Yeah, I'm sure there actually are lots of UI problems, and you could generally design a UI that is better for controlling the effects and levels than the physic

Yeah, I'm sure there actually are lots of UI problems, and you could generally design a UI that is better for controlling the effects and levels than the physical analogy used here. But it's hard to beat a UI that not only feels accessible, but is accessible if you've used the (often famous) hardware in real life, and not only that, teaches you how to use it so that if you ever encounter that specific pedal or this effects unit in reality, you have some clue of how it works. Maybe it's not a concern and I'm making this shit up, but it is at least a cool advantage.