The Quilcom Wavemaker 3: A tool for waveform geeks!

[Spogg]

The Quilcom Wavemaker is a tool for creating waveform files in WAV or txt format.
These can be auditioned in the Player section and any 2 waves can be manually or dynamically morphed.

One highlight is the ability to take a sound clip and extract the average harmonic series spectrum of any part of the clip, for better and easier emulation of instrument sounds. Sounds can also be recorded for processing, or waveforms drawn and smoothed as required. You can also edit, or create from scratch, your own harmonic series with fixed or random phase partials.

Here is an introduction and overview:
https://youtu.be/k0ucF25jtbA

The download includes the FSMs, a stand-alone executable and a VST plugin as well as a detailed user guide and lots of waveforms and clips to play around with.

Get it here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ech6mruhwugo3 ... 3.zip?dl=0

Have fun making waves!

Spogg

EDIT: This has been superceded by version 4 and the YouTube video deleted.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13373

[tulamide]

Spogg,

I'm mad at you! Yep, I am! Like, placing-a-police-helmet-on-your-head-and-call-you-bobby mad! That's how mad I am!

You don't even try anymore to provide users with a reasonable user interface. Instead you just throw in elements, wherever you see a small space. User guidance? Seems to be a curse word! Grouping? Only as much as needed to justify calling it a section! But no graphic elements that mark such sections, beware! And in no case any personal note, please. Just use pre-made graphical modules and don't alter them to fit your GUI in any way! And so it's a mix of glassy vs flat design all over the place. Why bother?

Be honest to yourself and don't try to excuse it with "I don't know how". Instead, think for a minute, how much time you spent to make all the audio related things work - and compare it to the few seconds you spent on throwing views here and there.

Don't dare to publish your next synth or tool, unless you've spent at least as much time on adapting the GUI, as you spent on the rest!

Of course, if it is all just about creating something, just for the fun of creating, keep your path. But if you actually want anyone to actually USE those products, you have to show more effort and willingness. So, if you want people like me to really use them (not just having a look at it, telling you it's great, but then never touching it again) in their productions - stick to the last but one paragraph!

User Interface Design Basics
WIKIBOOKS GUI Design Principles
MIT Lecture 2: The UI Design Process

VogerDesign
creators of GUIs for following synths (excerpt):
Diversion, Clique, Thorn, DrMS, Synthmaster iOS, KORG iELECTRIBE iOS, Tantra; Humana, Pangea and Klang for Propellerhead, etc.
have a shop for UI Kits with reasonable pricing: https://vogerdesign.com/collections/latest-ui-kits

Ideas and inspiration
For example, I found this video tutorial there: https://youtu.be/-h9VtIKdkVg

[Spogg]

I appreciate your comments tulamide and I will look into the links you provide.

I think everyone here has their strengths and weaknesses. I think of myself as an experimental hobbyist and my passion for making and processing sound is what drives me, rather than focussing on the visual and functional appeal of the end product. I try to do what I can actually do as well as I can, and I am all too aware of my limitations (as we have discussed elsewhere).

It can be the other way for some. I’ve recently been helping a guy who is simply great at GUI design but often struggles with the technical stuff inside.

If one can understand and do something with relative ease it’s often difficult to appreciate that others can’t.

Having said all that it’s no excuse for not putting time and effort into learning a new skill, but graphic design is more about an aesthetic talent I would say, and I have little.

Cheers

Spogg

[BobF]

Hello guys,

Thanks Spogg, a really very usefull tool indeed. Great work as always.

As far as the gui, I am with Spogg on this one. Now if it was for sale, yes spend all the time needed to make it look commercially great. I am also terrible at gui's, but as I see it the fsm is included so each indivdual can create his or her gui as they like.


Later then, BobF.....

[Walter Sommerfeld]

Hi Spogg,

i'm with BobF here...

The technical/sound part of your creations are astounding!
Your Tubes are a nice add to your projects - i like them...

To make a perfect GUI design is not an easy task for many of us - it's even a time consuming part...

I had help in my projects from other Users here or prev SM Forum:
was it a background, knob, logo or even a slider etc.

Cheers
Keep on doing!
Walter

[Spogg]

Hey thanks Walter!

I looked at all of tulamide’s links today and there’s some damn fine advice there.

