Do looks matter?

Olaf_Wolkenhauer · 2018-08-19T05:05:15.875Z

This article on design and the joy it brings may be of interest for the question discussed here:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/aug/19/ode-to-joy-how-to-find-happiness-in-balloons-and-rainbows

spceboi · 2018-08-19T05:52:49.670Z

They matter a great deal to me. I mean I will be looking at the damn thing for hours so it sure helps if it looked good.

My favorite looking instrument that I own is the Digitakt easily. That screen just looks gorgeous. It has a cool retro scifi look to it that I really enjoy. The TR-8 is not as bad as people make it out to be. In low light it looks really cool and feels good. Keep in mind that this is one of the few drum machines with faders, which is such a joy to play with. Play the sequencer has incredibly good buttons. Don’t get the hate…

Two instruments that I drool over for mere looks are the Monomachince and the Machinedrum. The just look freaking incredible. That gray! and those small leds. It looks like the future.

reeloy · 2018-08-19T23:24:35.215Z

…triple yessssss…never again pleeeeeeease…

Adam9 · 2018-08-21T00:45:27.013Z

Hahaha…weird…!

Yeh it works i just glued fugly moog knobs to an ipad and it sounds amazing…

Also thinking of replacing my nipples with the brushed aluminium caps from a blofeld while listening to 2inch tape to keep warm…

Adam9 · 2018-08-21T00:48:16.968Z

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder…

Augenadler · 2018-08-21T05:02:04.306Z

Adam9:

listening to 2inch tape to keep warm…

I’ve woven tape to cloth and made underwear from it. Great stuff! Did the nipple thing work out?

Kari · 2018-08-21T16:24:03.323Z

I can imagine that the whole AIRA stuff lucked great as marker rendering on a piece of paper. It’s the material that Roland used, that made it look cheap. (And the mini keys).
There are actually people who like the designs of the AIRA stuff. Fits perfectly with the neon colours of the decoration a goa party…BUT in a studio where you have a lot of tech it stays out, and doesn’t fit to the elegance of a Elektron, DSI, Moog…

The dark trinity looked so bad ass! Too bad the MK2 no longer have the same size/box and colours…

toot · 2018-08-21T16:27:24.488Z

roland-d2-groovebox-sequencer-sound_1_e420f0ccc9a03c0a2ded892f3225385e.jpg1429×814 117 KB

Munro · 2018-08-21T16:43:57.751Z

Yes.

MixedSignals · 2018-08-21T18:03:57.375Z

me neither, never thought about it. my first piece was a DX21 though, and half of gear was used pawn shop stuff for a long time, whatever I could get my hands on…so it was sort of all uphill from there. there was always spraypaint/markers. they were, and still are more tools to be used, like an old powersaw or worn guitar. i like a little of that punk rock aesthetic.
but i can understand the reason for eccentric design- market recognizability.

Automageddon · 2018-08-22T08:34:34.266Z

The Roland D2 wasn’t only ugly, was also horrible to use, a terrible experience on sooo many fronts…

Normalogic · 2018-08-22T08:43:16.009Z

Of course looks matter. The sound is the most important but in the end you have to want to engage with the instrument, and it should speak to you on an emotional level.

I for example love the Analogue Solution Fusebox which looks like an old control panel from the soviet era:

Never bought it tho because it sounds horrible to me.

The Sub37 is my beauty queen: at the right intersection between form and function. It sounds great and looks great.

And my favorite synth is the Prophet REV2, which looks a little less great but sounds like I could marry it.

spikysimon · 2018-08-22T08:49:58.237Z

I’ve had two synths that some people consider ugly. First the MFB Dominion Club:

I quite liked that it was a unique sort of pistachio colour though. Black synths are a bit boring, it’s nice to brighten up the studio. I traded that in to get a Moog Grandmother, which some people hate the looks of but I think looks lovely and unique. The colours are much more pleasant in person than they are on most of the photos!

At some level to me, beauty is related to good design, and a well-designed synth is going to be easier to use and beg you to use them more. the Grandmother’s funky colours, for example, are highly related to its internal circuitry and encourage you to think of it in a more modular way. A badly designed bit of gear is always going t be ugly to me, and in that case yes it really does matter.

Daisuk · 2018-08-22T09:14:08.430Z

I wish all my synths were yellow.

toot · 2018-08-22T09:49:53.355Z

Indeed a total ball ache.

I still keep one around for cheesy ROMpler sounds though and for my cat to play with https://www.instagram.com/p/67Jkfzh7kL/?taken-by=infinite_vibez

Automageddon · 2018-08-22T09:59:18.331Z

I need a synth for my cats too…

Adam9 · 2018-08-23T12:08:24.903Z

Looks amazing but the encoders are jumpy and need replacing…

mnroe · 2018-08-23T14:31:19.845Z

Folktek has some really interesting designs. But some are saying it all looks dreadful.

mnroe · 2018-08-23T14:33:49.808Z

Had this for a bit, I remember producing with this in the dark and the whole unit lights up like the sun. Kinda hurt to look at it for too long

TonyDS_1 · 2018-08-23T19:16:22.519Z

SOMA laboratory

Colored LYRA-8 - SOMA laboratory

Some people asked us about orange, yellow etc. versions of LYRA-8 and we decided – “why not try to make an exclusive colored LYRA-8 batch?” You can see on the pictures that we have orange, blue and grey versions along with well known white and...