23 Jan
2003
23 Jan
'03
8:37 a.m.
On Thu, Jan 23, 2003 at 12:39:36 +0100, Dave Griffiths wrote:
I would really have liked to put the module controls
inside the widgets in the
patch builder, and thus only have one window to worry about - but some of the
module windows are just too big, it makes building patches much more difficult.
Yes, this is a very good idea. I would guess its neccesary to break out
subwindows for complex things (like big sequencers) but most things can
be squeezed into reasonably sized modules with care. The Nord Modular is a
good example of this. It has the most usable UI of any virtual modular
synth I've used.
http://www.clavia.se/pictures/nordmodular/patchwindowlarge.jpg
The combination of really well drawn patch cables, consistant sockets and
interfaces, good colour hinting and input chaining makes it comparativly
simple to work with.
Something that SyncModular can do (and I think pd etc.) is create sperate
UI panes that can be linked to a subset of the controls to provide a
visually simple contol surface. The UI panes just have sliders, knobs etc.
that can be dragged around and labeled. that way the patch can be treaded
like a normal synth by users without seeing the rats nest that makes it go.
- Steve
