FabFilter User Forum
Interface design
I'm fairly new to using fabfilter.I have Simplon, Volcano and Timeless. I have to say these are the nicest sounding filters I've ever heard. I've used filterfreak , filterbank, ssl and moog but I think nothing even comes close to how much nicer audio becomes after going through these filters. Having said that I'm still struggling to come to terms with the look and layout. The filter graph is nice but the other controls are hard to read and hard to even look at. If you must have the funky hippy look then at least go 3d so it looks more solid. You can't enter precise numbers (unless I don't know how) and the knobs sometimes don't go fine enough. I think you should update the look of these things. Everyone I've showed fabfilters to always say *wow amazing filters, shame about the look*
I like the look of them.
Hi Evan!
Yes, we do give our interfaces a funky look :-) But I agree that especially Volcano's interface can be improved quite a lot... and we are going to do that in the near future! (entering precise values is also on our todo-list).
By the way: finetuning can be done in different ways with our knobs; check out the manual:
www.fabfilter.com/help/volcano/using/knobs.html
Cheers!
Just to express the opposite point of view. I find Fabfilter's user interface very clear. I have poor eyesight so the clarity of the interface is very important to me. I don't think that 3d is nessecary, my other favourite is Ableton live and that isn't 3d.
But I agree about being able to enter numbers, that would be a useful addition.
Hi Evan,
Thanks for your feedback! We think the 3D look is very 1995 :-) but in the end it probably is a matter of personal preference. Do you have any specific things that you would like to be different in the interface? What kind of plugin interfaces do you like?
Personally I think Timeless is the best interface we've done so far; Volcano is perhaps a bit over the top...
I think the interfaces are great! They are clear, fast and easy to use. Thy don't look like harware. So? Thay aren't hardware. Good usability beats hardware look any day. Besides, they are very nice-looking and distinctive in their own anyway.
I like the design very much. it is really easy to use and to setup even crazy "curcuits" (timeless). but, as someone already mentioned before, it would be very helpful to be able to type the correct values (delaytime) into a text field.
I love the design of One. It's the best GUI in the industry imo. I think you lost some of the beauty by going from monochromatic designs (One and Volcano) to multiple colors in Twin and Timeless. Even shiny knobs in Volcano vs. the plain looking in One (oh the beauty) are a step backwards imo. Still, fabfilter guis are nicer than any other. Pro-C has somehow regained the beauty, probably because of the color combination black-skin(orange) and the texture of the large knobs. Very nice looking.
Add me to the list of people who love the GUIs of FabFilter plugins. I was just saying on another forum how much I liked them, especially since they didn't fall into that trap of emulating hardware. I mean, why limit yourself to the design limitations imposed by a metal, rack-mounted plate? Haven't we passed that transitional stage where software plugins have to justify their being by trying to be like their hardware predecessors?