mp3 audio preview for sounds in browser to find faster sounds

@user476565

Several users have asked for some kind of preview ability, but your ideas to use mp3 format and allow user to create previews themselves are quite interesting. I have added your comments to the to-do list. Thank you.

For user presets, Komplete Kontrol uses .ogg-files with the same name as a patch, in a .previews folder. Users can make their own preview files for patches. There have been serious efforts by users to create these (see this topic). Maybe using the same format would be convenient, and I think we could even use the ogg-files made for Kontakt because they are not licensed.

It seems that using an mp3 for a preview would not be very useful, as it would not respect tempo from your DAW, or from the stand alone Unify app.

I think in times of cloud .. it would be soooo nice if you would think about sort of cloud data which can be shown or loaded per sound .. 
Guess could only be links to IDs within some provider .. 
Then not only one but multiple of us can upload data aka mp3s VIA Unify .. 
then the user could / would be able to see there is something I can listen to .. and maybe rank the favorite. the top favorite is the one 
if pre listening is on - which could be listened to if you click or step through the patches .. 

Would this be a pleasing idea ?

@uisbf

Very interesting suggestions, thank you. I will give some thought to all of these ideas.

Maybe - if you want to go this way .. buying sounds from within unity would also be something .. 
A business model where we can share information somehow .. but have to pay a few bucks per month ..
Maybe different models would also be something - as a software engineer I know this can get complex .. 
If you wish and find time we can exchange ideas or thoughts 🙂

Posted by: @getdunne

↑

@uisbf

Very interesting suggestions, thank you. I will give some thought to all of these ideas.

Hi! Just curious if any more thought has been given to adding user-configurable audio previews. It has been such a revelation using this within Komplete Kontrol. However, the downsides to using KK spoil it imo.

Have been thinking of investing in Unify, but the thought of having thousands of personal patches saved with no way to audition them makes me think to either surrender to KK's clunkiness and foibles (also having to pay for 3rd-party NKS adapted libraries) or just start saving all my favourite presets in Logic templates/projects, where I can easily add audio previews. But if this is looking like a potential feature, then Unify might be preferable. Of course, then there’s the immense job of Unifying Komplete UCE 😉

Thanks!

@el-bo

I hear and understand what you're saying, but I will be honest and say that audio previews are not on our priority list at all. If this is a deal-breaker for you, then perhaps Unify is not for you.

Posted by: @getdunne

↑

@el-bo

I hear and understand what you're saying, but I will be honest and say that audio previews are not on our priority list at all. If this is a deal-breaker for you, then perhaps Unify is not for you.

Thanks for the very prompt and clear response. I can appreciate you likely have a feature-request list as long as at least a few arms, so I understand.

I guess it is a deal-breaker, unfortunately. It has made such a difference to quickly being able to separate the the preset wheat from the preset chaff. Choosing not to use it would be like going back to tv's without remote controls or having to forward-wind cassettes to skip songs 😉

Thanks again 

Actually, thinking about it a bit more it might not be too much of a stretch to keep audio previews in a separate folder so that they can be listened to when deciding on patches. It wouldn't be too much of an extra inconvenience, especially given how much I'm intending to cull the overall preset list. Even then, if patch loading is snappy then maybe it's not a huge deal to just keep flicking through until I find what I need.

Is there any noticeable time overhead from running a patch within Unify, as opposed to the original synth?

Many thanks 🙂

Also…Just to clarify that my earlier comment about tv's with no remotes etc. weren’t meant as a slight against Unify. It’s clearly very powerful. Perhaps, with time, more people will ask for previews and it'll eventually become a reality. 

Posted by: @el-bo

↑

Is there any noticeable time overhead from running a patch within Unify, as opposed to the original synth?

It depends on the synth, and whether or not you have configured Unify to re-use instances of that synth. If so, it can be quite fast, but in general, it will always be faster to flip through presets inside the synth. If you haven't already, I'd suggest testing for yourself using the free Demo version of Unify.

Posted by: @el-bo

↑

Also…Just to clarify that my earlier comment about tv's with no remotes etc. weren’t meant as a slight against Unify. It’s clearly very powerful. Perhaps, with time, more people will ask for previews and it'll eventually become a reality. 

Thanks!

Will have some time over the next few days, so will definitely try the demo. Will let you know how I get on.

@getdunne Sorry for the delay. I did try Unify, briefly. I would've given it more time but it was immediately obvious that it's over-spec'd for my needs. Not much different for Komplete Kontrol. I'm really looking for a simple patch librarian, albeit preferably with audio previews. Even without previews it'd be useful, but I'm guessing that very few people would want or need such a simple app to make it worth any developer's time.

Thanks again for your help.