I have attached before and after images of the new Cubase 7 mixing console.
The mock-up includes my thoughts on improving it;
removing all the redundant graphical elements (borders etc)
removing redundant separation lines
removing redundant text (“Insert” and “Strip”)
Using black space to separate elements (buttons, from faders etc)
Using black stripes to separate channels
In short, I’ve used a lot of black.
I would also like to remove the brushed metal look … and simplify the VST icons
… get rid of the shading and 3D effect … but my time was short (and I was at work)
There is still a lot of improvements that could be made … but its a start.
+1
looks much better with this separation… need to work on the insert rack more for better separation. good work ! i wish steiny comes with somthing similar for separation. now even the common gray looks better cuz its not just 1 block of gray,
Sorry, but I will get round to loading the trial version on release, and check for myself - in the meantime, what pray tell are your thoughts about the abysmal black lettering on the lower controls in the strip, against that very dark, gradient fill background. I mean, that is just horrendous…!?!
I clicked on the images to ‘zoom’ in on them and can absolutely say, for me, it is utterly ridiculous to try and read those labels. I simply can’t…! What can the thinking behind these design choices be, I ask…!? Its appalling.
Are you guys ok with that…? The whole gradient fill thing is, well, a very rubbish choice to my mind.
Maybe I’ll just skip the trial; maybe I’m finished at 6.5
Its very strange that the project window looks so different to the mixer window. They have totally different design aesthetics … almost like they are from different vendors.
I’m no graphic designer. The only thing I did was to use Microsoft Paint, and the “paint bucket” tool to fill in all the non essential shades of grey. I also drew black boxes over all the surplus borders, and then drew some black lines between the channels.
In terms of the brushed steel and the buttons and tabs that fade from light to dark, Steinberg have given themselves a real design problem, because no single color font for the labels will work well on both a light and dark backround. They have ended up with label colors that are compromises.
I think they need to remove all the shading and return to mono-tones and maximize the contrast between background and font.
They need to reduce the amount of “ink” they are using to the absolute minimum to make things clearer.