The real reason why forums and social media groups are engaged in a desperate plea for touch screens on Fractal Audio products

dariosicily said:
After 6 years with Ax8 --> FM3, I bought a refurbished 129 Euro laptop which I only use for tweaking the FM3 at gigs/rehearsal...

I wish I did it 6 years ago.

Priceless control.
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I've got a surface pro (Yay touchscreen) that sits on a music stand beside my mic stand. Very easy to change settings. However, after getting all this set up, I haven't even taken it to a gig yet. I've got everything dialed in so well at home there was no need to edit anything at the gig. The only thing I was worried about was volume levels between different presets and gains. But it was all good.
 
Bob G said:
As far as I'm concerned the Fractal hardware might as well just be a box without any buttons or knobs on it because that's how I treat it and how I always will. It's really fast and easy to dial in sounds using the editor, so I don't know why anyone would try to do it any other way. Do you?
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I need the Output volume knob.
 
I don't own a mobile phone or a tablet and I don't do social media. I don't want or need a touch screen. I am as old-fashioned as they come. :)

(I put the smiley face thing on at the end of the sentence because I think that is what young people will understand).
 
Bob G said:
When the editor came out for the Axe-Fx Ultra, I never used the physical UI on any Fractal Audio device ever again after that. As far as I'm concerned the Fractal hardware might as well just be a box without any buttons or knobs on it because that's how I treat it and how I always will. It's really fast and easy to dial in sounds using the editor, so I don't know why anyone would try to do it any other way. Do you?
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https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...-21-02-public-beta-beta-2.191173/post-2375856
 
I just don’t get all the constant talk about the Fractal UI being hard to manage. I can change any parameter on the unit itself in 5 seconds with performance pages. Even without it, how much easier could navigating the grid be? Scroll to the block, hit enter, [Actually "Edit," I misspoke] find your parameter and turn a knob.
 
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bjjp2 said:
I just don’t get all the constant talk about the Fractal UI being hard to manage. I can change any parameter on the unit itself in 5 seconds with performance pages. Even without it, how much easier could navigating the grid be? Scroll to the block, hit enter, find your parameter and turn a knob.
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I started on the Yamamaha GEP-50. It's not that hard if you need to use the front panel buttons once in a while. Would be nice if FM9-Edit had all of the settings available, though, as getting down to and back up from the floor on Gen-X beat-to-death knees is a lot harder than the UI involved....
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bjjp2 said:
I just don’t get all the constant talk about the Fractal UI being hard to manage. I can change any parameter on the unit itself in 5 seconds with performance pages. Even without it, how much easier could navigating the grid be? Scroll to the block, hit enter, find your parameter and turn a knob.
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I was dumbfounded when my USB (edit connection to my laptop) broke on my AX8. But after a day or two, I was able to jump into the unit with some knob twiddling (ohh er Mrs...) and do everything that I could do with the laptop. And if anything it opened up new avenues as it meant I could adjust on the fly without having to have my laptop at hand.

My AX8 does not get used these days due to my FM3 taking its place but with the nonworking USB for editing, I can't sell it as I know that the lazy buyers will want to use a PC and won't be willing to spend some time to learn how to use the unit's controls. They will no doubt want to touch the screen. LOL.
 
bjjp2 said:
I just don’t get all the constant talk about the Fractal UI being hard to manage. I can change any parameter on the unit itself in 5 seconds with performance pages. Even without it, how much easier could navigating the grid be? Scroll to the block, hit enter, find your parameter and turn a knob.
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If you hit enter, you don't know what you are talking about. It's more complicated than that and you don't use the Fractal unit interface because it is more complicated than PC inteface, or you don't want to.
 
golfnut said:
I've got a surface pro (Yay touchscreen) that sits on a music stand beside my mic stand. Very easy to change settings. However, after getting all this set up, I haven't even taken it to a gig yet. I've got everything dialed in so well at home there was no need to edit anything at the gig. The only thing I was worried about was volume levels between different presets and gains. But it was all good.
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the other guitarist in my band has a tablet running windows too, he loves it (expensive though).

