Which RE has the best looking GUI, and why? (as a RE DEV I want to know ;-)

[pbc278]

Which RE device has the best looking GUI, and why? (as a RE DEV I want to know

I would like to ask all of you this question... It could be valuable information for developers. (Please keep in mind the limitations of the Reason format...)

It would be nice to NOT start a discussion in this thread, just your own opinion!

Thanks 

[pbc278]

Me, I like all the GUI's from Jiggery Pokery a lot (especially the AMMO devices). They are very intuitive. They fit in perfectly with the native Reason devices. Always a lot of knobs and switches to turn and twist. No distracting colors.
Also Red Rock RE's look really good. Not too small knobs, and everything is in the right place. They look the most like hardware to me.

Lastly I want to mention one of my favorite RE's, 4 Phase LFO by Spectral Scan Software.. Not only a very usefull device, but also the layout is good. It fits my workflow perfectly and there's nothing distracting me.

[Theo.M]

for me regarding fx,  all the softubes, because the look like classy hardware but at the same time are all extremely easy to get to grips with, neat, functional and fit perfectly into the rack ethos. I also like the colours of all of them.

regarding synths i choose antidote and khs one.. for the same reason.. they both have lots of parameters and possibilities, yet they are both so easy to make sense of and the eye doesn't get fatigued or confused when looking at them and remembering where a control is.  I look at antidote and i know where to go to every time, same with khs. 

[boobytrap]

For me GUI is the most important thing.
I like antidote, parsec, also GUI of PX 7 which I don't like that sound engine. Personally I don't like Mixfood colour schemes. Overall the colours don't match with other devices. And looks hideous.
What I mean is see Ammo RE colour schemes, it's really awesome to see. If developer start to make a RE, The important part is colour matching with correct fonts. FM 4 is a great example.

[ravisoni]

My vote would go to Radical piano/keys, the a-list instruments, synchronous, DCAMEnvShaper, Pulsar and Skope Signal Monitor. Not only do they look nice, they are also very intuitive. (I see I've got quite a few prop REs here).

[EnochLight]

kHs One (which really looks true to the VST).  All of Softube's stuff.  Pulverizer & Pulsar.  I love Parsec's look, anything from Sonic Charge (both Echobode and Bitspeek), Synapse Audio's GQ-7.  Audio Realism's ABL3 is beautiful, IMHO - but I might be suffering from 303 envy.    Zvork's Oberon looks bad ass - love the huge custom display screen at the top.

Why?

• kHs One: I mean look at it!  Unique colors, the dark "just works".  And really - it looks like the VST version which looked fantastic already
• All of Softube's stuff: they just have a knack for quality skeuomorphism.  Their stuff just really feels like it belongs in the rack.
• Pulverizer, Pulsar, and Parsec: ditto.
• Sonic Charge: their stuff not only feels like it belongs in the rack, it feels... used.  Just a bang up job in realism.
• GQ-7: that screen!!!!!
• ABL3: just a great use of real estate, and 303 303 303 303 303!!!!!
• Zvork's Oberon: probably one of the coolest uses of a custom display widget that I've ever seen.  And the "hardware" it's attached to looks sexy.  Nice job!

[stefan]

Everything from Propellerheads looks great. Also Softube, Sonic Charge and Peff looks like they really belong. All McDSP's except perhaps FutzBox fits perfectly. I don't own any of the Kuassa but I think they really have a nice interface. And finally, the Korg's, ABL3, Groovy Melon and Black and Orange ReVolt get's a high GUI score as well.

[ebop]

JP (not Ammo though), Selig, Softube, Oberon, Quadelectra Mercury, Synapse GQ7, ABL3 (not ABL2), Punch-BD, Robotic Bean, Parsec. When I think about it, I prefer a relatively neutral background (black/white) with splashes of colour provided by screens, knobs, panel trim, etc. I prefer crisp understatement than gaudy garishness in my RE GUI. Not that it's stopped me from buying some very colourful REs.

