Wave Shape Display?

funkfleaba$$ · Post by **funkfleaba$$** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 3:00 pm

I have only been messing around with my Voyager for a little over a week and I have noticed that in the dark it is hard to see where the knobs on the panel are set at. I do like the Tritium idea but it would take a lot of cash to make it happen.

I like the Panel Parameters display in numbers for everything but the wave shape. I'm sure it would take a lot of programming in the OS to make it happen, but a wave shape display would be much more useful than the numbers. It would be like an oscilloscope readout of the changes being made to the wave shape. Does anyone else think this would be helpful? It doesn't work in my brain that 0 is equal to a triangle wave, and 178 is equal to a square wave.

Thanks!

Igor · Post by **Igor** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 6:25 pm

funkfleaba$$ wrote:... a wave shape display would be much more useful than the numbers

I'm agree. It will be much more helpful. Not sure it is possible with so small display Voyager equpped. Better to use ... touch panel place for a 2nd wave shape display I guess. But it is only dreaming...

funkfleaba$$ · Post by **funkfleaba$$** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:50 pm

Even if it was just a simple depiction of the wave shape, just like the indicators around the wave shape knob, it would be much better than a number. However the variable wave shape means that it would have to morph from shape to shape to represent all the variations between the standard four shapes. It could be done without taking up much space on the screen. However, the programming involved may be complicated. We would have to ask Rudi.

Is it possible Rudi?

latigid on · Post by **latigid on** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 1:53 am

It should be possible, as the LCD is graphical, not alphanumeric.

There might not be too much space, but you could have a bar graph display e.g.:

Osc (X) Wave

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

/\/\_________|\|\_________|¯|_|_________|ֿ|ַ|

You could indicate the preset value with a symbol above the bar and fill in the space for the current value.

Edit: sorry about the underscores, it wouldn't position the waves without them

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 2:08 am

I have really thought of the tritium idea because of the waveshapes, although I think a simpler and more practical approach would be to just use your ears.

Now wouldn't it be confusing though for a visiual readout without a scope because as the wave changes from a triangle to a saw it expands and then gets compressed to a saw, then again to a square..something like that. THis is why is sounds so cool when it changes. It doesn't exactly go from triangle to saw it metamorphisizes. Am I accurate on this? I think its in the Voyager manual but I don't remember right off hand.

Ear training...
I mean you know that a triangle sounds like the volume is really cut out, you know that the saw sounds like it will saw your ears off. You know that the square is to the right of your ears ripped off and you can pulse width modulate until you figure out that 5:00 on the pot has got to be rectangular.

I mean we are asking for a feature for an instrument that would be totally useless to us if we were blind.

Just my ruble and a piso.

Eric

Oh I wouldn't sacrifice my touchpad for anything in the world, except maybe a brand new flawless touchpad.

funkfleaba$$ · Post by **funkfleaba$$** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:40 am

EricK, with enough modulation almost no ones ear would be able to tell what the wave shape is. Also, when you layer all 3 Oscillators over one another it is nice to know which one is set to what setting... in the dark.
If you have ever seen an oscilloscope readout of a changing wave shape it does look a little funky, and that change would need to be depicted on the LCD, morphing one shape to the next.

It would seem a useless feature to someone who is blind, but you would also have to make that statement to all the backlighting options and woods. People can enjoy an instrument without seeing it. I studied under a luthier who was blind. His favorite guitar was red. When I asked him why he said, "I just like the color red."

MarkM · Post by **MarkM** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 11:49 am

I'm with Erik on this. When making a patch, I'm interested in the sound and not the shape. I think it's pretty easy to equate the numerical readout to the wear abouts of the wave pot.

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:56 pm

Funk,
Just for the sake of playing the devils advocate, with enough modulation, does it really matter what waveshape it is any longer? Especially when you process it through 15 different effects.

Im sure that in a couple of updates, with a memory upgrade they could include a menu screen that showed the starting waveshapes, but I don't think without a scope can you have realtime monitoring of the changes made after the wave and freq adjustments.

Respectfully,
Eric

funkfleaba$$ · Post by **funkfleaba$$** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 1:26 pm

Good point. It would only have to monitor the wave itself before any modulation. When I was playing in a dark room the other night with the backlight turned up, it seemed like it would be useful.

I have only had my Voyager a little over a week. I'm sure after months of playing I won't even notice it. Thanks for the comments.

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 2:56 pm

I tell you what a good compromise would be.
Instead of showing a waveshape, what about just memorizing a decimal between 1 and 4 to show you numerically where the pot was. Rather than just between 1-255, how about 1 (Triangle), 1.25, 1.50 1.75, 2 (Saw) etc. This way it would give you an idea of where the pot was.

If you wanted to do pulse width modulation for example you would program the Mod Bus to effect 3 to 3.75 without necessarily changing the way its programmed.

Although for aesthetic purposes I think it would be awesome to constantly have a scope displaying the waveshape.

sunny pedaal · Post by **sunny pedaal** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 9:58 am

just new on the forum, and the voyager, :
i hardly look at the display at all, only when changing/saving presets and regaring the touchpanel. therefore put it to the most simple display-mode, not changing during the playing. visual input distracts me from listenening.

(having said that)
maybe a "too high, too low, oke" indication would be useful , like on a tuner, just to get to the right position of the knob like it was stored.

and touching a knob of the , lets say , lfo would select the lfo as modulationsource when in that specific page, instead of scrolling through a list.
but as said "hardly use the screen" .
don't 'oppose' though am with erick

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