GUI Tweaks: Minimize Truncated Text / Reduce Wasted Space / More Contrast

Scaler 3 Feature Requests
1

This tool is truly amazing. I am finding a few things get in the way of the quick workflow though.

I have noticed the interface, especially the arrange view, has a LOT of truncated text and labels/menu options that could be tweaked for their specific wording, length, and also the grey color on grey or black backgrounds is slightly hard to see in some views. It is nice that hovering will (usually) show scrolling full text, but not always. In many cases GUI elements are large or more spaced out that maybe don’t need to be or names are too long, etc. If some of that was fixed, I think it would streamline workflow and legibility. Some specific ideas:

In Midi Edit View

  1. Why say “key lock” over the keyboard when it could say just “Lock” as it applies to both guitar and keys anyway? Similar name shortening all over could free space for other things.
  2. Why have buttons for enable disable of options like Humanize, when their drop downs have an “Off” option that effectively disables? Could enable buttons be scrapped?
  3. Some places in GUI call it “Voicing” others “Voice Grouping”. Are these actually different? I am a terribly trained pianist but would not “Voicing” always suffice? Same with Semitone or Semi, etc.
  4. “Keyboard View” could be just “View” or no label, just show the selection, since it is not really a keyboard that can be played is it? You get the idea I am expressing on the labels I am sure.
  5. Do MIDI Editor and Mixer Icons in Arrange MIDI Edit area need to be so huge, or could some space be recovered to allow not truncated text? I see the design symmetry with the track view above and having all controls on the left of the pane, but the truncated text can be a pain especially for selected items that are not static labels.
  6. Velocity control is not with the others on the left, but applies per track. Not sure why it is a horizontal slider with no numerical value, while others are all value fields with mouse drag ability?
  7. Some of the longer dropdown selections cannot fit into the display field for them, but the selection cannot be read even by hovering and waiting for text to scroll. For example, choose any long Voicing option, and there is not a checkbox to show which is currently selected when dropdown opes, and once selected one cannot read the full text.
  8. Humanize in the MIDI edit area is imlemented different than the Humanize control over the playable keyboard, with no enable button and extra labels for resolution and quantize that probably are not needed. Couldn’t they be the same exact type of controls and labels and vertically aligned too? Same with octave and semi controls, wish in any GUI section they were done the same way and in same position. Little touches like this make a GUI flow and feel natural vs the visual confusion of the same things presented different ways.

Overall, it seems the Arranger GUI (being new) needs a bit of polish, but it is new and trying to fit a lot in so it is to be expected. I love the look and space on most of the other views and hope a few tweaks can remove the bits on this one that are frustrating.

Thanks for listening!

2

To add to the above: changing some values currently require mouse gestures: hoover over and drag up/down. Instead it would be more coveniesnt and precise to have +/- knĐľbs.

3

I agree

Maybe you missed the X that covers the number of a pattern in the chord box

Cattura
Cattura1406Ă—433 54 KB

4

Thanks for the feedback and all useful. For the record.
Scaler 3.1 is focussed on user demand and features users are looking for plus making it stable for the wide range of setups we’ve encountered. There will also be some basic and necessary improvements in Arrange Page based on user feedback. Coming in Scaler 3.1 Expected Mid - Late April 2025

Scaler 3.2 will be a focus on the Arrange Page. We’ve had some insightful feedback from leading composers and we realise that much more is expected of the current functionality. Bearing in mind that the Arrangement Page was designed to mitigate the restrictions of having to use multiple instances of Scaler 2. Naturally users see it and expect something akin to a DAW. Fair enough! That’s what we shall give our users.

Hope that all helps.

5

Thanks Davide.

I fully expected gripes like GUI are lower priority with the new launch, and I am patient so no worries. Nothing is total show stopper right now for the GUI (althought the QWERTY keys not working on a lot of things is something I hope is able to be fixed in 3.1 :D)

Your responsiveness is as impressive as the software since only a fraction of software companies are still interacting with users much. I am really excited to be a customer of a company that has passion for their product and customers and this tool looks like it is shaping up to be just amazing.

6

Hi Davide,

I’d love to use the Sketch tab in the Create page, but it doesn’t allow me to access the chordset I chose on the Browse page. Any chance we can toggle between the scale and the chordset on the Create page? Cheers.

7

3.1 is expected for late April, so I think that 3.2 will jump out for late May, isn’t it?