[Faastwalker]

Off the top of my head this one really springs to mind;

 

It's very well laid out, very clear, easy on the eye, nice big controls & looks really good in the rack. It's about as near to perfect as I've seen for a Reason GUI.

[Libraquaricorn]

I love the Red Rock Sound stuff, iVoks and C1-L1 in particular. Selig does some nice looking stuff as well. Worst looking re's for me - that puts me off by the looks - must be re's from Hamu and Sugarbytes. Probably excelent devices, but I do not like the looks of them. And that Meteora rompler from Turn2on is so ugly I don't want to touch it at all... Turn2off for me I'm afraid...

[Arsenic]

Colour plays a huge part in a GUI for me. As a synth, Antidote is fantastic. It is well laid out and accessible, but I really don't like the black, white and lego brick look. Hamu's CV stuff in purple is another one that is a fail for me. It's great stuff, again it is well laid out, but it triggers a migraine if I look at it too long.

Rob Papen's designs are nice, although they can be a little overcrowded at times and it was also a shame that SubBoomBass RE lost the "subway art/graffiti" look of the VST. Jiggery Pokerys desings are rather nice. From the Combo Organs with the look/feel of the real thing through to the stylish Chenille and Steerpike/Titus - All highly functional and well laid out. Softube's stuff tends to be neat and tidy, with a classic look and feel. AudioRealisms ABL3 is just lovely. not overcrowded, just simple functionality

I guess, for me, the examples above are the extremes. There are many different styles that fall in between these that are absolutely fine. But, like all things, a good or bad design is subjective. On a personal level, I think it can also make or break a device - I was one of the ones who were glad when Blamsoft changed the colour scheme of Viking. As I pointed out above, Hamu's devices are a issue for me, so he has lost sales because I can't work with the purple colour scheme he chose - I know he has now released the black versions, but he increased the price.

One other thing I'm not keen on, is when a Dev tries to cram too much stuff onto the fully collapsed device. When I have set up a device, I collapse it to reduce clutter in the Rack. Having loads of knobs, switches and displays on the collapsed device just defeats the purpose of it.

Anyway - These are just my opinions. Take them or leave them.

[A.Skelton]

Anything brushed metal with minimal distraction is always eyewatering and beautiful. I like Antidote best as a synth gui for use of space vs clarity of control

[Vyckeil]

To me, most REs to me are beautiful. Some devs have limited budget and just provide clear and concise information, and that's perfectly fine. This post is more about my do's and don'ts.

If you're going to have a complex RE with lots of controls, clear separation of the different elements is a must. Anything by Rob Papen is pretty nice in that area. Polar, Noxious and Etch Red does it quite nicely too. Parsec and Antidote are similar and unique, very different and it works! Even simple thick lines with curves edges like SubTractor and Ivoks is enough. Knobs in different colours or shapes is also a good option. Look at Eve MP5 above, it's the perfect example.

If you're going to have a big RE, put big knobs with clear writing on it. U-he and McDSP do that elegantly, so does Eve EQs. The one that I don't like is Radical Piano. So much wasted space, there is no need for it to have wide columns and a lonely volume knob. Parsec is too tall, could easily be just as tall as Antidote. (Screen real-estate is precious. I guess they're big and empty to give the illusion of being easy and simple to operate. Frankly, that's just less immediate info on my rack.)

If you're going to base the aesthetics of real gear or mimic legacy hardware, do it right. Most RE are gorgeous in that regard, but every time I look at Softube they all have something missing in my opinion.

Keep it consistent. For example, most patch save/load buttons and naming is at the top, often top-left. Radical Piano's is in the middle, C1-L1 is... at the bottom-right? For the sake of workflow, please don't do that.

On/off buttons (or Latch, or toggles) need to be clear. Personally, I love the glowing aura effect like on the SubTractor and 14:2 Mixer when buttons are active. They even depress, adding depth to visual feedback. C1-L1 has retro metal levers that translate badly into digital format and it's hard to see at a quick glance at which position they're at.

As much as I love glowing lights, Pulsar's glowing indicator is a bad implementation. Give me a volume bar that's bipolar, ReVolt and FET's voltage needle, anything is better than a flashing light.

