Touch-screen: IMO not a wish in FM9

[BobXX]

I recently came across a comparison between the LINE6 HELIX STADIUM XL and the AXE FX3.

Regardless of the fact that the comparison should be made with the FM9 instead, a great part of it were to explain the advantages of having a touch-screen.
I have the following considerations:

Having a touch screen can give a sense of modernity and appeal to many users, especially entry-level ones. For example, it's nice to see images of the amplifiers to be click on, instead of a list of their names to be selected from... ... ... If this is way to make the things easier: thumbs down.

Typically I'm absolutely pro-touch screen in nearly every context: I use them in PCs, my watch, my Korg keyboards and they are very useful and faster than any other UI.

But... and I know I might be going against the grain here, in my opinion, for serious/professional live use, a touch screen on a floor unit is a significant weakness — regardless of whether it’s capacitive or resistive.:

• It's mechanically and electrically delicate, with higher environmental sensitivity
• We often protect floor units with plexiglass covers, primarily covering the screen, which renders the touchscreen unusable

I'd much rather see BT/WiFi added, allowing use of "FMxEdit" from a tablet/smartphone:

• You can adjust sounds while standing upright, without having to constantly bend down (I consider it a part of UI approach)
• Your touch UI stays away from possible knocks, stomping feet, falling objects, spills of beer...
• It can be the same tablet/smartphone you used to adjust your IEM settings
• You can choose the best display size for your needs
• If you break your "touch screen" it's easy to replace it in just a few minutes
• You can upgrade to a newer/better touch device without replacing the entire unit
• The display can be positioned at the optimal viewing angle for your setup

Conversely, I'd welcome a touchscreen on the AXE FX as a complementary interface rather than the primary one, while maintaining full functionality via buttons and knobs.

 

[Jens973]

Touch Screens are everywhere nowadays- if it makes sense or not - it is state of the art somehow.
My new running watch has one too, was the first I switched off - makes no sense to me.

Same applies for the FMx units - yes it would be possible - but in my opinion knobs and buttons feel so much better

Wifi/BT +1

 

[Purplestrats]

I bloody hate touchscreens.

 

[BROCKSTAR]

I think having the option of both worlds would be the best.

 

[zebric21]

I agree. Also Kemper has an ultra simple screen and you see it in professional racks around the world. Music gear is related with faders and knobs for me not touch screens.

 

[algiman]

I agree. I don't see touchscreens as a suitable or useful interface for this form factor.

 

[Chromatizm]

Again?!

 

[JiveTurkey]

A touchscreen and AM/VP interface would be killer. And this is coming from a recent convert to touchscreens as far as having it on my modeling gear. You aren't doing either or; you still have clickable knobs and buttons as well.

 

[golfnut]

I could care less how they do it. I'll adjust to whatever Fractal decides, touch screen or knobs.

 

[nicolasrivera]

Touchscreen is a must in today's market. Not having it make a product feel outdated.

 

[Jens973]

Well, guess you are right. Like someone mentioned here already, might be good idea to have both in parallel and option to switch off the touchscreen.

 

[joanesinu]

I had the Fender TMP before the FM9, so I know what it’s like to use a touchscreen live and during rehearsals. It’s useful… but only about 1% of the time, when you actually need to tweak something. The rest of the time, it’s just a big, mostly useless chunk of the device — and the most important elements, the switches, aren’t part of it.


When Line 6 announced the Helix Stadium, I bought the FM9 without thinking twice. If you need a professional unit for live playing that functions like a real foot controller, the FM9 is the way to go. The switches are more spaced out than on other devices (measured with a tape measure), and the purpose of the unit is crystal clear: it’s a foot controller.


And just to be clear: I’m not a Fractal fanboy at all. I bought my first Fractal device only three months ago. But the format of the FM9 is simply the best in the business. If they released another foot unit with a big “chunk” screen or device on top, it wouldn’t appeal to me.


Of course, there are different types of users, and I’m sure many people will appreciate a big, fancy screen. But in practice, I’ve always used the desktop editor for all my devices, so the on-unit interface for sound editing just isn’t important to me.

 

[JiveTurkey]

The TurbBlasterPro touchscreen is useless mainly because the interface is super dated. Despite having a touchscreen. The best modern interface controls on it are the footswitches that double as knobs.

