KVR Audio

Blue Cat Audio · Post by **Blue Cat Audio** » Wed May 25, 2005 6:49 am

Skinning the cat would be possible, but it's some extra work and I prefer to focus on efficient products first...

mandolarian · Post by **mandolarian** » Wed May 25, 2005 6:51 am

Ok, makes sense. Then I vote for the tabby cat.

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Wed May 25, 2005 7:34 pm

bluecatonline wrote:
bduffy wrote:Oh, I agree about animation in plug-ins; it should be used sparingly, if at all. All I can think of is, "wasted CPU cycles...wasted CPU cycles..."
We are going a bit off-topic, different colors won't waste CPU . BTW even very complex graphic animations won't really waste your processing power since the GUI has a lower priority (well, it depends on hosts...). So it's not really a big issue. I would rather say "complex UI design wastes money", for sure!

Thanks for elaborating. It's good to know it's not a big deal, thanks. I'd hate to start rumours.

rbet · Post by **rbet** » Wed May 25, 2005 7:55 pm

I like dark GUIs like FL plugs (Simsynth, etc.)...

haydxn · Post by **haydxn** » Wed May 25, 2005 8:10 pm

i wham-bam-electric-ram prefer crisp 2D design work on a GUI than 3D rendered controls. The illustrated look of the fabfilter plugins appeals to me, as do a lot of the new stuff in the Reaktor5 library. check them out for some beautiful GUIs...

R5 library
examples...

these show contrast (less so in the first one of course!), pale colours, yet vibrant at the same time. i feel they look far more soothing than a cheesy 3D rendered arrangement.

Ocean Zen · Post by **Ocean Zen** » Wed May 25, 2005 9:28 pm

I like it when colour is used with purpose, like displaying a certain EQ band (sorry, if that's already been said)

emdot_ambient · Post by **emdot_ambient** » Wed May 25, 2005 9:50 pm

Voted classic, but it really all depends on ease of use. A poorly designed Reaktor ensemble can have a "classic" look but still be confusing as f**k to use, where a very colorful GUI, if easy to use, can be very effective.

In short, it's more the layout of the GUI than the appearance that matters.

What I want is:

1) An ergonomic interface that visually cues you in on how the synth architecture is set up & encourages you to interact with it.

2) Controls that make sense and are easy to use--PLEASE DEVELOPERS, NO MORE CIRCULAR CONTROL KNOBS!

3) GUI that works on high res monitor settings (these are way too rare)

4) All controlls should have a way to do coarse and fine adjustments, as well as to see a sensable graphic value (like tuning controlls that read in +/- cents of a semi tone rather than an arbitrary 0-127 value).

5) MIDI Learn for all controls.

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Wed May 25, 2005 10:45 pm

emdot_ambient wrote:...2) Controls that make sense and are easy to use--PLEASE DEVELOPERS, NO MORE CIRCULAR CONTROL KNOBS!

:hihi:I agree! But I'm sure some people prefer them.

donbrad3 · Post by **donbrad3** » Wed May 25, 2005 11:18 pm

I voted classic, though I do like a bit of color in the UI. I think as far as the use of color goes, the UI should have good contrasting / complimentary colors that do not strain the eyes when working with them.

Someone pointed out the Buzz plug UIs....BEAUTIFUL!! I have seen them before and I have to say that simple is golden! The contrast between the dark greys and the teal is very refreshing to look at, and invites the user to 'come and play'. I'm not saying you want to copy what other people are doing, but to experiment with different colors to see what works for your plugs.

You could always post some ideas and put them to a vote.....or you could hit up a couple of the local 'skinners' to see what they could produce for you (I'm sure someone would be willing to donate some work for the cause....I know I would).

Frippertronix · Post by **Frippertronix** » Wed May 25, 2005 11:35 pm

To me, it's not really an animation issue. I just like it to look like gear. True, it takes more MB of memory to load, but I don't see how a nicely designed and rendered faceplate (a la the Kjaerhus stuff) affects CPU at all.

Just makes the DAW experience more fun for me.

To me it says the opposite of what someone else was saying here. While, tt doesn't necessarily mean one thing or the other, a very well and thoroughly rendered GUI (like Minimonsta) says "professional" to my subjective right brain.

McLilith · Post by **McLilith** » Wed May 25, 2005 11:40 pm

haydxn wrote:i wham-bam-electric-ram prefer crisp 2D design work on a GUI than 3D rendered controls. The illustrated look of the fabfilter plugins appeals to me, as do a lot of the new stuff in the Reaktor5 library. check them out for some beautiful GUIs...

R5 library
examples...

these show contrast (less so in the first one of course!), pale colours, yet vibrant at the same time. i feel they look far more soothing than a cheesy 3D rendered arrangement.

That second design is okay, but the first design has far too little contrast and creates eye strain. I'm very surprised that you like it.

take care,
McLilith

haydxn · Post by **haydxn** » Wed May 25, 2005 11:44 pm

yeah the first one has less contrast than i'd like to stare at, but it's the actual design/shapes aspect of it that i love- i just really prefer a striking bold 2D design. especially touches like having the circles fill up - a little dot on a knob isn't enough when you can have a much better visual cue. i can't see the point in making something look like hardware on the screen, and more often than not i'll end up ignoring something if it adopts that kind of fascia

McLilith · Post by **McLilith** » Wed May 25, 2005 11:46 pm

I'm not voting on this issue, because I don't think the mere presence or absence of vivid colors determines the success or usability of a GUI. What matters is whether those colors or shades were used intelligently. All too often, this isn't the case.

Reducing this to a question of whether or not to use vivid colors is really over-simplifying the whole issue, and missing out on much more important GUI design issues.

take care,
McLilith

haydxn · Post by **haydxn** » Wed May 25, 2005 11:58 pm

i agree. a gui could be black and white and be as useable and attractive as a vibrant and colourful one- as long as in either case it has been dealt with appropriately and with care/thought.

McLilith · Post by **McLilith** » Thu May 26, 2005 12:03 am

haydxn wrote:yeah the first one has less contrast than i'd like to stare at, but it's the actual design/shapes aspect of it that i love- i just really prefer a striking bold 2D design. especially touches like having the circles fill up - a little dot on a knob isn't enough when you can have a much better visual cue. i can't see the point in making something look like hardware on the screen, and more often than not i'll end up ignoring something if it adopts that kind of fascia

You might like the shapes of the first one, but I would consider that one a general failure, because of the low contrast. The second one looks fine to me.

I happen to like both 2D and 3D GUIs. I also have seen both colorful and monochromatic GUIs which were very clear and easy to use.

What matters most to me, is visual clarity, usability, and freedom from eyestrain. As long as GUIs are meant to be used as a tool, all other visual aspects are secondary. Usability and clarity should never be compromised for the sake of style. Everyone has a different opinion on what's "pretty", but there are much more objective ways of defining what's clear, sharp, exhibiting optimal contrast, etc. These issues are less subjective. I would advise people to design with these more objective properties as a priority. The subjective (prettiness) qualities are too hard to achieve a consensus with, and next year, they will be out of fashion anyway.

As far as I know, clarity and usability never go out of style.

take care,
McLilith

KVR Audio

Poll: colorish GUI or more classical?

Bright colors or more classical?