[sdiy] Pot panel scales

[Dave Kendall]

Ditto. They suck.

cheers,
Dave

On Sep 23, 2010, at 19:52, Harry Bissell wrote:

> one thing I really don't like is those curved, wedge shaped graphics 
> that
> indicate 'this way is more'. They make the symmetry off and look ugly 
> imho...
>
> They'd be tough to do with front panel engraving anyway, thank God...
>
> H^) harry
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Dave Kendall <davekendall at ntlworld.com>
> To: sdiy DIY <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
> Sent: Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:45:54 -0400 (EDT)
> Subject: Re: [sdiy] Pot panel scales
>
> IMO, arbitrary numbers are not that useful, compared to tick marks that
> follow the hour divisions of a clock. "Set this knob at, say, half past
> nine... etc..." Everyone can visualise that, and as long as the knob
> has some sort of position marking, can have some success in
> reproducing/memorising the settings on a device that has few or no
> scale markings around the pot.
>
> There are some functions that benefit from specific markings (VCO
> octaves/semitones, and EQ freq or gain on a mastering EQ etc..) but for
> those many jobs that don't, I reckon the clock face is a good solution
> for a simple universal position indicator.
>
> cheers,
> Dave
>
>
> On Sep 23, 2010, at 16:10, Neil Johnson wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Yes, quiet indeed.  Ok, so here's a point to discuss:
>>
>> On a modular synth, many pots have an arbitrary 0 to 10 or -10 to +10
>> scale.  I'm not counting specific scales, such as on a pitch pot that
>> might indicate semitones, for example.
>>
>> The question being: how important are the numbers?  How often do
>> really need to know, for example, that CV1 is set to 5.4?  Is it
>> really that useful for recording patch data, or do you take a photo or
>> simply use your memory and ears to recreate a patch?
>>
>> Looking at the plethora of modules on the market, practically every
>> pot has a numbered scale.  But how many people actually use the
>> numbers on the these pot scales?  Is it simply tradition that dictates
>> that pots MUST have numbered scales?  Do you cling to the numbers for
>> comfort or security?  Or is it all simply a waste of ink?
>>
>> Me: I don't care much for arbitrary scales.  I think by now I can work
>> out how a knob's position relates to its scale position.  I just need
>> to know where the physical endpoints are, and whether its unipolar (0
>> to 10) or bipolar (-ve to 0 to +ve).  But I'd be interested to hear
>> from the wider community :)
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Neil
>> -- 
>> http://www.njohnson.co.uk
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>
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> -- 
> Harry Bissell & Nora Abdullah 4eva
>