The concept of the pages as described by @PeterBregman is exactly what I was going for but didn’t have time to delve into at the Vet! Definitely like that layout.
I get that the visuals are just ‘fun’ but if you’re going through the process of redefining the layout, I would encourage at least a somewhat more intuitive look to the icons.
Page 1 - mixer/utility could be the symbol for a LP filter (like the EQ, where it’s a line that slopes downward at high frequencies)
Page 2 - wow and flutter could be an image of a cassette or tape of some sort?
Page 3 - Degradation - could look like something with cracks in it or something (if we’re going for abstract)
Page 4 - Reverb/touch - maybe like a small image of a mountain/cave/cavern?
I appreciate the way it is for the reasons you mentioned, but I look at those icons and can see myself always needing to rely on the manual to remember what a spiral, an eye, a hand, and a book relate to.
Also - while the goal may be playful, if something isn’t intuitive or easy to digest, it ends up becoming the opposite of that for the end user. I would hope the pedal itself is playful and the pedal LOOKS playful, but if it could at all be more intuitive, I would encourage that. Maybe my suggestions are stupid - which is definitely possible.
Still haven’t had a chance to dig in though. I played it once but was too confused so I had to leave it (did not review the manual - so this was my issue).
100% happy with it though - I love this concept and cannot wait to explore more.
I’m going to explore / present some different options to the group but I think you’re right – the icons AND pages should be more thematic.
I think the only other thing I need to decide on is what to do about the knob text. I’m seeing a couple different options here:
Totally explicit / all parameters or abbreviations of params are available on the front panel (I want to try this approach and see how messy it gets)
Knobs are thematic or less explicit (lots of options here… knobs are labeled ‘one’,‘two’,‘three’,‘four’ or maybe a common theme can be identified… e.g. ‘top knobs are depth controls, bottom are frequency’)
The right answer is to have 4 small LED screens that display the parameters
hahaha - but seriously, I do NOT at all mind the way it is presented now. But if your page one is LP/HP filter, it will be seen more as a filter rather than W&F/tape/strange pedal. So I could see that as an issue. In that sense, not listing page 1 parameters would almost be better.
One thought if you do the first option… consider the 4 parameters per knob going around the knob in a circle, color coded to the page (page 1 black, page 2 white, page 3 pink… or whatever). Could be too much, but I like that layout on my AN1x. Or they could all be white words with color coded backing (not sure how hard this is to test and look at).
I think anything other that explicitly stating all options on the first page, I’d say just describing Page 1 as it currently is is probably best.
Thing is - I can’t stand my Strymon gear with hidden features that I have to look through the manual to obtain. It’s very frustrating. I’d rather they just labeled the secondary features so I knew what I was doing. I know it’s a design/philosophy thing… I’m not a designer and anything I would design would end up looking like utter garbage. But as an end-user, I know what I like.
Having the knobs labeled as one, two, three… to me would be a very unimaginative way to approach it, so I would think it doesn’t fit this pedal’s philosophy at all.
I’m here for this as well; it seems very intuitive and logically consistent, and my mind can very easily be wrapped around this arrangement of parameters.
I also like @Midera’s proposition for iconography, and was thinking very similar thoughts towards the idea that having easily discernible iconography really (for me) helps open up that “playful” realm that you’re prioritizing in the design. I think both about Teenage Engineering and the OP-1 and about Mutable Instruments’ design (in my case Beads, as that’s the only module of theirs I own), and how both of these manufacturers IMO have done such an amazing job of dropping you right into that playful space, and how IMO they have both very successfully leveraged a very simple yet descriptive iconography in their designs.
I would second the sentiment that somehow finding a way to get all of the parameters on the panel would be ideal, and something like this might be an elegant solution? Hidden/unknown parameters also will very quickly turn me off from a piece of gear, or at the least it will compel me to ignore aspects of the functionality of the gear in lieu of setting the parameters where I like them and then just kind of ignoring them moving forward.
These suggestions regarding looping (bouncing) might better fit as a new topic, although the concept of extra pages fits.
I’d worry this is leading to feature creep, although perhaps there’s a way to implement it without being too difficult to do? Up to Jaak of course.
To add extra pages, this could be done by having multiple LEDs lit when switching. So the button goes beyond page four: Page 5 would have LEDs 1+2 lit. Page 6 would have LEDs 1+3 lit (or 3+4).
I would defer to the developer for whether these features are even possible. Extra pages seems viable, but would then also ruin the concept of having each page with written labels on it as suggested previously (each page color coded in a circle around the knobs).
Finally joining the convo after some time with Ribbons. I will say after a bit of time, the interface isn’t bad, especially with all the LED interaction. But the re-arranging of the pages as others have outlined would make it much more intuitive. I’m a big fan of clean and simplistic graphic design on the pedal face tho!
FYI everyone, the newest firmware v0.2 has been released and it will update the UI to the new layout, which is almost identical to the layout recommended by @PeterBregman and @randycrouton
Only difference is I put the LPF and HPF on the left side of page 1 (for ergonomic reasons; I wanted to be able to access both with the same hand and minimal movement) and separated the wow depth and flutter depth so they’re two knobs now.
Stop by the Development Blog for the change list and to download the WAV file you need to update things.
They could but I feel like that might get a little confusing because none of the other LEDs blink to convey their rate. I’ll keep it in mind though and if it’s a common request I could maybe implement it.
just wanted to say this has been immensely helpful for me! i don’t think i would need different graphics on the pedal itself, after using this new layout for just about an hour, they seem to fit the parameters in my mind now (for some reason the spiral seems filtery to me, the open eyes just says ‘WOW’ the books makes me think ‘crinkled paper’ and the hand for ‘touch’ is perfect). haha, i don’t know if every user will want to create mnemonic devices to remember the parameters but it works for me. also i WOULD beta test the thirty foot oboe if you ever decide to go that route.
When I press the Push button, I would love for it to stay on the page that it’s currently on for that initial first push. Frequently I find myself wanting to push the button simply to see what Page I’m on since the UI defaults away from the Page display function, thus more often than not I’m having to press the button four times just to run back around to where I started. I hope that makes sense.
Perhaps another thought would be to be able to display Page location at all times by having that LED blink, or something similar.
I know the feeling! I remember doing the same thing a lot when I first implemented the pages. Definitely open to that request but I would need some more feedback from others to justify looking into it.
The color of the parameter LEDs communicate the current page, even after the page indicator disappears. After some use it should be easy to remember:
Page/Track 1: Green
Page/Track 2: Blue
Page/Track 3: Pink
Page/Track 4: Red
That said, it is a little confusing to me kind of having two systems (location-based blinking single LED vs all four LEDs blinking a specific color) being used to communicate the same thing.
I agree that it’s likely easy enough to remember after some use, but I also personally tend to find such things as at least something of a turnoff after having spent any decent amount of time away from a piece of gear as I’ll inevitably forget what color goes with what page and I’ll have to relearn that shorthand all over again simply to interact with the instrument, thus I always place great value on consistency and simplicity in such situations.
I understand the confusion but I also think it’s important to give the user a sense of where parameters are currently set when they change pages.
Say you’re on page 1 and you change to page 2: if only the page 2 LED lights up, you might wonder to yourself, “ok, now I’m on page 2… but what are the current settings on page 2?”. You wouldn’t have a way of knowing unless the LEDs give you a hint (like they currently do).
