Great example! I’m curious, do you think having more nuanced control of display scaling would help in this case?
Based on the broad hardware landscape of PC, Mac and hybrid users, there is a range of monitors and corresponding pixel densities, which could be over-simplified to around 100-200 PPI.
I think Cubase would greatly benefit from a UI scale dropdown menu in Settings that helps users dial in their experience to be legible and adaptive to their setup and preferred working style.
I very much agree with the core statements in this thread!
There are now a great many comments on this topic in this thread.
Very good and less good and some even off-topic (#rocket science ??)
So many that it is becoming confusing!
And so many that it would be too much for any Steinberg employee to take an essence from them.
In other words, I think it would make sense for the opener of this thread to write out an essence.
Perhaps no more than 20 … 25 crucial points.
You have to keep in mind that Steinberg can never please everyone!
There will ALWAYS be other points of view!
This essence then in a new thread.
Then I could imagine that these comments could make a difference.
I am with you!
Done! Thanks to ChatGPT:
Yes I do think so, I think Cubase needs to have scalability settings for specific parts of the application either in the preferences or directly in their window layout settings. Toolbars, Inspector Views, MixConsole Channel Sections, these are a few examples. I feel like changing monitor resolutions or using Windows scaling just eats up too much space overall, hence why I think some scalability options on some specific areas throughout the Cubase application is a better idea in general. I’m currently working on some scalability concept examples within Cubase, I don’t know how long until it will be finished and presented here though.
Here’s a new GUI example that I think can be improved. I think that the “Edit Channel Settings” window should be resizable and as it is resized, the EQ/Channel Strip section and the Faders should scale up in size with it.
Interested to hear others opinions.
A concept that exists in a lot of productivity apps is “Density” so you might have options like:
Something to consider for Cubase, perhaps in conjunction with font size control?
Here’s a reference from the Material guidelines: Material Design
I would personally prefer a full 0%-100% scalability range in smaller increments of +/-1%, +/- 5% or +/- 10% if it’s possible to do so instead of the density presets. However with the ever increasingly monitor resolution sizes / pixel density and technologies etc. I believe that to move forward into the future that applications must start to implement scalability within their applications, Cubase is no exception.
Yes and you can actually consider density and UI scale as two different things. So a roomy layout with small text could appeal to some folks, and a large text layout with compact spacing between elements could appeal to others.
You guys have been busy and are doing some real good work there. Respect for that! Especially Wavefunktion.
I am also looking forward to getting back to doing mockups, when I get some time. I like that we are back on track with creative feedback (sounding like a rapper now).
…or “constructive feedback”?
There has been an official responce from GUI team when Cubase 13 came out, in a similar thread that was locked by moderators. They promised to improve things. Alas no tangible changes has been made with v14.
Why was it locked?
My guess it’s because it painted Steinberg in a bad light for prospect buyers who may visit this forum before making purchase - many users were unhappy and upset about this flat grey-on-black visual mess with tiny fonts etc. that Cubase has become.
Here’s another GUI example between the toolbar designs.
I have highlight in green the areas that I personally like better, and highlighted areas in red that I don’t like.
Notes:
This is my proposal for how to improve the current toolbar design:
Interested to hear your opinions.
Lol - it’s built up over many years and is a shining testament to how lazy and impatient I am (I want all my instruments on tap all the time)
I think your redesign is a significant improvement. Better use of precious screen space and more legible = faster workflow
Found that old thread I mentioned before:
It feels like someone is intentionally sabotaging the advancement of the GUI… between that and the horrible decision to change the whole menu structure a few ids back…
I’m just waiting for another DAW to catch-up so I can bounce… literally//
I see your point about readability, and I agree — it’s crucial. But design is a balance of many elements, including functionality, usability, and yes, personal taste. We all have different preferences when it comes to color, layout, and style, and that’s what makes the process so complex. At the end of the day, it’s impossible to satisfy everyone, but that’s the nature of design, right?
Assuming everyone reads from left to right…
I like a dot before the fader for Pre, and a dot after the fader for post. I have never figured out why they chose what they did.
Arrows? IMO that adds potential confusion.
The pre and post fader icons are the worst designs ever, I never remember what is what by looking at them, and eventually I memorized the function by the orange and blue colors.
