Hi Jean-Philippe, The MIDI Event List became fully accessible as of version 11.1. As you may recall, it was always possible to create MIDI tracks, record and edit with a control surface in a cut, copy & paste manner. Now that the event list is visible, one can edit all parameters, filter, etc. I'm not sure of the exact status with patch libraries and the like but things are a whole lot better than they were a few years ago. Hope that helps.
Slau On May 13, 2014, at 10:37 AM, Jean-Philippe Rykiel <jpryk...@gmail.com> wrote: > Dear Slau, > Like everyone else here, I would like to congratulate you for this concise > and detailed summary. > For the moment, I have sold my ProTools license, I realised I was feeling > comfortable with sonar and also that, being an intensive midi user, I needed > a Daw that gave me full access to midi editing. I'm sorry if I ask questions > that have been asked over and over on this list, but how did Midi editing's > accessibility evolve with pro tools 11? > I know that ProTools VS sonar is one of the recurring subjects on this list, > and I was wondering if one could compile and post a little summary of what > has been said about this so far . > Thanks for Your continuing efforts, and not giving up. > best regards, > jpr > > http://www.jprykiel.com > http://soundcloud.com/ryksounet > http://twitter.com/ryksounet > http://facebook.com/jeanphilipperykiel > Le 11/05/2014 05:48, Gordon Kent a écrit : >> Hey Slau: >> that's a great summary of how things have evolved with PT. Frankly, the >> only reason I need to stick with Sonar and windows is that I have such a >> huge library of sampled instruments that I have done that use the SFZ >> format. At present, there is no aax SFZ player available for the Mac. >> When we wer using RTAS the garritan engine which does support SFZ worked >> with Pro Tools, but nobody could tell me how to refer to the Mac folder >> structure in an SFZ definition file. I tried putting the definitions and >> their associated .wav files in all kinds of folders but never got them to >> work, and now Garritan has pretty emphatically stated on their site that >> they have no plans to convert to the AAX format, which is rediculous since >> so many others have. If we could get access to structure, the SFZ files >> could be converted to sound fonts and loaded into structure. At this point, >> as far as instruments that are bundled with Pro tools are concerned, >> Structure is the real drawback for us. A good usable sampler is a very >> important part of the production environment, especially for those of us who >> want to mix and match drum kits, custom sample instruments to our taste, and >> process vocals through synth modulators etc. I hope they haven't forgotten >> about this, as I said, it's really one of the only reasons I haven't >> totally switched over to Pro Tools for the kind of stuff I do. But know >> that I sincerely apreciate what you've done, I've gone through the same >> thing with my many years of association with cakewalk, which has put a lot >> of blind folks to independent work. >> Gord >> On May 9, 2014, at 11:59 PM, Slau Halatyn <slauhala...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> As some of you may already know, I was asked to write something for the >>> Avid blog regarding Pro Tools accessibility. The article was published this >>> afternoon at: >>> http://www.avidblogs.com/music-daw-software-for-blind-and-visually-impaired-audio-professionals/ >>> Because of the way the story is laid out, it appears not to read entirely >>> chronologically. So, I've pasted the contents of that post below. There >>> were several photos in the post which are not included below. >>> >>> >>> I was introduced to Pro Tools while enrolled in the audio program at Five >>> Towns College in Dix Hills, New York, during the mid '90s. Most of my early >>> training in college was on large format consoles and multitrack tape >>> machines, which were de rigueur in the studios of the day. Computers had >>> certainly found their way into the recording environment nearly a decade >>> earlier, but more so in the role of MIDI sequencers. >>> During the years I was in school, however, the digital audio workstation >>> (DAW) had gotten its foot in the door of the control room and the DAW that >>> led the way was Pro Tools, which I began to work with in my senior year. I >>> sat there in front of the monitor, staring at a graphic representation of a >>> waveform, wondering whether the hours I spent learning how to splice >>> quarter-inch tape with razors had been wasted... >>> I had the advantage of taking a one-on-one advanced digital audio class >>> with my professor as a result of my need to use adaptive software known as >>> inLARGE, a screen magnifying program for the Macintosh. Several years >>> earlier, I had been diagnosed with a retinal condition that impaired my >>> vision. When I entered college, most of the gear I used was highly >>> tactile: