Prophet Style Knobs on Mono Evolver. Worth it?

[monolith]

In my email inbox this morning was a reply from DSI.... it said:

The MEK PE is here! The hardware has been completed (no pricing info yet) and it should be available within a week
Many Thanks,


Tracy
Dave Smith Instruments

[Stab Frenzy]

Who's idea was it to put f**k encoders on a synthesizer anyway? I haaaaaaate them!

A very clever person. I can't stand pots on synths with patch memory, you never have the pots in the right place when you pull up a patch, then when you Ho to tweak it you either jump to the wrong value, nothing happens until you get to the original value, then you tweak it too far or you end up hitting the limit of the pots reach before you get the value you want. Pots on synths suck.

[RD9]

Who's idea was it to put f**k encoders on a synthesizer anyway? I haaaaaaate them!

A very clever person. I can't stand pots on synths with patch memory, you never have the pots in the right place when you pull up a patch, then when you Ho to tweak it you either jump to the wrong value, nothing happens until you get to the original value, then you tweak it too far or you end up hitting the limit of the pots reach before you get the value you want. Pots on synths suck.

Haha. I remember the first time I used a Polysix. I felt like getting a giant DOH tattood on my chest. That was my first experience with an older synth with memory and catch/latch knob behavior + poor visual feedback. I sure learned the hard way.

There's pros and cons to everything though. In the case of the MEK, there was just as much good reason to use encoders, but it just turns out that a bunch of us prefer pots. The master knob (encoder) on the Radias for example is really great and you can't argue that it does a good job.

I think the only real big con to the MEK's implementation of encoders is that you have to *read* the little display every time you adjust a knob instead of just quickly "glancing" the value via the knob position. At least that's my take on it. Reading a numeric value is not as efficient as just being able to sense a fractional or visual/graphic representation of it imho, only because you have to mentally process what the numbers mean instead of just being able to sense it's approximate, relative value. Like, you can't discern numeric range just by looking at the current value. If you just see "32", you have to try to remember if it was 32 out of 127 or 32 out of 64, et al. Suck.

Apart from the jumpy issue of the faulty encoders, it wasn't necessarily a "terrible decision" per se to use encoders. There was still some good thinking behind it. We just don't prefer it.

[sequentialsoftshock]

Who's idea was it to put f**k encoders on a synthesizer anyway? I haaaaaaate them!

A very clever person. I can't stand pots on synths with patch memory, you never have the pots in the right place when you pull up a patch, then when you Ho to tweak it you either jump to the wrong value, nothing happens until you get to the original value, then you tweak it too far or you end up hitting the limit of the pots reach before you get the value you want. Pots on synths suck.

Psh, here's a good idea, do away with screens and patch memory

No seriously, I don't know why you'd look at your screen for a value..? Use your ears, dude!

[Stab Frenzy]

Who's idea was it to put f**k encoders on a synthesizer anyway? I haaaaaaate them!

A very clever person. I can't stand pots on synths with patch memory, you never have the pots in the right place when you pull up a patch, then when you Ho to tweak it you either jump to the wrong value, nothing happens until you get to the original value, then you tweak it too far or you end up hitting the limit of the pots reach before you get the value you want. Pots on synths suck.

Psh, here's a good idea, do away with screens and patch memory

No seriously, I don't know why you'd look at your screen for a value..? Use your ears, dude!

I'm happy with the pots on my modular, they always point to the value they represent.

I'm not sure if that comment about looking at the screen is directed at me, if so I don't understand it. With encoders you just turn the knob to increase or decrease the value, using your ears to know when to stop. With pots you turn it, nothing happens, you look at the screen for confirmation of what value it should be at, look at the knob, try to line them both up and then do the adjustment. Encoders work a lot better for me.

My favourite system is the one on my Nord G2 though, encoders with an LED readout telling you where the value is at a glance.

Anyway, I know there are some people who prefer pots on synths with memory, good luck to them I say.



Even though they're wrong.

[sequentialsoftshock]

No, my comment about looking wasn't directed toward you, Stab. In fact, your comment earlier kind of gave a positive light to it, and I may just keep the encoders and add the knob kit. It does make sense that you would do it, I'm just worried about them being jumpy. The P'08 program encoders basically go from 1-1 when turned. I just don't get how to change it!

[RD9]

My screen comment wasn't directed at anyone either. But I personally need explicit feedback for knob values -- whether it be pots or encoders. Listening works most of the time, but not always. Sometimes it needs to be clear such as when you don't hear a sound and you have to choose between turning filter cut-off vs. envelope amount vs. osc level. If you use encoders and just go by ear, it's rather inefficient as you usually have to turn multiple knobs to confirm what's going on.

Actually, if we talk futuristic blue-sky stuff, what would be ideal is a real-time *graphic* representation of all of a patch's settings in a multi-dimensional, simultaneous view. You would ideally be able to glance very quickly at the complete profile and know exactly what to tweak without turning a single knob. In such a case, pots would even be redundant and encoders would be just fine.

[sequentialsoftshock]

I actually thought about your comment more and it makes more sense now. With an old synthesizer with pots (Pro~One for example), there's always a set place and it's that value, like patch sheets. But now, I can't really transfer those because turning the knob to that position wouldn't be the same.

[sequentialsoftshock]

I just got my knobs and they do fit snugly. They accidentally sent the kit with the indicators for PE owners, but I'm about to be going on the road so I am just making do with these. Anyone tried removing the silver yet? I think I may try that to be less "shiny".

[RD9]

Yeah I'd be interested in removing that shine too if possible.

[sequentialsoftshock]

The Pro~One knobs are very similar; they are the same knobs that were on the Pophet 5, but did not have the silver trim. I asked Tracy at DSI, and according to him, the Prophet style knobs here are the same basic design. The trim is glued on, so I may try prying the top off with an Xacto knife. Here's how it would look-


Knobby Goodness by honeyhoneybear, on Flickr

[meatballfulton]

You asked about the editor...

I have a desktop Evo and bought the editor to back up my patches and for the librarian function. I don't actually edit patches with it.

[sequentialsoftshock]

You asked about the editor...

I have a desktop Evo and bought the editor to back up my patches and for the librarian function. I don't actually edit patches with it.

I think I've decided I'm just going to use sysex librarian to back everything up. It's already leaps and bounds ahead of my other synthesizers backup procedures.

[moremagic]

They really do need to get it going. I'd love to have pots on mine. Who's idea was it to put f**k encoders on a synthesizer anyway? I haaaaaaate them!

Dave Smith's idea, he hated how the knobs on the P5 were misleading when you changed patches

[sequentialsoftshock]

They really do need to get it going. I'd love to have pots on mine. Who's idea was it to put f**k encoders on a synthesizer anyway? I haaaaaaate them!

Dave Smith's idea, he hated how the knobs on the P5 were misleading when you changed patches

As I stated earlier, my view on this has changed. I need to say I'm with Stab on this one. Before this I wasn't really used to patch storage so had never realized that what you see isn't what you get, which is why I like potentiometers in the first place. They're extremely useful on a modular or synthesizer sans storage, but otherwise not very competent.