Rayzoon Technologies LLC

[paspallum]

Ralph
As you will be aware. We use our right brain hemisphere for feeling and conveying our music because it flows and it feels good to do so... it is creative.... playing a piano or guitar is right brain stuff, as is singing and certainly bashing out a groove on a drumkit...
It's where we turn our emotions into music.

Out left brain deals with technical things.... the things that aren't really musical... I'd say our Left brain is busy 'dealing' with windows XP.. the mouse... Cubase... and to some extent jamstix.

Too much use of the left brain can actually kill creativity and knocks spontanaiety and passion right out of the equation. We as musicians need to be using 100% right brain... for 99% of a recording session or any musical activity.

Unfortunately, all but the gifted of us can only use one side of the brain to it's full capacity at any given moment....so the more technical stuff we have to deal with... the less focus our creative powers have and the less our ability to conect emotionally to writing a song.

Now of all the drum sequencers out there Jamstix has the potential to be the most 'right-brain-friendly'... but I think at this stage it is not coming forward quickly enough in that area.

OK, so JamBass is more importatnt right now?

Here's a list of elements that I think could implement so that we can focus more on our creative, musical right brain and get away from that soul-destroying left side activity.

1. firstly, the arrangement page really needs some major work.
having to swap tabs (or pages) all the time from the arrangement to the rythym tab (and back again) really is too much extra work.

We should be able to name patterns in the arrangement TAB... just by right clicking on them... and getting a box to rename with.


In fact the entire arrangement tab should be able to have any 'line' in the list swapped from top to bottom... or middle to top (etc) by 'dragging' it with a mouse.... just like you can do in a cubase arrangement page.

For example say I have 16 rythyms in my arrangement..... but I decide to dump patterns 3, 4, 8, 11 and 12.... The only way I can get rid of these is to click on the button and 'reset' it I now have gaps in my arrange list and some of my 'keeper' patterns are at the bottom of the list.

Why can't we just simply (one click) delete a line and then drag other lines to where we want them to sit in the arrangement list?

In fact you could be able to left click a name in teh list to drag it to another location on the list... and a right click would give you a little menu... of 'delete' and 'Rename'.

So to conclude... I think we should be able to:
A) Name or re-name a rythym in the arrange tab
B) delete a track with one click in the arrange tab
C) swap the order of what line a rythtm pattern is on.

2. We could do with an export facility in the rythym tab.
If you write a great pattern or a few great patterns it's be cool if you could export them to a specified folder anywhere on your computer.
In fact exporting patterns one by one to any designated folders.

I know you can do thois now with the save button... but it goes into that 'keyword' place... and get smixed up with the Jamstix preset patterns......I'd like it to be more manual.

I would like to be able to open generic midi drum files (from the internet) import them to Jamstix (which I do now) then sort them out and save the most useable patterns of teh song one by one by way of export to my chosen folder

this way I can build up a bigger library of beats and grooves.

3. I know you done work on the 'mapping' tab.. and having the list connect sets (or families) of drums is a vast step forward.
But still going through these lists is tedious... especially when every piece of the kit is on one long list. Little icons of each drum part next to a smaller list of the components that are in that list would be a start.

4. And like I posted three days back... being able to put a snare accent on a patterns 'lug' (button) without leaving the arrange page (like we do with a fill) and have avisual reference in the arrange page to let us see where it is placed and even IF an accent is indeed 'placed'.... that would help a lot.

As I've said before BFD has great sounding Toms, but your snares bowl them BFD over... and the power of what jamstix can do as a beat genrator and arranger is 10,000 miles ahead of BFD....

But do you know where BFD wins hands down?? The interface! It looks great, is easy to use... just so user friendly and in fact it draws vey lttle left brain activity to use.... (only problem is it doesn't really do much you can play some lame [included] midi beats.. but you can't re-write patterns, alter them or arrange them)... so Jamstix is KING!

But BFD is so well layed out it is a breeze to operate.

So Ralph these are my main suggestions.
I'm going to print a copy of this post and I'll make sure these things on my list get resolved... I'll keep posting on these issues untlil they are.

Paspallum

[Ralph [RZ]]

All your concerns are on the to-do list. We'll get there...
_________________
Ralph Zeuner
Rayzoon Technologies LLC
http://www.rayzoon.com

[Ralph [RZ]]

Just released X9-5 beta which adds a new menu via right-clicking on a rhythm name in the arranger allowing you to load, rename, delete (with subsequent rhythms sliding up) and move. Hope this makes it easier to keep the arranger 'tidy'.
_________________
Ralph Zeuner
Rayzoon Technologies LLC
http://www.rayzoon.com

[paspallum]

Ralph
You have done such a great job...
You really 'nailed it'!!

Jamstix really is now easier to operate!
which makes it more powerful!

Thanks for listening....

I really apprecite these new functions

Paspallum

[dinoman]

One more thought on a similar note - for the future:

Longer Rhythm names allowed and / or more of the rhythm name visable in the arranger window. The second part especially would be helpful.

Geoff