audio-design multitrackstudio 用户手册
15 Touchscreens
Introduction
MultitrackStudio features a touchscreen mode which makes the program easy to use with touchscreens.
Touchscreen support has been designed to turn the computer in a recording and mixing device, while
Touchscreen support has been designed to turn the computer in a recording and mixing device, while
allowing some editing as well. You can interact with the knobs you see on the screen directly without having
to find your mouse and move it to the right location first. In fact you're not even supposed to have a mouse
or keyboard within reach.
The goal being a great experience also means that not every nifty feature is necessarily available in
touchscreen mode. It's not possible to collapse mixer sections for example, because the buttons would get
in the way and the collapsed sections would be too small.
Touch hardware and Windows versions
A convertible notebook (a notebook which lets you flip the lid, so the screen is outside
when the lid is closed) would be a nice computer to use. Another interesting option
would be a touchscreen mounted on a stand, connected to your computer. It's best to
have the screen sloped towards you. The traditional monitor behind the keyboard on a
have the screen sloped towards you. The traditional monitor behind the keyboard on a
desk setup isn't ideal because it's not very comfortable to keep your arms in that position
for a long time.
The best touch experience is provided by Windows 7 combined with a multi-touch
screen. Multi-touch means you can use multiple fingers simultaneously. The onscreen
MIDI keyboard benefits from this. It also allows for two-finger zooming.
Note: early multi-touch notebooks came with Vista. We've found that the onscreen MIDI keyboard is pretty
much useless on these systems because of the way multi-touch is converted to single touch. Upgrading to
much useless on these systems because of the way multi-touch is converted to single touch. Upgrading to
Windows 7 would solve this.
MultitrackStudio does a great job at making the most out of single-touch touchscreens and older Windows
versions as well. The one thing that can make a great difference is the amount of force that's needed to
versions as well. The one thing that can make a great difference is the amount of force that's needed to
make the touchscreen register you finger. Older monitors based on resistive technology can require a
significant amount of pressure which makes it very hard to drag you finger over the screen. Controlling
faders, knobs and editors etc. is hard using such a monitor. Such a monitor may still be usable if you mainly
want to use it for recording.
Windows DPI setting
Touch screens are hard to use if the things you want to control are too small. Traditionally Windows runs at
96 DPI (DPI = dots per inch). Modern notebook screens can have 150 DPI or more, which makes
96 DPI (DPI = dots per inch). Modern notebook screens can have 150 DPI or more, which makes
everything significantly smaller unless you adjust the Windows DPI value accordingly. A MultitrackStudio
track measures 9.5 mm in height if the Windows DPI value matches the screen's. It is highly recommended
to make sure tracks aren't any smaller than this. You can increase the DPI value even more if you still can't
use the touchscreen comfortably.
Switching to touchscreen mode
To switch to touchscreen mode go to the Studio menu's Preferences
window and select Touchscreen in the Input Device box. A 'Test
window and select Touchscreen in the Input Device box. A 'Test
Touchscreen...' button appears which lets you do a quick test.
MultitrackStudio learns from this test whether it can distinguish between
mouse movements and touch movements. Using the mouse in touchscreen
mode will be a bit awkward if it can't.
In touchscreen mode some controls are bigger to make them easier to use. The transport buttons are an
example of this. The controls that don't get bigger still respond to a larger area to make them easier to use
with touch.
A small box reading 'T' appears at the bottom of the window to indicate touchscreen mode is active.
Monitor on stand
Input Device selector