Master Volume control (in 10.1.0)

[jkowtko]

Mike,

It would be really, really useful to have some master volume controls available that could be hot-key assigned, and probably also have mouse controls on the screen. Namely:

- Volume up/down
* affects all tracks that are playing. Proportionally adjusts the volume
of each output device on each track. For keyboard, movements
can be done in small increments, e.g. 30 increments to go from
0db to -oo. Or, have an option setting that lets you specify how
many increments on the volume scale.

- Pause / Resume
* affects all tracks that are playing.

SCS currently has Stop (Esc), but the others will be critically useful when running music tracks. Right now I have to give the music director direct access to some of the input channel faders on the main board, which is a difficult thing to do (for physical placement reasons as well as sound control issues). If he had these controls available directly on the PC it would be a tremendous convenience, and would eliminate the need to have an interim sound board that handles 8 channels of I/O ...!

If you like this idea, our next musical with tracks is coming up in May ... would be great to have this by then.

Thanks. John

[jkowtko]

Mike, I thought of a "better" way for this feature to work, that blends in with current functionality --

* Enhance the Level Change cue type to allow you to specify "All running cues" vs a single cue.
* When you do this, the fade/pan options will be different than for a single cue. Instead you will be able to specify a percentage relative change in volume (up or down) which will affect all cues that are playing.
* I can then define "volume up" and "volume down" cues with hotkeys so to allow the volume to be controlled by the keyboard.
* If possible, add the arrow keys on the keyboard to the list of hotkeys that can be selected.

This seems more consistent in design with the "Fade Out" cue type which lets you specify "all previous cues" as an option.

You could also add the "pause" and "resume play" options to the level change cue, and with the above enhancement it could affect either a single cue, or all cues that are playing.

How does this look to you?

Again, if this is a feature you would like to implement, I could use it for our upcoming spring musical in May -- our Music Director will be running the PC and I would like to give him volume controls for the sound but not direct access to the sound console. If we can put the master volume control in SCS then I can avoid plugging in a second sound console in between, and I will be able to run digitally from SCS to the main board.

Thanks. John

[Mike Daniell]

John,

I'm currently testing changes that implement a 'Pause All' / 'Resume All' button, which can also be keyboard-accessed using Alt/u. When the button is in 'Pause All' mode, clicking the button will pause all running cues, and suspend count downs, etc. The button mode and caption is then changed to 'Resume All'. Clicking the button again will resume cues that were paused by 'Pause All', and the mode and caption is changed back to 'Pause All'.

With regard to the master volume up and down, I've been thinking this thru. The arrow keys cannot be mapped to hot keys, especially the up and down arrow keys, as these can be used to navigate up and down the cue list. I know this feature is being used because I accidentally disabled it once and got emails from users asking what had happened to the arrow keys!

There is definitely merit in your suggestion for incorporating 'master volume up and down' into the Level Change cue type, but it would be easier to code if I just to map this directly to a couple of keys, such as + and -. Providing 30 increments should be a good starting point - I could add an option later if some users would prefer more or less increments. I probably also need to provide some visual indication of the master volume level, at least for a few seconds when the program is loaded and on making any changes to the master volume.

So all this is heading back to what you suggested in your first posting on this topic. One question I have is what to do with the master volume across sessions. If the user, eg the MD, has lowered the master volume, should that new setting be remembered next time SCS is started?

[Theatre III Sound]

Somewhat related to this topic, but I was thinking it might be useful to have VU meters somewhere to monitor the volume going out to a selected audio device to help in adjusting the level from track to track. An example of where this would be useful is a production consisting of music tracks from various sources that need to be balanced for consistent level.

I'm not sure if this feature was implemented where the meters should be placed on the screen(s). One thought is to do this in the editor window. For audio file cues, perhaps the meters could be a choice to replace the time graph when using the test function. Similarly, for a playlist cue the meters could be shown in place of the list of files.

Any merit to this idea?

[jkowtko]

So all this is heading back to what you suggested in your first posting on this topic. One question I have is what to do with the master volume across sessions. If the user, eg the MD, has lowered the master volume, should that new setting be remembered next time SCS is started?

