Ugliest module, best looking one !

[D.Tilbury]

In his demo rack, Jason has a lot of blank panels that seem to serve as manuals

Thats a really cool idea for any module that has an encyclopedia of features under the hood.

In fact, if aomeone made a manual module...literally to upload manuals onto....it might stick. I know you can just open your phone or pc....but....its the niftiness.

Let me get onto my pire and hand you all the gasoline....
I have always been turned off by moog-esque black plain panels. I get a kick out of so many comments about how sexy these panels are that are literally geometeically arranged crossword puzzles....plain....thx113...whatevers. I duuno...I need some f**kin pizzazz. Aestgetics somehow drive my mind into a creative state. I like going to museums for inspiration...or looking at art in books or online for a springboard thought.
Modules do something to create a spark....when I have a plain splain faceplate in front if me....I get extenguished somehow. It makes me want to go sit in an Eraserhead world and draw stick figures. Maybe I like to do that too....live in an Eraserhead world drawing stick figures and tick tack toe boards all day.

Overabundances of wild white lines on black backgrounds design makes me start making things.....like this:

600x539_42047.jpg (94.91 KiB) Viewed 1485 times

[clwilla]

I'm surprised a lot of you find instruo ugly. I think they are beautiful. They do look a bit cramped, although not more so than 90% of manufacturers.

In his demo rack, Jason has a lot of blank panels that seem to serve as manuals, which makes the interface spacious and attractive. As a result, I think an all Instruo system + blank panels is one of the sexiest systems around...

It's all a matter of taste!
Hadn't seen the blanks as quick references/diagrams approach before, smart and looks ace too.

Those aren’t manuals, but schematics for some of their modules. And not even full schematics.

[Voltcontrol]

I'm surprised a lot of you find instruo ugly. I think they are beautiful. They do look a bit cramped, although not more so than 90% of manufacturers.

In his demo rack, Jason has a lot of blank panels that seem to serve as manuals, which makes the interface spacious and attractive. As a result, I think an all Instruo system + blank panels is one of the sexiest systems around...

It's all a matter of taste!
Hadn't seen the blanks as quick references/diagrams approach before, smart and looks ace too.

Those aren’t manuals, but schematics for some of their modules. And not even full schematics.

[pieter]

Regardless, that rig is sexy AF

[_cyberAnalog_]

Took my Joranalogue modules and replaced their original knobs with Thonk's "Bastl-style aluminium silver".

Now (from my very personal view) these modules went:
from ugly-ish (ugh, don't want to touch those knobs)
to pretty-ish (wow, those shiny knobs want to be touched, let's do it!)

[ee_]

Took my Joranalogue modules and replaced their original knobs with Thonk's "Bastl-style aluminium silver".

Now (from my very personal view) these modules went:
from ugly-ish (ugh, don't want to touch those knobs)
to pretty-ish (wow, those shiny knobs want to be touched, let's do it!)



2023-02-15 compare-2 (1) original knobs.jpg2023-02-15 compare-2 (2) bastl-style aluminium silver.jpg

I love Joranalogue's stock knobs, but aesthetically those Bastl-style's really do pair nicely.

[BlackBearDiner]

What VCO is next to the Compare2?

[Jarls]

What VCO is next to the Compare2?

Pretty sure that is a Nano Modules Ona, VCO.

[dvdmllr]

Took my Joranalogue modules and replaced their original knobs with Thonk's "Bastl-style aluminium silver".

Now (from my very personal view) these modules went:
from ugly-ish (ugh, don't want to touch those knobs)
to pretty-ish (wow, those shiny knobs want to be touched, let's do it!)



2023-02-15 compare-2 (1) original knobs.jpg2023-02-15 compare-2 (2) bastl-style aluminium silver.jpg

Wow - this looks super nice.

[bubblefunk]

UGLY:



I just don't like ANYTHING about maths starting with its inscrutability and makenoise does some of the worst amateurish graphics to this artist's eye.

erica's pointlessly busy graphics rub me the wrong way too



now BEAUTIFUL, to me is:



1950s space age retro coolness &



functionally similar to maths, but soooo much more visual and easy to wrap my head around and despite my hate of the color red, befaco is really tasteful with it. gotta love the sliders too. sliders are better than knobs any day in my world. ARP got it right there

i like the plain black version of bitbox too



very high tech and that big display is beautiful. there should be more big touchscreens in modular

[Visceraeyes88]

I'm a huge fan of Schlappi engineering modules. I think they look super classy in black... Don't even get me started on how good the build quality is as well.

Xaoc is pretty mesmerizing as well.

