Re: [LAU] User interfaces for Audio

On Sun, 1 May 2016, Lorenzo Sutton wrote: While I generally agree (physical boards have run with only knobs for a long time), The on the spot auto generated control layout for some effects makes things difficult to use. The one thing a GUI adds is to place the controls in a logical order. Any complex eq in generic controls makes the user stop their thoughts to figure out which control it is that they want to tweak. Takes the mind totally away from what they are doing. All of the switches grouped, all of the same filter grouped... so high and low pass, high shelf and then low shelf, then the parametrics in the middle. Open the GUI and things are ordered from input to output for overall gain and then from low to high frequency. A graph reminds you how it was set in the first place and also helps you to choose the right control to tweak (should I bring band 3 down or band 2 up... Oh right I am already using band 2 better bring band 3 down). Oh, and speaking of physical boards, a lot of them have GUIs for the channel strip built in EQ, noisegates, compressors, etc. Rack mounting ears and logos don't add much, but a nice layout sure does. It may be true that a plugin author could order the controls so that the generic gui orders them a little nicer... but I think it would still split it into columns in the most confusing place (in the middle of a group controls for one band in an eq for example). A well done GUI makes one work faster, make fewer mistakes, and allows the ears to be used more fully as the hand does not require as much attention. -- Len Ovens www.ovenwerks.net