Anyone want Improvements in Axe-Fx User Interface?

Yes it would be great if all IRs came with detailed metadata. But they currently don't. Oh well. What I really want is a way to enter metadata myself in AxeEdit.

Where Fractal could lead the way is by defining a standard for IR metadata, applying it to stock cabs and allowing for easy metadata creation/modification/sort/search/audition. Ease of creation includes things like the ability to highlight a number of IRs and change the "speaker" tag to "4x12." Being able to modify the factory metadata is important - I want a "genre" tag that I set myself for example.

If Fractal does it, they can define what would surely become the industry standard for IR metadata and add (yet) another differentiation value prop over the competition for some time until the rest of the industry catches up.
 
Personally I don’t like the kind of interfaces with slick graphics that try to mimic the real gear. I like that all the controls are the same or relatively so no matter what amp or flanger ow whatever I choose. I want to see levels, EQ curves, gain, etc. I have no use whatsoever for a picture of a Marshall head on my computer screen. It just clutters things up.
 
Excuse me while I "wade in to the conversation with a chip on my shoulder..."
:rolleyes:

I like it as is, its easy to use, clearly labeled, and imo is "slick" enough for me. As Cliff said, there are other products where they invested in slick graphics, but I'm not playing a video game, im adjusting values and numbers, using my ears, not my eyes to hear it.

And just for clarification , the tone I am projecting is neutral, its simply my opinion.

Now, got my III invite an hour ago, yeeehaw!
 
A clean and beautiful user interface can be inspiring. For someone who spends hours looking at it, that can make all the difference between being annoyed with it or exhilarated by it. But, everybody's different, and that's not important for some people.

However: note the OP specifically mentioned the drag and drop chain editing. Even if you don't care about eye candy, I'd be surprised if anybody wouldn't be enthusiastic about inserting blocks or rearranging the the chain with simple drag and drop gestures that don't break connections. Currently, especially with multi-row presets, chain editing in AxeEdit can be rather cumbersome. There have been times when I've wanted to insert a block into the signal chain, but the thought of shuffling all the columns and reconnecting the blocks is so daunting that I abandon the idea.

So, even if you don't care about aesthetic issues, there are plenty of worthwhile ideas from other apps that could be applied to AxeEdit to make it even better.
 
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GlennO said:
There have been times when I've wanted to insert a block into the signal chain, but the thought of shuffling all the columns and reconnecting the blocks is so daunting that I abandon the idea.
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I leave shunts here and there in my templates for easier "shuffling" when needed but I keep in mind that shunts do use some cpu capacity.
 
GlennO said:
However: note the OP specifically mentioned the drag and drop chain editing. Even if you don't care about eye candy, I'd be surprised if anybody wouldn't be enthusiastic about inserting blocks or rearranging the the chain with simple drag and drop gestures that don't break connections. Currently, especially with multi-row presets, chain editing in AxeEdit can be rather cumbersome. There have been times when I've wanted to insert a block into the signal chain, but the thought of shuffling all the columns and reconnecting the blocks is so daunting that I abandon the idea.
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This can already be done. If you stay within the established chain, even between different rows or parallel configurations, blocks in the chain can be dragged and dropped to different locations as well as dragging in blocks from the Quick Build into the chain.

What I would find useful is a keyboard shortcut for a Shunt (ctrl+A for example) instead of needing to right-click and select 'Shunt'.
 
The operative word here is skeuomorphic. Amplitube 5's interface is skeuomorphic, meaning the virtual hardware imitates its real-world counterparts, not only in function, but visually, and a lot of people like that. To be honest, I do, too. But Amplitube 5's interface, while showcasing very detailed visual representations of the actual hardware, is also fairly cluttered and, in practice, less efficient to use by comparison, in my opinion. Given the sheer number of advanced parameters in the Axe, Axe-Edit's interface strikes a fantastic balance between streamlining navigation and simplifying the end-user experience.
 
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Jason Scott said:
The operative word here is skeuomorphic. Amplitube 5's interface is skeuomorphic, meaning the virtual hardware imitates its real-world counterparts, not only in function, but visually, and a lot of people like that. To be honest, I do, too. But Amplitube 5's interface, while showcasing very detailed visual representations of the actual hardware, is also fairly cluttered and, in practice, less efficient to use by comparison, in my opinion. Given the sheer number of advanced parameters in the Axe, Axe-Edit's interface strikes a fantastic balance between streamlining navigation and simplifying the end-user experience.
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You're in the "Old Spice" camp :). That's fine. Then it's the functional enhancements that should appeal to you. For example, things like the drag and drop chain editing and preset browser.
 
GlennO said:
You can ignore the skeuomorphism if you're in the "Old Spice" camp. The OP referenced functional features such as drag and drop insertion of blocks, which can't be done with quick build.
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There's obviously a strong visual component to the OP's post, as he specifically referenced Amplitube's UI as "clean and beautiful" and added, "I know you will have purists who say 'Who cares about what it looks like blah blah' but UI can really be inspiring for arts."
 
Jason Scott said:
There's obviously a strong visual component to the OP's post, as he specifically referenced Amplitube's UI as "clean and beautiful" and added, "I know you will have purists who say 'Who cares about what it looks like blah blah' but UI can really be inspiring for arts."
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I tried to tell him his point about the appearance wouldn't go over well with this crowd :). But the functional features that have been discussed in this thread should be appealing to everyone.
 
Jason Scott said:
There's obviously a strong visual component to the OP's post, as he specifically referenced Amplitube's UI as "clean and beautiful" and added, "I know you will have purists who say 'Who cares about what it looks like blah blah' but UI can really be inspiring for arts."
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Can be, but when it comes to music it usually takes the focus off from what you hear to what you see.
 
GlennO said:
I tried to tell him his point about the appearance wouldn't go over well with this crowd :). But the functional features that have been discussed in this thread should be appealing to everyone.
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I love Amplitube's UI. To me, it's very visually appealing, dare I say beautiful. But for all its beauty, I find it somewhat cluttered and more cumbersome/inefficient in actual day-to-day practical use compared to Axe-Edit's simpler, streamlined approach.
 
To drag and drop, wouldn’t they need to be dragged from a holding pen of some sort? I’m not sure that I want the on-screen clutter. Also dragging existing blocks while the keep connections would be weird for me. Not saying that I’m right. Just saying that more time-saving for some people usually creates less time saving for others.
 
luke said:
While the specs on super cars are impressive, no one would pay those prices if they were not also visually alluring.
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Hardly a comparison to be made here, since supercars are purchased in a large part, based on their looks...performance 2nd. I know this to be true...don't ask me how I know...;)
 
As far as a skeumorphic GUI goes the Axe-Fx will never have that.

We are constantly investigating and working on usability enhancements and things like metadata, tags, etc. to streamline preset/IR management is a distinct possibility.

The OP was asking for flashy, skeumorphic UI and that simply doesn't fit the paradigm of the Axe-Fx.

Our focus has always been sound quality, performance and stability first. Our algorithms are second-to-none because we concentrate so much resources on them and we're constantly improving them.
 
I think that type of upgrade would end up being a very costly move, as you have to license the trademarks from all of the manufacturers. Who here would pay the huge increases in price to get a product that right now, is free? And there would be a hefty cost for sure...

Not worth the expense - for me anyway....
 
The comments/wishes for less breakage when dragging blocks also apply to reordering presets. I still haven't figured out a good way to move a contiguous selection of presets up or down in the presets list without refusals because the source and destination overlap (don't remember the exact wording). It's a simple idea -- reordering them a section at a time. Should be easier than I've found it to be.
 
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