[BlackieDawless]

My vote for some sexy modules are the Cubusynth stuff; the 4 VCLFO is probably my favorite through-panel lighting, or at least tied with the Jolin Labs Tabor shattered glass panel!

[jsleeio]

Ultra super duper yay amazeballs:
* Doepfer (not the black versions, and must have original knobs)
* old Pittsburgh with the shiny panels
* old Nonlinearcircuits (the speckled-aluminium panels)

Yay:
* Blue Lantern
* Make Noise (black panels only)
* Xaoc, though I have never owned any
* newer Nonlinearcircuits (PCB panels)
* Ladik
* SSSR Labs
* the WMD+SSF collaboration
* Intellijel
* Music Thing

GTFO:
* Instruo
* Schlappi
* all modules with cryptic/mostly-unlabeled panels, like the Bitbox someone posted above. Ain't got time for that trash
* anything with overly-bright LEDs
* Buchla. I hate their fonts. No.

[ghostclub]

Rating Blue Lantern over Buchla on aesthetics is certainly an interesting choice...

[etckla]

* Schlappi

Just checking - have you seen a Schlappi module in person? Some of the nicest made and looking modules I've come across

[jsleeio]

Rating Blue Lantern over Buchla on aesthetics is certainly an interesting choice...

I think people who don't like Doepfer panels are making "interesting" choices too but that's their vibe to enjoy and it's completely ok and valid.

Buchla's vibe is unmistakeably their own, and it's great that they have reasonably consistent design language (see: Emilie Gillet's explanation of why she changed from coloured to all-white knobs!), but it's not one I like. They'd have to be pretty brave to change it now, unfortunately.

Just checking - have you seen a Schlappi module in person? Some of the nicest made and looking modules I've come across

Yes, I have. I'm sure they're built very nicely but nope, you can keep it.

Aesthetic preferences don't need to be rational or reasoned, and so this thread, like so very many others in this Euro forum, is mostly a collection of "post things you like" :-)

[Michael]

I could have done without the bubbly graphics on Three Body. I generally gravitate toward the more lab/machine/no-frills/quasi-industrial/precision aesthetic. Unfortunately this doesn't often overlap with what I actually need for my system though. Nice examples are KlangbauKoln silver panels, SSSR, CG Products, Sovage Engineering, Addac etc. But I have yet to find a need for anything in their respective lineups so although I have some good looking modules most of them are not lol.

Rating Blue Lantern over Buchla on aesthetics is certainly an interesting choice...

I think people who don't like Doepfer panels are making "interesting" choices too but that's their vibe to enjoy and it's completely ok and valid.

Buchla's vibe is unmistakeably their own, and it's great that they have reasonably consistent design language (see: Emilie Gillet's explanation of why she changed from coloured to all-white knobs!), but it's not one I like. They'd have to be pretty brave to change it now, unfortunately.

Just checking - have you seen a Schlappi module in person? Some of the nicest made and looking modules I've come across

Yes, I have. I'm sure they're built very nicely but nope, you can keep it.

Aesthetic preferences don't need to be rational or reasoned, and so this thread, like so very many others in this Euro forum, is mostly a collection of "post things you like" :-)

[bubblefunk]

like someone pointed out... these are tastes and OPINIONS! there's no such thing as a right or wrong. these are irrational and emotion based choices. people take anyone disagreeing with their tastes way too personally! if someone hates the aesthetics of your favorite module, get a freakin' life and get over it!

some people like stuff precisely because it's tacky or ugly. these days, rust buckets are hot in rodding.



I kinda dig rust rods myself

[bubblefunk]

like someone pointed out... these are tastes and OPINIONS! there's no such thing as a right or wrong. these are irrational and emotion based choices. people take anyone disagreeing with their tastes way too personally! if someone hates the aesthetics of your favorite module, get a freakin' life and get over it!

some people like stuff precisely because it's tacky or ugly. these days, rust buckets are hot in rodding.



I kinda dig rust rods myself...

rust rods are analogue and fiberglass is digital

[bubblefunk]

I have definite opinions about these:

[Arrandan]

There's a certain Dymo esthetic in those...

[Joe_D]

Dymo esthetic

Belongs in the Band Names thread IMO:

viewtopic.php?t=255313

[tdallas]

A wiggler with style and taste needs at least one of these beauties -> https://www.modulargrid.net/e/doepfer-a ... nd-edition

[deecalk1]

Dreadbox Euphoria…. White text on yellow is not
only ugly, but almost completely unreadable from a normal working distance.

Horrendous design decision:
.

[beuysnoise]

Not really a fan of the white faceplate but the lights make the SMR my fave in terms of looks


Recently had to get an active multiple quickly and the local store only had After Later ones. Really not a fan of this shiny black/gold aesthetic in my rack.