Mike, master volume were a separate fader control who's position sticks, then if you manually fade a cue using the master volume control, when you fire the next cue, how will you get that master fader up quickly to full volume?. So is there a way to fade up the master volume back to full in an instant? Can you allocate a third key for that? Also, the +/- keys are in an awkward position with the + as a shift key. I would think this needs to be a one-hand operation. Would be nice to use Page Up/Down and Home/End for these controls, but I see that these are also used for cue list navigation. So, similar to how you allow us to enable or disable the Spacebar and right mouse button, can you allow an option choice of whether the Up/Down/PageUp/PageDown/Home/End keys are using for cue list traveral or for master volume control? That would be really cool, then you would have six master volume level controls to work with ...

And, to answer your question, since the master volume level isn't part of the program definition, I guess you could have it persist between sessions. Might be useful as an alternative to loweing the volume level of every cue in your program. As long as you have enough controls (as in the six keys above) and the master fader is displayed on the screen (and draggable by the mouse if needed) then it should work out well.

If you don't think any of the above will work, an alternative is have the master volume not being a separate volume control at all, but instead a change in the device volume levels of any cues that were running. It would be the equivalent of using the mouse to separately dragging each device fader level up or down a bit. This way, when you fire off the next cue it will start out at it's normal volume, regardless of what you did with volume adjustment to prior cues. And if you start one cue, lower the volume, then fire a second cue overlaying the first, their relative volumes will be different and the master will still affect both. Again, in this case the master up/down function would visually change the device level faders so you would know exactly what the master is doing. And there would not be a separate "master" fader.

Thanks. John

[Mike Daniell]

... if you manually fade a cue using the master volume control, when you fire the next cue, how will you get that master fader up quickly to full volume?. So is there a way to fade up the master volume back to full in an instant? Can you allocate a third key for that?

It should be feasible to allocate a third key, although I didn't initially think the Master Volume control would be used to manually fade a cue, but rather just to lower the overall level of SCS output, just like pulling back the faders on the sound board.

Also, the +/- keys are in an awkward position with the + as a shift key. I would think this needs to be a one-hand operation.

Good point. When I suggested + and - I was looking at my two desktop computers which both have a separate numeric pad. The + and - keys are easy to get to and do not require shift key use. The best solution will be to provide a general keyboard assignment option, extending the current 'Go' command options to include Master Volume and various other controls.

[jkowtko]

Mike, You're right -- incremental master volume change may be all that is required in this instance ... I can set up fades for any cues that need to be faded. I know our music director has wanted to fade out his cues manually, but we can probably get by with a set fade time that he is comfortable with.

If you want to use the Options/General approach, then if you could make the cue list nav keys (Up/Dn/PgUp/PgDn/Home/End) also dynamically assigned, it would allow us to use some of these for master volume control. I ask for all of them to be dynamic, because depending on the keyboard I could see us using either the Up/Dn arrows or the PageUp/PageDn keys for master volume control, depending on where they are physically located on the keyboard.

Thanks. John

[Mike Daniell]

John: A general key mapping function seems to be an integral part of providing keyboard control of a Master Volume, so I'll see what I can do in this regard.

Bruce: I'm working on this and have emailed you directly.

[kharney]

I second both of these features. But here are some additions.

Pause /Resume Not only would I like this as a global command for ALL cues playing but I would like it for an individual cue as well. Say I want to pause a song and pick up in the same place later in the show.

Master Volume This would be great for me because when I am designing a show I set the volumes relative to each other and when I get in the theatre I need to change ALL of the volumes if I could raise or lower the WHOLE show I might only have to change 2-3 individual cues to fit the space rather than 50-60.

[kharney]

Also Master volume should be an option as a show property. Some shows you may want to set it and have it remain constant after you get it right. Other shows you may want to change it nightly. An example here would be a musical where the band level changes every night or in a house that fills up some nights and is almost empty other nights. So we should be able to save the new master volume or not.

[Adair]

OK. But.
If you want to change the level of the whole show permanently can you not adjust the level on the Master fader in the mixer levels section?

However, for temporary master volume adjustments, I too like the idea of a master volume on the main screen.
In terms of keybord control I wondered if anyone had considered F keys?
F12 Down abit with each press.
F11 Up abit with each press.
F10 Instant restore.

Adair

[Mike Daniell]

Here's what I am planning:

Keyboard Commands
A new tab in the Options in which you can select keyboard keys for various SCS functions. This list will initially include at least keys for the "Go" button, the "Stop Everything" button, and the Master Volume controls. Other functions may be added, and the list is sure to grow over time. (Other suggestions welcome.) Keys currently available as Hot Keys may be used provided they are not currently assigned to a Hot Key cue. You will therefore be able to assign F10, F11 and F12 to the Master Volume controls if required.

