I think the biggest limitation of Filed in terms of sound design is the fact that it’s limited to 1 LFO. Actually, it’s a bit of a misnomer and makes the situation sound less dire than it is, because “LFO” label applies to:
- An actual LFO (Value)
- Tremolo (which, I guess, is a kind of LFO)
- Velocity control
- Midi routing
- Everything under Element, including routing of envelope amplitude, input amplitude, output amplitude and “gravity” sensor
You can’t do something as simple as make a patch with reduced velocity sensitivity and Tremolo You can’t use velocity to control one thing and tilt sensor to control another. Etc. Really absurd limitations.
Normally, such things are done through a mod matrix. Microfreak is an excellent example of a powerful, yet dead-simple to use mod matrix, which is controlled by 1 clickable encoder. However, I suspect that no matter what, Field will not get a full mod matrix. It’s too different from all the existing UI and it will clash with prior OP-1 design.
So, here is an alternative idea. TE should allow us to use all of the existing LFOs in parallel. This will require virtually no UI changes and it will not negatively affect device’s usability. Here is how it would work:
- Navigating to an LFO and editing its parameters will stay the same as it is right now
- When you press Shift+4, you get to the same LFO menu as we have now, but:
- Inactive LFOs have an empty red box in front of ☐ their name
- Active LFOs have a checked red box in from of
their name - Clicking or turning the red encoder turns the currently selected LFO on or off
- Good idea: add some icon that lights up on the LFO screen when another LFO is also active