RackPlanner 1.3

BananaPlug · Post by **BananaPlug** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:16 am

RackPlanner will automatically scale them to fit but be reasonable. Nearly all of the images in use so far are from manufacturer's web sites so they are a reasonable size, maybe a bit on the small side. Most of the euro format images are 300px tall.

dougcl · Post by **dougcl** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:43 am

Kent wrote: If not, can I lay out my Frac stuff in another window without borking my Euro Planner? Can I hop back & forth between the two? Can this be explained to a stone-tablet-weilding, Cuneiform-chiseling, Luddite like myself in 2-syllable words?

You can specify the rack xml on the command line. So you can have a different rack xml for each format. Then create a shortcut for each so that the shortcut opens Rack Planner with the rack xml.

So for example, your shortcuts could be called EuroRack.lnk, FracRack.lnk, and Modcan.lnk. Your rack xml files would be called EuroRack.xml, FracRack.xml and Modcan.xml. You could then have three different module directories EuroRack, FracRack and Modcan. Each rack xml would point to the corresponding module directory.

No problem having multiple instances of Rack Planner open, so you can have all three open in separate windows simultaneously. You can use the Save As JPG option to make jpgs of each, but you would have to combine the images manually if you want them in the same pic.

dougcl · Post by **dougcl** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:48 am

Hey Doug, Another vote for multi-format planner!
By the way. Is a Save As feature possible? As it is you have to copy the rack file, copy the shortcut, and then edit the shortcut to refer to the copy of the rack file.

Save As should be pretty easy, but multiformat goes straight to the architecture. One of the key features is the limitless work area based on the simple concept of a repeating background image. Abandon that and the usability suffers in my opinion.

Banana, something is wonky in the forum and it looks like your original post got lost! Ah, no I htink I hit edit instead of quote, or something. Not used to being a moderator. Sorry about that. Regarding the scaling across formats. Jsut get your background images on the same scale and you should be fine, I think.

BananaPlug · Post by **BananaPlug** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 10:45 am

looks like your original post got lost!

No great loss.

Regarding the scaling across formats. Jsut get your background images on the same scale and you should be fine, I think.

I'll have to look into that. I need to write a rack generator!

whyterabbyt · Post by **whyterabbyt** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 8:07 am

Being a bit pedantic, as well as completely unable to properly correlate model number with function without the aid of a chart,, can I suggest a few more explanatory names (and a couple of other corrections) for some of the Doepfer modules in the Library? Ive already changed them for myself.

incorrect model number
--------------------------
Doepfer_E_A-100 Standard VCO.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-110 Standard VCO.zip (Wrong model number)

inconsistent name style
---------------------------
Doepfer_E_A135 VCMix.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-135 VCMix.zip
Doepfer_E_A144 Morph Controller.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-144 Morph Controller.zip
Doepfer_E_A145 LFO.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-145 LFO.zip
Doepfer_E_A182 Switched Multiple.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-182 Switched Multiple.zip

duplicated between common style and inconsistent version
------------------------------------------------------------------
Doepfer_E_A143-2 Quad ADSR.zip (The more consistent Doepfer_E_A-143-2 Quad ADSR.zip seems to exist as well)

