New Skin for FXpansion Strobe

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Before:




After:




Just a few little tweaks here and there. Probably needs a bit of touching up. Got a few more variations. Been a while since I started it and I didn't make any notes like a chump. So, I've put this together for people to try out. Let me know if I've missed anything obvious.

I'll try to upload it in an hour or so for people to play about with.

[AstralExistence]

yeah, no.

[masterhiggins]

Don't know. I've always been a fan of the original comic-strip GUI. Makes me feel like I'm right there with Bruce Banner.

-Sam

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Ok, I think this is ok to put out there now.

This is not endorsed by FXpansion.

Here are the files:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/860 ... R-1%3D.zip

Unzip. Backup your original Resources folder, calling it something like Resources-Original. Then copy the unzipped folder to your FXpansion folder. Rename it to 'Resources', replacing the original folder (which you just backed up). Start or Restart Strobe.

You need to make a copy of your original 'Resources' folder like I just said. Mine is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\FXpansion\Strobe\Resources on my win7 system. I haven't tested it on anything else. To be fair, FXpansion have a pretty robust graphics system and as long as you back up your original folder, then you should be alright if anything goes wrong. And that goes for XP too. Use at your own risk!



Credits -

Thanks to Nick Moritz for the knobman templates. They were a really great starting off point that made learning knobman much easier. Very nice of him to give them away as well without wanting credit. Geezer! Here is his website if you want to learn a bit more or pick up the latest REAPER themes he's doing: http://www.radorec.com/

And of course thanks to http://www.g200kg.com/en/software/knobman.html for the amazing knobman tool.

The knobman files I made up are available on request via pm as are the paint.net master files with the layers. You could very easily figure it out yourself, but it would take you a good couple of hours, if you are anything like me.

It doesn't look like I have done much, and I haven't. But it took some time to work out the layers and recreate them. Fairly easy stuff in the graphics world and gui design. I'm not a gui designer and I am impatient. So if you want the files to learn or if you are starting out, something like this makes an excellent first project, where you can see results with a few days work. Or if you are a whizz kid, a few hours/minutes, but then you wouldn't need my files would you?

I was going for a less 'faux 3D' design with my look. Also, I have very sensitive eyesight and believe it or not, even the subdued colours of this gui hurt my eyes. Mine does not. So I have flattened it out, not ray-traced it out. I have squared things off and bolded other things, highered the contrast.

Ok, enough amateur graphics hour!



I'd be really interested what long term hard core users of Strobe have to say on this. Apart from just general bug finding. There must be some stuff I have missed out or messed up. I don't have the time to go crazy testing, but I have tested it quite a bit and it works so far. But let me know if there is anything I really got wrong or anything you would like to see changed.

I am just getting started on finishing the preset bank for it (it is done, but names, volumes you know) which is what I promised in the first place. I used Strobe to make my Strobe Syndrum Expander for Geist, and the sounds I used will be included here, plus the presets very generously donated by musikmachine.

Not sure how many there will be in the cold light of day. I'd rather go with quality than quantity, talking about my own stuff at least.

Here is the thread to the FXpansion Geist Expander:
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 1&t=344521

Here are screenshots to the latest skins for Geist:
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 1&start=45

If you like them or find them useful, I'm chuffed! They are free to do what you want with as long as you don't repackage them or pass them off as your own or try to sell them. Pretty standard stuff.

All I ask is that you if you have a few quid/bucks spare, then please donate the price of a beer or two to Kris Weston to help him make his new album - it's in my sig. in case you missed it.

[Sendy]

I don't like it personally, it's like the original skin but someone drew over it with a felt tip pen. But judging by your post that's the sort of thing you were going for, so... *insert conclusion here*

[Sendy]

Ah, I'm guessing the purple stuff is because it's in modulation mode, yet the original pic isn't, so it's a bit misleading? Once I realise that, it's pretty good. Though I don't like to see ticks around parts of the knob with no travel. Maybe the spikes were more of a motif than actual ticks, but since they look like ticks, it.. well, you get the gist of what I was going for.

[codec_spurt]

I don't like it personally, it's like the original skin but someone drew over it with a felt tip pen. But judging by your post that's the sort of thing you were going for, so... *insert conclusion here*

It's down to taste.

There is nothing wrong with the original. It is fine work. I can see how mine might annoy others. It isn't that radical a redesign. I just find it a bit easier on the eyes. Nothing to write home about or get too excited over.

People can download it and try it if they want. The fabled drum sounds and bass and dubstep type sounds are soon to follow. Some time. Who knows?



Then again, when you say FELT PEN. Did you mean with a big Nib or a little Nib?





It's just stuff that I make for myself. No one else has made a skin for any other FXpansion stuff to my knowledge, though I have just proved how easy it is to do for even a numpty like me. I just thought I'd share, and if you do like it, make a donation to my favourite charity - Kris Weston.


But thanks for your feedback Sendy. It sounds as if you find the original version of the skin to be heaven, and any changes made to it, to be sacrilege. I can respect that. You have a higher ability for accepting brighter light than me, but somehow, I think it is not just the high and low tones that is getting yer goat? I think maybe Purple is not yer favourite colour? Green? Orange?

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Ah, I'm guessing the purple stuff is because it's in modulation mode,

Er no!

That is normal. You should see it in modulation mode!

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I've just been playing about with some of the other versions of the skin that I didn't put up.

I know this one was a bit garish, and even I find it a bit grating in retrospect.

I've done most of the hard work and I'm putting together another pack, probably with three skins in this time. The knobs will be a lot more understated than the ones I used.

I've been adding to the presets as I go along as well and on two different machines and it's become a bit of a chore collating them and getting all the volumes right so your speakers don't pop. Also, coz they are just my personal presets, a lot of them are very repetitive. It's taking time to pair them down as I don't just want to dump a load of waffle on to you.

Musikmachine kindly donated some presets too which I have to organise.

As for the skin, It doesn't seem like this was very popular and I can kind of understand that.

Any constructive criticism or suggestions for stuff you'd like to see would be good. If not, I'll just crack on and those that like it can dl it, and those that don't, well you know how it goes.

I'm not a graphic designer and I don't have too much time to really play about as much as I would like anyway, but if you say 'make a red one' or 'make a dark one', then that can be easily done.

I'm thinking the variations would just be lighter/darker and with different knobs to taste.

This is just my personal stuff at the end of the day. Not endorsed in any way by FXpansion. If a few other people like it and find it useful, I'm happy. The presets are nice though! Lots of Drum. And Bass!

Strobe is my favourite out of all the DCAM suite of synths. I use it on a load of my drum and bass tracks coz of its modulation abilities. A lot of the presets I've made up are just 'hold one note down' and 'let the modulation take over in time with the tempo' king of affairs. Because of the easy going nature of Strobe, if you find a preset in the ball park, it is easy to season to taste.

And not forgetting I shall be including the raw presets that I used to make my free Strobe Syndrum Expander for Geist.

Anyway, it's free.


Thanks to those that gave feedback already in the thread. The presets I can't do anything about - you will love them or hate them. But the skins, well, you can have a say if you have an opinion.


cheers.