Bernard Multi Sequencer LED size and brightness

[nkf]

Great sequencer module, but it is hard to see the active step LEDs - the brightness is not enough. The same goes for the step number displays. This all could be made better visible! I also would prefer the step LEDs to be larger, at least like the output LEDs.
Developers should have in mind, that producers are not all laptop users who have screens in front of their nose. I have five screens around me in the studio, I look at them from a distance and move between them.

[SolBlood]

Absolutely feel the struggle with visibility on sequencer modules, especially when trying to identify the active steps or read the step numbers from a distance. It's essential for hardware to be accessible and easy to use in a studio environment, where we're often juggling multiple tasks and screens.

[UrbanCyborg]

Some of us actually have the opposite problem. For instance, I develop on a 43" monitor. I always have to remind myself that things might not be as legible to others as they appear to me. That's why knobs on my modules are the sizes they are, and text is the size, font, and weight it is. I've just recently begun increasing the size of my LEDs (compare Poly Switch against my most recent release, Quadrature VLFO.

Reid

[ColinP]

There are many interesting and important questions to ask when designing user interfaces.

People work in different environments on different kit. How much natural light is there? Do people work in both natural and artificial light? How big is the screen and how far away is it? What's the user's eyesight like? Not just in terms of resolution but color perception.

Is there enough contrast? Is there too much contrast making it painful to look at?

How precise are user motor skills? Do I need to click in exactly the right place? What about accidentally hitting the wrong thing?

Do I want modules to be very compact so that I can fit as many as possible in a given space? Or is this less of a concern than being able to read labels?

Do I want everything to look uniform or should different modules appear quite distinct so that it's easier to navigate?

Does that label refer to the control above or below it? I strongly believe labels should always be beneath controls and sockets unless there is a good reason otherwise. Yes, Moog did it the other way but at least they always ensured that there was sufficient blank space to disambiguate, but the tighter things become vertically the more I tear my hair out turning the wrong knob or plugging into the wrong jack socket.

Aside from orientation how ambiguous is a label? Is English my first language? What does that abbreviation mean?

Is something obvious missing? Why is something I never use taking up so much space? What's the difference between these things?

I don't think there are simple answers to these questions but some of us perhaps need to think more about ease of use issues than we do.

When all the ergonomic issues are sorted then comes art. Is this beautiful?

[Steve W]

Absolutely feel the struggle with visibility on sequencer modules, especially when trying to identify the active steps or read the step numbers from a distance. It's essential for hardware to be accessible and easy to use in a studio environment, where we're often juggling multiple tasks and screens.

My suggestion with all modules is to schedule enough time during the demo period (which varies from developer to developer) to put the module through its paces to see if it meets your needs. With bundles, I suggest getting the module demos one at a time if the modules are sold separately, even if you have your eyes set on getting the bundle.

In my experience sometimes modules look/sound good based on the description of the features and how they operate. However, only once you start using them will you get a proper feel for them. You can take your chances and buy modules from the get go and hope that if something doesn't meet your needs you can contact the developer and time permitting the developer can try to tweak them to meet your needs.

If a bundle has a number of modules that are not available individually, I strongly recommend demoing them starting with the module or modules most important to you.

[LunarNomad]

In my own setup, I've struggled with similar issues where gear wasn't as user-friendly from a distance as I would have liked. Making step LEDs bigger and brighter would indeed help those of us who aren't glued to a screen up close and need to glance over from a bit of a distance to keep track of everything. It’s a design aspect that developers could definitely improve upon for better studio ergonomics.

For anyone trying to optimize their studio space or looking for lighting solutions that enhance visibility without crowding your workspace, exploring advanced LED technology could offer some interesting insights. A resource like https://leds.to/ can be quite helpful, providing information on the latest in LED advancements that could be applicable not just in everyday scenarios but also in specialized environments like music studios.

[tgrey]

Cardinal (and maybe VCV too, I didn't really use it?) has an option to "dim the lights" in the room... making all of the modules go dark, but all of the "LEDS" and "Screens" etc stay full bright.

I had never realized why this could be useful, but this thread suddenly makes me want to see a similar feature in VM!