Mixer request
I use the Mixer a lot and I think when selecting a sound (instrument) it would be nice to have the sounds listed in alphabetic order. Currently it seems to be just random but maybe there is a reason MS has it that way. i'm using 3.3.4.9066
Comments
They are in the order given by the soundfont and that in turn is given by General Midi
In general woodwinds/brass/percussion/strings (for orchestra, anyway) is standard.
You wrote:
Currently it [the order of instruments] seems to be just random...
Actually, they are grouped in 16 families of eight instrument sounds per family.
From:
https://www.midi.org/specifications-old/item/gm-level-1-sound-set
In reply to Currently it [the order of… by Jm6stringer
So what you're all saying is that there is no way that I could sort the list from A-Z and save it as a preference? What if I don't want my instruments grouped in families? As it is now if I want "Grand Piano", I have to scroll way to the top, if I wan't to switch to a "Violin", I have to scroll down and hunt for it. For me, that takes time to search through the list. Now suppose I want an "Organ", again I have to scroll up or down through the list until I find it. If they were ordered alphabetically, I would know that "Violin" is in "V", "Organ" is in the "O's", "Grand Piano" is in the "G's", "Flutes" are in the "F's" and so on. Simple, yes?
However they are ordered "under the hood" is fine, I care less about that but for me from an interface stand point, I was suggesting an option to order from A-Z. Oh well...
In reply to So what you're all saying is… by Don9of11
"If they were ordered alphabetically, I would know that "Violin" is in "V", "Organ" is in the "O's", "Grand Piano" is in the "G's", "Flutes" are in the "F's" and so on. Simple, yes?"
Well, not entirely simple... "Bright grand piano" and "Mellow grand piano" would come under B and M respectively. So for me, a pure alphabetical listing wouldn't really help.
But I do wish that I could search for Sounds in the Mixer in the same way as I can when choosing an instrument with Edit > Instruments.... On the Instruments window, when I type "Piano" in the Search box, I get a filtered list with every type of piano from Honky Tonk to Grand. Much more helpful.
In reply to So what you're all saying is… by Don9of11
Partially correct, there is indeed no way to force non-standard sorting. But, you don't have to scroll if you wish to change the sound for an instrument - the keyboard is active in that dropdown, so just start typing and it matches. Also, it isn't totally clear what you are are trying to do that involves changing sounds in the Mixer, but normally one would only be using the mixer to change between related sounds anyhow, like selecting which of the various organi sounds to sue for an instrument defined as organ, or which guitar sound to use for an instrument defined as guitar. Changing from piano to violin is really a change of instrument, not of sounds, and this should be done in Staff Properties.
In reply to Partially correct, there is… by Marc Sabatella
Okay, lets say I have my music open and the mixer as well. If I want to hear what voice 1 (Soprano) sounds like as a violin, I can click on the soundname and scroll down and select violin. Mute voice 2 in Women's and mute the Men's voices and click play and easily hear what the Voice 1 sounds like as a violin. I could even then unmute the Men's voices and hear the violin playing against the piano. Maybe this isn't how the Mixer was designed to be used but that is how I use it to quickly gauge how a voice sounds as a particular instrument. So, having all the "V" instruments in one place would make life easier :)
In reply to Okay, lets say I have my… by Don9of11
Are you saying, you are considering actually re-arranging a vocal piece for other instruments? If so, you should definitely be changing instruments in Staff Properties. If you just mean, you are experimenting with different playback sounds for the vocal staves in your score for whatever reason, then the Mixer is indeed the way to go. And as I said, simply typing "V" takes you right to the next instrument starting with that letter, or typing "Vi" takes you right there, etc. Normally I think most people decide on the sounds they like, save that and are done, or save as a template for future reuse. But if you typically experiment with every score every time you play it, then opening the Mixer and typing "V" works just fine - it's faster than scrolling, actually.
I would note that re-ordering things alphabetically doesn't make less scrolling in general, though - it makes more. You now need to scroll to get from Alto Sax to Tenor Sax, or from Grand Piano to Electric Grand, or from Church Organ to Reed Organ, or from Viola to Cello, etc. And since every soundfont uses different names for the sounds, even though it's the same basic sounds organized the same way, the alphabetic list would change every time you changed soundfonts. So I wouldn't assume it would actually improve the experience.
In reply to Are you saying, you are… by Marc Sabatella
I get temporarily changing an instrument. A few less clicks might be to change the soprano to whatever, then solo that track. No need to mute. Want to add the tenor? Solo that track, also. ETC.
In reply to Are you saying, you are… by Marc Sabatella
I do like to listen to particular voices with different instruments not necessarily every time or every score nor for the purpose of changing a score but merely to listen. I didn't know that you could type in the first letters and find the instrument; that's a nice feature.