Assign labels

[jbdiver]

The assign labels feature on the MRCC seems broken to me or at least it's very non-intuitive. I'll assign a custom label I created to In Port 1, change to In Port 2 and see that same label now assigned. Except it's not actually assigned, the label field was just never updated when the port number was changed using the encoder. Now I assign a label for In Port 2 and change back to In Port 1 and see the same label I just previously assigned to In Port 2. 

Some of the labels I assigned to ports don't appear when I set up routings. The labels just appear as none. Either I got confused when assigning labels or some of the assigned labels on ports were somehow cleared while I was assigning labels to other ports. I'm running the latest beta firmware.

Here's what I would expect to see while working with the assign label feature. If a port doesn't have a label assigned to it, the label value should be none when I select the port. If I assign a label to a port, the current label value should appear when I select that port. It should really be that simple.

[oldgearguy]

The port naming thing has some nuances that are not immediately apparent.
The first and biggest (for me) is that once you name ports you have to save that preset. Port names are tied to presets, not global.

One reason that the name is still there when you change away is to make assigning the name to an input and output port pair a bit easier. Often, an I/O pair is connected to the same device, so this saves you from retyping if you create the label for Input, then select the Output and reuse the name.

[jbdiver]

Interesting. So if you assign labels but don’t save the preset, the port labels will revert to their previous values if the device is power cycled?

I can understand the desire to optimize the assign label workflow, but a selected label should not override the value of previously assigned port labels. As a software developer, I find this very unintuitive. Another example: you assign a label to A1 In and the same label looks like it’s assigned to A2-4 In — except it isn’t. There’s no way to actually see with any confidence which labels are assigned to which ports without going to the routes page.

[oldgearguy]

I write software for a living and I don't always agree with some of the design decisions made, but I like the product enough to deal with the quirks. I asked for some changes, but given other requirements and hw constraints, they couldn't implement them

[Jesse Johannesen]

Interesting. So if you assign labels but don’t save the preset, the port labels will revert to their previous values if the device is power cycled?

I can understand the desire to optimize the assign label workflow, but a selected label should not override the value of previously assigned port labels. As a software developer, I find this very unintuitive. Another example: you assign a label to A1 In and the same label looks like it’s assigned to A2-4 In — except it isn’t. There’s no way to actually see with any confidence which labels are assigned to which ports without going to the routes page.

It's more like this: 
All labels are temporary and in volatile memory. 
If you save a preset the Labels are part of the preset.
When you power cycle, it just loads the last saved preset, so any labels that exist in that preset now exist in the current state of the unit.

[oldgearguy]

I typically have gear that doesn't get moved much, so I decided to make some labels for the front panel.
For me, I would rather just look and read my source/destinations versus scanning through the menu.

I still have some tweaking to do to the spacing, shading, borders, etc, but here's what I have so far.
If anyone wants the Excel (well LibreOffice) spacing measurements, let me know.

EDIT - updated with some shading tweaks.


   

[xeamus]

I wish if I push and hold a Midi in button the screen will show what I have named it and the outs at the same time.

[Jesse Johannesen]

I agree that would be cool. I can't think of a good way to do it though, since you could be sending it to literally every other port, it could get pretty crowded. Any ideas of how that would look?

[xeamus]

I agree that would be cool. I can't think of a good way to do it though, since you could be sending it to literally every other port, it could get pretty crowded. Any ideas of how that would look?

Perhaps you push and hold a Midi in button and the screen will temporarily show that Midi in port name and all Midi out ports from that Midi in port? If Midi out ports are to many, perhaps you can scroll with the white up/down buttons? The Midi in port name will not change and always visible.

[Dark Waves]

I agree that would be cool. I can't think of a good way to do it though, since you could be sending it to literally every other port, it could get pretty crowded. Any ideas of how that would look?

Power users may have different ideas, but as someone whose use of the MRCC currently leans heavily toward the basics, and just wants to occasionally identify a connection, my idea is to allow port labels to be momentarily displayed on the home screen, where normally the word "Activity" is (unless there's a better spot).  For the inputs, because selecting one doesn't change any routing, the name could just appear there while the source button is held.  For the outputs, because pressing one will toggle the routing state, perhaps one of the soft keys (blue or black, for example) could be held together with a destination button to temporarily display the port name without the unintended side effect of completing or breaking a route...although, such a normal routing action could optionally, in addition to the non-functional combo button press, also display the name for a moment upon routing or unrouting an output.

Regardless of the method(s) implemented, some such facility would prove very useful.  Thanks.