Side by side docking of Project & Lower Zone (now Side Zone)

With a vertically split “Side Zone” similar to the Lower Zone, piano roll editing and working on the project becomes more comfortable on widescreen displays where vertical space is scarce.

Compared to a horizontal split, you can now see more tracks, more octaves, more lanes. The Side MixConsole can have enough space for the full channel strip. And all tabs can be draggable between Zones.

Project has Side Zone (Key Editor) and Right Zone (Inspector) opened:
[

(click for full size)](http://i.imgur.com/sP4sqcP.png)

Project has Lower Zone (MixConsole), Side Zone (Key Editor) and Right Zone (Inspector) opened:
[

(click for full size)](http://i.imgur.com/30dai3x.png)

+1000 !!

I was actually thinking about this the day I got Cubase 9. The biggest reason I would love a Right Zone editor is because I use Expression Maps extensively, and my MIDI parts often have 4-5 controller lanes PLUS expression map lane visible. Which means vertical space is more important than horizontal space for me.

For example, see screen shot:

That mess of lanes is exactly what I’m afraid of rendering the lower zone editor useless.

To be clear, this Side Zone should not replace the Right Zone but should be there in addition to it, or so I concluded.

One reason being that then you can dock the inspector panel for the Key Editor right next to it, or maybe a MixConsole meter. or just to see the VST Racks and Mediabay still. And if tab sizes aren’t remembered individually, switching from the Editor to the Racks means having the rack view cover half your screen…

Exactly. Would also open the door to being able to have the Lower Zone MixConsole and a Right Zone Editor open at the same time, or vice-versa.

In my mind the Lower, Side (new) and Right Zone can all be open. My mockup when clicked on shows both the Side and Right Zone open. MixConsole in the Lower Zone, Key Editor in the Side Zone, Mediabay/VSTs/Markers what have you in the Right Zone… it could be very efficient.

Now that we have zones a very flexible way to handle this would let the user assign what tabs can appear in each zone. So maybe someone wants the List Editor in the Right Zone (it could happen) along with Key Editor & MediaBay. And don’t make the assignment exclusive. You might want the Key Editor in both the Right & Lower Zones for different types of work.

+100

This NEEDS to happen ASAP

Zones are cool, but they need this flexibility.

Great feature request

+1 - definitely a step in the right direction.

Another+1 from me

Hippo

+1. I’m sure Steinberg have bigger plans for the “zone concept”.

+1. Much better solution.

+1, Logical evolution of the Zone concept.

+1000

Really cool idea!

Improvements on this idea I thought of:

The Right Zone should also be able to show the Editor pane so it’s right next to it. Imagine just dragging the Editor pane over to it.

The Status/Info lines could contain info on both of the views, also being split up in the middle, so there don’t need to be additional bars in the Editor zone.

+1

I hope that the zones evolve to become much more flexible like the dockable windows in Wavelab. I can imagine more types of zones also such as a macro zone and plugin zone. Users could then designate areas where these windows could be docked across their workspace.

I would also like to see tabbed windows when pulling up insert and effects so that you could switch between effects in your chain without closing and re-opening the plugin editor window over and over. This could be expanded to instruments in the mix rack also so if you could jump between and tweak multiple VST instruments without opening and closing the window.

You know, AFAIK not a single DAW developer has approached what for many of us is the single biggest window management issue - plugins, especially instrument plugins. If you’re like me, you might have 20 windows open all on top of each other, and the only way to find it quickly is to toggle the window from the Inspector, bringing it to the top. Can’t be the most efficient way to work, can it?

Personally I think it needs some really radical out-of-the-box thinking to get something that assists workflow rather than hinders it. Something like a tabbed zone / window that can auto-selects the instrument as you move round the project window. The trick will be resource use - if it didn’t have its own sandbox, it would likely be really sluggish for performance. Perhaps an option to keep everything in a RAM cache, for those with the memory, might help.

Anyway, I digress - can’t put off the fact that the family are coming over and I need to get tidying. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it.

Yes. Very cool!!

Studio One does this as you describe. It’s freaking awesome!

Actually, if my memory serves me well, when we were asking about docked windows we meant possibility to dock any window to any side of the screen.

Regards

i was asking for the same in C8.5 FR forum,and if im not mistaking,one of the mods mention it might be in Next cubase update (C9), well it didn’t yet !
anyway i like the studio one way of thinking for practical workflow ideas, i amazed every time, that lot FR request we have here,they make it real fast to their DAW. as if they reading our FR :smiley: