m0jo
Well-known member
So .. I'm fed up.
Every effects unit on the market has some stupid shortcoming, and every **** thing has just plain stupid interaction design.
Yes the Axe-FX has no shortcomings .. but it falls in the stupid interaction design catagory. (the interface might be pretty good considering the competition .. but still it is absolute crap compared to properly designed applications, websites, apps, or anything classleading in the digital world)
So .. I've decided I'm going to design my own multieffects unit for guitarists.
Main points:
- Intuitive use, it should be a dream to use, as much of a tactile experience as analog pedals.
- Good dedicated support for the 4 cable method
- Flexible, it should support crazy idea's fully without sacrificing the usability.
- Open architecture, the unit should give the user control over the effects, allowing creating / deletion of effects and maybe even adjustment of the system. (this also allows for a community to form around it, giving it a much higher value than any developer can give, like the modding community here).
First visions:
- Touch screen, this can be used to display the effects chain and allows for a very flexible and intuitive interface.
- Encoder knobs instead of menu's (select an effect, the encoder knobs control the effect's parameters .. not rocketscience), very good for the "quickness" and "feel".
- Effects loops for pedals/other units (I'm thinking 2 stereo loops that can be used as 4 mono if desired)
For now, these are only idea's.
I am sketching, creating mockups and working out how this unit should work from the user's point of view (probably a first in the effects world).
After that I will find out how the hardware and software should be developed, this is a big hurdle but it can be done.
Any input or help is appreciated, but really I just wanted to let you know.
I'll post sketches / info as I go along. Maybe I will set up a blog in the future.
Every effects unit on the market has some stupid shortcoming, and every **** thing has just plain stupid interaction design.
Yes the Axe-FX has no shortcomings .. but it falls in the stupid interaction design catagory. (the interface might be pretty good considering the competition .. but still it is absolute crap compared to properly designed applications, websites, apps, or anything classleading in the digital world)
So .. I've decided I'm going to design my own multieffects unit for guitarists.
Main points:
- Intuitive use, it should be a dream to use, as much of a tactile experience as analog pedals.
- Good dedicated support for the 4 cable method
- Flexible, it should support crazy idea's fully without sacrificing the usability.
- Open architecture, the unit should give the user control over the effects, allowing creating / deletion of effects and maybe even adjustment of the system. (this also allows for a community to form around it, giving it a much higher value than any developer can give, like the modding community here).
First visions:
- Touch screen, this can be used to display the effects chain and allows for a very flexible and intuitive interface.
- Encoder knobs instead of menu's (select an effect, the encoder knobs control the effect's parameters .. not rocketscience), very good for the "quickness" and "feel".
- Effects loops for pedals/other units (I'm thinking 2 stereo loops that can be used as 4 mono if desired)
For now, these are only idea's.
I am sketching, creating mockups and working out how this unit should work from the user's point of view (probably a first in the effects world).
After that I will find out how the hardware and software should be developed, this is a big hurdle but it can be done.
Any input or help is appreciated, but really I just wanted to let you know.
I'll post sketches / info as I go along. Maybe I will set up a blog in the future.