model number only, no description

Doepfer_E_A-101-1.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-101-1 Steiner Filter.zip
Doepfer_E_A-101-3.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-101-3 Vactrol Phaser.zip
Doepfer_E_A-106-1.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-106-1 Xtreme Filter.zip
Doepfer_E_A-106-6.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-106-6 XP 16 fold expander VCF.zip
Doepfer_E_A-108.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-108 6-48db Filter.zip
Doepfer_E_A-111 VCO.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-111 High End VCO.zip
Doepfer_E_A-114.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-114 Dual Ring Mod.zip
Doepfer_E_A-118.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-118 Noise and Random.zip
Doepfer_E_A-125.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-125 VC Phase Shifter.zip
Doepfer_E_A-129-3.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-129-3 Vocoder Slew Limiter.zip
Doepfer_E_A-130.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-130 Linear VCA.zip
Doepfer_E_A-131.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-131 Exponential VCA.zip
Doepfer_E_A-132-3.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-132-3 Dual Lin-Exp VCA.zip
Doepfer_E_A-134-2.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-134-2 Dual VC Crossfade.zip
Doepfer_E_A-136.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-136 Distortion-Waveshaper.zip
Doepfer_E_A-137-2.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-137-2 Wave Multiplier 2.zip
Doepfer_E_A-138a.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-138a Linear Mixer.zip
Doepfer_E_A-138b.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-138a Exp. Mixer.zip
Doepfer_E_A-138e.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-138e Quad Crossfade-Polarizer-Mixer.zip
Doepfer_E_A-140.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-140 ADSR.zip
Doepfer_E_A-143-1.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-143-1 Quad AD.zip
Doepfer_E_A-143-3.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-143-3 Quad LFO.zip
Doepfer_E_A-147.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-147 VC LFO.zip
Doepfer_E_A-149-1.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-149-1 Quantized-Stored Random Voltages.zip
Doepfer_E_A-149-2.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-149-2 Digital Random Voltages.zip
Doepfer_E_A-152.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-152 Voltage Addressed Switch - Shift Register.zip
Doepfer_E_A-154.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-154 Enhanced Sequencer Controller.zip
Doepfer_E_A-154.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-154 Enhanced Sequencer Controller.zip
Doepfer_E_A-155.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-155 Analog Sequencer.zip
Doepfer_E_A-156.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-156 Dual Quantizer.zip
Doepfer_E_A-160 Clock Div.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-160 Clock Divider.zip
Doepfer_E_A-161.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-161 Clock Sequencer.zip
Doepfer_E_A-162 Trig Del.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-162 Trigger Delay.zip
Doepfer_E_A-165.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-165 Trigger Modifier.zip
Doepfer_E_A-166.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-166 Dual Logic Module.zip
Doepfer_E_A-170.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-170 Slew Limiter.zip
Doepfer_E_A-175.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-175 Dual Voltage Inverter.zip
Doepfer_E_A-183-1.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-183-1 Dual Attenuator.zip
Doepfer_E_A-183-2.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-183-2 Offset-Polarizer.zip
Doepfer_E_A-187-1 DSP.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-187-1 VC DSP.zip
Doepfer_E_A-188-1_2048.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-188-1C 2048 stage BBD Module.zip
Doepfer_E_A-188-1_512.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-188-1A 512 stage BBD Module.zip
Doepfer_E_A-188-2.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-188-2 Tapped BBD Module.zip
Doepfer_E_A-189-1.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-189-1 BitCruncher.zip
Doepfer_E_A-190-3.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-190-3 Polyphonic MIDI interface.zip
Doepfer_E_A-190.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-190-1 MIDI interface.zip
Doepfer_E_A-196.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-196 PLL.zip
Doepfer_E_A-198.zip -> Doepfer_E_A-198 Ribbon Contoller.zip

Ive also submitted a couple of dozen missing Doepfer modules; stupidly though I named the first three or four 'A1xx-blah' rather than 'A-1xxx blah' as seems to be the 'consistent' way, which is a bit ironic.

BananaPlug · Post by **BananaPlug** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 8:32 am

Wow, thanks for all the contributed modules and for this list. I confess to having started this thing without much of a plan. The naming convention has evolved and one of the shifting parts of that is how wordy to make the zip file names. Since Doug made the file picker window resizable I've been more inclined to use descriptive names and not just numbers. Still, "Doepfer_E_A-109 Voltage Controlled Signal Processor.zip" is a bit much. I think I'd rename that one to "Doepfer_E_A-109 VC Signal Proc.zip."

I'll try to spend some time this weekend going over the Doepfer names and probably will revise the library layout to work better on smaller screens. The euro part of the collection has gotten huge. I suppose that's partly because the euro modules sizes vary so much and a planner helps you fill the racks without leftover spaces. I'd love to see some more activity in the other sections though.

whyterabbyt · Post by **whyterabbyt** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:27 pm

BananaPlug wrote:Still, "Doepfer_E_A-109 Voltage Controlled Signal Processor.zip" is a bit much. I think I'd rename that one to "Doepfer_E_A-109 VC Signal Proc.zip."

you're quite right.

ive just added four more modules that I needed to be able to reproduce my existing system; two Doepfer modules I'd inexplicably missed the first time round, and the two Plan B filters I own.

Now to actually do some planning, for my intended move from 4x6U racks to 4x9U...

computer controlled · Post by **computer controlled** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 3:54 am

I've noticed a thin vertical line about 3/4 of the way to the right. Is this the 84hp line?

dougcl · Post by **dougcl** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 3:55 am

computer controlled · Post by **computer controlled** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 4:10 am

I thought so =o]

wwbjd · Post by **wwbjd** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 8:04 am

NM! Answered my own question. Nice piece of work!

flight · Post by **flight** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:50 pm

Wow

I just now read this thread, damn good work! And thanks to whomever made the foh zips!