Knobs! Fancy knobs are a nice added touch, but not necessary if you don't have the budget or talent. At the very least, give me a clear indication of the position. A long line, preferably thick, that goes in the middle of the knob is enough. I also really like a knob that gives me visual feedback when I'm turning it, like the little details around that spin when I turn it, and the shadows. The knobs I don't really like it Parsec's, they are insipid, dull and lack depth.

Even tiny knobs can be done right and can be beautiful pieces of art. Just pull out a 14:2 mixer and turn the send knobs. The contrasted detailing around the knob when you turn it, the spacing of the printed indicators around it, the shadowing on those printed indicators when you turn it at 3 o'clock, the reflection on the red plastic top, the subtle off-white colouring, the tasteful thickness of it... oh my god, it even has a watermark.

Numerical Sounds is uninspired. Quadelectra's CV Suite, just... no. I cite those that I don't like because most REs have I have nothing to complain about, in fact most are beautiful.

I quite like Mixfood Orange because it screams to me "I'm a SubTractor on steriods!", at least that's the way I use it. There's a list of things I think would improve it. pcb278, if you're interested I could post that list.

[thala]

I just scrolled through reason 8 rack extensions mini icons.
looking for a beutiful RE.
and then i saw futzbox. it would be useable for me, even in mini-icon size.
have a look at the screenshot.
its maybe not the beautifullest, but which other RE has such a clear GUI?

[firejan82]

 It's hard to say which one is the best, many come to mind and they're all too different from each other.

 I think the best looking ones look and feel like a cool looking hardware and at the same time they don't look like anything else in your rack. They can't look like just another "stock template" RE.

 All that being said, I think the Softube FET is the sexiest looking one (I don't even own it).

[Lunesis]

This to me looks amazing...

 

I find myself preferential to designs with a very neutral background and then nice glowing pops of color, preferably just two that are similar but slightly different to complement eachother.

This one looks great too...

 

I really like the bright simulated liquid crystal displays.

[joeyluck]

This to me looks amazing...

I had a question about this one. That screen/window looks odd in this angle pic ^ above (particularly the upper left corner). What's the point of that? The straight on shot looks different...

 

I would blame it on a difference in lighting, but you can see that it's likely not that and a different outline up there...

I'm hoping the first pic is simply a weird occurrence from that angle or just an old render...

[Exowildebeest]

Possibly because the screen in that 3D render is "pasted on", i.e. not rendered with the 3D model but added separately - and it's blurred of course, for effect.

[joeyluck]

Possibly because the screen in that 3D render is "pasted on", i.e. not rendered with the 3D model but added separately - and it's blurred of course, for effect.

Ahh good point. That might be the case.

[ScuzzyEye]

Possibly because the screen in that 3D render is "pasted on", i.e. not rendered with the 3D model but added separately - and it's blurred of course, for effect.

That's my guess too, because it's a 2D element that's generated by Reason on the fly.

[Djstarski]

i actually like devices that look like you can buy as a hardware device and place in a real rack . you know that real world look .

thats one thing propellerhead are very good at might i add .


 

yes 


 

No 

[joeyluck]

MP5 is my fav

Here are some others (in no particular order):
And surprisingly not, many are by Propellerhead (sorry for the big post!)

[joeyluck]

i actually like devices that look like you can buy as a hardware device and place in a real rack . you know that real world look .

...

 

No 

Interesting, I feel like this is believable as hardware and I could see this in a rack...

[joeyluck]

Honorable mention for me (and a chance for a top spot) goes to...

The ORIGINAL Buffre:

Where did you go, old friend?

 

[Juan Rosa]

I love Bitspeak this device really looks a Reason device, Antidote is ugly but sounds great, ABL3 like so much more than ABL2 but i don't like the "i love acid" sticker, but i don't like than RE don't have the fold button like NNXT, or DR Octo Rex, and personally want the mini rack RE, for example: Sobtube's Saturation Knob is too big just for that do and maybe the Spring Reverb and Tube Delay.