Drum Input Palette Critique
Hello! I have a small critique with the Drum Input Palette.
I've become very adept with inputing notes via key commands and having it pop up every-time I enter note input mode has actually served as a detriment to my work flow. in working with drumline notation at the bottom of a large marching band arrangement, the Drum Input Palette covers up the bottom two staves which prevents me from seeing what I am working on until I scroll up. Being that my workflow is primarily via my keyboard, it becomes a major peeve to have to have to continuously reach for my mouse and scroll to see what I am working on.
While I understand the importance of the Drum Input Palette for those who work via mouse or who are perhaps still learning key commands, I feel it would be very helpful if there were a way to disable it in settings (not just for a single project file, but as a master instruction for all files so that I don't have to remember to disable it every-time I open a new project).
Either this or at least program the main canvas to bump up and compensate for the extra room taken up by the palette, this way I can always see what I am working on and have an uninterrupted workflow.
Thanks for taking the time to read through this! I love this program so much and this would only make my experience (and others) even better!
Comments
I am a mouse user, and not interested in keyboard commands. I find the drum palette far more trouble than it is worth for me to use at all. But you have to use it with marching band. You can edit it to your liking, but it is still a pain.
In reply to I am a mouse user, and not… by bobjp
Everyone has their own workflow! It was indeed helpful to me for a short time while I was learning the keys for each note, but I've grown out of the need for it to be constantly present. The only aspect of the DIP that I find genuinely useful is the "edit drumset" button, but I feel like that option should be available in the right click options (contextually).
Could you perhaps explain why you find the DIP to be a pain as a mouse user? Seeing as it's basically mandatory for mouse input since you aren't allowed the option to click in notes directly on the staff, I think it would be interesting to know why.
In reply to Everyone has their own… by Caero14
The edit drumset option is in the right-click menu, if you right-click a drum staff.
The drum palette is also needed if you use more than seven different drums. But if you use only a small handful of drums, and never need alternate noteheads, it's definitely overkill. But since the majority of drum music does use multiple drums and multiple drumheads, there's not really a viable altenative I've seen proposed.
In reply to The edit drumset option is… by Marc Sabatella
Ah! I didn't realize it was there, very nice!
In my case, though, I do happen use more than 7 different drum notations per battery instrument, but Instead of looking at the DIP, I'll place a standard snare note and then use my arrow keys to search for the right notation. Understanding the importance of the DIP to those who utilize mouse input methods, I still feel having the option to disable the window from popping in an out every time I enter note-input mode (which is a lot) would be a very nice and welcomed feature, especially for those (like me) who like working with as much screen real-estate as possible. I genuinely never touch the DIP during any session I have open and it only serves as a stinky little peeve in my workspace.
Also on a side note, I really appreciate the involvement you have in these forums, thank you for looking over my concerns! :)
In reply to Ah! I didn't realize it was… by Caero14
You're welcome!
I agree, it could be nice to be able to able to disable the drum palette from appearing since it does shift things around. To me, though, that wouldn't make much sense for most people until it becomes possible to use more than A-G shortcuts, since otherwise it's pretty awkward to do what you describe (entering a different note then moving it. Although to be sure, I do that too I actually also do much as you do, and I know some mouse users do similarly but dragging for the same effect. Still, I'd prioritize more shortcuts most highly, and then perhaps some other tweaks to the experience like making it possible to cycle between different notes on the same staff line, and then it would feel more natural to consider the drum palette optional.