Example: If you want to increase the value more and the fader allready is at the top, just hold down "bypass" while moving down, release bypass and continue to increase. Just like lifting up a computer mouse.

"Jump to"; While holding it down, you jump to the exact value of the fader you move. Just like the faders works today. Example: You want to set the value to 0: Hold down "jump to" and drag the fader all the way down.


This would solve a lot of problems. All faders are used for at least two different things at the same time: The input mixer and the track mixer. With my invention, you could just switch to the input mixer, decrease an input value some, switch back and imediately increase the track that uses the same fader. You would be able to press a scene button and then start to adjust some track level right away. Unlinking stereo tracks to two mono tracks would be much smoother - You could hold down shift to adjust the "R" channel and then right away release shift and adjust the "L" channel. You could use it as a fake "Att:" so that all your faders sits at about the same level.

I think it would be possible for Roland to make an software upgrade for the VS1680 to have this invention as an option (in the system settings where you can set "fader" to "jump to" etc.) Then two of the more unused buttons (for example EZ routing and one more) could be used as the "bypass" and "jump to" buttons. I think many would pay Roland for this upgrade. But I don't think Roland would implement it.... Maybe in some new low-cost DAW... It's probably best to have it as an option because it would probably be a bit confusing if you don't know that it works this way.

Or any new DAW or digital mixer with non-motorized faders could use this idea. (They are welcome to pay me some money for it! )



Some other ideas for new DAWs or digital mixers to reduce price by not having motorized faders:

* Have only one motorized fader! No other faders! For every channel there is a button. By pressing this button, this channel is now assigned to the fader. It changes to the value and by changing it, you change the value of that channel... Until you press another button for another channel.

* Have NO faders at all - just a small "jogwheel" and a stripe of LEDs showing the fader level. As in the "one motorized fader" idea, every channel has a button. Press the button for a channel and this jogwheel+LEDs are assigned to this track. You see the level on the leds and by rotating the jogwheel, you alter the tracks level.

These two ideas could be combined with having a led stripe indicator for every channel or some other display.

/Anders

[volltreffer]

I already thought of your jogwheel idea quite a while ago - IMO, it would make even more sense to use something like a tiny conveyor strip: a rubber band placed on some wheels with the leds beside it. You'd have a more 'fader-like feeling', and it would be a cheap as a normal fader anyway... You'd even be able to use optical decoders (and though we own Roland machines we know they CAN be built well) instead of resistor faders who might have some problems in the long sight if not produced very well...

(Wanted to write a patent application on that topic, to see whether it might work, but the idea seems to be out in the public already )

aXel

[Boray]

That's a cool idea with the conveyor strip, Axel!!!

/Anders