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Eurorack Knob Idea

(mitxela.com)
310 points po | 2 comments | 25 Apr 25 13:19 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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smj-edison ◴[25 Apr 25 20:37 UTC] No.43798283[source]▶
Tangential idea, but I've wondered if it would be possible to make synthesizers a lot cheaper by only having a couple rotary encoders. You could have hundreds of parameters on the panel, but each parameter would just be a neopixel LED and button. You could link the rotary encoder with a parameter by pressing it and the parameters' button at the same time. Certainly not as nice as a dedicated knob for each, but you'd also get an interface that is ~$40 instead of ~$600...
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1. mdpye ◴[25 Apr 25 21:05 UTC] No.43798511[source]▶
There are loads of systems where every button and encoder has many functions, with modal or paged interfaces. But I'm trying to stick to a model of no hidden or ephemeral state with my modular, just for fun, I guess. Mostly analogue, so no non-volatile memory to store settings, the positions of the patches and knobs set everything, and the test is that if I power it down and back up it must come back doing what it was doing when the power went out (very long cycle lfos notwithstanding!)

When a laptop can simulate anything, the physicality of the interface is most of the attraction, so might as well go all the way...

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2. smj-edison ◴[25 Apr 25 22:09 UTC] No.43798978[source]▶
For sure! The interface is the most important part these days when practically everything can be emulated.

In my design, I wouldn't say the state is hidden though—that's the point of having an indicator light with every parameter. The LED becomes the state visualization. So, write-wise, yes, it's overloaded, but read-wise it's not.

I'm just now realizing I didn't explain that well in the OP, lol. And really this is more of a budget-friendly approach, rather than a user-friendly approach. I'm trying to meet those half way...