[Ardour-Users] a few thoughts

[Justin M. Streiner]

On Sun, 2 Dec 2012, Gordon JC Pearce wrote:

> Bullshit.  Plugins with "complex" GUI interfaces use just about the same 
> amount of CPU power as the ones with "simple" interfaces.
>
> I don't want to use audio software that looks like a spreadsheet. Computers 
> are unmusical enough, without making "creative" software look the same as 
> doing your tax returns.

Just one example:

I think the folks that develop for Midas' digital mixers (under the 
hood/bonnet, they're running Linux) would disagree with your eye-candy 
argument, but to each his or her own :)  Their interfaces tend to be 
'clean' because that's what their customers want.

If other developers/vendors find that their customers want nifty-looking 
plugins, so be it.

I would much rather use a plain-looking plugin that sounds good and does 
what I need it to do than a flashy-looking plugin with the same 
capabilities.  By 'plain-looking', I mean it has working meters, faders, 
read-outs and other things that show me what the plugin is doing.

That having been said, I think there is a place for plugins that look like 
a piece of physical gear.  It if helps someone who came up in the analog 
world be more comfortable working digitally, or makes their workflow more 
efficient, I don't see that as anything but a plus.

jms