Joyful user interface experiences

[darenager]

What gear do you have which has particularly great user interface aspects? I’m talking about the kind of effortless efficiency that makes you wonder why more stuff doesn’t implement aspects of it?

A couple of examples of those which I like:

Deluge - the way you copy a track, hold track to be copied, press destination track, done.

SH-101 - at a glance all parameters visible.

Circuit Rhythm sampling - press record, hit pad to start, hit pad to stop, next pad for next sample, repeat until done.

OP-1 - Drum sampler/chop - hit key, move in-point encoder, move out-point encoder, next.

There are lots more I could list, but let’s hear yours.

[Kegeratorz]

SP-404MKII Skip back feature! 40 second buffer continuously recording everything!

[alechko]

I honestly love the randomize and copy pasting menus in elektrons, these simple combos are really satisfying…

I hated copy pasting trigs up to the 1.70 update on rytm, now with the highlighted locked menus it’s real delight and I want it on Digitone too…

[aMunchkinElfGraduate]

I love the feeling of the buttons on my Digitone. No mushiness, no excessive pressure necessary to push a button or to keep it held down, a decent amount of “key travel”. I can play with the Digitone for hours without experiencing any discomfort in my hands.

[Thespa]

Perkons is fantastic but the sound didn’t do it for me.

[thesimplemachine]

Routing modulation on the Hydrasynth: hold the button for your mod source on the signal path section, press the button for your destination, and the mod matrix screen automatically pops up with that modulation assigned and you can dial in the amount to taste. So quick and easy.

[bgEN]

This is not the truth people want to hear, but the Drumbrute Impact is just about perfect and the most fun I’ve had with a drum machine.

It’s got rolling and loop rolling. You can change time sigs immediately and come back right on time. You can swap patterns and banks immediately and come back in time. The pads feel pretty good. You can copy patterns to blank slots while working on another pattern. Delete stuff and re-record fluidly. You can rachet steps. Full on techno Art Blakey stuff going on.

No other drum machine that I know of is as immediate and easy to use, not even my AR can do all the real-time stuff that the Drumbrute can.

It kinda sounds natty though.

[thesimplemachine]

The way the key shortcuts are setup on the M8 is also quite nice for keeping you in the flow and moving forward in creating your song. It only requires two or three button presses to automatically create and jump to a new chain, phrase or instrument that is either empty, cloned, or “deep cloned.” Makes it so fast to create new patterns and then duplicate them or create variations.

Honestly though, if you vibe with trackers, everything about the M8 is a delight. Once I got the muscle memory of the shortcuts down, I was able to get into a flow state on this device and start flying through songs easier than on anything else I’ve played with. Syntakt is a close runner up, but the M8 beats it for its portability and not having to wait for analog oscillators to warm up.

[Omar]

I think the Norand Mono is really brilliant in that respect: the knob LED’s give you a complete and quite accurate overview of every modulation there is in a patch… and there can be many.

[tha_man]

If software counts - Koala Sampler has maybe the most intuitive (G)UI I’ve ever encounter. If all apps were designed like this I’d be much more fond of using iPad/touch interface.

In hardware I love sequencer in Korg Monologue with that note/slides/motion switch and option to disable/enable steps. Actually the whole Monologue interface is really nicely laid out and enjoyable to tweak, the only downside is that knob position is extremely hard to see. I need to replace those knobs…

Also midi channel switching with shift+key on Arturia keyboards - every midi controller should have this.

[Dr.K]

Circuit Rhythm
It’s so easy and fun, no screen to distract me from just listening and enjoying sound.

Perkons
UI is one of the best i tried but i got bored with it after a while.

[thesimplemachine]

That’s another good one! Visual feedback to show you modulations in real time as they happen. The M8 also does this and I wish every device that shows parameters on a screen would. Using LEDs on the knobs themselves is a clever touch since that synth doesn’t have a screen.

[Snipecatcher]

Yep, M8 is so well designed. Pretty darn fun and really easy to get interesting results

[Mistercharlie]

+1 for koala. I also love the OP-Z’s step components, and the speed at which you can change pattern and track lengths.

[alexwasashrimp]

The OP-Z is choke full of great ideas. Screenless LED-based workflow with an optional screen, master track, tape track, and of course the step components. I’ve been waiting for years for it to inspire a new generation of grooveboxes taking these ideas to a new level.

Isomorphic keyboards (Launchpad, Linnstrument etc) are so good and intuitive that I wish they were the standard.

I’ve never used the Deluge, but I think the idea of drawing sample shapes on pads is brilliant.

[HoldMyBeer]

Model:Samples. The UI is so quick and immediate that your fingers are free to glide around like figure skaters, effortlessly spinning and twirling into that perfect triple lutz, sometimes freeing up an entire hand in order to hold a beer or a slice of pizza. It’s magic.

[Juniper_Steels]

@HoldMyBeer

fingers are free to glide around like figure skaters, effortlessly spinning and twirling into that perfect triple lutz

Please, share a video of one of your routines!

[birdydy]

Clavia Nord Lead 2X. Nothing fancy, but everything is so extremely effortless, robust, convenient. The edition, the access to the menus, the performance mode… When I first had this synth, I thought it was a bit limited, or not eccentric enough. But it’s such a breeze to use that it soon becomes your best friend in the studio, that never disappoint.

Already been said, but the handled user experience of the M8, once you get the hold of it (and doesn’t need more than 3 days), in fantastic.

[obscurerobot]

For me:

• Seconding the Hydrasynth. I’ve got the mid sized keyboard, but if I had to get rid of it I would replace it with an explorer rather than have no hydra.
• Syntrx. Love the digital patch matrix
• Lyra-8. Instant broken-HVAC machine
• TR-8s. Sure, the menu diving is deeper, slower and more awkward than the MD. But it just takes a few buttons to load a kit and away you go.

2024 may involve extended travel for work, far from home. I used to think that I’d just go fully ITB with Ableton, Roland Cloud, V Collection and a few other choice plugs. After jamming on the TR-8s and Hydra, I may pick up a Hydra Explorer and TR-6s for travel. Maybe a MC-101 too.

[wGe23]

As of recent, I tend to dig battery powered mini synths with tiny speakers and MIDI.

Sure, the sound quality is questionable on some, but I find it interesting switching these things on, triggering them via MIDI, and then having them play at their own specific location on my desk.

It’s pretty convenient. And it allows me to bypass having to switch on the ol’ stereo receiver + interface when wanting to compose / playback a quick beat.

The Roland Boutiques come to mind - as well as the OP-1 Field, as it allows me to play any synth through that excellent little speaker.