 

[Musikron]

I do not want a touchscreen on my Fractal.
BT to run Edit on a phone or tablet would be great though.

 

[Peavey Herman]

The Roland Fantom series is a great example of how to cater to both sides. Lotsa faders, buttons, rotary encoders.. you name it.

But it also has a touchscreen. I mostly use it to navigate the UI and to pick the parameters I will then adjust with the mechanical controls.

But people who prefer the touchscreen can do most adjustments on the screen and use mechanical controls for fine-tuning.

I almost went crazy typing this out on my phone, though...

Edit: I wanted to clarify I was talking about the Fantom synthesisers/keyboards, I didn't even know Roland had other gear called Fantom...

 

[Peavey Herman]

I could care less how they do it. I'll adjust to whatever Fractal decides, touch screen or knobs.

In the end, yes: Tone is primary concern, I wouldn't abandon FAS over this.

 

[BobXX]

The Roland Fantom series is a great example of how to cater to both sides. Lotsa faders, buttons, rotary encoders.. you name it.
But it also has a touchscreen. I mostly use it to navigate the UI and to pick the parameters I will then adjust with the mechanical controls.
But people who prefer the touchscreen can do most adjustments on the screen and use mechanical controls for fine-tuning.
I almost went crazy typing this out on my phone, though...

I’ve been using Korg keyboards since the days of the Trinity, and I agree with you. Obviously, we’re talking about devices that don’t sit on the floor so the touch screen aren't exposed to feet, falling objects, spills of beer...

You know? I use a Roland Fantom XR (rack-mounted) connected to my AXE FXIII

 

[Seven2Eleven]

It's mechanically and electrically fragile, more environmentally sensitive

I think an engineer should fact check that. From what I've heard, knobs, buttons and other moving parts fail more often than touch screens do.

Having a touch screen can give a sense of modernity and appeal to many users, especially entry-level ones. For example, it's nice to see images of the amplifiers to be click on instead of a list of their names to selected from... ... ... If this is way to make the things easier: thumbs down.

I agree here and I think the Fender Tone Master Pro is the most guilty of this. The UI looks like a Fisher Price toy IMO and doesn't look like something a professional would use. It's the skeuomorphic design language that I'm not a fan of. The touch screen itself is fine.

I think everyone agrees that there is room for improvement in the Fractal UI, although I think people exaggerate how tough it is to use.
A touch screen would be a simple way to make it easier to use just because it removes a lot of abstract button presses, just press exactly what you want on the screen.

One simple thing that the Helix does that I love is when you step on a foot switch for an effect block, the controls for the block come up on the screen and you can adjust them immediately. This is such a great thing especially in the heat of battle when you realize your drive block is too loud or whatever and need to turn it down.

I'd much rather see BT/WiFi added, allowing use of "FMxEdit" from a tablet/smartphone:

• You can adjust sounds while standing upright, without having to constantly bend down (I consider it a part of UI approach)
• Your touch UI stays away from possible knocks and spills of beer...
• It can be the same tablet/smartphone used to adjust your IEM settings
• You can choose the best display size for your use
• If you break your "touch screen" it's easy to replace in just a few minutes

I also agree with this. iPads are so common place at gigs, it makes sense to have an iPad editor.

 

[sprint]

I think everyone agrees that there is room for improvement in the Fractal UI

Not so fast buckaroo! I tend to disagree with the amount of room for improvement many seem to think there is (not much imo)

 

[BobXX]

I think an engineer should fact check that. From what I've heard, knobs, buttons and other moving parts fail more often than touch screens do.

I am an electronic engineer , and I don’t want a consumer-grade touch panel sitting on the floor without protection.

I'm already doing that today with the FM9's simple (non-touch) display.
The problem is, once you add protection, it makes the panel nearly impossibile to use. So...

Industrial grade touch panels do exist—both resistive and capacitive—but they cost about three to five times more than consumer models. My guess is that LINE6 is going with the cheaper ones...

If FAS decides to use a touch panel, I’d expect them to choose rugged ones for the biggest FMx — but I think that would drive the cost up too much.

For the AXE FX successor, I’d actually go the opposite way: a good consumer-grade touchscreen would not only be viable, but could genuinely help pros work faster. I'm just picturing stack of several AXEs one on top of the other on tours like Metallica, Steve Vai, Def Leppard, etc.)