Those stupid LED-ringed knobs.

[starkaudio]

I never understood why people liked the LED rings.

Functionally they seem pointless. What's the resolution of the knob? How many LEDs are around it? Do they have any relation?

Maybe I don't understand them.

Explain please.

[cgrafx]

The LED rings allows the control to be a digital encoder rather than physical potentiometer so that you can have a dial that will follow patch/program changes and display the actual value of the parameter as the program changes. People like them for the same reason that people like motorized faders on mixing consoles, it allows you to store and recall automation/programs and actually change the location of the knob when you recall the program.

[derrellpiper]

In other words, when you change programs, the knobs change too, so you can see where they are for any given program. This is ideal for a rackmount sound module. They also let you express range for morphing, and they're tri-color, so they also tell you when a given control is off-center. Once you've used them, you don't want to go back.

[stiiiiiiive]

What's the resolution of the knob? How many LEDs are around it? Do they have any relation?

The resolution of the potentiometer/encoder itself has nothing to do with the number LEDs lying around, don’t worry

In other words, when you change programs,

… or when you change slot.

Once you've used them, you don't want to go back.

True.
I’ve used a G2 for years and at some point I wanted to go to basics, one function per knob. I can’t really say “go back to basics” since I had never practiced any analogue/VA synth without those LED encoders. SO I got a NL2X. I liked the instrument character, more on the raw side, as well as the interface… until I use presets and multitimbrality. It was a pain for me to find myself in a situation where what I hear is not reflected on the panel. Plus there is no alternative to moving knobs around to find what makes the patch sound that way, causing potentially huge changes in sound since there are no friendly “knob modes”.

The Little Phatty, in comparison, has real potentiometers with LED collars. What’s the point, will you ask?
Well, I was skeptical about that but as Moog engineers implemented three knob modes, it feels quite natural. The usual jump and hook modes are present, as well as a relative mode in which the parameter value (reflected by the LED collar) catch up with the knob position while you’re manipulating it. Smart.

Bottom line: sold the NL2X, kept my G2. Don’t get me wrong, I love real potentiometers, but I way prefer them on synths with no memories.

[LudovicVDP]

Same here as above.
NL2X: Sometimes I have a sound with 4 layers, and what's on the board doesn't even represent one of them.
Some leds would really help, especially when you are not talented enough to know from simple audition everything that is going on with the synth.

And Indeed, if something is on 0 when the knob is on 100 (because you switched the program for instance), hitting the knob can cause serious and unwanted changes to the sound.

For my experience and use... +1 on the led knobs

[Mr_-G-]

I think that despite that there was a reduction of those after the NL3, they are the only reasonable way forward and I expect them to be more and more common.
The current situation with pots that point to one value which is not what the patch is using is on the verge of inexcusable.
It would be completely unacceptable in any other kind of equipment (imagine a mixer behaving like that! ).

[Spider]

I have the NL2X and love it.
But as others said, when you change to a new Performance and you have 4 layers of sound and no idea of the settings...programming becomes a bit of a nightmare.
In fact, I usually program my sounds and performances once, save them and that's it. If I need to change anything apart from very minor tweaks, I found it's much easier and quicker to just start again from scratch, rather than lose hours trying to guess and reconstruct all the settings of a complex performance with 2, 3 or 4 layers, and Morphs that can change any parameter to any other value.

The few LED rings on my Stage2 are like a dream come true, being able to instantly see their settings and most of all, the morph ranges.
I have wet dreams about the Lead3 for this reason only.

I guess the LED rings can be considered superfluous only in two cases: a) if you only play in manual mode, so knob positions always correspond exactly to parameter settings b) if you only use presets and never do any deep programming, so obviously you don't need to know what every knob value is.

[CountFosco]

I also find it frustrating that there doesn't seem to be a way to analyse a particular patch or performance (NLA1). Some of the performances are quite complex, especially considering morph settings. Sometimes I'll come across a great preset, which I'll want to use as a base for development, but it's very much trial and error trying to work out what makes it tick. I'd love to be able to download the settings so I can see them using some software interface. Is that possible?

[Quai34]

What's the resolution of the knob? How many LEDs are around it? Do they have any relation?

The resolution of the potentiometer/encoder itself has nothing to do with the number LEDs lying around, don’t worry

In other words, when you change programs,

… or when you change slot.

Once you've used them, you don't want to go back.

True.
I’ve used a G2 for years and at some point I wanted to go to basics, one function per knob. I can’t really say “go back to basics” since I had never practiced any analogue/VA synth without those LED encoders. SO I got a NL2X. I liked the instrument character, more on the raw side, as well as the interface… until I use presets and multitimbrality. It was a pain for me to find myself in a situation where what I hear is not reflected on the panel. Plus there is no alternative to moving knobs around to find what makes the patch sound that way, causing potentially huge changes in sound since there are no friendly “knob modes”.

The Little Phatty, in comparison, has real potentiometers with LED collars. What’s the point, will you ask?
Well, I was skeptical about that but as Moog engineers implemented three knob modes, it feels quite natural. The usual jump and hook modes are present, as well as a relative mode in which the parameter value (reflected by the LED collar) catch up with the knob position while you’re manipulating it. Smart.

Bottom line: sold the NL2X, kept my G2. Don’t get me wrong, I love real potentiometers, but I way prefer them on synths with no memories.

I always set up my new synths to "Pass thru" mode when LEDs are missing ..You are right on this one, tough to go back and to have to give up a nice feature like that...

[Spider]

I also find it frustrating that there doesn't seem to be a way to analyse a particular patch or performance (NLA1)

The only completely "blind" Lead is the 1/2/2X.
In the 3 (and the Wave) you see parameter values on the screen every time you turn a knob (and can review them without modifying them by shift+knob).
In the 4 and A1, you can see a current parameter's setting by using the copy/monitor button and turning the respective knob.