Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] Is ladspa actually la-dsp-a? Is JACK the ultimate solution?
From: Steve Harris (S.W.Harris_AT_ecs.soton.ac.uk)
Date: Wed Jun 09 2004 - 12:07:07 EEST
On Tue, Jun 08, 2004 at 08:03:10 +0100, Chris Cannam wrote:
> On Tuesday 08 Jun 2004 7:16 pm, Frank Barknecht wrote:
> > eviltwin69_AT_cableone.net hat gesagt: // eviltwin69_AT_cableone.net
> wrote:
> > > Aaaaaarrrrrggghhhh - knobs. One of my pet peeves.
> >
> > I actually wrote a knob GUI element for Pd, which normally only has
> > sliders. I see one good application for knobs: Visualizing things
> > that must not take up much screen space.
>
> They also have the advantage of a more obvious centre position than a
> slider, I believe they can be significantly quicker to read, although
> not to edit, and they can be placed in meaningful groups more easily.
> I think they're a much better GUI element than people give them
> credit for.
Agreed, or can be. The exat implementation can make a great deal of
difference to the usability. One of the nice features is that you can set
controls more accuratly that sliders without using vast ammounts of screen
realestate.
> The problem is knowing when to use them. Rosegarden uses knobs for
> all LADSPA port controls, and the results are not very satisfactory.
> Jack-rack uses sliders for all LADSPA port controls, and IMHO the
> results there are not satisfactory either, although they are
> generally better. The ideal would be a mixture but I don't think the
> host can reliably tell which should be which. I imagine the real
> value of a custom GUI is in contextual and organisational details
> like that. (Although I do think flashy graphics can be nice too.)
My guess is that, often, knobs are better for LOG scaled things and
sliders btter for linear. Just a rule of thumb though.
- Steve
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