Jump to content

Will This Be The New DAW Interface?


Recommended Posts

  • Members

From a post on another forum.

 

Patent filing:

 

Apple Computer filings published on Thursday show the iPod maker to be working on multipoint touch screens and an advanced media file format that embeds sale and marketing information.

 

Multipoint touchscreen

A filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office made on May 6, 2004 and published for the first time on Thursday describes a "multipoint touchscreen" that relates to "a touch screen capable of sensing multiple points at the same time." According to the filing, the touch screen is comprised of a pixilated array of transparent capacitance sensing nodes and would appear as a transparent panel that is positioned in front of the display.

 

"Unlike conventional touch screens, however, the touch screen shown herein is configured to recognize multiple touch events that occur at different locations on the touch sensitive surface of the touch screen at the same time," the filing reads. "That is, the touch screen allows for multiple contact points to be tracked simultaneously, i.e., if four objects are touching the touch screen, then the touch screen tracks all four objects."

 

"The multiple objects may for example correspond to fingers and palms," the filing continues. "Because the touch screen is capable of tracking multiple objects, a user may perform several touch initiated tasks at the same time. For example, the user may select an onscreen button with one finger, while moving a cursor with another finger. In addition, a user may move a scroll bar with one finger while selecting an item from a menu with another finger. Furthermore, a first object may be dragged with one finger while a second object may be dragged with another finger. Moreover, gesturing may be performed with more than one finger."

 

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

 

Is this the holy grail we've been waiting for for DAW's?

Demo: Multi-Touch Interaction Research

 

Sly :cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I doubt it. Who wants to maul their keyboard with their sticky paws. Or a pointy stick. Ugh. Unhygenic, not very accurate, expensive and highly breakable. I would think.

 

Apple will probably make some expensive disposable toys with it.

 

The big thing is - being an Apple patent, it will require Apple software.

 

No for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I saw a video demonstration of a multipoint touch screen.

 

It was pretty amazing. I don't remember it as an Apple thing, though. Maybe I was just so wowed...

 

In the video the demonstrator did a bunch of realtime graphic stuff where he could essentially fingerpaint with multiple points of contact, swirling screen images around... big potential for light shows. :D

 

I think he showed a musical keyboard GUI... obviously not velocity sensitive, I don't think -- but, depending on how it works, that might not be so hard, you could used the amount of contact surface to determine 'velocity'...

 

It seems like the kind of thing that getting into a number of hands and achieving critical user mass may seed must-have uses for such a display.

 

 

It would be cool to do the four finger spread on a bunch of virtual faders and ride a group 'bareback'* like we used to do way back when. (I guess.)

 

Can't do that with a mouse -- even with fader grouping...

 

 

_________

 

* as opposed to with those fader yokes... poor man's automation...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I had an O2R (Yamaha). It had an LCD that would change to EQ when you thouched the knob.

I would gladly take a flat panel that would display the graphics of a mixer or DAW any size. Call up a compressor and turn two knobs with two fingers on each hand, that would be killer! Just like a rack mount unit. I think it would be awesome, even with software that exists today.

 

Sly :cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by Kiwiburger

What's wrong with motorised faders on a control surface? The Behringer one is cheap as chips.

It's a transitional gui, recreating a familiar metaphor from analog mixing.

 

As analog mixing slips further and further into the past, the value in referring to this type of mixing for the sake of familiarity will be replaced by new metaphors untethered in the past.

 

If you stepped back and truly attempted to build the best mixer based on cutting edge computer and display technology, you wouldn't come up with a box of motorized faders. You'd exploit the technology to come up with a way of manipulating multiple audio streams that would be more intuitive and ergonomic, but it would not be familiar.

 

-peaceloveandbrittanylips

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

My oscilloscope has a touch screen interface, and it's perfect for that - - I can drag cursors and waveforms around at will by pointing at them.

 

But I would think you'd get pretty bad rotator cuff problems in your shoulder trying to do that on a 21" screen for a DAW mixing session.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

jamesp, The Lemur demo almost put me to sleep! Didn't see him show off the multi-touch feature.

 

spokenward, That's the link I thought I had in the first post. (now fixed)

That's what I'm talkin' about. I had a Mix magazine where a studio was featured on the front cover that had a couple of giant touch-screens (the size of your typical studio mixing console) they were using to control ProTools. It was huge, and I think at that time they could only "touch" or move one control at a time. Even that was a BIG improvement over looking at your standard computer monitor, pointing with a mouse. At least you could use your finger to "point & click".

 

Sly :cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...