mixing consoles, outboard processors, tape machine remotes, etc. >>> By the time I was preparing for graduation, things had already begun to >>> change. Evidence of this glowed from a VGA before me--everything, all under >>> one roof, one box. Little did I know that this was the paradigm of the >>> future, and little did I know that 20 years later, I'd be so closely >>> involved with Pro Tools and its accessibility for blind audio engineers and >>> musicians. >>> After graduation I started a recording studio of my own, BeSharp, in New >>> York City and for a number of years I kept one foot firmly planted in the >>> analog multitrack world while occasionally using a computer for virtual >>> tracks slaved to tape. As my vision gradually grew worse, however, it >>> became more difficult or even impossible to perform certain tasks at the >>> studio. LCD displays were dim, VU meters were a blur and tweaking outboard >>> gear became tedious. All the while, I was experimenting with an LE version >>> of Pro Tools, using the outSPOKEN speech synthesizer on my Mac to access it >>> without having to look at the screen. >>> With the introduction of Pro Tools HD, I finally made the jump over to the >>> digital world. For several years, everything went well. A small community >>> of blind Pro Tools users emerged and shared tips and techniques. While the >>> program was almost entirely accessible, the use of a control surface proved >>> to be indispensable for efficiency and tactile feedback. To me, it felt not >>> that much different from the old days, only now I didn't have to deal with >>> aligning my tape machines or worry about one of my console channel strips >>> crapping out in the middle of a session. >>> >>> Around the time that Pro Tools HD was introduced, Apple was touting its new >>> OS X operating system. Unfortunately, there was no screen reading software >>> available for the new OS, but most blind Pro Tools users simply continued >>> using their rigs under the old OS 9. Gradually, with Pro Tools' support of >>> OS X, blind users started missing out on newer plug-ins, new virtual >>> instruments and Pro Tools features, not to mention all the benefits of OS >>> X. >>> In 2005, Apple introduced OS X 10.4 Tiger with a built-in screen reader >>> known as VoiceOver. This was revolutionary: now a blind user could walk up >>> to any Mac running Tiger, press Command-f5 and have the computer start >>> speaking. One of the first things I did was purchase an upgrade to Pro >>> Tools HD 7.1 to use with Tiger. Unfortunately, when I launched the >>> application, the only thing I could access was the menu bar. No other >>> windows were readable. With the introduction of this built-in screen reader >>> in the new operating system, the accessibility we enjoyed earlier was now >>> broken. >>> In 2006, I was invited to visit members of the development team at Avid in >>> Daly City, Calif. I demonstrated the level of accessibility afforded blind >>> users with outSPOKEN under OS 9 versus VoiceOver under OS X. It was clear >>> to everyone that Pro Tools was unusable with VoiceOver and something needed >>> to be done. But it so happened that Pro Tools was about to undergo a major >>> change in the way the graphic widgets were drawn to the screen. This meant >>> that things would be changing anyway and we'd probably have to wait until >>> the transition was complete before the accessibility issues could be >>> addressed. I kept in touch with key members of the Pro Tools team, stopping >>> in to visit at various conventions and trade shows or whenever I was in San >>> Francisco. >>> One day I received a call from Avid informing me that some work had been >>> done to make Pro Tools compatible with VoiceOver. I flew to the West Coast >>> to get a sneak peek and offer some feedback before the next release of Pro >>> Tools. It was extraordinary to suddenly have access to Pro Tools version 8 >>> when the previous accessible version was 5.3. I was once again back in step >>> with my sighted colleagues, using the latest tools of our trade. An >>> accessible Pro Tools empowered me to walk into any studio, fire up >>> VoiceOver and operate Pro Tools, all the while amazing the young studio >>> staff who probably never knew one could operate a DAW without looking at a >>> computer screen. >>> Things were really looking up--for a while. Then came the big change from >>> Pro Tools 10 to 11. Accessibility didn't entirely break but we did begin to >>> lose a few key features, which raised some serious concerns. I attended >>> another meeting in Daly City where a few ideas were tossed around. The >>> issue was that the initial work of making Pro Tools accessible had been >>> approached as a skunkworks project, using whatever extra resources were >>> available at the time. Since that project hadn't been part of the normal >>> workflow, some UI elements in Pro Tools 11 were changed without regard for >>> their connection to the accessibility