Sort order for sounds
If, from the Mixer, we go to select the Sound for the channel, and take the dropdown, we are presented with a very long list, presumably sorted according to some plan. I looks as if it is based on the order of the MIDI patches for those sounds in terms of MIDI program number.
But that plan doesn't help me if I am just looking to pick the "trumpet" sound. Ah, here it is, just after the "Orchestra Hit".
Assuming that the "plan" has served the Crown well yea these many years, it would nonetheless be useful to be able to have this list sorted in alphabetical order. Perhaps a check box for such could be provided someplace.
Doug
Comments
See #322419: The mixer instrument selection list is hard to use
The sorting is the General MIDI standard - groups by instrument families (eg, bass), then more or less high to low within each family, or whatever the General MIDI folks thought made sense at the time. Generally speaking it's much more logical than alphabetic - flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon get to be neighbors just like they are in rea life but unlike how they are in the alphabet. But indeed, if you're looking for a random unrelated sound as opposed to sound related to the current one, it's tough to know where to look. As noted, it's a common request for more organization / search possibilities and hopefully future versions will support this.
Meanwhile, the list is a standard dropdown list, so the same techniques that work in other dropdown lists works here - eg, type the first few letters of "trumpet" to jump directly there.
In reply to The sorting is the General… by Marc Sabatella
Hi, Marc,
You say:
"Meanwhile, the list is a standard dropdown list, so the same techniques that work in other dropdown lists works here - eg, type the first few letters of "trumpet" to jump directly there."
Sadly, not so (at least in my Windows 7 installation). If I want to find "Tuba", and Type T-U-B, when I type the "T" the cursor jumps to the first entry (after where the cursor now is) beginning with "T". Then when I type "U" it jumps to the first entry (after where the cursor now is) beginning with "U". Then when I type "B" it jumps to the first entry (after where the cursor now is) beginning with "B".
Doug
In reply to Hi, Marc, You say: … by Doug Kerr
You need to type a little faster, then. Each system has a certain time it uses to decide when you are using a new search vs continuing an existing one.
In reply to You need to type a little… by Marc Sabatella
Ah, of course. Thanks for the reminder. With that in mind, it works well, and is a big help.
Doug