Design a synth UI

[satyr32]

Here is my first draft, i did not change the layout or anything. I also came up with a name suggestion, MOLD 4, referring to the functionality as also to the molded plastic design.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rez4oors08jto ... 1.png?dl=0

[Nirude]

OchenK - Is this synths height locked? And also, when RE-developers make synths for reason, are there some templates like "choose your synth size 1U-2U-3U?" I´ve been working on this and just got a crazy idea if it was like 2U-size...

edit: sorry - is it now like 4U? - if I make it 3U.

[ochenk]

I'm not sure what you mean by "height locked," but the height of all devices in Reason have to be some multiple of of 1U. So the ID8 is a 1U device. Redrum is a 5U device. Subtractor is a 4U device. And so on. Right now, this synth is a 8U device. The largest a device can be is 9U. And REs can't change their height. So for example, Thor changes between a 2U and 9U device. But that's not yet possible with REs. Does that answer the question?

Otherwise, if you're asking whether you're stuck with a 8U device in your design for this synth, no, not at all. Like I said, there are no rules.

[Nirude]

thanks for the reply. yep I calculated wrong, I thought it was only 4U but calculations showed me it was 8 I started to make it 5U.

[ochenk]

For anyone working on this, I added an oscillator mixer section next to the oscillator banks. (This was a feature request from the Rack Extensionists FB page.) Here's a video testing the new mixer section:

[EnochLight]

For anyone working on this, I added an oscillator mixer section next to the oscillator banks. (This was a feature request from the Rack Extensionists FB page.) Here's a video testing the new mixer section:

@Ochen,

I'm not sure if you're open to suggestions this late in the development, but I think it would look a hell of lot better if you colored in part of the wave displays (all of them) with at least half of the display having some sort of gradient, so it looked like this instead:



Or even a slight gradient like this:

[Exowildebeest]

For anyone working on this, I added an oscillator mixer section next to the oscillator banks. (This was a feature request from the Rack Extensionists FB page.) Here's a video testing the new mixer section:

@Ochen,

I'm not sure if you're open to suggestions this late in the development, but I think it would look a hell of lot better if you colored in part of the wave displays (all of them) with at least half of the display having some sort of gradient, so it looked like this instead:



Or even a slight gradient like this:

SDK says no.

[eusti]

But could they be green? Then it would fit the theme of an old style lab instrument...

D.

[ochenk]

Yeah, the SDK doesn't handle gradients yet, but you can have semi-transparent filled sections, so something like this is pretty easy:

But as with the rest of the device, I haven't done the final design, which includes the design of the displays. As folks are working on designs, I hope they play around with the display designs as well.

[ochenk]

Alright, happy?

[eusti]

Alright, happy?

Looks cool. Did you try it the other way around? Where the more intense "color" is closer to the waveform and not the axis?

D.

[EnochLight]

Yeah, the SDK doesn't handle gradients yet, but you can have semi-transparent filled sections, so something like this is pretty easy:

But as with the rest of the device, I haven't done the final design, which includes the design of the displays. As folks are working on designs, I hope they play around with the display designs as well.

Oh wow - the semi-transparent filled sections demonstrated above looks a lot better, IMHO. Please do this!!!

Cheers

[pjeudy]

Alright, happy?

Great suggestion Enoch !!!!!!!!!

[ochenk]

Looks cool. Did you try it the other way around? Where the more intense "color" is closer to the waveform and not the axis?

Yep, works fine:


So the take-away is that if you're playing around with the designs of the displays, you can include gradients like this.

[EnochLight]

Alright, happy?

Hah - nice! Yes, very much sir - excellent! That said, the envelope below would look equally as cool with it filled in. Again, see this:



Have you considered maybe doing it in a different color? The silver is cool for the Oscillator display, but perhaps the Envelope display in a different color?

[eusti]

Looks cool. Did you try it the other way around? Where the more intense "color" is closer to the waveform and not the axis?

Yep, works fine:


So the take-away is that if you're playing around with the designs of the displays, you can include gradients like this.

Great! I like this one better! Not that that means anything!

D.

[ochenk]

Have you considered maybe doing it in a different color? The silver is cool for the Oscillator display, but perhaps the Envelope display in a different color?

I haven't designed this synth yet. None of the colors are picked. They're only white because that's my default when programming. So I haven't considered anything, or ruled anything out.

[ScuzzyEye]

When you said this, I was nodding.

Yeah, the SDK doesn't handle gradients yet...

But then you did this.

Yep, works fine:

What the heck man? You stumped me as to how you pulled this off. And it looks great!

[EnochLight]

I gotta' hand it to Ochen - the man can work wonders with the SDK. Major props to you sir - I only made this suggestion several hours ago, and in that time you took it and made it almost exactly how I would have pictured it. Freak'n sweet, man.

Really looking forward to how this pans out. Please do consider various colors for the various displays, but doing the axis-gradients on all of them. It really knocks it out the park visually, and I find it very inspirational to look at.

Think Xfer Records Serum GUI, totally!

[pjeudy]

Have you considered maybe doing it in a different color? The silver is cool for the Oscillator display, but perhaps the Envelope display in a different color?

I haven't designed this synth yet. None of the colors are picked. They're only white because that's my default when programming. So I haven't considered anything, or ruled anything out.

So then there is still a chance of making it a certain color then ? Enoch suggestion is making this Instrument look more modern...can I ask Ochenk do you use reference Instruments in the VST worlds ? Like we use reference of other Artist music. Specially the new or popular vst devices !

I want developers devices to be of there designs but...even if the limitation of the propellerhead SDK is an Issue..one could get inspired by parts of another devices UI



Can't wait to see what Nirude is cooking up !

[EnochLight]

Have you considered maybe doing it in a different color? The silver is cool for the Oscillator display, but perhaps the Envelope display in a different color?

I haven't designed this synth yet. None of the colors are picked. They're only white because that's my default when programming. So I haven't considered anything, or ruled anything out.

So then there is still a chance of making it a certain color then ? Enoch suggestion is making this Instrument look more modern...can I ask Ochenk do you use reference Instruments in the VST worlds ? Like we use reference of other Artist music. Specially the new or popular vst devices !

I want developers devices to be of there designs but...even if the limitation of the propellerhead SDK is an Issue..one could get inspired by parts of another devices UI



Can't wait to see what Nirude is cooking up !

Thanks man. And what's awesome is that he demonstrated in just a matter of hours that the waveform axis-gradients can be achieved, and that's 90% of Serum's GUI done right there. The rest is pretty simple, if you take a look at other Reason devices presently.

Can't wait to see what the community comes up with!

[Vyckeil]

This thread is becoming more awesome with each post! Keep the suggestions flowing!

[esselfortium]

Ochen, that last shot with the subtle gradients looks great!

[joeyluck]

Yep, works fine:


So the take-away is that if you're playing around with the designs of the displays, you can include gradients like this.

Those who are submitting designs better do so quickly! I'm pretty sold on the way it is looking as is

I envision this being something like an Audiomatic look. Just audition different colors for the overall look—if white isn't exciting enough. I don't feel it needs anything more than that.

And I find the white on the display to be nice and allows it to be different. For instance, I don't like the look of the GQ-7.
I associate colors such as green in a spectrum to represent levels. So unless you are showing us a gradient which includes yellow and red in the peaks, please stay away from green

[joeyluck]

I do like having subtle lines/grids on the displays. Gives you a point of reference when programming.