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For a company that just threw out skeuomorphism as a design principle, the amount of drumkit, pedal, amp and mixing deck images this thing has is surprising. T
by NamTaf 13y ago
For a company that just threw out skeuomorphism as a design principle, the amount of drumkit, pedal, amp and mixing deck images this thing has is surprising.
The pitch correction stuff is cool - I dreamed of that sort of stuff a while ago, but never made any attempt to try to work out how it'd work. I wonder how it works with voices and the like, as opposed to string instruments.
- S_A_P 13y agoWell Pro Apps are kind of an exception as you usually are trying to emulate the exact properties of very specific hardware. Amp and synthesizer simulators seem more real if you have an accurate UI analog to the real hardware.
- laumars 13y agoNot exactly. Sadly this is one of those instances where a concise point isn't an accurate one. Sequencers (Logic Pro, Cubase, etc) were originally built to work along side classic studio hardware. And while more and more studios these days go all software, the sequencer paradigm has stuck because it largely works. You're also right that many soft-synths / virtual instruments are there to emulate real hardware, but there's also plugins like tone generators which are quite a departure from the classic studio paradigm. Aside sequencers, you can get other types of DAWs like trackers which, trigger digital audio projects like one would with a sequencer; except trackers have a completely digital approach (watching a tracker play is more akin to watching a hex dump scroll down a terminal emulator than watching waveforms scroll horizontally across a sequencer). Then there's DAWs based around programming which are as far removed from skeuomorphism as you can get. But those are very much a niche product. Also let's not forget that the old studios wouldn't have had anything akin to modern audio editors (Soundforge, Audacity, etc). That's a very modern concept. However because we have adopted the old play/stop symbols that have existed on audio hardware for decades, and because oscilloscopes have made us very aware of waveforms, audio editors often look skeuomorphic even when they're really not (or perhaps it makes more sense to say that they are skeuomorphic, but not out of design - out of necessity due to sound being a wave).
- swift 13y agoI'm not sure what you mean when you mention DAWs based around programming. Are you referring to things like Reaktor, Max, and PD?
- laumars 13y agoI was thinking more text based ones like Overtone[1], but I'd completely forgotten about DAWs like the ones you've mentioned. Nice spot :) [1] http://vimeo.com/22798433 http://vimeo.com/22798433
- eclipxe 13y agoPro Audio software has always been ground zero for skeuomorphism.
- baddox 13y agoLook no further than Propellerhead's Reason for a striking example. The software models everything, from the dials and switches of audio equipment all the way to the back of the rack, where audio cables are connected as desired (complete with hanging cable physics). Of course, it can be argued how much of this is truly skeumorphic, because most of it retains the actual functionality of the original real-life audio components.
- stevebenjamins 13y agoIt's a little different in the DAW world. Skeuomorphism is extremely common.
- louthy 13y agoThere's the argument that the quirkiness of the original hardware control methods translated into unique sounds and programming. If you look at something like a 303 which was originally designed to be a bass guitar support for guitarists, and ended up being the sound of Acid House; you'd be less likely to produce that method of programming if it were set up like a standard synth.
- princess3000 13y agoI still can't believe they actually thought that thing was going to sound like a real bass guitar.
- louthy 13y agoRight!
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- apike 13y agoIt's unlikely the Logic Pro team were disclosed on the iOS 7 design direction before WWDC. Even if there was a push to "flatten" Logic, it would have been too late in the cycle to do it for this release.
- nsxwolf 13y agoIt shouldn't be surprising. The real instruments aren't going anywhere and are found side by side with installations of Logic Pro. These images aren't archaic reminders of objects no longer used in daily life. It's not like the iOS Phone app icon, which depicts the outline of a style of phone handset many people below a certain age have never seen or laid hands on.
- dclowd9901 13y agoThe fact that I've had an iPhone for 4 years now and didn't realize that that icon looked the way you described it is more a testament to muscle memory as a design principle over anything aesthetic.
- mortenjorck 13y agoAt this point, the phone handset icon is barely even an icon – it's essentially become a pictogram or a hieroglyph. I don't see this as something to lament or resist, though. While it's beneficial to know the visual etymology of the symbol, it's no more critical to understanding it than knowing the etymology of any of the words you use in normal conversation.
- sjwright 13y agoJust like how the 3.5 inch floppy disk has become the iconographic symbol for 'save'...
- Sym3tri 13y agoIf you want flat use Ableton Live. They've been flat since before flat was cool, and it's a much better DAW IMO.
- MichaelGG 13y agoAbleton's not just about flat/cool/design. It's about providing proper UI controls. Why waste half your screen with gigantic knobs that make input a pain? Instead, a label and a value is all you need. Why have a long selector switch if a dropdown suffices? If you want hardware, then buy a hardware controller with little displays so you can get all hands-on. When setting up really complex sounds and devices, I can't imagine any other approach. How do you represent a device that contains, say, 10 sub-devices? Ableton makes it super clear to setup and inspect. Unfortunately, it seems like few other companies agree with this approach and spend lots of effort drawing backgrounds and rendering knobs and switches. I think it's a hold over from the days when to experiment with sounds, you actually did have to go plugging various cables in and playing with knobs.
- eropple 13y agoI think "much better DAW" is sort of glossing over the differences between the two. I wouldn't want to stare at Ableton all day when composing (but I have) because their interface is kind of a mess; I don't really dig the clip metaphor for that. On the other hand, the clip metaphor is great for screwing around, seeing what meshes well, and (obviously) playing live. Both are very good at only somewhat related tasks. But fanboyism always sucks.
- rgbrgb 13y agoSince most of the skeumorphic audio units are trying to emulate real life instruments and effects, having a similar interface actually makes them easier to use. It's great that I can pull up a fender amp in amp designer and it has the same controls and behavior I'm used to.
- hcarvalhoalves 13y ago> For a company that just threw out skeuomorphism as a design principle No, only the iOS team did. And bets are still up to whether it was a good decision or a catastrophe for the iOS platform.
- kybernetyk 13y agoI don't know about catastrophe but it's sad that Apple put that much manpower into pleasing a small but vocal minority of bloggers. Normal users really don't prioritize the faux leather vs flat issue that much - for them features count more.
- qq66 13y agoApple is not reacting to bloggers. They are reacting to the fact that their share of their segment has gone from 90% to 25% in two years. So now they'll try anything.
- sjwright 13y agoCorrelation is not causation.
- Raphael 13y agoNo one seriously believed they are trying to appease bloggers. They obviously agree with the bloggers!
- NamTaf 13y agoNah, OSX Mavericks shows the same direction. That said, it's no secret that both operating systems are moving towards unity (as in being together, not ubuntu).
- spiralganglion 13y agoThe pitch corrections stuff works by using Fourier Transforms to determine what frequencies of a sound have the most energy at any given moment, which can be used to determine pitch. Then, to transform the pitch, they (most likely) use an algorithm/process called Granular Resynthesis (not to be confused with Granular Synthesis, which is related but used for a very different purpose).
- raviparikh 13y agoDAWs and VSTs have always had an incredible amount of skeumorphism, sometimes to the detriment of the user experience. Nearly every VST I've used will try to recreate the feel of analog knobs and buttons rather than more sensible design choices.
- saturdaysaint 13y agoI swear I recall (probably on the excellent createdigitalmusic.com) a quote from an Apple engineer around the release of Logic 9 saying that musicians consistently rate skeutomorphic plugins as sounding better than flatter counterparts.