More > Media Center 12 (Development Ended)
Comments from a friend re MC11
glynor:
--- Quote from: gpvillamil on June 29, 2006, 10:20:23 am ---Choose your view scheme, then click the little triangle in the Search box, choose Playlist, choose a Playlist from the list. Your Playlist is displayed according to the view scheme.
--- End quote ---
While I never knew you could do this, I really don't fully understand why you'd want to. I really never use regular playlists unless I need the files to play in a specific order (such as if I'm scripting out music for an event). In that case, Otherwise, I just create view schemes and add a Search to Step 4. Just like a Smart Playlist but better (because you can use the Tree/Panes filtering on them).
My point is that it's cool you can do it, but I really don't think it's important that it be super intuitive. It's not something I think grandma would use.
Doof:
--- Quote from: gpvillamil on June 29, 2006, 10:23:44 am ---Actually this was someone else. The Java programmer understood "Acquire Images" fine.
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Ah, ok. Your post wasn't very clear about that.
--- Quote ---Re DSP, the context is important. He knows I have a decent programmable DSP in my system. So first guess is that the DSP studio was some kind of plugin related to that (and not the place where sounds are adjusted.) Note that this means that this function was misinterpreted (reasonably) by a knowledgeable user. A newbie would be even less likely to guess that the DSP Studio conceals the equalizer!
I think "DSP Studio" should be changed to "Sound Adjustment" or "Audio Tuning" or "Adjust how things sound". Neither "DSP" or "Studio" convey any kind of useful information in this context. Expanding "DSP" to "Digital Signal Processor" makes it even less useful.
--- End quote ---
I think in any kind of "industry" there's a certain learning curve, and part of that learning curve is learning some of the terms that are used. DSP is a very common term in the digital audio world, and I'm not sure that shielding new users from that is really the answer. Maybe changing the tooltip to read "DSP Settings : Changes the way your audio sounds" or "DSP and Equalizer Settings" or something would be helpful.
GHammer:
I recall no problem in finding the functions of the DSP Studio when I first loaded MC.
I'm kinda backward. I don't read names of stuff and try to guess its function. I usually click on this or that and see what it offers. Ok, I sometimes (not often) make an educated guess.
Then handicapped by my limited knowledge, I assume that 'Equalizer' in this DSP Studio just might do what the equalizer in my car or in WinAmp does. Clicking on that sure enough shows me a familar group of sliders marked by frequencies. It really doesn't make the sound equal at all though. To do that I'd have to choose Replay Gain. But I don't want to replay anything I just want them all to be the same volume. That could certainly be confusing to someone with no knowledge of any audio terms.
Of course I'm much more adventurous than some. For the I want to know what this is but don't wish to look at it" types, there's always Help, which even in MC follows the F1 protocol.
gpvillamil:
--- Quote from: Doof on June 29, 2006, 12:04:14 pm ---Ah, ok. Your post wasn't very clear about that.
I think in any kind of "industry" there's a certain learning curve, and part of that learning curve is learning some of the terms that are used. DSP is a very common term in the digital audio world, and I'm not sure that shielding new users from that is really the answer. Maybe changing the tooltip to read "DSP Settings : Changes the way your audio sounds" or "DSP and Equalizer Settings" or something would be helpful.
--- End quote ---
Sure, except that in this case "DSP Studio" does not actually refer to a DSP, or to DSP in anything except the most general way (decoding a JPEG and applying gamma adjustment is also "digital signal processing"), and it is definitely not a "Studio". It leads to a dialog that in most other programs would be called "Playback Settings".
gpvillamil:
--- Quote from: GHammer on June 29, 2006, 02:03:15 pm ---I recall no problem in finding the functions of the DSP Studio when I first loaded MC.
I'm kinda backward. I don't read names of stuff and try to guess its function...
--- End quote ---
This might be fine for you, but a lot of people whose primary interest is *not* computing do read the names of stuff, and assume they describe its function.
The reason I bring this up is because I've struggled to explain MC11 to people with all levels of skill, and there's never a clear "aha - I get it" - it's always a process to adapt to the peculiar internal terminology of the program. Often, when Windows standard terms or controls are used (eg. Rename - F2, or the window control widgets) they do something non-standard. (At least the catastrophic "Mega-Me" is gone - that was 2 steps removed from the original joke in an "Austin Powers" movie.)
For new users, there is a first layer of learning about trying to figure out what MC11 is *saying*, and once that is done, then they can try to figure out what it is *doing*. What MC *does* is complex enough - there shouldn't be an extra overlay of complexity around what it *says*. Notice the number of posts on Interact along the lines of "THAT's what that does".
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