With consolidated presets I don't need the laptop either, I only tweak the output eq and the global reverb mix basing on the venue/bar/club.

The laptop is super handy when it comes to dial new sounds, presets, before a gig, which now I don't fear as I did before.
In spite of what you can do at home, when you turn up the volume at gig's level it's always a different story.

By the way... I'm waiting for a new FM9 delivery :cool:
 
No touch screens because...

"Fractal Audio -- Nothing can touch it!" ;)

And because I still regularly mess up on a laptop with a touchpad. Sometimes it even seems to track when you are not touching it, potentially making a mess of all my notes 'n' stuff... Took me many weeks to become less irritated by it on a new laptop (yes, I know you can disable it).
 
Brewce said:
No touch screens because...

"Fractal Audio -- Nothing can touch it!" ;)

And because I still regularly mess up on a laptop with a touchpad. Sometimes it even seems to track when you are not touching it, potentially making a mess of all my notes 'n' stuff... Took me many weeks to become less irritated by it on a new laptop (yes, I know you can disable it).
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Not sure how related touchpad and touchscreen ergonomics are, but i always shut off the touchpad on my laptops, and use a mouse. Way too much unintentional gesturing on the pad.

But it's usually right in the way of your hands using the keyboard, since people who do use it want it handy, and i don't think that's the case with a touchscreen
 
Dave Merrill said:
i always shut off the touchpad on my laptops, and use a mouse. Way too much unintentional gesturing on the pad.
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I'm somewhat of an extreme proponent of using a proper PC or at least a mouse as I find it 10 times faster, but I got used to all of it when using a laptop on a stand near the couch or bed -- a mouse isn't handy there. I'm ok with it most of the time now. On a gig "in stress" I wouldn't want to make one action that totally surprises me though, or have the audience play with it -- but I suspect you would be able to lock it.
I'm not experienced with a smartphone either and always touching things I didn't mean to...

In the end I'm fine with what they deem best, but I'm sure not asking for a touch screen.
Or if it could be optional and locked -- why not... I might like it.
 
Brewce said:
I'm somewhat of an extreme proponent of using a proper PC or at least a mouse as I find it 10 times faster, but I got used to all of it when using a laptop on a stand near the couch or bed -- a mouse isn't handy there. I'm ok with it most of the time now. On a gig "in stress" I wouldn't want to make one action that totally surprises me though, or have the audience play with it -- but I suspect you would be able to lock it.
I'm not experienced with a smartphone either and always touching things I didn't mean to...
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Not really the point here, but i use a mouse on the couch, wooden desk, all black desk, really anything, and it works great. That's the Logitech Anywhere Mouse MX or variants. They're basically immune to surface color, pattern, etc, and all i use, i buy my own for work even.
 
Dave Merrill said:
Not sure how related touchpad and touchscreen ergonomics are, but i always shut off the touchpad on my laptops, and use a mouse. Way too much unintentional gesturing on the pad.

But it's usually right in the way of your hands using the keyboard, since people who do use it want it handy, and i don't think that's the case with a touchscreen
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I was bringing a mouse out to jobs at work which was cumbersome since a lot of times I was standing. Stopped bringing it to force myself to get used to the touchpad. It worked. Still hate touchpads though.
 
bjjp2 said:
You hit "edit" not "enter" you're right, I misspoke. So what?
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If you hit enter you run the "shunt" function: logic by an engeneering point of you, but not as musicians like me and you. You not misspoke, you made the wrong tap. And you have to press exit, and try again. More than 5 sec gone. Than you have to search for the page in which the parameter is. More than 5 second gone.
In a touchscreen, things are intuitive: drag the block in another position, 1 second. Edit by double click, half a second. Sorry to say, but a touch screen for general purpouse edit is way more intuitive. Dedicated knobs or switch are faster and intuitive, a general knob isn't.
 
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