I don’t mean to be rude, and I hope this doesn’t come across this way, but from my perspective, asking for a workshop in the same thread that you ask for features that already exist and are really clearly defined in the manual seems sort of odd.
Like, if it was clear that you had taken the time to read the manual, and were having trouble, then (if I were Gabriel) I’d be more inclined to look at how to help you. But when you say you’ve read the manual a couple of times but don’t show any awareness of something that has a full page devoted to it (and it’s own button), it’s sort of like, well, then I would think you’re wasting my time with your workshop request. I’m sure Gabriel has a ton on his plate.
But this happens in every piece of gear and software I know. You go visit their forums and there’s some guy saying, "How do you do so-and-so?" and some other guy responding, "Read the manual." It’s not a very useful answer, and I get that there are people who get a lot from manuals and people who learn much better by seeing.
Make sure you have the octopus in front of you, and try the things you’re reading as you read them. Sitting and reading the manual in a different room has limited value.
Also, I keep re-reading the manual. Even the bits I think I know. The thing is, when you play with it for a few weeks, and then read the manual, you come at the manual with a different perspective, so that your comprehension of things changes. When you first give it a read, there’s so much info thrown at you that you miss tons of stuff – like how you missed the description of the flat function, probably. But when you go back, and you’re like, "Yeah, I get it. Yeah, I get it. Wait, what’s this mean?" then you find all sorts of stuff. It’s like, my first read got the basics, but each re-read I now find I pull more out of because it’s all in there, but it was too much to take in at first. I’ve had my Octopus for three months, and I’m constantly finding better work flow habits for me. And it comes from finding that one sentence you glossed over last read, but suddenly it stands out. I honestly think a workshop would be about the same: there would be too much info thrown at you, and it wouldn’t be really that useful for you. You need time to define your own workflow; there’s so many ways of doing any given task with this beast (which is one of the greatest things about it), that you really just need time, I think. (Also, are you aware of the youtube videos?)
So, sorry for the ramble, but to sum up:
In my opinion, good advice would be:
1)Make sure you read the manual with the Octopus/Nemo in front of you, and try everything as you read it.
2)Re-read the manual every couple of weeks for a bit, and then every couple of months, or whatever, because you’ll find that things you ignored before are now describing the exact feature you need.
And if you need any help with comprehension of something, ask the boards. I’d be happy to help all I can. But asking for workshops is a lot of work for others when it sounds like maybe you haven’t spent as much time with the manual as you should. It’s a super complicated device, and there’s no shortcut – it just takes time. Like any musical instrument.
