>>Now to the software question: does there exist any sound editor with a >>non-graphical interface, i.e., one that can be operated from the Linux console >>for inserting, deleting, copying and otherwise editing audio? Due to a >>vision-related disability I can't use a graphical display and therefore need a >>text-only solution - but all the sound editors appear to require X11. Surely >>it should be possible to design an audio interface to a digital sound editor. > > > i have no doubt that its possible.i also have no doubt that there is a > PhD waiting for the first person to do this. you are talking about > developing an entirely new set of user interface metaphors for a > potentially very complex task. this is never easy, and doing it without > using the sensory input that the vast majority of programmers utilize > during their own interactions with a computer makes it even harder. > > --p it's easy for non-programing people to bring "visions" regarding interface design. (and i love do so :) as i know programers, it's quite hard to establish a new standard. but imho the interface standards (buttons, dropdown boxes, scrolling, menu-structure, etc.) are now a couple of years old, and there might be better solutions for specific tasks. audio seems to me like a good point to start. if one can abstract from "navigating audiofiles by scrollbars", "mounting busses and audioconnections by mouse (which is nice of course)", "zooming into by eye" you could imagine hundreds of different interfaces. the plainest case would be a command-line. i think of combining sound (acoustic feedback), haptic feedback, midi-controlers (http://www.behringer.com/BCF2000/index.cfm?lang=ENG), data-gloves (http://www.5dt.com/products/pdataglove5u.html), breathcontrol(http://www.midisolutions.com/applicat.htm#BreathController), joysticks (http://www.joy-stick.net/reviews/joysticks/stikeforce.htm), vibration mouse (http://www.avbusa.com/vmouse.htm), etc. - to navigate in the program - to scrub in the files - to change parameters of plugins - to mount connections => to "listen" to the program. greets from munich, bavaria gabriel
