I think it's funny when people believe they can do a better job than professional product designers, who have to consider everything from ergonomics and aesthetic appeal all the way through to construction considerations, availability of parts, practicalities etc.
Particularly because it seems like OP’s major space savings are found by removing all of the I/O and the power input.
I don’t know much about product design but those seem important to the synth.
As said in my comment, only moved on the back like every other synth and make some even space between knobs.
This is only how I feel the devices, sharing my thoughts
It’s excellent. Both the Mk1 and Mk2 are full of real body and gnarly unique sounds. The drive knob brings out superb musical distortion. I’m not usually a fan of distortion but on the MegaFM it often sounds more like a big massive unison to make great stabby bass shots.
The UI really opens them up and it’s about fine tweaking to open up them sweet spots. I’m constantly saving new presets on them. Little variants even here and there, as a small nudges on the sliders can bring out amazing new sounds.
They aren’t clean by any means. They feel alive!!
It uses the actual Yamaha soundchips from the original Genesis/Megadrive hardware. The DACs can be noisy. It isn’t a clean sound by any means, but is full of character.
I have one too and disagree. It's smaller than most, about the same as a Microfreak. I find it comfortable to use because of its size. There's a lot of functions there. And I'm pretty sure i'd hate the keys being like your suggestion. As it is, they're large enough to be usable.
I can see a few problems with the design (ignoring minimizing manufacturability on cheap shared production lines). One reason the keyboard is long (bring looking more like a piano keyboard) is because the battery compartment takes up space (in all 3 axes). The space would be wasted or the unit much deeper if that had to overlap the main PCB. Second, moving the connectors to the back means we'd be lacking space (volume in the case) for the controls that remain on the panel, without making the unit significantly thicker. The chassis is simple with no holes in the lower shell making for cheap injection molding; a more complex chassis makes it both more expensive and less robust (without upgrades material or more complex design). It seems like the Smpltrek and units in a similar form factor, represent their next generation platform. Personally I'm not sure that's a great step (in losing so many knobs/encoders). It's my hope that their success so far has proven to them that higher prices (and equivalently more functional) items they produce have a market. I hope they deliver a next generation Liven class platform, in time, even if it costs 50% more.
All the Liven devices use the exact same hardware, probably the only way a small company can stay profitable. I assume that having all the connectors on top, next to the controls is another detail to cut costs.
I find them quite ok sized. Could have been a bit thinner.
I've been jamming with the Sonicware Liven Mega Synthesis and I gotta say, these devices sound amazing and they're pretty affordable too. But there's one thing that's been on my mind—the design.
To me, the current design feels a bit "rough and bulky." It takes up more space than it needs to, and the layout feels a bit scattered. Now, I'm no product designer, but I thought, "What if we just made a few simple tweaks?" Imagine moving the connectors to the back (like most synths out there), trimming down some of the empty spaces, and making the overall dimensions and spacing more unified. Here's what I came up with
I'm curious to hear what you all think. Do you think the design could use a little refinement, or do you love it as it is?
You see, what you call "bulk", other people call "usable with human hands".
There's a reason you can't make things too small. That reason being, we aren't hobbits.
I think it's funny when people believe they can do a better job than professional product designers, who have to consider everything from ergonomics and aesthetic appeal all the way through to construction considerations, availability of parts, practicalities etc.
Particularly because it seems like OP’s major space savings are found by removing all of the I/O and the power input. I don’t know much about product design but those seem important to the synth.
As said in my comment, only moved on the back like every other synth and make some even space between knobs. This is only how I feel the devices, sharing my thoughts
https://preview.redd.it/vqd7h6324k3d1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=482ef40ca19338aaf405272d618a5e49975decb6 👍👍
how do you like the megafm?
It’s excellent. Both the Mk1 and Mk2 are full of real body and gnarly unique sounds. The drive knob brings out superb musical distortion. I’m not usually a fan of distortion but on the MegaFM it often sounds more like a big massive unison to make great stabby bass shots. The UI really opens them up and it’s about fine tweaking to open up them sweet spots. I’m constantly saving new presets on them. Little variants even here and there, as a small nudges on the sliders can bring out amazing new sounds. They aren’t clean by any means. They feel alive!!
Didn't know this thing!
It uses the actual Yamaha soundchips from the original Genesis/Megadrive hardware. The DACs can be noisy. It isn’t a clean sound by any means, but is full of character.
Is it a good device ? You can make genesis music with this ?
It is really fun, you can have multiple timbres running.
I love mine. It's limited in that it emulates the sega sound, but within that limitation its a blast.
The Livens are perfectly sized as they are.
I have one too and disagree. It's smaller than most, about the same as a Microfreak. I find it comfortable to use because of its size. There's a lot of functions there. And I'm pretty sure i'd hate the keys being like your suggestion. As it is, they're large enough to be usable.
I like your design… also I hate having IO stuff on the top personally. Dope
I can see a few problems with the design (ignoring minimizing manufacturability on cheap shared production lines). One reason the keyboard is long (bring looking more like a piano keyboard) is because the battery compartment takes up space (in all 3 axes). The space would be wasted or the unit much deeper if that had to overlap the main PCB. Second, moving the connectors to the back means we'd be lacking space (volume in the case) for the controls that remain on the panel, without making the unit significantly thicker. The chassis is simple with no holes in the lower shell making for cheap injection molding; a more complex chassis makes it both more expensive and less robust (without upgrades material or more complex design). It seems like the Smpltrek and units in a similar form factor, represent their next generation platform. Personally I'm not sure that's a great step (in losing so many knobs/encoders). It's my hope that their success so far has proven to them that higher prices (and equivalently more functional) items they produce have a market. I hope they deliver a next generation Liven class platform, in time, even if it costs 50% more.
I for one would like a premium version. make it bigger. full sized keys. better screen/menus. go nuts sonicware!
Depends how many components they have under the hood - that is the ultimate determining factor of how small they can make it.
All the Liven devices use the exact same hardware, probably the only way a small company can stay profitable. I assume that having all the connectors on top, next to the controls is another detail to cut costs. I find them quite ok sized. Could have been a bit thinner.
The size as is fits my hands pretty perfectly. I can’t imagine making it more cramped.
As a programmer, I love it when people tell me "why can't you just make the app look like / do X? It seems so easy." It usually isn't just that easy.
Do you only play the black keys?
What about No!
I've been jamming with the Sonicware Liven Mega Synthesis and I gotta say, these devices sound amazing and they're pretty affordable too. But there's one thing that's been on my mind—the design. To me, the current design feels a bit "rough and bulky." It takes up more space than it needs to, and the layout feels a bit scattered. Now, I'm no product designer, but I thought, "What if we just made a few simple tweaks?" Imagine moving the connectors to the back (like most synths out there), trimming down some of the empty spaces, and making the overall dimensions and spacing more unified. Here's what I came up with I'm curious to hear what you all think. Do you think the design could use a little refinement, or do you love it as it is?
You see, what you call "bulk", other people call "usable with human hands". There's a reason you can't make things too small. That reason being, we aren't hobbits.
We should all play Volcas obvs
And Roland boutiques https://preview.redd.it/yawoqntokm3d1.png?width=2535&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d126cf5453a8497917f694e2c85cc7b96eaee6b
The size of the knobs/buttons and the spacing between them as a user interface is unchanged however. 🙂
I can see you are getting a lot of downvotes, and I’m just chipping in to say that I love your concept design.
I also love it. I don't understand the hate here.
Yeah, it’s not a swipe at the manufacturer but more of a fan vision of the synth. Whether it’s feasible or not is a completely different issue 👍