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Comments
Just to illustrate that things are subjective, personally I find it really useful when automation is shown in real time affecting parameters.
Regarding this subject generally - UI appreciation - a lot, I suspect, comes down to familiarity as well. If you really learn how to use an app and then spend a long time with it, you are more likely to get to understand the design choices the developer made with the UI and end up appreciating it. Look, for example, at what @Samu says regarding Sunvox - he obviously knows it intimately and therefore appreciates the brilliance and subtleties of the interface whereas to many users it’s just going to be a minefield of confusion: does that mean the UI is well designed and some users are just too lazy to get to a stage where they can appreciate it or does it mean the UI isn’t as intuitive as it could or should be? (Personally there are things I love about the Sunvox interface and other things which I struggle with).
I suppose I’m wondering whether amazing UI design has to be instantly intuitive or not?
I do too! But only if it's a separate indicator and doesn't move the actual knob because then you can't (or it's hard to) modify the base value
The ones I dislike most are the Fabfilter apps - happy to have them but the interfaces are awkward to use.
The design I like the most is the latest Audiokit apps. The controls are nicely spaced and move smoothly with the value at the top. The colour schemes are nice and the interface is divided into logical tabs. The preset system is also very well done.
There’s a lot of black/dark backgrounds on effects and DAWs and honestly I’d like to have some lighter more colorful skins just for variety. Remember when Audio Mastering app had different skins to choose from? I like looking at AEM best for DAWs because it’s Green. Thor, TC-11, Auria, Master FX, stuff that’s eye candy as well as ear candy….
I like simple, non-skeuomorphic designs on my apps, so I tend to gravitate towards things like Note and Groovebox.
Least favorite recently is Logic. I think they did a good job with how they implemented things like panel resizing, you just need to do it constantly which I find annoying.
There are too many things I like, 🤩 so I'm going to separate them in another post.
Here are User eXperiences I don’t like:
Interesting. And unlucky. I never knew that could trigger migraines. But complaints about Geoshred UI and UX are legion here. It does a few things really well, but other things pretty badly. Main thing for me is just the aesthetics of the UI look very tacky, by my personal standards of taste.
Yes absolutely. Funny, I've picked over most of what I regard as flaws in the Audiothing apps extensively in my vids (usually in the comments section) but I somehow missed this one. You can still move the knobs by hand while they're moving automatically but it is by no means easy to control in the way it would be with a better implementation.
Ah, gotcha, thanks for clarifying!
Same... Mker is am example where the UI has improved a fair bit since release, I remember some people were complaining about how they felt the UI was drab, so I guess the dev took note.
With aum I don't have a problem with the black interface background because the point is mainly to forget about the background and focus on the various multicoloured auv3s you have loaded in there, but with some things like synths and sequencers I like bit of colour variation. I'm much more likely to regularly use an app I find beautiful than one I find ugly. Of course, everyone's taste varies to an extent, but if we look at popular apps well regarded for their UI (the article I posted has some great, varied examples) we can see that there are some apps that fit into the idea of what a contemporary piece of software should look like and some that miss that mark really badly, whether intentionally or not.
Agreeed on Bleass. Generous space, striking use of colour. Practically child friendly. And yes I simultaneously am extremely frustrated that they (perhaps relatedly) leave some really useful functonality out.
FabFilter interfaces definitely influenced a lot of other plugins I think, in improving how daily driver things like eq and compression could use more screen real estate cleverly, and since they did that we see that approach in many other plugs, which you didn't in the first couple of gens of plugs.
Unfiltered Audio and Audio Damage I think also are really good examples of modern UI style, space, colours, sizes, typography, layout.
I feel like the more experimental if I can use that word, ones, "playful" multi touch, such as borderlands or spacecraft maybe, or animoog's cube of orbs, might require a different set of terms and values in order to speak about appropriately, and are a really really interesting subject to themselves, as a different kind of thing, not a different degree of the same thing.
Please can skeuomorphism just die.
BLEASS gives me an Okuda LCARS vibe. 😎
I absolutely hate Apesofts UIs...pity because some of the apps are really good...
Agree with all of this. Yes, unfiltered audio UIs are gorgeous. They use a proper UI designer, someone vaguely well-known / famous maybe? Also Audio Damage give good UI in general. Something like Other Desert Cities looks very contemporary. And not a trace of skeumophsim in that UI. Yeah really wish Moog would stop trying to make their apps look like hardware. Audiothing are one of the few devs who I think make beautiful skeumorphic interfaces, so it can be done.
https://uxdesign.cc/the-worst-volume-control-ui-in-the-world-60713dc86950
pick one
I was concerned that this thread would go in the wrong direction, but instead turned out into a wonderful informative one. 🤩
To punish my enthusiastic approach towards developers, I posted UX things I don’t like first.
