MegaDrumManger is now ...

[stefan1982]

Here is the screenshot on macOS Sierra 10.12.5, resolution 2560x1440:


Please do make all the font sizes in *all* the options equal. It's easier for the eyes and look more professional..

As you noticed, all Misc, Pedal, Pads, Pads, Pads Extra and Midi Log views are resizeable. So you can resize them to match fonts/button sizes of the top part of the window.

Yes, I noticed that.. The question is, why is the top part of the window bigger in font-size? It look a bit off...

If I put a header there it would make the Global Misc view to take 3 rows of valuable screen space instead of 2. I think it should stay visible all the time. You can detach all other views if you don't need to see Global Misc settings.

Why is that section so important that it should be always visible? Perhaps it's me, but I rarely change anything over there. The only thing which is important for me, is the FW version and whether it's uptodate or not. And the "Live updates". The rest of the settings is set once and rarely ever touched again..
Perhaps you are misinterpretating me.

Yes, of course, you can totally redesign it once I published the source code.

I understand that. But is the functionality and presentation/UI 100% separated?
I'm getting the feeling that you are understanding me wrong. I'm trying to help here, to make the MDM-app a bit more robust, user-friendly and easier to use with less questions for the end user and improved usability. It's not that I do not respect or appreciate the work you do, or have done, It's just that I know it could be better and way more user-friendly.
It's my work to make things easier to use, I'm not just talking without any knowledge. Hope you don't understand me wrong..

[dmitri]

Here is the screenshot on macOS Sierra 10.12.5, resolution 2560x1440:


Please do make all the font sizes in *all* the options equal. It's easier for the eyes and look more professional..

As you noticed, all Misc, Pedal, Pads, Pads, Pads Extra and Midi Log views are resizeable. So you can resize them to match fonts/button sizes of the top part of the window.

Yes, I noticed that.. The question is, why is the top part of the window bigger in font-size? It look a bit off...

It's not bigger, it's fixed in size. You can resize all other UIs to match sizes of the top of the window.

If I put a header there it would make the Global Misc view to take 3 rows of valuable screen space instead of 2. I think it should stay visible all the time. You can detach all other views if you don't need to see Global Misc settings.

Why is that section so important that it should be always visible? Perhaps it's me, but I rarely change anything over there. The only thing which is important for me, is the FW version and whether it's uptodate or not. And the "Live updates". The rest of the settings is set once and rarely ever touched again..
Perhaps you are misinterpretating me.

I'll add switch in View to make Global Misc visible/invisible.

Yes, of course, you can totally redesign it once I published the source code.

I understand that. But is the functionality and presentation/UI 100% separated?

I think it is close to 100% separate if you're talking about MVC.

I'm getting the feeling that you are understanding me wrong. I'm trying to help here, to make the MDM-app a bit more robust, user-friendly and easier to use with less questions for the end user and improved usability. It's not that I do not respect or appreciate the work you do, or have done, It's just that I know it could be better and way more user-friendly.
It's my work to make things easier to use, I'm not just talking without any knowledge. Hope you don't understand me wrong..

I'm not sure where you're getting this feeling from. I'm not UI designer so never claim authority on this and so any suggestions, and better yet if you can make changes yourself when the code is published, are very welcome.

[airflamesred]

I'm getting the feeling that you are understanding me wrong. I'm trying to help here, to make the MDM-app a bit more robust, user-friendly and easier to use with less questions for the end user and improved usability. It's not that I do not respect or appreciate the work you do, or have done, It's just that I know it could be better and way more user-friendly.
It's my work to make things easier to use, I'm not just talking without any knowledge. Hope you don't understand me wrong..

I think Dmitri is very much focused on the functionality, As he sais once the code is published you/we can change the GUI to be much smoother. I agree with you that it is currently very agricultural.

[ignotus]

Maybe you have multiple Java versions installed and the default one is not 1.8? See https://stackoverflow.com/questions/103 ... inor-versi

Ok, sorted - I hadn't installed Java in the right directory. Up and running now, though I'll see when I have time to test it.

[stefan1982]

I just think the whole UI is too much..
It's overwhelming with options, settings and anything else you are adding inside it.
Adding more, and more options is not always a good thing. Keeping things simple in UI, is more.

The whole screen is bloated with options and all, while they are unneeded for every task.
If I want to configure a pad or a cymbal, why should I want to see the General settings? The Hihat pedal settings? I would love to give this a *better* UI, while I do think that the functionality is more than any other drum-module gives me.
I think that if your MDM is easier to use, and focusses more on user-friendliness your modules selling will grow exponentially. Currently the biggest concern with MegaDrum in general is it's configuration and setting up. Which could be eased out *a lot* once the MDM is more user-friendly and more logical to use and configure/setup things.

[stefan1982]

Here is the screenshot on macOS Sierra 10.12.5, resolution 2560x1440:


It's not bigger, it's fixed in size. You can resize all other UIs to match sizes of the top of the window.

Then again... Why does it not blend in with the rest of the UI, and scalable as a whole? Why does it *need* to be fixed in size?

[dmitri]

I just think the whole UI is too much..
It's overwhelming with options, settings and anything else you are adding inside it.
Adding more, and more options is not always a good thing. Keeping things simple in UI, is more.

The whole screen is bloated with options and all, while they are unneeded for every task.

I agree, but at the same time I needed to provide access to all MegaDrum settings available. I did not want to face with questions like 'Setting A is described in http://www.megadrum.info/content/megadrum-configuration. Where is it in MDM?'

If I want to configure a pad or a cymbal, why should I want to see the General settings?

I'll make General Misc settings visibility "toggle-able".

The Hihat pedal settings?

You can hide it. Don't see how it can still be an issue. Or I miss something?

I would love to give this a *better* UI, while I do think that the functionality is more than any other drum-module gives me.
I think that if your MDM is easier to use, and focusses more on user-friendliness your modules selling will grow exponentially. Currently the biggest concern with MegaDrum in general is it's configuration and setting up. Which could be eased out *a lot* once the MDM is more user-friendly and more logical to use and configure/setup things.

Cannot argue with this but my UI skill are there where they are. Is providing the source code not good enough?

[dmitri]

Here is the screenshot on macOS Sierra 10.12.5, resolution 2560x1440:


It's not bigger, it's fixed in size. You can resize all other UIs to match sizes of the top of the window.

Then again... Why does it not blend in with the rest of the UI, and scalable as a whole? Why does it *need* to be fixed in size?

I don't know, I just felt they are quite separate, e.g some of those things in General Misc are read-only, others affect the all others settings. E.g. while you can store multiple Misc settings depending on number of slots available, General Misc is one and only for the module and if you change number of inputs for example from 32 to 56 it will invalidate all settings stored in slots.

[stefan1982]

What I mean is, that if you do not have a perfectly good reason to make the top section (General settings) form elements a fixed size, than don't and make them fluid like the rest of the UI.
Let it scale all together, not just everything except the general settings.. That doesn't make any sense.. (Consistency is a good thing)

[dmitri]

I just update the test versions in the first post.

Global Misc is now also resizeable.
Global Misc visibility can be toggled from the View menu.
Main MenuBar is now on top of the display on Mac OS.
Removed a green debug border around the main window.
Some sizes adjustments.