I'm not too sure if this is the correct place for this post, so pardon me if this in the wrong thread.
In the android version of milkytracker, the GUI is not really designed for the small screen.
The app should embrace typical gestures and selection styles of a mobile device:
that means nerfing the point and click system (which is really just made for computers with a mouse. Using milky with a tracking pad on a laptop is just as challenging ) and
using scrollers that utilise swiping gestures and perhaps popup fullscreen windows when one chooses to select another instrument for recording, so that the process of choosing an instrument or selecting a sound sample becomes much faster and easier. As long as the selection doesn't have to be made in real time, the options screen should just take up the whole screen, like what happens when you click on a drop down list on chrome on an android. Almost the entire screen gets used by the drop down list and each option is very clearly stated and easily tapped on. If the number of possible choices exceeds what can be fit on the screen, let there be a scrolling system where one can swipe up or down to view more instruments/samples or other choices.
Also, the
screen orientation should be made portrait. Milkytracker's note display is read top-down, so why not have more space and know what notes are coming up? It's not necessary to see the text crystal clear in each note box (I'm not really sure what that's called) so clearly. So perhaps have an option of changing screen orientation and choosing how many columns (channels) and rows (time steps) can be displayed onscreen at anytime.
Another suggestion I have is to not have so many buttons that show another window that rests within half the screen or a smaller space which displays more buttons.
Simply put, there's no need for that much buttons and menus in the android versions of milkytracker. Of course, the myriads of wonderful features of milkytracker may be compromised if too many buttons are wiped offscreen. However I suggest that only three main menus need to be present;
- The
recording mode menu, which shows a
keyboard consisting at least one and 1/4 octaves, filling up the full width of the phone screen and 25% height, filling the lowest quadrant of the phone when in portrait mode.
Above the keyboard is another 25% screen height-full of options such as the
double up/down button-only selection of the currently displayed pattern filling about the leftmost 30% of the screen, with bigger buttons and smaller text.
The text display should be in the same format as the current pattern select text (e.g.: "3F|22"), just that it
only shows one line, which is the selected pattern, not four like the one present in the current versions of pc and mobile milkytracker.
Having a scroll list with tiny up/down buttons are fine when it's on the computer as there is a mouse so you can see exactly where the mouse is, unlike on the phone where your cursor is a relatively big thumb or finger which takes up 5% of the screen.
The next 10% width right of the pattern select buttons perhaps can be used for the
'CLN' and 'SEQ' buttons. Perhaps a button can also be made to
view all patterns in a big, fullscreen list to allow quick and fast pattern changing.
Copy and paste patterns can be implemented in the fullscreen list too.
The rest of the 50-75% bottom half of the screen can be used for a
up/down button volume select, so that one does not need to key in the volume every single time a new note is entered and the volume will automatically be put in place every time a note is entered and also the very important
instrument select button. Once clicked, there will once again be a
big fullscreen scrolling list of all available instruments and users will just select the instrument from the scrolling list by
swiping up or down to find the instrument of their choice. There will also be essential
PLAY, STOP, PAT, POS and REC buttons, which fill up the rightmost 40% of the quadrant.
- The
effect commands and volume mode: where users just see the top 50% of the screen as the pattern display and the bottom display with
BIG 0-9, ABCDEF, UDLR and delete buttons. The user will just select the note's volume, instrument ID or effect command and type in the values just as how one would type it in a real computer. Note that the whole keyboard should not be used: this will waste too much space. Only the important buttons are necessary.
- The "every-other-button-you-can-find-in-pc-versions-of-milkytracker" mode. This will contain buttons you'll see as buttons in the pc version of milkytracker, eg ZAP, LOAD, ADD, SUB, DISK. OP, ADV. EDIT, OPTIMIZE, OPTIONS etc. except the PLAY, PAT, POS and STOP, REC and SMP. EDIT buttons. I suggest each button should have the following GUI pop ups:
=>
ZAP: As per normal, just make the buttons bigger to make it easier to click the right thing as a lot is at stake
=>
LOAD: This should
not show a file explorer! Create a setting to allow the user to indicate where to look for all the .xm files, and only files from this area will appear. This will simplify things a lot and a file directory is not necessary as most android devices already have one.
Increase the button sizes of the files so that they are easier to click.
Make it fullscreen (once again) and
utilise the swiping capabilities of mobile devices. It's fine if not all of the files fit into one page as the user will just swipe to find the other files.
Don't put the tiny up and down arrows (seems to be the trademark of milkytracker though...) as it is difficult for the user to click them. Just allow swiping, and
nerf the scrollbar. Load and cancel buttons are fine, but it'll be even better if the
LOAD button gets replaced by a double tap and CANCEL button gets replaced by a back button. If the changes made is unsaved, display a simple popup dialogue box that asks if the user really wanted to load another file. Once again, there is
no need for a CANCEL button as it should be replaced by the back button on android devices, only YES and NO are needed.
=>
SAVE (AS): This should just
simply display a popup text-input dialogue box asking for the name of the file filling up the top 50% of the screen(if the file hasn't been saved already) with a normal operating system based keyboard with a
working backspace button filling up the bottom 50% or whatever px/dp the operating system wants. The backspace button does not work in the current version of Milkytracker for android and the keyboard blocks out half of the screen such that users can't even see what they are naming the file as. There is once again
no need for a file directory all .xm files should be found at the same directory as stated in the options.
=>
DISK OP.: Honestly,
export of WAV and MOD files are enough. There should just be a popup of two selections of whether to export WAV or MOD and once the selection is made,
display the same dialogue as in SAVE (AS). The
directory of the file is determined by another setting in options which denotes the location of milkytracker's exported files.
=>
SMP. EDIT: This button
should not be standalone, all of the sample editing functions
should be a subset of the INS. ED functions.
=>
INS. EDIT ==>
Envelopes: Volume/panning envelopes should be activated by buttons. Once activated, there will be a
fullscreen window that will allow the user to design the envelopes by
dragging the dots on screen. Adding of envelope nodes should
not be at its current state, where holding it long will delete it, holding it half as long will add a new one and what not,
as it is just too tricky. There should be
two big, easily clickable buttons at the right hand side which simply ADD and DEL envelopes. The other options such as On, sustain and loop will
appear as easily clickable check boxes. When sustain and loop is on, just like normal milkytracker operations, the user will be able to use both up and down buttons and dragging of lines to position the sustain point and loop start and ending points, just note that the
Up/down buttons should be bigger. Copying and pasting of envelopes aren't necessary as stored envelopes should be accessible in forms of a big dialogue drop-down list with values from '0-9' and 'none', with the button to activate the use of stored envelopes also at the right hand side.
The three buttons, ADD, DEL and PREDEF. should be stacked vertically at the right.TO BE CONTINUED