Master Volume Control
A global Master Volume Control will be available, accessible either using the mouse or the keyboard. The keyboard functions will be Up, Down and Maximum. I've been thinking thru the issue of saving / not saving the Master Volume setting, and the possibility of providing a Production Property to indicate your preference for each production. One issue is that if you have to reload SCS part-way thru a performance then it would be preferable to have that Master Volume setting remembered, regardless of the type of show. This avoids a nasty surprise in the first cue you play after reloading SCS. So I suggest SCS should always remember the setting between sessions.

Pause/Resume All
Coming in SCS 9.5, which is currently undergoing some final testing. Pausing an individual cue for resuming later has not (yet) been included.

[kharney]

I would rather have the Master volume never remember the setting than ALWAYS remember it. Best would be like ques are now. When you change a level the button for save changes is enabled. If you need it use it otherwise simply do not save changes.

[jkowtko]

Keyboard Commands
A new tab in the Options in which you can select keyboard keys for various SCS functions. This list will initially include at least keys for the "Go" button, the "Stop Everything" button, and the Master Volume controls. Other functions may be added, and the list is sure to grow over time. (Other suggestions welcome.) Keys currently available as Hot Keys may be used provided they are not currently assigned to a Hot Key cue. You will therefore be able to assign F10, F11 and F12 to the Master Volume controls if required.

Mike, if you include ALL currently hardcoded key assignments -- including cue list Up/Down/PageUp/PageDown/Begin/End -- that would add a ton of flexibility and allow us to free up those keys for better use if we don't use them for the currently hardcoded assignments. I, for example, have never used the nav keys for cue list traversal -- I've only used the mouse -- so I would immediately use those for master volume control

Also, if you have the ability and it's not a lot of extra work, please include Shift, Ctrl, and Alt (or at least one of the three) versions of the keys on the list of available keys to assign.

Master Volume Control
A global Master Volume Control will be available, accessible either using the mouse or the keyboard. The keyboard functions will be Up, Down and Maximum. I've been thinking thru the issue of saving / not saving the Master Volume setting, and the possibility of providing a Production Property to indicate your preference for each production. One issue is that if you have to reload SCS part-way thru a performance then it would be preferable to have that Master Volume setting remembered, regardless of the type of show. This avoids a nasty surprise in the first cue you play after reloading SCS. So I suggest SCS should always remember the setting between sessions.

I would suggest Up, Down, and "Reset", and in the program properties panel, set the default Master Volume level for the show. The reason I say this is that the default level for the show may not be the max level -- you may want some headroom to raise the master vol for certain passages. This gives you the flexibility to set the standard vol level where you want, deviate from it during the program, and snap back to it when desired. You may even wnat to add a checkbox to each audio file to "reset master volume level" when that cue is triggered.

Also, if you can allow us to define how much of a volume change "Up" and "Down" are, that would let us fine-tune the control for the program material and audio equipment setup we are using. I can see people getting annoyed if the Up/Down keys are not at the right level of sensitivity. I would also request that you include a "fade time" for the level change that we can set, to make the response quick or gradual, again based on the sound system that is running.

Pause/Resume All
Coming in SCS 9.5, which is currently undergoing some final testing. Pausing an individual cue for resuming later has not (yet) been included.

If this is included in the list of assignable global functions list master vol control, this sounds like a very useful feature. I assume you will also have a UI widget for mouse control as well?

I would rather have the Master volume never remember the setting than ALWAYS remember it. Best would be like ques are now. When you change a level the button for save changes is enabled. If you need it use it otherwise simply do not save changes.

I agree with this request -- the enabled "Save Changes" button is a very useful feature and gives you that flexibility. Coupled with my comments above about having a "default" master level setting defined in the progam properties panel, this would round out the functionality of the master volume behavior.

[Mike Daniell]

Regarding the Up/Down/etc keys, and also the Ctrl and Shift keys, there should be no problem in supporting these in the user-defined key mappings. I'll probably exclude the Alt key as this is used in Windows for access keys (eg Alt/U will fire the new Pause / Resume button).

With the Master Volume control, I'm reluctant to build something too elaborate, and as Adair pointed out, the mixer controls are also available. I'm happy to provide Up, Down and Reset as suggested. I will also provide a Master Volume property in the Production Properties, which implies SCS will not have to remember the Master Volume level between sessions. If the number of increments is likely to be an issue then it would be easy to add a Production Property for that as well.

Providing fade times for the Master Volume changes is quite a lot of extra work, so for the time being I'd rather leave that and concentrate on other new features!