Dear audio software (including, but not limited to, mixers,
synthesizers/samplers, and effects):
Who told you you were supposed to look like audio HARDWARE? Please,
stop. It's really bad interface design.
Not to diminish this obviously hateful situation, but what is the
alternative? Make them learn an entirely new interface metaphor
that's useless outside of the software? Should someone that knows how
to operate these devices not be able to sit in front of software that
does the same thing and be able to use it? Clearly a DJ or somesuch
shouldn't have to learn to program the operating system's audio APIs,
and you don't like the idea of it looking too similar to the hardware
they are used to, so where in between do we place their learning
curve? In the audio hardware, we have an established metaphor and
list of things to do in order to accomplish a given task. Why should
that list be different for the hardware or the software?
Or is it just that their hardware is hateful from the start?
Love,
An aspiring musician who's tired of his music programs being full
of fucking knobs and cables and LEDs
