Stratacorder - fonts to tiny

[nkf]

Stratacorder is a great module, but the fonts are so tiny! The module would benefit from a doubled size - all would be more easy on the eyes. Maybe it can be a module GUI option?

[playertron]

Sorry, tiny fonts help fit more features on smaller modules and more modules onto smaller screens, but sometimes wind up being merely fuzzy clues on some screens. Here's a closeup:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nwkgNG ... ZR/preview

Making seeing-impaired versions has been on the to-do list (it'll take a while though), and it might not be exactly what you're asking for, but maybe it'll help. The plan is to make them free if you've purchased the smaller version already.

[nkf]

Thank you for the answer and the nice close up. I think developers may underestimate where their modules are used. On my main workplace I use six computer monitors and constantly look on them from different angles and distances. Tiny fonts are not only a nuisance for visual impaired people but also for fast and focussed workflows. I assume many developers construct their modules on laptop screens, but in a 'real' studio you're not glued to one tiny screen. It is not always about some laptop fiddling scene. I used Voltage Modules for design of some special noises for an awarded interactive, immersive VR art project.
It is all about usability, music and sound design - not how many modules you can cramp into a small screen.
Please rethink your stance with this for the sake of ergonomics.

[playertron]

Well you’ll be happy to know that there’s already a Stratacorder variation (awaiting approval for the store) that’s in a larger format with a little extra functionality and it’ll be free for anyone who already ones the other version. Hopefully, it’ll create some flexibility for various use cases, and there are so many (especially b/c the idea of modularity is flexibility) that designing for all of them isn’t always so practical - ideally, one engineer or another can help you find your perfect device.

A lot of Playertron devices were created for various particular projects and were used in-house before sharing them in the store was even a thought. Some are created for specific requests, with individual users in mind. For myself, I take a cue from wind instruments, who are not well-labeled nor bountifully spaced and who take a good while to figure out, but they support performance, exploration, and expression ever so impressively nevertheless. Another inspiration comes from experience hacking hardware devices, where it makes sense that devices were built having made various design decisions, and yet even though you might not ask for an additional panel knob, adjusting a trim pot with a screwdriver can be useful - some of the small knobs and buttons on my modules take that perspective, where you’re mostly supposed to find them ignorable and out of the way until you’re in a situation that needs a solution.

Anyway, if there’s ever a Playertron device that seems like what you’re looking for and yet isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, send along some info about your needs and a new module might be possible.

[nkf]

What a great reply, thank you very much!
And looking forward here for the Stratacorder variant!

[nkf]

Ahh, forgot to mention ... "Playertron" is indeed in very big, placative letters - very good visible from all distances and all screen sizes.
Talk a bout priorities ... haha

[playertron]

True, and similarly the seven segment displays could be scaled down and so on. Just b/c I enjoy sharing insight into the design process and its decisions - the placement of the controls prioritized spacial coordination, where the jack that outputs a metronome click is right on top of the beat display and the “steps” knob is right below the total length display which is also adjacent to a jack that outputs a trigger at the end of every loop. The idea is that you can be thinking about one thing like “it’d be great if I could get a trigger with every beat” and look in that area that shows the beat to find just what you need (this is also why it can be hard to figure out what a jack is when you don’t need it, and yet when you need that jack you’ll easily guess what it is). So, such jacks could have more space (on the left for instance) and maybe larger text, but they might also be harder to find and understand in a different way. And, it leads to hubs of busy functionality that leaves dead spaces, and at the end of laying everything out (and redoing it and redoing it...), I make use of the logo to fill such spaces (sometimes, when there isn’t any space, you’ll see just a “P” instead). Overall, I like to organize the controls according to usage after lots of testing, thinking a lot about how someone named Munari said something like “design should be as natural as a tree puts forth a leaf where every aspect of its form is a logical consequence of its function” - I'm sure you can find a more exact quote somewhere…

But also, sure, I do enjoy seeing that bold "Playertron"

[nkf]

haha, thank you - very entertaining ...

[playertron]

Well it took a little longer to get into the store than predicted (due to unspecified irony)...

Here is a larger version of the Stratacorder (labeled "X" for "extra") and if you buy either version, you'll get its partner for free:
https://store.cherryaudio.com/modules/s ... g-device-x

This version has a couple extra little features for some extra tempo flexibility and hopefully, having the two form factors will give you some workflow flexibility.