| I'm a music producer and the FabFilter Pro-Q3 equalizer plugin has THE most refined, intuitive, and quick user interface I've ever experienced. They've taken the most frequently-used audio tool and found a way to really let you fly with it. https://www.fabfilter.com/products/pro-q-3-equalizer-plug-in Upon opening, it displays an empty field with a live frequency readout of the sound on the channel. You can click anywhere in the frequency range and it generates an EQ/filter node underneath your mouse. It's as easy as thinking about the aspect of the sound that you want to alter, and immediately having your tone-shaping underneath your fingers. You reach out and grab it. It's most-used features (gain, frequency, Q) are all changed by dragging the node or a modifier key (Cmd). These can all be done simultaneously in what feels like a unified gesture. The default filter type is context-dependent, based on where I grab on the spectrum. So if I grab a new node in the sub-bass frequencies it will automatically provide me a high-pass filter to start filtering all unwanted low-end. Ditto for the top-end, shelving filters, etc. The fine-controls all appear in a secondary window just beneath your mouse that follows the filter node with you as you drag it, so you won't find yourself moving back and forth across the entire screen to tweak controls. When you click on another node the fine-controls appear nearby and the controls for the first node disappear, keeping the GUI empty and very easy to read. These features may seem simple and obvious now that I've explained them, but an EQ is easily the most-used tool in my toolbox, and FabFilter's design choices have made the process quicker, easier, and far more intuitive than any other interface out there. It really puts a lot of pleasure back into the process that would be reduced fighting with inferior interfaces. For comparison, most software EQs are either skeumorphic to resemble classic hardware EQs like this: https://www.uaudio.com/uad-plugins/equalizers/pultec-passive... or a hopelessly cramped and slow panel with every available parameter on display: https://www.waves.com/plugins/h-eq-hybrid-equalizer#h-eq-hyb... I cannot praise FabFilter enough for the elegance, flexibility, and musicality of their products. |