I've always been a Java dork, so it's cool to see it being used like this. An idea:
The previous mentions of drawing patches directly in this app got me thinking about how to implement it. I haven't looked at your code yet (or if it is even available uncompiled), but how about adding an IO instance class to the Module class? The module should know how many IO it has, and each IO would store its location (relative to some point - say, bottom left corner - of the module panel image or whatever is the location point for the module on the rack), "plugged" boolean, possibly a "to" reference for the plug, and maybe a descriptive String. Then you could use those points to draw cords.

The data for the above could be added to the XML file - I assume these are parsed by the main program - so anyone could add them in.
To make the IO coordinates simple for anyone to add to the XML file, it would be easiest to just have a grid overlay the image and just select which square the jack lies in.

OK, I'll shut up now & go solder.

dougcl · Post by **dougcl** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:11 pm

Hi thanks for the nice feedback. The cool thing is that the module zips are open, so anyone can add to the xml and do whatever they want with them. Bananaplug really took off with this idea, and he's done an awesome job. A patch program could be completely separate, or integrated. Either way. Rack Planner just got the ball rolling

BananaPlug · Post by **BananaPlug** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 11:07 am

Hey flight,
If you were to come up with a scheme for storing the IO locations and an app for working with that stuff, I'd be interested in talking about web support, maybe a patch library. Lot's of issues come to mind (multi-format systems?). If your thinking of doing this let's talk before you get a lot of code written.

flight · Post by **flight** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:21 pm

Although I'd love to work on this, I doubt I have enough free time to devote to it. I can mull it over for a while though, and see what I can come up with. May I see the source code to get an idea of what would be needed to implement this?

dougcl · Post by **dougcl** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:50 pm

dougcl · Post by **dougcl** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:15 am

Hi folks new version (1.0.7) of RackPlanner is now available. Added File->Open and File->Save As.

See first post of this thread for the RackPlanner.zip download link.

If you already have RackPlanner and you want to upgrade, just extract the file RackPlanner.jar from RackPlanner.zip and save it over your current one. Nothing else changed.

Doug

dude · Post by **dude** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:22 pm

here is my design:a cross between your planner and my girlfriends photoshoping thanks to everyone for their help!

dingebre · Post by **dingebre** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 6:00 pm

Rack Planner looks like a very nice tool. Can I mix and match different rack formats? Euro mixed with Blacet, mixed with 1U full width, etc.?

David

dougcl · Post by **dougcl** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 7:12 pm

dingebre wrote:Rack Planner looks like a very nice tool. Can I mix and match different rack formats? Euro mixed with Blacet, mixed with 1U full width, etc.?

David

Hi David, you can have multiple instances of Rack Planner running at the same time. You can save and manage racks and modules in separate areas. You can't however mix formats within a single Rack Planner instance.

You can support any rack format you can imagine, provided the module heights don't vary within the rack, and the rack widths don't vary within the rack. So 1U will work fine, and a full rack-width system (like Serge) will work. You just need a rack background image and module images. Rack Planner will scale the modules to fit the rack image height.

PM me if you need assistance.
Doug

dougcl · Post by **dougcl** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 5:30 pm

Hi folks, I have just released a new version of Rack Planner (version 1.0.8).

Features:
1) Rack filename now appears on the title bar.
2) Module delete added to the menu and Ctrl+D. I found out that the DEL key was not working on Macs.
3) You can now edit the Rack Properties (scale, rows, cols, etc.) from within the program.

The last one is a huge improvement (and a lot of work), so don't hesitate to upgrade. I know some of you are on old versions, and there have been a lot of changes since the beginning (we're on the eighth release). See the first post of this thread for the upgrade link.

Doug

dude · Post by **dude** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 5:49 pm

yay for doug!!!

thank you sir!!!

dougcl · Post by **dougcl** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:05 pm

Ha ha, thanks.

KNYST · Post by **KNYST** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 8:50 pm

In queue:

# Flight Of Harmony_F_Plague Bearer.zip
# BugBrand_F_PRC3A.zip
# BugBrand_F_DD3.zip
# BugBrand_F_CTL2.zip
# BugBrand_F_CTL1 v2.zip (the July version of this module)
# Livewire_E_Dual Cyclotron.zip

Mistakes

# BugBrand_F_DD3.zip (wrong image)
# BugBrand_F_PRC1.zip (already up)
# BugBrand_F_ENV1.zip (already up)
# BugBrand_F_DD2.zip (already up)
# BugBrand_F_DD1.zip (already up)
# Livewure_E_Dual Cyclotron.zip (typo)

Sorry - I need to sleep...!

authorless · Post by **authorless** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 9:13 pm

such a great utility for not only planing a rack but also rearranging a rack.

MUFF WIGGLER

MUFF WIGGLER

RackPlanner 1.3