API (application program interface). >>> Rich Holmes, director of product management for Pro Tools, had a brilliant >>> idea. He pointed out that Avid had pushed for international language >>> support in Pro Tools version 11 and accessing the program through VoiceOver >>> was essentially the same as accessing it in another language. Taking >>> matters through official channels, we got the OK from the top to make >>> VoiceOver support part of the normal process of development and quality >>> control. Rich appointed Ed Gray, director of Partnering Programs (who >>> happens to be legally blind himself), to coordinate accessibility-related >>> efforts at Avid. >>> With a user interface as feature-rich as Pro Tools, the work of making it >>> accessible is a long-term project. We're continuing to address a few areas >>> that still need attention. One of our current challenges is to get >>> third-party developers to make sure their plug-in controls are labeled >>> properly. Some proprietary controls in many plug-ins remain invisible to >>> VoiceOver. Avid and Apple are prepared to offer guidance in the process, >>> but the first step is simply to raise awareness of the issue. At this >>> year's Avid Developer Conference, part of Ed's presentation was devoted to >>> the issue of plug-in accessibility. This is the kind of visibility the >>> blind Pro Tools user community had hoped for. Avid has led the way, making >>> all of its new AAX plug-ins accessible. Hopefully, others will follow >>> Avid's example. We still have challenges like the inaccessible iLok License >>> Manager. Pace Antipiracy is aware of the situation and has indicated that >>> they will address the problem in the near future. >>> With the release of Pro Tools 11.1, we've seen a huge improvement in >>> accessibility. Not only were things fixed that had been inadvertently >>> broken in the transition from version 10 to 11, but blind users can now >>> access features that were previously inaccessible. >>> Students and other first-time Pro Tools users often approach me looking for >>> guidance, and they're amazed at how accessible it is. I'm always happy to >>> share the good news and assure newcomers about Avid's commitment to making >>> Pro Tools fully accessible. This has prompted the newest members of our >>> community to invest in Pro Tools systems and encouraged veteran users to >>> upgrade their hardware and software. Users like Rick Boggs, who blazed a >>> trail early on by helping make early versions of Pro Tools accessible, has >>> rebooted his video description work with Audio Eyes, a company that trains >>> and employs blind engineers using Pro Tools to produce audio-described >>> movies and television programs. I See Music, a company started by Byron >>> Harden in Chicago, is setting up students with new Pro Tools systems and >>> offering training as part of a state-funded rehabilitation program for >>> aspiring blind audio professionals. Colleges that held on to older Macs >>> running older systems for their blind students in audio courses have now >>> begun to upgrade those rigs to newer hardware and Pro Tools 11. At my own >>> studio, we're in the process of migrating over to a new control surface and >>> an HDX system. >>> All in all, it appears that access to Pro Tools is back on track. That >>> track may have resembled a roller coaster ride at times, but I have a good >>> feeling about the future. A group of blind Pro Tools users I had assembled >>> as beta testers a few years ago continues to contribute to accessibility >>> testing and feedback. There's a public forum at Google Groups with an email >>> list where members exchange tips and techniques. The blind Pro Tools user >>> base continues to grow steadily and I'm happy to see the next generation of >>> users helping each other. In the grand scheme of things, the blind >>> community may be a small portion of the Pro Tools user base, but the issues >>> we raise are not trivial. It comes down to being able to use Pro Tools or >>> not. The personal interest that the folks at Avid have taken is >>> particularly meaningful because they genuinely understand the magnitude of >>> the work they're doing. With each accessibility improvement, they're >>> handing us blind Pro Tools users the tools of our trade, which has a direct >>> impact on our livelihood and truly makes all the difference in the world. >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "Pro Tools Accessibility" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>> email to ptaccess+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Pro Tools Accessibility" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to ptaccess+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Pro Tools Accessibility" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to ptaccess+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Pro Tools Accessibility" group. 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