Adding an new feature of modulators inside Studio One could be made with the following two implementations: A)Just activatable modulators on each automation track and its parameters can be controlled with the automation track inspector or B) four kinds of modulations which I show you here. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, so I show you both.
Adding just the automation track modulators keeps Studio One simple and easy, but adds a powerful new dimension of possibilities to Studio One but is not that versitale. The four kinds of modulations, which I discribe later, are an in-depth modulation system where you can distinguish between different kinds of modulations, but it could make Studio One more complex, which maybe could be not intended.
Which one you like more for Studio One?
A)Just the automation track modulation mode which is discribed at 2)
B)Four types of modulation areas with their seperate modulators where to add Studio One internal modulators.
First I introduce the four kinds of modulators inside Studio One, after that I tell you some thoughts about it.
Before that I suggested a modulation system for the macro control knobs and for the automation lanes, but here are a more elobarated version of this idea, which could be nice, it is an idea, maybe you like it, but maybe it could be too complex.
There could be addable modulators in the following areas of Studio One:
1)track based modulators: modulators for the macro control knobs and buttons which are assignable to channel, VSTi and VST parameters of the track. If modulators are added, the macro control knob or button acts as an intensity control for the modulators.
2)modulators on automation tracks: In the automation inspector you can activate a modulator, choose a shape or a blend between shapes, set sync or free speed, setting the phase, also an activatable step sequencer is available with smooth parameter or a random mode and the automation graph controls the intensity of it. Every setting of the modulator is available in the automation inspector, where much space is available for such a function.
3)global modulators: A limited amount of global macro control knobs and buttons with modulators, which can be assigned to every parameter of the whole project. A multiplier, intensity slider and phase shift can set different speeds, intensities and phase for modified modulation of different parameters.
This kind of modulator is more specific because many plugins have modulators on board but some are not, so this could be also a kind of modulation, but the first three kinds are more important, so I added it in brackets:
(4)Plugin modulators: Also modulators as described could be activated for specific VSTs, which show up in a small docked window below the VST window, to modulate just parameters of a specific VST. This could be also saved as preset in other projects if wanted.)
Many plugins dont have modulators on board or you want to animate different parameters from different plugins with the same motion together, so you need to use automations, but editing complex and many automations could be very work-intensive and changing cycling automations like sines or other repeating shapes which could get faster, slower in different speeds and rising, falling in complex shapes is not very handy and in many cases not even possible yet, even with the transform tool. Also if you want the same automation on different tracks, but with different speeds. Beside that especially automations for every single parameter clutters the project fast. So at first one automation lane for a macro control knob should be the first step, this implementation is really useful, the others are too but this adds a new editing dimension to Studio One at first.
P.S.:
For everyone who is interested in the details which functions such a modulation system could have, here are some ideas:
-basic shapes like sine, triangle, rectangle with pulsewide, sawtooth+/-, every shape has an intensity knob to create mixtures between them
-random smooth or stepped which creates random values with the speed of the speed setting
-a step sequencer mode with a smooth control and different step lenghts
-speed synced with subdivisions or free in Hz, in Hz
-two modes: fast and slow, fast gets far in the audible spectrum for FM, AM, a.s.o.
-the intensity control is the automation graph
-more ideas are welcome
Here is a picture for the automation lane inspector modulator to visualize the idea better:
