jaytrax you have a nice background , so i am confused why you think Mute Groups are good enough for on stage use for solo performers wanting to manipulate a multitrack backing on the run.
Yes we have foot pedal control , but not in a friendly way, if i assign 6 switches to 6 mute groups , what do i get?
Tap dance time, i have to engage and disengage every time , thats two button pushes.
Not to mention if i happen to hit another button , now i have two mute groups engaged on top of each other , now i have to figure out which group does what to get the result i want , if i also happen to introduce another mute on the tracks , now i have 3 layers of mute on top of each other , now i have to figure out which buttons i pressed and how to get rid of them, this is a non logical way to operate mutes on the run with no time to play around.
My expectations are.
The group mutes are permanently programable, but are not additive, you use them with one button push, if you hit another mute group button is rearranges the mutes to suit that groups requirement, on top of that you can also add extra mutes in tracks if they are not muted already or clear mutes on tracks that already have mutes, these are not permanent changes, if i hit another mute group all mutes are arranged to that groups setup and all mutes are cleared , this means you only need to push a mute button once and it conforms with its settings.
You never end up with layered mutes and wondering why you cant hear a track.
I would also enable labelling these mute group buttons and colour them so you can easily see what you are getting .
Quick ehample
Group 1 , labeled D - meaning drums
Group 2, labeled DB - meaning drums and bass
Group 3, labeled DBP - meaning drums , bass , piano
Group 4, labeled DBPG - meaning drums,bass,piano,guitar
Group 5 labeled DBPGV - meaning drums , bass,piano,guitar,vocals
Group 6 , labeled DBPGVS - meaning,drums,bass,piano,guitar,vocals,strings
Extra labels
C for click
O for others etc any combination you need to quickly mute to get what you need.
Now the labels mean what instruments you will keep playing
So this allows us with one button push have six combinations and a way to know what instruments we require to keep playing .
A quick look at the group buttons, if i see DB it means drums and bass are going to keep playing.
A V in a button means i only have backing vocals accompaniment, i can then introduce the drums by unmuting the drum track , than add on the bass etc .
If i now want the whole accompaniment to join i can long press on any Mute button in tracks or mute group buttons either on the interface or the foot pedal and all mutes are released , this gives us very powerful manipulation of mutes while performing to create any mood required.
I know its a lot to take in but its actually not much of a change , its just a logic change to mute button operation and labelings and colour introduction to mute group buttons.
Its hard to think of everything on the run , i am sure others have good ideas , i hope i have triggered a different mindset to group mute and don't forget SOLO, thats another area that needs a similar look at itself.
