Front panel poll

Is the front panel fine how it is or could it use some improvement?

  • Fine How it is

    Votes: 94 37.2%

  • Needs improvement

    Votes: 77 30.4%

  • rats behind, don't use it enough to have an opinion either way

    Votes: 82 32.4%
  • Total voters
    253
  • Poll closed .
Sometimes though the knob scrolls through lists, like in the Setup menu, and pressing it acts like Enter (which is the way nature intends knobs to work). Guess you can also say that technically it is correct - that's changing "menu item value".

And yes, in preset view it moves between presets.

But who in the world thinks about a knob as a "value wheel"?
 
vangrieg said:
Sometimes though the knob scrolls through lists, like in the Setup menu, and pressing it acts like Enter (which is the way nature intends knobs to work). Guess you can also say that technically it is correct - that's changing "menu item value".
Click to expand...

Not aware of that (I'm not saying it isn't so). Can you give an example? I'm curious.
 
yek said:
Maybe because it's named "value wheel" or "value knob"over 20 times in the manual? ;-)
Click to expand...
Yeah, I've seen it there. It's still a knob you can press, whatever it's called. Knobs that you can press usually work a certain way. Like if it scrolls on every device on the planet and even one page on the device itself (the setup menu) and you confirm selection by pressing it, it's natural to expect it to behave the same way on other pages (like Layout).
 
yek said:
BTW, I'm a fan of very clean UIs. Less lines / borders, less colors etc.
I kind of like the QC looks.

But let's not forget that Fractal's UI has much more functionality to support, and many features were added by request of users.
Click to expand...
Yes on both points. I have a QC in front of me.
The QC UI is decent....but this can't be said enough - the controls are VERY basic.
Captured (Amp) controls = Gain/Bass/Mid/Treb/Volume. THAT'S IT.
If the Fractal only had those controls, people would say the UI is super easy to use.

Navigating 'around' the QC (presets/scenes/captures) is clunky and not intuitive.
The way it organizes presets is maddening (blocks of presets).
So if you want preset # 35, you need to go to block #5, then pick the third preset on the list of 8.
Go to the QC forums, their User Community is SCREAMING for a desktop editor (like Axe Edit).

That said - it's still a fun device...not knocking it.
But if you want LOTS of controls, then you need lots of screens.
 
yek said:
Not aware of that (I'm not saying it isn't so). Can you give an example? I'm curious.
Click to expand...
The Setup Menu is an example. From the Home page, press the rightmost knob under the screen (it says SETUP above), and there's a menu where you scroll by turning and Enter by pressing the Big Knob.
 
vangrieg said:
The Setup Menu is an example. From the Home page, press the rightmost knob under the screen (it says SETUP above), and there's a menu where you scroll by turning and Enter by pressing the Big Knob.
Click to expand...

Weird, pressing the big knob does nothing in that menu. I need to press Enter.
 
BBN said:
Yes on both points. I have a QC in front of me.
The QC UI is decent....but this can't be said enough - the controls are VERY basic.
Captured (Amp) controls = Gain/Bass/Mid/Treb/Volume. THAT'S IT.
If the Fractal only had those controls, people would say the UI is super easy to use.

Navigating 'around' the QC (presets/scenes/captures) is clunky and not intuitive.
The way it organizes presets is maddening (blocks of presets).
So if you want preset # 35, you need to go to block #5, then pick the third preset on the list of 8.
Go to the QC forums, their User Community is SCREAMING for a desktop editor (like Axe Edit).

That said - it's still a fun device...not knocking it.
But if you want LOTS of controls, then you need lots of screens.
Click to expand...
I don't think the QC would become more complicated if you added a lot more pages of controls to its blocks like Fractal has. I don't see the sheer number of parameters as an issue at all on Fractal. It's probably harder to figure out how to work specific parameters of some effects blocks without reading the manual but that's true on any unit.

The QC is actually the unit that least needs a computer editor in my mind, followed by Line6 Helix (full version, not Stomp). It definitely should have one, but for everyday operations I did not find it necessary during the one month I owned it.

The preset/capture management is horrible though, total agreement there. If Fractal is "too many presets in a huge list" then QC is "too few presets in a freakin' keypad!"

The main grid UI is very good though because any block is one tap away and most parameters are then just a knob/switch turn away. Closest modeler to working like a pedalboard to me. Axe-Edit actually works in the same manner for the most part: grid always visible, controls for selected block at the bottom.
 
yyz67 said:
Lots of good UI suggestions in this thread!

One other major function missing from the front panel is Block Copy either within a preset or across presets. This would almost be a showstopper for me if AE didn't exist - but it's annoying for me to have to plug in my computer to use AE (sometimes requiring an AE update) simply to do basic preset building/management. (But I have few gripes overall. )
Click to expand...
Yep, copy and paste blocks would be a great addition to the front panel.

As far as the IV goes, I would rather see a bad ass two spaced unit with enough CPU to run four amps than I would a unit with a bigger screen.

Axe Edit rocks though….always use it when I can.
 
vangrieg said:
they are hard to remember if you do them once a year or so.
Click to expand...
Is this a reasonable standard? That a task you do once or twice a year, every time you go to do it, you should be able to do it with zero false starts? Stuff I do on my phone less than twice a year usually requires me checking a couple of menu options to remember how its done. If hitting "enter" when you should have hit "exit" suddenly through your guitar out of tune, or irreversibly altered the patch, I could see concern. But you're never more than a touch of the exit button -- at worst, hitting home followed by layout -- to get back to where you were for a mulligan stab at it.
 
Watt McCo said:
Is this a reasonable standard? That a task you do once or twice a year, every time you go to do it, you should be able to do it with zero false starts? Stuff I do on my phone less than twice a year usually requires me checking a couple of menu options to remember how its done. If hitting "enter" when you should have hit "exit" suddenly through your guitar out of tune, or irreversibly altered the patch, I could see concern. But you're never more than a touch of the exit button -- at worst, hitting home followed by layout -- to get back to where you were for a mulligan stab at it.
Click to expand...
I have no idea whether this is a reasonable standard, but I'm definitely spending more time on this discussion than it's worth for me. :)

I am sharing my experience and impressions, that's all.
 
Much better than a lot of equipment I own. I mostly use AE but it is nice to have the functionality that the front panel provides.
 
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