One conclusion I had was that it would have been better to make this project “Task driven”, so you get to see just the sections you need for a particular task you have in mind. It’s a multi-tool after all, not a synth, and you never use all your tools at once. But from the outset I did want a single-view interface, which is why it looks cluttered. Also the various sections were developed separately over some time so there’s some inconsistency between them.

When it comes to the GUI appearance I always have that artistic panic because I don’t know where or how to start. The “blank sheet of paper” effect.

Cheers

Spogg

[tulamide]

I hope people understand, that my motivation comes from the frustration of seeing so many awesome creations from Spogg that will never be used (BobF, please remember that not everyone that visits Spogg's website is a Flowstone user. There are many musicians/producers among them. I know, because I pointed them to his site), because of the GUI.

Nobody expects the next Diversion or Viper GUI. But at least some effort should be noticable. I also can't follow the "but the audio is so great"-part. We are developing applications or plugins. Both require a GUI! It's called user interface for a reason! Also, when I ask for specific code, for example DSP code, I never get it. I get tips and hints and then it is expected that I somehow make the code by myself. Well, I have just the same issues with DSP/Assembler, as you have with GUIs. So why is ist any different, when I expect the same effort from your side, than the audio gurus expect from me?

A GUI is more than aesthetics. It is the critical part of your app, exactly as important as the audio part, because it guides your users.

A simple example: Ever wondered why you mostly find the important stuff on top or left or top-left? That's because we humans are used to reading, and we western humans are used to reading from top to bottom, left to right. In newspapers, the most attractive ad space (and the most expensive one) is always on a left page. Or just look at your browser. Where do you find the most important icons for a browser (back, forward, reload, home)? Correct, top-left (well, at least on my Firefox). And where do the tabs start? Top, from left to right.
So start your hierarchy from there (top, left or top-left)

The tasks of a user interface are not to look pretty. It helps, if it does. But its primary task is to give your user access to the app's functionality in the most human-readable, comprehensive way. If a user doesn't (hint!) need a manual to control your app intuitively, then you have created a good UI. Look at Viper. Adam has put a lot of thoughts into it. Not about how to make it pretty, but about how to make it easy for the user to get to results. The tabbed design with graphic elements on the tab themselves is a great mix of "let them see everything on one page" and "tidy up your app, by using tabs". The coloring of presets, so that you immediately identify which group of sound you are in - awesome! Non-changing parts on top - perfect.

I go into that much detail, because that is exactly what the audio pros always do with me. They tell me the theory and expect me to get to code from there on my own. I don't think I do anything wrong if I do the same. Especially since I only do it, because I love Spogg's creations and would so much like to use them in my productions. That's currently impossible, because the GUIs are impractible. And if I think so, musicians that don't use Flowstone will think so for sure!

In conclusion, I don't create such posts to annoy people. I'm not mean or cruel. I just want Spogg's creations to be usable in everyday production!

[Spogg]

... In conclusion, I don't create such posts to annoy people. I'm not mean or cruel. I just want Spogg's creations to be usable in everyday production!

Hey tula I never thought you were being cruel or mean and I always welcome any constructive criticism or advice. Plus, I feel very gratified (to the point of smugness) that you value my work so highly and so want it to be more widely accepted.

Taking this apart, it seems there are 2 issues I should look at. From what you say the ergonomics (functional layout and operations) are the most important, and that is something I have at least a chance of improving. The “prettiness” is something of a monumental struggle for me though. I think I’ve hit a ceiling on that one, but I think/hope I’ve made at least a little progress since my early “all orange” days. Maybe, as you once said, another 20 synths should do it

I’m now in the very early stages of my next project so I have the chance to think about this as I go along.

Thank you so much for your support, it’s really appreciated

Cheers

Spogg

[billv]

Spogg,
In future,
Try uploading your baby into the general column.
Tell us its ready for release but needs a sexy GUI....sound good?
You should get a few people putting their hand up to have a go!

I enjoyed the video, thanks. Will download the package later.
Cheers

[Spogg]

Spogg,
... Tell us its ready for release but needs a sexy GUI....sound good?
You should get a few people putting their hand up to have a go!

Thanks billv.

I'm happy for anyone, at any time, to make any of my projects look and "work" better.

In fact I would simply love to see what could be done and it could showcase the design talent that I'm certain we have here.

I could show a before and after on http://www.flowstoners.com with a plug for the GUI designer, so they could make their mark and maybe get some commissions...

So... come on and reveal your talents guys!

I like this idea!

Cheers

Spogg