Some love to auto pan

[ferranpujolcamins]

This small PR should be quick to review and improves a little the user experience with AutoPan.
Change list:

1. Reverse smoothing parameter (https://bugs.launchpad.net/mixxx/+bug/1489907)

2. Moves width parameter to the first place.
   This makes AutoPan consistent with echo and flanger where the first knob is the principal responsible of the effect's perceived intensity.

3. Changes the default parameter values to something that sounds cool (IMHO).

[jclaveau]

Hi Ferran,
Thanks for giving a look at this effect. I'm glad if it interests you.

1. Reverse smoothing parameter (https://bugs.launchpad.net/mixxx/+bug/1489907)

If you think so, I chose the "smoother by default" version first to have an effect that changes the output as few as possible. However, a feeling from someone having mixed with it gives probably a better point of view.

2. Moves width parameter to the first place.
   This makes AutoPan consistent with echo and flanger where the first knob is the principal responsible of the effect's perceived intensity.

=> 100% agreed, thanks for the notice.

3. Changes the default parameter values to something that sounds cool (IMHO).

Same as 1) so : follow your heart, my head told me make the more unobtrusive effect when I implemented it :)

There is something else I never did with this effect : enable the sync by default. I think this it is really better with. More, presently the sync toggler is not visible in LateNight so sync can't be enabled on it.

[jclaveau]

Something more : I forgot to delete the buffer and the delay here.
https://github.com/ferranpujolcamins/mixxx/blob/Some-love-to-AutoPan/src/effects/native/autopaneffect.h#L72-L74

Would you please add it to this PR?

[Be-ing]

I think this should be targeted at 1.12 considering the small scope of the changes and that it contributes to fixing https://bugs.launchpad.net/mixxx/+bug/1296089

[jclaveau]

@Be-ing AutoPan is not targeted for 1.12 actually (even if I'd love it would). The Phaser too :
http://www.mixxx.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5062&p=24766&hilit=autopan#p24766

[ferranpujolcamins]

1. Reverse smoothing parameter (https://bugs.launchpad.net/mixxx/+bug/1489907)

This is just a semantic issue: when the knob called "smoothing" was at zero, the smoothing was on. It feels more coherent if the smoothing is on when the knob called "smoothing" is at its maximum position.

Another thing is which default value we give to that parameter.

Same as 1) so : follow your heart, my head told me make the more unobtrusive effect when I implemented it :)

I chose the default values so they affect obviously the sound because of this bug: effects need defaults that sound like an effect

There is something else I never did with this effect : enable the sync by default. I think this it is really better with. More, presently the sync toggler is not visible in LateNight so sync can't be enabled on it.

I have no idea how fx can collect tempo info yet, so I can't help right now. Furthermore, this was a quick PR.

Something more : I forgot to delete the buffer and the delay.
Done.

[jclaveau]

I have no idea how fx can collect tempo info yet, so I can't help right now. Furthermore, this was a quick PR.

It's already done, the only thing to do is to change the default value of this parameter to 1 :
https://github.com/ferranpujolcamins/mixxx/blob/Some-love-to-AutoPan/src/effects/native/autopaneffect.cpp#L41-L51

Thanks for the free and for taking care of the compliance of this effect with the others. :)

[ferranpujolcamins]

So the only remaining thing for this is to show a toggle paramater that enables it?

[daschuer]

We are planning to release fixes in the master branch short after the 1.12 release.
Most important are the fixed mp3 seek and read issues in master.
These effect improvements will be automatically part of it.

[jclaveau]

The parameter already exists but is shown only in Deere and Shade, not in LateNight.

So the only remaining thing is to change this line
https://github.com/ferranpujolcamins/mixxx/blob/Some-love-to-AutoPan/src/effects/native/autopaneffect.cpp#L49
To be like : periodUnit->setDefault(1);

And, as you said, choose a default value for the smoothing. I have one example in head, which could be a good base : I sometimes heard tracks finishing with an autopan having a quite strong smoothing and a period of one beat.

[jclaveau]

@daschuer nice to read it :)

[rryan]

@ferranpujolcamins when you get a chance could you fix the conflicts? thanks!

[ferranpujolcamins]

@rryan Done

[rryan]

thanks!