Fractal Audio Systems VP4 - Virtual Pedalboard

laxu said:
I think double tap is the most risky to trigger by accident, but could see it as a live feature. Double tap footswitch, crouch down to turn a knob, get back up and play.
Click to expand...

Yeah. sure. But I'd defenitely make that optional.

Fwiw, pressing a knob for the full enchilada of parameters obviously is fine, too.
 
laxu said:
View attachment 31023

Here's the various parameter edit ideas thrown around by me, Sascha and yek condensed into one mockup. Color coding has no other relevance than to separate the different ideas.
  1. Helix style params: Separate view mode, maybe paging from Effects layer.
  2. Press knob: For example you are editing block C (delay) and want to go to block A (drive), you simply press knob A.
  3. Double-tap footswitch: Double tap footswitch 2 to open block B (chorus) editor.
Click to expand...

The reason for my question here is that it would SO handy if one could press an ABCD knob (at any screen / mode) to quickly jump to that effects' Edit screen.
 
DLC86 said:
Afaik there's no press knob in the vp4. No mention in the manual and in Cordy's video you can see him trying to push a knob several times with no success
Click to expand...
Really? I thought they would be the same as the FM3 etc in this regard. That sucks.

Might actually even be a dealbreaker for me because that means very quickly moving between fx blocks is not easily doable even as an update. Lots of scroll-Enter-Exit-scroll-Enter...which is basically the same as Axe-Fx grid used to be before the "go back a block" function was added to double clicking Edit.
 
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Re: Non-clickable knobs, that's pretty bad for usabilty options, but possibly a nice idea in terms of durability.
No idea how these buggers behave in the FAS universe, but in HX land, they're not exactly military grade (to put it carefully), hence often a victim of at least getting sloppy, not rarely ending up in malfunctions (so they need to be replaced, no DIY operation for the faint hearted).

For me personally, on a 4 block-4-encoders unit they'd just make *sooo* much logical sense I'd happily pay some bucks added to the overall cost rather than not having them.
 
laxu said:
Really? I thought they would be the same as the FM3 etc in this regard. That sucks.

Might actually even be a dealbreaker for me because that means very quickly moving between fx blocks is not easily doable even as an update. Lots of scroll-Enter-Exit-scroll-Enter...which is basically the same as Axe-Fx grid used to be before the "go back a block" function was added to double clicking Edit.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure about that, but given what I observed above and also the fact the screen doesn't show a double label as in the Axe/FMx, I think that's quite likely.

Btw, there doesn't seem to be a way to move/swap blocks either atm on the UI
 
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likitlikeyoulikeit said:
According to the manual ...I believe so
Click to expand...

laxu said:
I've clicked the shit out of the Fractal FM3 and Axe-Fx 3 knob buttons and it has never been an issue. I don't think I've ever read anyone report theirs don't work either.
Click to expand...

Used the Helix for years .... FM3 on and off and on for ages .... GT1000 on and off for ages etc.... used the press-rotaries on all of them heaps ... never-ever had any sort of issue with them in any way ... and I'm pretty f*cking heavy handed with this sort of thing.

If this is right (?) it must have been a pretty major impact on the manufacture and therefore final selling price point profit margin (?) as having 4 or 5 extra "buttons" with zero real-estate impact, and correspondingly, even easier menu access's and adjustment's would have been, I think, appreciated by most.

I can only assume they calculated that the overall opportunity-gain of not having them outweighed the overall opportunity-cost of having them.
 
Anyhow, thinking about it, I don't think pressing enter to open a selected block's detailed editing menu is that much of a big deal on a unit limited to 4 blocks. In fact, at least on the HX Stomp, I'd rather have solid encoders (with maybe just the two bigger general encoders being clickable) rather than living in constant fear of them breaking. They don't serve any often used operation anyway.

I think with the VP4 quick permanent (at least in one mode) parameter access would improve usability much, much more than clickable knobs. If you want detailed editing, just press enter or use the page keys for the next set of parameters.
 
BenIfin said:
No .... there will be a 2 Level Paid Update Program to unlock features already laying dormant in the unit ..... ;) :rofl ..... sorry it was just to easy :)
Click to expand...

So you gather that along with these updates there'll come a special wrench to unlock the click-functionality? That'd actually be something...
 
Sascha Franck said:
Anyhow, thinking about it, I don't think pressing enter to open a selected block's detailed editing menu is that much of a big deal on a unit limited to 4 blocks. In fact, at least on the HX Stomp, I'd rather have solid encoders (with maybe just the two bigger general encoders being clickable) rather than living in constant fear of them breaking. They don't serve any often used operation anyway.

I think with the VP4 quick permanent (at least in one mode) parameter access would improve usability much, much more than clickable knobs. If you want detailed editing, just press enter or use the page keys for the next set of parameters.
Click to expand...

Putting possible cost (?) issues aside ..... and without getting esoteric about UI usage and onboard editing, I cant see any realistic way that having 4 or 5 extra push buttons is going to make useability worse ?
 
Riveting stuff. We need to actually use it.

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