POLL: Clicking and fiddling in the new mixer.

I am wondering what kind of usability testing Steinberg performs. It seems to me as if their design goal was to somehow simplify the visual and user interaction (failed and failed), instead of improve workflow. Maybe Steinberg forgot that this is supposed to be a professional application and not a consumer utility toy?

I haven’t yet ranted, although I feel like it. However, I have made the decision to mix the next project in Pro Tools, as the new N6 mixer just makes the job slower, and I can’t afford to pay an engineer for an extra day, when he can do the job adequately in Pro Tools.

DG

Hello SB

The mixer was better in N1-N5. One of many examples: you have to hoover over the Gain icon to see the gain setting. Before you could glance the entire mixer to see gain settings. One more, the mouse scroll wheel use to adjust the gain in one dB increments, now 1 then .9, then 1, .9, 1, 1, .9. I don’t get it.

Thank you
Jim Fox

Keep voting, chaps…

Big K

:sunglasses:

At 96%, I would expect that product management (and by extension product design folks) at Steinberg to be pretty upset at this point!

I absolutely agree with the main concern of this poll.

Nicely said. This is what I meant to say. Sometimes the price for innovation is that you may have to try a couple of times before you get it right!

I can’t comment on the CR as I use hardware for that.

I have to say though that I click much less with the new mixer.

For example I know that not being able to see the ins routing in the edit window next to the plugins involves some clicking, but seeing the group next to the channel, being able to jump between edit windows of groups and contained channels and inputs, being able to search for channels and being able to do all these things straight from the edit window is more important to me and saves me loads of time compared to N5. I don’t have to switch views between the main mixer and the edit window to make changes to all the channels in a group for example. So for me the edit window is now more usable than it was before.
Do I miss the on/off function for plugins? Definitely Yes. Would I like to be able to customise the edit window view more? Maybe yes.

The main mixer window looks good (also to my clients) and is really functional in my opinion as well. It’s highly customisable and all the shortcuts on top make life easier. The channel visibility and zones are very handy. I like the way I don’t have to click to switch between inserts, meters, sends etc and all I have to do is simply scroll up and down with the mouse wheel and I can see and change everything on my channel. Copying plugins is brilliant.
I’d like the left/right channel scrolling to be faster though. Also the sizes of objects could be improved a bit.

It’s a new way of working which took a bit of time to get used to but I definitely click less than N5 the more I adapt to it.
Maybe other people have a totally different way of working and do click more now than before.

I can’t vote on this poll as it’s basically asking “Do you want to click more or less” and it’s taking for granted the fact that you click more on N6 mixer vs older versions. Of course everyone is going to answer they want to click less…
If it was something like “Do you think you click more on N6 mixer vs older versions - Yes/No” then the results would make more sense.

Hello Neutron Studios

May I ask in what line of audio business you are working?
This info might give me more understanding of the qualities of the N6 mixer thingy.

Big K

The issue for me is that the mixer used to give me a clear overview of the mix - which is surely the entire point of it? This included plugin states. It took single mouse clicks to activate and deactivate plugins. Hover buttons are technically clever but a nightmare practically. and if these changes are to suit a hardware controller that (I suspect) a tiny proportion of users will buy (useless for me, for instance, recording and editing on the road), then the cart is surely before the horse. If necessary, give us a choice of two mixer window formats. That would please everyone.

M.

Hi Big K, I do mainly music production/recording/mixing with the occasional post work for TV and occasional mixing/surround mixing for music TV.

Hi Headlands,
I respect all your viewpoints as well and actually I agree with you for the most part on most points that you make here. And yes, of course I’ll be happier with even less clicking :slight_smile:

I also have issues with the new mixer that I mentioned in my previous post. But I like this mixer much more than the old one and although I click more on some functions, I click much less to do other things which actually speeds up my work and I click less overall. That’s why I mentioned the new functions and I believe they are relevant.
So overall, not function specific, if a project was taking me x amount of time to mix in N5, a similar project now takes me less time after having learnt and incorporated some of the new functions in my workflow. So I suppose I click less, haven’t counted though :slight_smile:
Maybe I was using the N5 mixer in a non efficient way and the N6 fits more my style of working, I don’t know.

As I said I like the new mixer design more and I would not like to see the old buttons back, at least not in the way they were in N5 as I believe they would clutter the interface and I like the current cleaner look. I’d like to see improvements that match the new design and not reverting back to the old design.
For example, I’d like to see the on/off function back to the plugins that I really miss, but not the old buttons as I think they would clutter the interface. Maybe command/ctrl+click to switch on/off and alt+click to bypass or something similar.

So Yes I would like things improved and less clicking for some problem functions and visibility improvements, but with changes that match the new design, but No I don’t like more or would like to revert to the old N5 design as it was mentioned by some people in this thread as my workflow has actually improved with the new mixer.

I totally agree with you as well and I apologise for my long mumbling on my previous posts.
I only intervened as I felt that lots of people wanted the old mixer back to which I do not agree and had to express that opinion.
I am sure that yourself and other more experienced users than me can have a more constructive input to Steinberg as to what needs to be changed so that the workflow becomes even better, so although I’m happy overall, I hope to become even happier with the next update :slight_smile:

… the “old” design looks and feels fresher than the “new” one, though … sigh

My now 53 years old :open_mouth: eyes tell me the same…
I still vote strongly for less clicks and less question marks.

This is probably the right mixer for the 96 kbit/s MP3, mono ( who needs 2 ears? )
energy drink hooked gaming generation.
But, hey, I won’t be in the job in a 10 years time, anmyore,…I hope…
:wink:

Big K

All is ok I heard a rumor that steinberg is going to give nuage to all the owners that are affected ( sorry own and have followed)the steinberg brand, the new nuage software interface,with hard ware adaption @ 20,000 e they will get it back with future sales of the nuage software interface, which rumore has it the name will be changed to, and I for one commend steinberg for there foresight and good marketing expertise. See and you where all doubting there motives, shame on you,ssssssss.

tom