I purchased an FL Studio license in 2008. Directwave was new then. It featured a direct input sampling feature, which is where it got its name. There was a version that could be loaded as an effect in a mixer channel.
The VST was released shortly after that. A few years later, the instrument copy feature was added and the direct input sampling went away. Now almost 10 years later the VST is going away.
There are lots of issues with Directwave that are not yet addressed.
After adding a normalized sample the volume drops, forcing 100% Gain and even some overdrive to compensate(a similar, possibly compounding issue is evident in the instrument copy workflow - forcing a workaround with channel volume up ).
It's effects are weak and outdated(drop or replace?) The delay type toggle switch is backward, so that stereo is actually ping-pong, and ping-pong is stereo.
The sample-looping workflow borrowed from Edison has no metrics by time or sample count outside the ruler and a vague indication of the cross-fade(which persist in the instrument copy dialog box with even fewer indicators).
Editing samples with the Edison breaks workflow concentration - either forcing immediate destructive edits to be saved from the Edison menu, or careful notice of the eventual need to save the sample patch/bank with edits. Both being distracting without a simple key combo to save the day.
The synthesis-modulation matrix requires a little temporary memorization or a pre-mediated placement procedure to use effectively. This could be modernized even with a child-window displaying a patch panel or even a larger non-tabbed more heavily labeled & measured version of the existing matrix.
Creating Unison effects requires duplicating sample-zones & detuning each. Add a unison feature to the zone with detune value & stereo field value.
The sample-zone matrix/spreadsheet requires double-click, then data entry and repeat, which is not fast/efficient. Make a child-window that can be maximized and that allows typing-key arrow & immediate typing of values, followed by a store button or save matrix key-sequence.
The sample-zones are by sample only, and have no other abstract parent hierarchy, making complex layered sample sets difficult to see and access without clicking in the sample-zone matrix/spreadsheet and tedious locking and unlocking.
The instrument copy feature will cut the release tale and misplace sample start and end times, along with bad loop points(if used) if the sample time by seconds is not used.
Multi-timbral use isn't as simple as with a VST wrapper. Users either put Directwave in patcher and route midi channels and assign patcher a MIDI port, or use midi-channel/colors and be forced to combine multiple musical phrases into one pattern making flexible arrangement difficult. Both of these are hacks and should be regarded as such. Give Directwave a real wrapper OR build in the ability to set the port right beside the MIDI channel value on the global options on the right-hand pop-out.
Multi-timbral mode is an obscure click location on the upper left of the UI which can be easily overlooked. Why not use some color and a brighter label to make this stand out?
Directwave options from the right-hand pop-out option panel are not saved with the an instrument or channel fst file. Meaning that each usage requires careful inspection of the bit depth, the option to bundle the samples in a single binary or store them as individual wave files, and any legacy normalization settings desired.
Saved programs and banks contain the path information of the original sample-builder's computer, regardless of whether the samples are bundled as a single binary or as a folder/dw{pb}. Why not remove this from bundles or use a relative path rather than full system path?
*.dwb files can not be dragged and dropped from the FL Studio browser onto the interface to load. They can only be loaded by using the built-in directwave library directory tree navigation.
If a *.dw{b,p} file is loaded where the samples are not bundled or in the path within the patch/bank file, rather than directwave providing the option to stop loading - one has to "hold the escape" button until all sample load attempts are stopped. Inevitablly, this also forces the close of the channel rack, the mixer and the playlist if the user has to hold the button for any significant length of a samples list.
The sample load/parse by name fields feature is still buggy. Only note name and velocity are somewhat usable, and not always.
Chicken Systems Translator does not write out a valid DWP/DWB file anymore. Contact him and get that fixed so your file format is valid for content makers to consider.
Fix/Update/Improve Direct Wave
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