Best / worst synth gui

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CrystalWizard wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:13 am Other than being able to read the text i'm not too picky (discerning?) about aesthetics of GUIs, usability is a different matter though.
best: pigments, massive v1. I like being able to see as much modulation info as possible.
I agree, except for massive 1 being readable. I find the smaller text on the gui impossible to read :shrug:

Must be getting old ...

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thecontrolcentre wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:29 am
CrystalWizard wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:13 am Other than being able to read the text i'm not too picky (discerning?) about aesthetics of GUIs, usability is a different matter though.
best: pigments, massive v1. I like being able to see as much modulation info as possible.
I agree, except for massive 1 being readable. I find the smaller text on the gui impossible to read :shrug:

Must be getting old ...
Ah, yeah, rereading my post i should have been more specific. Massive 1 isn't readable on a modern screen, i like the color coding and the bands around the virtual knobs (why is this so rare)? So like Massive v1 but with readable text. Ok, Pigments... :D
gadgets an gizmos..make noise~crystalawareness.bandcamp.com/ soundcloud.com/crystalawareness Restocked: 5/2026
if this post is edited -it was for punctuation, grammar, or to make it coherent (or make me seem coherent).

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hi, Fart Man has nice and user friendly GUI
aliasing plugin owner
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:lol:

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Vortifex wrote: Sun Jan 15, 2023 12:08 pmMy favourite 'simple synth' GUIs are Invader 2, Repro 5, and TAL-U-NO-LX. Easy to look at, everything is logically and clearly placed, good sizing options.
You had me until RePro-5. The main GUI is great but the Tweaks page is utterly impenetrable.
In terms of the more complex synths, Massive X and Icarus 2 are the best for me. Not particularly beautiful, but they cram a lot in without making your eyes bleed or subjecting you to a hideous workflow.
I don't think you can beat DS-Thorn when it comes to a complex synth with a simple, clear GUI.
mixyguy2 wrote: Sun Jan 15, 2023 4:19 pmWorst, Synth1 is still king. I know it's old, but it looks far older even than it is. Like it was bundled with a new Commodore 64 PC.
I really like Synth 1's GUI, once I have it customised to my preference. I recently installed it for the first time in 18 years or so and I'd forgotten how good it is. I spent a few minutes playing with the colours to get it to look great.
Lbdunequest wrote: Sun Jan 15, 2023 5:02 pmBefore listening to music first i check the cover and decide if it will sound good or bad.
You think you're joking but I honestly couldn't tell you how many great bands and artists I have discovered, purely on the strength of an album cover. The artwork that goes with your music is really important in setting expectations for the listener.
THE INTRANCER wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:02 am Creating GUIs, which have a lot of controls whilst simultaneously making them simple and easy to operate, and making them beautiful to look at, at the same time is often a difficult balance.
DS-Thorn manages it almost perfectly, I reckon. Pretty much the whole thing is on a single page, everything is laid out in a super-logical, totally intuitive way and it's a beautiful thing to behold. For me it is absolutely the gold standard. He's even nailed the colour scheme, which isn't too bright for a dark work environment, nor is it too dark for a bright environment.
Being able to reskin/redesign it in a way to make a synth better can't be underestimated as a selling point.
I don't think 90% of customers give a toss, actually.
DCrown wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 7:00 amI see. Back in the day the cover of a record also was a peace of art. You might think of a song or album also in associations with the album cover - the picture, art painting, maybe some slogan or message, lyrics or some additional informations.
In fact, I've probably owned 1500 or more albums on vinyl and CD over the past 50 years and I guarantee if you named any of them, I could describe the cover artwork accurately and in reasonable detail.

Worst GUIs for me belong to Noise Engineering. They completely suck. I've seen prettier layouts in an Excel spreadsheet. Waverazor is another one that just doesn't work.

Apart from DS-Thorn, other faves are GR-8, Olga and Spire. Those synths make me want to use them, simply from the way they look and how easy they are to work with. Special mention also to ANA-2, which does a way better job of that style than DUNE or Hive or anyone else.
NOVAkILL : Legion GO, AMD Z1x, 16GB RAM, Win11 | Audient EVO 8 | Lumi Keys | Studio Pro 8
Korg Odyssey, bx-oberhausen, Proxima, PolyMax, GR8, JP6K, Union, Atomika,
Invader 2, Flow Motion, Olga, TRK 01, Thorn, Spire, VG Iron

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Best: Nexus (version 2)
Worst: Nexus (post version 2)

Other lookers: Dune 3, Massive X, Spire
If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding. HOW CAN YOU HAVE ANY PUDDING IF YOU DON'T EAT YER MEAT!?

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Best of All Time: Izotope Iris 1

Best One Pager: ArcSyn with the satyatunes skin
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fisherKing wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 10:09 pm
ramseysounds wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 9:33 pm Best : Hive 2
Worst : Hive 2

@Fisherking 😜
no no give me a break... :lol:
Are you sure? :hihi:
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ABEFLGMOPPRRST :phones:

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liquidsound wrote: Tue Jan 17, 2023 1:29 pm
fisherKing wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 10:09 pm
ramseysounds wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 9:33 pm Best : Hive 2
Worst : Hive 2

@Fisherking 😜
no no give me a break... :lol:
Are you sure? :hihi:
I found the second one down, to be a nightmare, whereas the first one really didn't do it for me.

I was happy with the reskinned one I created in 2019, which I gave away here last month - (and completely updated to version 2.1). Currently, I'm working on, a skin that is significantly different in design and in looks but it's proving quite a challenge.

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This one actually works, there are more exotic synth design projects on my site, which I use for inspiration for future projects.


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The only one I can’t really deal with is Poly-Ana including some of the proposed attempts.

That thing is a real challenge to sort out.
ABEFLGMOPPRRST :phones:

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Some or most cherry audio synths have a lil too many knobs and sliders, imo they should display just the important ones and have separate menus or pages for the rest

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Hiding things away is always a bad idea. It's great to be able to look at a synth GUI and get a good overview of what's going on. Hiding things away just makes it harder to work.
NOVAkILL : Legion GO, AMD Z1x, 16GB RAM, Win11 | Audient EVO 8 | Lumi Keys | Studio Pro 8
Korg Odyssey, bx-oberhausen, Proxima, PolyMax, GR8, JP6K, Union, Atomika,
Invader 2, Flow Motion, Olga, TRK 01, Thorn, Spire, VG Iron

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i find massive x squarely average
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Favorite interface ever functionally... not a huge fan of the look aestephetically but it no longer bothers me... geoshred on ios (also an excellent midi controller... mpe too.)
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