I really hate the way the AUv3 of Mood splits up the really nice UI all in one of the standalone into those irriating separate tabs. Unless I'm missing that there's a way to switch back to all in one? Tried resizing the GUI all kinds of ways but no luck.
I agree with many comments here.
I'm not a fan of skeumophsim, I agree that the new Moog apps are a little difficult to use, I'm not a fan of fake wooden end cheeks. Model 15 sounds so good but what a pita to use. I was so disappointed to find the desktop version doesn't show any more of the UI than the iPad version. So frustrating.
I like the Bleass apps a lot, they're fun, simple, and creative.
I like the UI for Spacecraft, I like the colors and the fact that it is designed for touch.
I'm not a fan of Fabfilter, there are too many very small, hard to adjust elements and too much blank space. Their apps don't feel like they're tuned for touch at all.
Geoshred is unattractive, looks unfinished, and has a big mess of menu items. Luckily it sounds good. I tried to contribute to the beta testing for that one. I reported that some menus were not opening properly, small issues, and the developer responded by explaining to me how to use a computer drop down menu! We had that conversation twice. It was insulting. The next day he noted the problems with the menus. Fvck that noise.
I keep trying to find a timeline style DAW I can use on iOS, I've bought too many already. Audio Evolution Mobile has that annoying "next" page paradigm. It's a convoluted workflow.
Kymatic apps are excellent. I have Dub, just bought Space, I like AUM and AudioShare.
Baby Audio apps are a little hit and miss on iOS, but they're beautiful on desktop. Overall I like them a lot.
Same with AudioThing, good stuff.
Fabfilter are very much not designed for touch. I was gutted that, after years already of porting to iOS, they brought out Twin 3, which must surely have been developed after they started porting to iOS, and yet there are some functions that either cannot be used on iOS (forget the details, would have to search my emails but FF admitted as much to me) or can only really be used with a pencil. Not acceptable. Same as Audiothing not having ability to adjust Q on one of those recent releases. Not acceptable. If you're going to port your apps, make sure they work fully. Filter resonance is a damn important parameter.
As long as it’s not riddled with bugs, I’m usually fine with most UIs cos I’m more focused on how it sounds. So as long as the UI doesn’t get in the way of function, I don’t care if it’s ugly. I don’t mind some eye candy though to trip out to. Beepstreet and Baby Audio make fantastic UIs that are just nice and clean and easy to look at. I do love the UIs that Freakshow Industries make on desktop. They’re absolutely mad and such a trip to look at.
Some of the simplest UI's are often the easiest to work with. A developer should not feel pressure to make their UI as feature rich and "realistic" as Moog, as long as they do the homework and make the user experience (UX) clean and as logical as they can for the user. As long as the foundation is solid, it can always be refined in the future. What's important is that developers take a look at the competition and find out what is working and not working and to not do something a certain way just because it's easier for them, versus doing what's best for the customer.
Freakshow Industries... Love the quirkiness! Their name game is on form too! Bet this was what Bleass wanted to call their new plugin but the name had been taken already, damn!
Erik Sigth probably qualifies for quirkiest iOS dev, oh and maybe Anthony DiFuria! Another one with a mix of great and not so great UI elements, but definitely puts his own stamp on things.
I like Egoist because it feels like the best Amiga UI ever made.
I can’t agree more with your last sentence. But doors to freedom of innovation must stay open.
Do you think that Ryo apps fall into your category of ‘simple UI, easy to work with’? Because lots of people speak unfavorably because of dark minimalistic skin, ignoring how versatile UI actually is.
Fusion constantly reminds me how iZotope deprecated Trash 2. Bleass was probably inspired by the same plugin. Love the quirkiness of Freakshow Industries too! 😂
Erik Sigth is one of a kind, the legend! 🤩
Yes, I think you're right. His flat, drab UI style underplays the function in his apps. I think if he were to make just a little more effort to add some 'sparkle' or touches of color to the designs he'd find a better response. A little can go a long way when an entire UI is very flat looking.
Great call on Mela 4. It’s super complex but almost never feels that way because it’s so well thought out and designed. And one of my favorites synths to boot!
I’d like to call out the new Triplex apps. Great UI there as well. All of their apps look nice and I’m a sucker for consistent design language.
Also forgot in my original reply but I quite like Caelum Audios UI designs. Flux Pro is very smooth for all it can do.
I’m 50/50 on Logic. Some things I really like but both of the things you mentioned are super annoying. Also having the exit project button right next to the back button especially when they look the same, just slightly smaller.
I’ve never used NS2 but that and Zenbeats are the gold standard for UI for DAWs on iOS, imo (wow that was a lot of abbreviations lmao). Buttersynth is a definite as well. I’d say both that and Mela 4 are great for how complex the synths are. I wish Synthmaster 2 was that easy 😂
So you dont like seeing the knobs move when automating? I feel like it’s almost always the opposite. I like to have some kind of indication of the modulation. Maybe the Caelum approach from SUBscription.