Members felix Posted October 18, 2005 Members Share Posted October 18, 2005 Somewhat silly subject, but when looking at some guitars and basses, it struck me that the knobs and switches are never labeled. Someone should make a cool-looking synth with unlabeled knobs. Could be slick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Real MC Posted October 18, 2005 Members Share Posted October 18, 2005 Riiiiiiiiiiiight. Then keyboard players would get all the girls, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meatball Fulton Posted October 18, 2005 Members Share Posted October 18, 2005 Seeing as how the last synth I bought has over 70 knobs on it, that could be a bit of a problem Most electric guitars have no more then 5 knobs and their function is pretty obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J3RK Posted October 18, 2005 Members Share Posted October 18, 2005 My SID Station Rack has no knob or button labels. There are only 4 controller knobs, and one big encoder though. The newly designed face will have silk-screening. The old one without the labels looks cool, but if you pick the right font, labels can look better than none. I especially like the old style of grouping sections with a rounded thin line (see the Prophets, PPGs for example.) Along those lines, I think the OB*12 is one of the coolest looking synths ever made. Sometimes labels get a little cluttered and become ugly, but done right I think they look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mytee2.0 Posted October 18, 2005 Members Share Posted October 18, 2005 guitarists cant read, thats why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J3RK Posted October 18, 2005 Members Share Posted October 18, 2005 Perhaps a standard of brightly colored knobs somewhat like the PC97 spec for ATX connectors on the back of the PC. "Crank up the red a bit, and roll off that blue a touch!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Umbra Posted October 18, 2005 Members Share Posted October 18, 2005 guitarists cant read, thats why. Damn you beat me to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members urbanscallywag Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Something like the 4ms Triwave Picogenerator doesn't usually come with labelled knobs, I don't think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MorePaul Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Originally posted by felix Somewhat silly subject, but when looking at some guitars and basses, it struck me that the knobs and switches are never labeled.. oddly, they sometimes are (strat knobs for instance) generally, I think the reason is that there just aren't that many knobs on a guitar, the ergonomics tend to put them in "default" positions, and the functions are pretty apparent in about 1.5 seconds (so if there is concern, check em as you are strapping on) The guitar synths of the 80s actually DID have functions labelled (Typically on a clear plastic sheet tat could be removed at the player's choice) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dave Bryce Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Originally posted by Umbra Damn you beat me to it. Me, too. dB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khazul Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Originally posted by felix Somewhat silly subject, but when looking at some guitars and basses, it struck me that the knobs and switches are never labeled. Someone should make a cool-looking synth with unlabeled knobs. Could be slick. Just use a controller keyboard - they dont usually have useful labels on them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Umbra Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Something like the 4ms Triwave Picogenerator doesn't usually come with labelled knobs, I don't think. I wouldn't exactly call that a synth though, and it looks more like something some high school kid made in shop class anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mook Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Originally posted by Khazul Just use a controller keyboard - they dont usually have useful labels on them and what PITA they are! So how may knobs does a geetar have then? Is the knob on the Micron labelled? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yoozer Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 No labels, just numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Darkstorm Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 If your synth only has 1 switch and only has 2-5 knobs, then that'd be ok. Would hate to have a bass or guitar with as many knobs and switches as my Novation or Acess synths. Esp if no labeling. WHAT did knob number 25 do? Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mytee2.0 Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Originally posted by Yoozer No labels, just numbers. a number is a label. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members felix Posted October 19, 2005 Author Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Could be liberating - no preconceived notions... (just a thought, seriously). Then again, could be like tweaking a Korg Karma - you'd never quite be sure what's going to happen. But then again, sometimes that could be a good thing. Somehow, I imagine a synth with a wood control panel, chrome knobs - could be kinda cool in a way. Maybe the LCD display changed to reflect what parameter was being adjusted when a knob was turned. Just imagining what a boutique synth could look like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members marino Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Originally posted by felix Someone should make a cool-looking synth with unlabeled knobs. Could be slick. Sure! It could also have an OS which changes/swaps the function of every knob at random, every time you power it up. Coming up with crazy, mangled sounds shouldn't be a problem anymore... :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BOBA JFET Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 It's not exactly the same thing (it's worse!), but the Ensoniq Mirage is edited solely by parameter numbers. For example, to edit cutoff you punch in the number 36, and then you adjust with increment/decrement buttons. The Mirage has about 72 parameters that are edited this way, and there is absolutely nothing on the front panel or on the display that shows which number corresponds to which parameter. Chicks jizz their panties over it every time I show them, trust me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mook Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 Originally posted by BOBA JFET It's not exactly the same thing (it's worse!), but the Ensoniq Mirage is edited solely by parameter numbers. For example, to edit cutoff you punch in the number 36, and then you adjust with increment/decrement buttons. The Mirage has about 72 parameters that are edited this way, and there is absolutely nothing on the front panel or on the display that shows which number corresponds to which parameter. Chicks jizz their panties over it every time I show them, trust me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Umbra Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 No labels, just numbers. Also replaced with a model that do fortunately have labels..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BOBA JFET Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 In all seriousness, the Mirage gets bagged for this kind of thing a lot and even more commonly it receives criticism for it's use of hex parameters. But when you think about what it did for the price it went for when it was new, it's actually a bit incredible it did as much as it did and it sounded as nice as it did doing it (and the mirage does sound quite pleasing, believe it or not). At the time, an obtuse UI probably seemed like a pretty minor complaint when you could get a sampler for under $2000 MSRP. *PS - sorry for the semi-hijack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tusks Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 My AN1X came with labels but some rubbed off due to excess knob tweaking. Does that count? Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members myshkin Posted October 19, 2005 Members Share Posted October 19, 2005 I'm quite fond of the knobs being labelled and hence simply letting me know their purpose.Lots of knobs+ No Labels= Confusion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Real MC Posted October 20, 2005 Members Share Posted October 20, 2005 How about a Buchla 200e with no labels on the knobs. That would throw anyone for a loop, because it's bad enough that you don't patch a Buchla the traditional method now try it with no labels on the knobs or buttons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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