Yeah- I edited to add to my previous comment, but I think we both got to the same point.
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You said it nicer than me though.
Hideous
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I wouldn’t want to use it, though I would enjoy watching someone else use it.
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Looks like Folktek on acid.
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I don’t think I’d be very happy looking at that if I was tripping.
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I want to be clear that I am not trying to demean C-Ls aesthetic in any way as it is imo gorgeous and personally attracts me to its instruments (waiting on the move to EU). I’m sure that with some finagling it can be pretty clear cut. I was only offering it as an example of design that miserable gits would abhor.
I think some designers are intentionally cryptic and obtuse in order to provoke experimentation.
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We are legion
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this is an excellent point and I think it relates to the MN/eurorack discussion. with Serge, you need to learn their paradigm of what the panel graphics mean. for example: what do the sideways double-arrow glyphs mean? what do the upward and downward arrows mean? is that jack an input or an output? why are some of the knobs different? why are there two colors of blue jacks, plus red and black ones? I mean… there’s literally just one blue jack tied with a line to another slightly different-colored blue jack! neither of which is labeled! what in the holy hell is that!?! 
then you learn: this jack color means AC vs DC coupled, this color means pulse, this glyph means in, this glyph means out, etc… problem is in MN and euro world, everyone has their own approach for this stuff. so in a mixed system, your brain is all over the place remembering what’s what. you get a Serge system and it’s all basically the same (well, if you stick to one manufacturer, or ask your builder to follow the same scheme).
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Because miserable gits out number the experimental type of miserables.
All banter aside, I think a good part of it was that musicians needed an instrument that they could easily patch/program during live gigs. Additionally, the subtrative synths could more easily be programmed to be melodicly and incorporated with the band as opposed to Buchla’s tendencies towards uncertainty. Plus the Minimoog was such a force to be reckoned with, thus becoming the defacto standard.
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this happens to any user interface.
once you get used to it, it makes sense.
however, i prefer Korg EMX-1 interface over Yamaha RM1x interface — despite the fact that i used RM1x much longer, and its UI totally makes sense to me.
or Virus B UI over Nova Laptop UI, despite the fact that i love Nova Laptop engine much more.
Out of curiosity how then do you put up with Elektron’s UI? Their labels are legible, certainly, but 40% maybe isn’t labeled at all. I think an Elektron UI is less approachable at first glance than most other problematic designs mentioned…
VCV Rack is free and also has a good deal of their modules. If you haven’t yet give it a go and see if they’re to your liking.
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Dunno, I guess it’s because, however complicated Elektron gear gets, I always get why it is the way it is (yes, even with the OT). My brain likes the way Elektron gear works, I think the layout of buttons/menus makes logical sense in my brain.
I have Elektron brain, basically.
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Love this post 
You’re definitely not alone. Visual workflow is very important and some of the interfaces you posted are mad and definitely uneasy to the eye. Sure there is a logic to it, but the layout makes it more complex then it should. imho.
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Really enjoy the discussion in this thread. I work in (digital) product design so I think about this stuff a lot.
Re: Make Noise though, I think their stuff is just beautiful, and when you get a grasp of their basic design language, things start to visually click together a little more easily.
That said, my experience actually playing these instruments has little to do with how quickly or intuitively I can pick up on the functions just by looking at the front panel. I mean, it’s always nice to pick something up quickly, but the real goal is to develop a familiarity and muscle memory that makes it unnecessary to know how to read every feature on first glance.
So with that in mind, I prefer aesthetically rad design over functional design any day. I’d rather have something beautiful to play / look at since after some time I can figure out any of the features anyway.
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Meant Ciat-Lonbarde, not Instruo.
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Yeap same here! Instant click almost.
For octatrack it’s definitely not everybody’s experience and I can understand why. It’s not the best interface either.
Digitakt probably is their best interface so far. It’s really well laid out and easy to understand while still providing enough depth. Even better than the models imho.
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I agree, as long as the whole thing fits 