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Author Topic: Jerky/stuttering "momentum" scrolling though Library in the usual Cover Art view  (Read 3624 times)

jimwc

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There is still an issue with the performance of Momentum Scrolling on MC 21 Mac when browsing my library. 

Scrolling through my library (showing the cover art images) is rather smooth while my fingers are still in contact with the trackpad (even if I scroll VERY quickly).  However, as soon as I let go and "momentum" scrolling takes over for the next 1-2 seconds, the scrolling movement is jerky and not smooth. As a more precise description, as soon as my fingers leave the trackpad, there is a moment of scrolling hesitation, then the scrolling resumes at the faster (fingers touching) speed before gradually slowing down. 

I initially thought that this was not a problem with lagging of the image database, but instead some improper handling of the momentum scrolling feature within OSX.  However, the momentum scrolling stuttering is notably worse when the display shows rows of 5 cover art images compared to a single column.  That said, I still think the database speed is not really the culprit.

This problem also existed on MC20, and is one area of the UI that may leave a bad initial impression on new potential users (customers), and is a bit annoying for older users as well.

MC 21.0.8, OSX 10.9.5, 2011 MacBook Pro 15 inch (non-retina)
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blgentry

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I've seen this effect for a long time also.  I don't use the track pad much.  I usually use a wireless mouse that has a scroll wheel.  If I grab MC's scroll bar and drag it, movement is rather smooth no matter what speed I go.  However, when I use the scroll wheel, it's very different.  If I scroll *very* slowly, it's pretty smooth.  But as soon as I start scrolling at any sort of a normal to fast pace, the album covers jump and "jerk" as I roll the wheel.  It's like it's doing some form of scrolling acceleration, but the acceleration comes on at a very low threshold.  It accelerates so fast, that you can easily miss a bunch of albums that it just blows past without even showing them.  The end result is rather jumpy/jerky scrolling.  I've gotten used to it from having done it so much.  But objectively, it's not visually pleasing, nor is it easy to work with.

I just tried the track pad, and it's similar.  When you let go to let momentum scrolling happen, it kind of jump scrolls, as opposed to smooth scrolling.  Almost like the album covers teleport from one part of the screen to the other if that makes any sense.

This is in no way a big deal.  It just isn't all that pretty or sophisticated looking. 

Brian.
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JimH

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Is there any Logitech software involved?  Or any other mouse software?
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blgentry

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In my case, the track pad is part of the laptop.  So it's using stock drivers that are part of OS X.  The mouse I'm using *is* a Logitech.  Good guess!  :)

But I didn't install any drivers for it at all.  I think it has some that you *can* install, but I never bothered.  I just plugged in the wireless receiver and started using the mouse.  I just went to System Preferences for the Mouse to check out the stock settings.  It turns out scrolling speed is adjustable, and it was turned up about 80% of the way.  Turning it down to it's lowest setting actually makes it much, much more controllable and smoother in MC21!

I tried the same thing with the track pad and it didn't seem to affect momentum scrolling.

But hey, now my experience with the mouse is WAY better in MC, so thanks!  :)

Brian.
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jimwc

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In my case, this is using the native trackpad on the MacBook laptop.  I suppose it is possible that logitech is the OEM vendor Apple uses for the MacBook Pro, but I'm not doing anything fancy.

Using an Apple Magic Mouse yields exactly the same result as the built-in trackpad.

I agree that this is not a BIG problem, but it creates a notable deviation from the overall polish and feel of an otherwise well-performing quality UI. These kind of details can create just the right (or wrong) first impression of what is otherwise a very nice piece of software.
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Jumpsturdy

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My experience here is that scrolling (magic mouse) works relatively smoothly, but there is a lag in the artwork appearing when scrolling quickly. And that the degree in lag is indirectly proportional to the number of albums/files within the library. If I have one of my large libraries loaded and either scroll quickly or drag quickly there is are several seconds that pass before the artwork begins to appear. Like the prior poster, I do not feel this is much of an issue and it has also been an issue with other similar programs. Small libraries, under 10k albums are not a problem and no lag to speak of. That being said, I think that MC has the fastest and best library management of any app I have used. With some music apps navigation of the library can become untenable with a large library.
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hoyt

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I don't think I had ever noticed this before with MC20.  For me, it's not when I let go of the trackpad, it's pretty consistent.  It doesn't seem to happen when I use the keyboard (rapid page up/ page down), but it's terrible when using the mouse (built in trackpad in a Macbook).  I made a video, but it's  too large to attach.

--Ryan
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