Wiardgroup

My two cents:

The LEDs on the oscillator are indeed useful, especially if you're 
using it at low freqs to drive other functions. I'll grant you (no pun 
intended, ha) that at high frequencies those LEDs fire too fast to 
read. As for the usefulness of LEDs in general, well not everyone is 
into the idea of system status visibility, but I for one wouldn't want 
it any other way. The LEDs on the other modules are also useful, making 
it easy to see at a glance things like envelope status, sequencer step, 
waveform selection/waveform bank, levels, and so on. When you're 
dealing with a complex instrument (and especially with a complex 
patch), it really does help to -see- what some of the modules are 
doing. This is basic human factors stuff.

I'm personally ambivalent about the celtic graphics. Some people like 
'em, some hate 'em, but in the end who cares? As long as they don't get 
in your way (and they don't, at least not to me), what difference does 
it make? This is simply a matter of personal preference. The EMS Synthi 
looks pretty odd to me, but like most people I choose synths based on 
how they sound and what they can do. Well, okay I like blinky lights 
too but dammit that's not the point.

It's indisputable that compared to most modulars, there are a lot of 
labels on the panels of a Wiard, but when you have this kind of 
functional density it's inevitable, unless you want to replace the 
labels with symbols - not exactly a great idea (labels + symbols works 
nicely, though). I don't find having this many labels to be a problem, 
it's just a reality of having this many patch points.  To me the 
placement of the labels seems pretty normal.

I don't really get the bit about jack placement. They look fine to me.


Mike

On Monday, November 18, 2002, at 08:51 PM, Spacemodular wrote:

> Howdy All,
>
> Not trying to start a flame war here, but I found John
> M.'s remarks from a very recent Analogue Heaven post
> regarding the Wiard intriguing - so I thought I would
> send them to the Wiard list to see if Grant (or anyone
> with a 300 series)could shed some light on these 2
> items listed in the post below:
>
> Jack placement (centering)
>
> Functionality of the LEDs on the top of the panel
>
> Personally, I like the graphics and they never seemed
> sloppy to me in relation to the jack field.  But on
> the other hand, I never really scrutinized it too
> much.
>
> I know that the LEDs have functionality despite the
> extra added "Gee Whiz" factor (which I especially
> like), but I didn't feel I could answer John's post in
> an accurate knowledgable way, since I don't own a
> system (I just have a pair of the 1209
> Joystick/Triggers and am looking forward to getting a
> 1210 <model #?> Noise Ring when they become available)
> and can't explain the functionality of the LEDs.
>
> Wired, Wierd, Whatever...
>
> Best,
>
> Nick
> Chicago
>
> Below:  Post I am referring to above.
>
> --- Konkuro@aol.com wrote:
>> Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 21:24:12 -0500
>> From: Konkuro@aol.com
>> To: analogue@hyperreal.org
>> Subject: [AH] Re: Synth Graphics, speaking of which
>>
>> Peter wrote:
>>
>>> But one comment - IMHO, anyone who has a problem
>> with the look of Wiard has
>> probbably never seen one in person.  Trust me, they
>> are quite compelling.
>> Very interesting looking.  Photography is tricky
>> because the celtic
>> etchings, being silver, will catch a lot of light
>> and tend to show more
>> contrast in a photo than when you see them with your
>> eye.  Much subtler in
>> the flesh.<
>>
>> The Riverdance graphics are a matter of taste, I
>> guess. The modules do indeed seem to be very well
>> built, but the panel layout strikes me as sloppy.
>> Jacks aren't centered and overrun the Celtic
>> graphics on the left. Callouts seem busy and ill
>> placed.  And the line of tri-colored LEDs at the top
>> seems more for show than functionality.
>>
>> johnm
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site
> http://webhosting.yahoo.com
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> wiardgroup-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to 
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>