Fractal Audio Systems mystery product speculation

[mbenigni]

If you put the nav buttons onto a combo joystick/value knob, you're really not too far from Helix:

Helix has dedicated "save" button, "home" button, Two page buttons, a button titled "action" and then some ancillary dedicated buttons for bypass, amp tone stack, and preset list (I think?). I don't think the "exit" button here is at all confusing. I think you could keep this knob/button layout just fine, but sorting out the "wait, why do we have separate enter, edit, and push-button-on-value-knob functions and what do each do differently?" is the only bit that's kinda confusing. I think repurposing the "enter" button as a "grid" button that takes you straight to the grid, killing the edit button, and making the push-the-value-knob do what the edit and enter buttons used to do would clear up most of the confusion and in terms of button count/complexity be no different than Helix really.

Absolutely. Some things that can be done to improve matters are so minor that you walk into the trap of sounding petty for even bringing them up. For instance, why are ENTER and EDIT diagonally opposite one another, when their functions are so closely related that I continually confuse them? And why are EXIT and HOME diagonally opposite one another when, conceptually, one EXITs to HOME? Why are pages tabbed across the top while PAGE buttons are located at the bottom? Etc.

Which gets to the silliness of debating touchscreen. For the most part, the UI issues on the Fractal stuff is more in terms of approach than hardware.

Alas, adding a touchscreen vs. adding a joystick, or even swapping button functions (changing silkscreened labels) all represent costly hardware revs.

 

[Whizzinby]

I'd sooner recommend making some changes to the overall UI layout that could be applied across all future products. Surely there is room for improvement over this VCR on steroids approach.

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Don’t let them fool you, theyd shit their pants with excitement if FAS implemented a TS UI. The TMP and QC have already proven the value of a modern TS UI, and somehow people use those and a million other Ts devices without issues. (Even with the dreaded sweaty finger!) This entire discussion is just a defense mechanism against perceived criticism. The UI has fallen behind the competition. Period.

The great news is FAS kicks the shit out of everyone in the tones department, so it’s fine, for now.

 

[Achilles]

Some things that can be done to improve matters are so minor that you walk into the trap of sounding petty for even bringing them up.

Not at all! The devil's in the details!

I hated the fact the Suhr Discovery made you reach over TEMPO to get to MIX.

Ergonomics baby!

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

adding a joystick

New Fractal hardware would be dead to me if they tried this. Nav buttons fo' life. Which gets to the other issue that Fractal UI-discussions raise: people that have been daily driving Fractal and only Fractal for a long time have certain aspects of the way it works that they truly love and kind of sort of make up for all of that "huh, that's really weird" bits and the come off as grumpy old small-c-conservative folks that never want anything to change and Cliff-Got-It-Right-The-First-Time-cultish.

Some folks are polyamorous and from what a good friend of mine tells me, have this need for polyamory baked into their DNA. Nothing wrong with that, you just need to find people that are up for that. To me, Fractal is not really up for polyamory and thrives best in good ol' monogamous relationships.

 

[mbenigni]

Not at all! The devil's in the details!

I hated the fact the Suhr Discovery made you reach over TEMPO to get to MIX.

Ergonomics baby!

Fine, then I will be petty LOL. When the FM3's on top of my cab, the EDIT button is basically hidden behind the VALUE knob, and it drives me crazy.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Don’t let them fool you, theyd shit their pants with excitement if FAS implemented a TS UI. The TMP and QC have already proven the value of a modern TS UI, and somehow people use those and a million other Ts devices without issues. (Even with the dreaded sweaty finger!) This entire discussion is just a defense mechanism against perceived criticism. The UI has fallen behind the competition. Period.

The great news is FAS kicks the shit out of everyone in the tones department, so it’s fine, for now.

"I STAND BY HATING TOUCHSCREEN'S. BUT FRACTALS IS JUST SO MUCH BETTER. THE GAME OF TOUCHSCREENS HAS BEEN CHANGED. HERE'S A GRAPH THAT PROVES IT, IDIOT."

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Fine, then I will be petty LOL. When the FM3's on top of my cab, the EDIT button is basically hidden behind the VALUE knob, and it drives me crazy.

Its like they made the hardware so the wrong part is tilted. THE ONE ROW OF FOOTSWITCHES DOESN'T NEED TO BE ANGLED.

 

[mbenigni]

Its like they made the hardware so the wrong part is tilted. THE ONE ROW OF FOOTSWITCHES DON'T NEED TO BE ANGLED.

I don't mind the angled footswitches, personally. Keeping the height of the front edge to a minimum is always good for aesthetics, if nothing else. But here's an even simpler idea that would resolve the problem: just put all of those buttons in front of the (relatively) enormous VALUE knob. There's no contextual reason for any of them to be above/ below/ left/ right/ whatever.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

I don't mind the angled footswitches, personally. Keeping the height of the front edge to a minimum is always good for aesthetics, if nothing else. But here's an even simpler idea that would resolve the problem: just put all of those buttons in front of the (relatively) enormous VALUE knob. There's no contextual reason for any of them to be above/ below/ left/ right/ whatever.

I'm not short (5'8") but everyone tells me I'm short and I don't at all have a complex about that, but anyway, I feel like any unit sitting flat on my desk winds up being really hard to use. Stomp even needs to at least have its back edge propped up by a notebook or something for me to find it useable as a desktop device. FM0 better come from factory with little fold out legs ala computer keyboards!

 

[mbenigni]

I'm not short (5'8") but everyone tells me I'm short and I don't at all have a complex about that, but anyway, I feel like any unit sitting flat on my desk winds up being really hard to use. Stomp even needs to at least have its back edge propped up by a notebook or something for me to find it useable as a desktop device. FM0 better come from factory with little fold out legs ala computer keyboards!

Yeah, I take it as a given that any processor that's on my desk for editing purposes is going to require one of those tablet stands you can pick up for $10 on Amazon these days.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Yeah, I take it as a given that any processor that's on my desk for editing purposes is going to require one of those tablet stands you can pick up for $10 on Amazon these days.

I think you just called me short AND cheap...

 

[paisleywookiee]

Fine, then I will be petty LOL. When the FM3's on top of my cab, the EDIT button is basically hidden behind the VALUE knob, and it drives me crazy.

It's a Floor Modeler, bro. FM3. FM.

 

[holoholo]

It's a Floor Modeler, bro. FM3. FM.

Wait so this whole time we should’ve been asking for a DM0 (desktop modeler) and not a FM0?

 

[mbenigni]

It's a Floor Modeler, bro. FM3. FM.

 

[paisleywookiee]

Wait so this whole time we should’ve been asking for a DM0 (desktop modeler) and not a FM0?

Yes, but we don't know if Cliff will give us the D.

 

[holoholo]

Yes, but we don't know if Cliff will give us the D.

 

[paisleywookiee]

 

[mbenigni]

 

[Achilles]

Course Correction Sir!

 

[holoholo]

So it’s been 2 weeks right?