This is exactly what @riban meant with his “smile” at the word “just”…
I have implemented many seemigly complex things that took me 5 hours or 5 days (if not 5 minutes). To make them user-customizable and configurable (especially using an UI!) would take me 5 months or 5 years. Not to speak about the burden of maintanance… Even I, as a lover of customization, have to admit @riban is quite right, unfortunately. There are more important priorities in zynthian. To make things work can seem difficult enough, but to make them freely customizable is actually much more time demanding (if not really difficult). You can try implementing it, if you have the time, but will you also be able to maintain the code (and documentation?) for the rest of your life?
Yes, I slowly start to understand the implications of these kinds of considerations and truly appreciate the time @riban took to explain me these.
Anyway my first intention was actually to vote against one proposal of a new idea for an additional implementation:
And then I started ruminating (quite uncompehending) on how it could be achieved without adding an additional implementation. My thoughts were about having one customizable setup where you could abandon the maintainance of different layouts (V4, V5, touch, user requested customizations) by, well, “just” assigning an action to a customizable control (touch area, physical button press).
I thought at a given moment in time that this would rather reduce maintainance needs, but I learned it won’t or even it would be hard to implement.
What I find really delightful though is how patiently people obviously having more important things to do react to my newby suggestions and I think that is beatiful.
I would really like to contribute to the project in that way somewhen in the future, but this would involve me learning python at least and being more advanced in git that I am at the moment, so this could take some time. But it is not impossible because when I look at what I learned already with you fantastic people (soldering tiny bits, getting a Pi running with a GPIO multiplexer, getting some meaningful insights in reading py scripts, writing sfz files, cutting a wooden cigar box, having a freaking DIY open hardware keyboard extender with almost unlimited possiblilies build with your help, knowing how 5V power rail is sounding when connecting to a 1/4" jack and all since last November) then it might happen some time in the future.
This is how the world should be. If everyone is kind to each other then we each find some time to help.
There are many ways in which to contribute which include coding, documenting, providing artwork, providing sample sounds / performances, making demonstrations, assisting / contributing in the forum / wiki, etc. We love engagement from all people in all forms.
Ohhh yes!! You don’t need to learn python to contribute to zynthian project. For instance:
Wiki documentation is always behind development and it always need updating and reviewing, for instance
UI’s on-screen help is in its infancy. Only the mixer has a proper help screen and it’s optimized forV5 only. Other views also deserve proper help screens.
We need more video content: tutorials, demos, etc.
We need custom TTLs for more synth engines and audio/MIDI FXs.
We need more icons, better icons for the UI
Webconf style (CSS) could be improved a lot
Engine DB could be improved too. Write new descriptions and rankings and review current ones.
Project website: Add engine cards and review current ones, adding more audio/video demos.
We don’t have an entry in the wikipedia!!! Somebody should take care of this …
etc.
And i could keep adding to the list. There are so much to do that doesn’t need to learn python!
Ciao Riban
I discovered right now the existence of V5 keypad touch navigation.
This will help me a lot the use of my headless Zynthian.
Where can I read how to set the F1,F2,F3,F4 touch buttons?
