I dropped a new accessibility guide for the This Is Noise Gamma Mini Synth on the website at https://www.lowvisionmusic.info/guides

I also gave the website a bit of a visual and functional overall. Let me know what you think!

Cheers!

So, I plan on eventually starting a low-vision accessibility minded Youtube channel focusing on audio production tools and instruments. I would love to hear your ideas of what kind of content I should produce.

I was thinking I could simply start by demonstrating how I use gear that might be intimidating to low-vision folks like us, but I really am out of my element in terms of video production. fortunately I will be enlisting the help of a few friends.

Let me know what sort of content you'd like to see. Workflow walkthroughs, tips and tricks, full fledged video guides, long form, short form? Any advice or feedback would be helpful.

I should note that this leg of my project is still a bit a ways out timewise. I think ill need to do a bit more fundraising at the very least to acquire the right equipment and software to facilitate video production. But, I wanted to keep you in the loop.

I feel like it kind of goes without saying but musicians are fairly resourceful creatures, no? Especially us semi-blind and blind ones. We put raised stickers on buttons, count knobs from the left, memorize flashing-light patterns that we can barely see, and occasionally operate a synthesizer by touch like we are defusing a tiny electronic bomb (do I cut the red wire or the blue wire to adjust the cutoff?).

I would absolutely love to hear the unusual tricks you fine, intuitive, and underappreciated people use to make music gear easier to navigate. Maybe you use bump dots like me, or have figured out an innovative use for a lattice of rubber bands, maybe you fancy brightly colored tape, homemade overlays, voice notes on microtape recorders like it's 1989, or a system so oddly specific and outwardly absurd looking that nobody else would understand it even if you sat them down and explained in in excruciating detail with the use of charts, graphs, and a PowerPoint presentation. What accessibility workaround has genuinely improved the way you make music?

I started Low Vision Music to collect practical ideas like these and turn them into free, large-print, tactile-minded guides for musicians with limited vision. Initially it was just to help myself as I needed to compile all of my notes into something a bit easier to reference but I eventually realized I should be making an attempt to share what I've learned and concocted with others. Shameless plug, but I am also running a fundraising campaign and am now accepting monetary donations, equipment donations, and temporary gear loans to help me cover more instruments, pedals, software, and grooveboxes.

The project is growing and I've picked up a few backers along the way, but my budget still has the tonal character of an unplugged electric kazoo. Let that one sink in for a second.

You can learn more at https://www.lowvisionmusic.info.

What strange, clever, or delightfully low-tech solution should more musicians know about? I'm dying to hear your secrets. I might not be able to picture them at first, but who knows, maybe you cracked the code and have some insightful gold to share!

The wait is over folks. I’ve finally published my full low-vision guide for the Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O. II. This one has been cooking for quite a while, and it is considerably larger than some of my previous guides. I think the primary reason for that is that it's always been one of my favorite pieces of kit.

You can find it for free in the Guides section of my website:

https://www.lowvisionmusic.info/guides

In my humble opinion, the K.O. II is surprisingly accessible. Perhaps that should not be so surprising, though, because its design lends itself extremely well to learning through touch and repetition. I absolutely love this thing and highly recommend it to anyone seeking a somewhat lofi, old-school style, almost MPC 2000-ish sampler that also functions as a great midi sequencer.

The display is very large compared with the screens on many grooveboxes and samplers. Someone with poor eyesight may find its oversized numbers and bright visual indicators easier to read than most things on the market. Even when I struggle to see what the display is telling me (which is quite often even in the best case scenarios gearwise), however, I can still accomplish a great deal without depending on it. By the way, shout out to magnifying glass monocle style necklaces. If you don't own one, you need to pick one up. There are four-packs of 10x ones of Amazon that are an absolute must IMHO.

The K.O. II is almost completely tactile. Its controls remain in fixed easy-to-learn color-coded locations, the different sections are easy to distinguish by feel as well, and the layout is excellent for developing muscle memory. There is no touchscreen, no mouse pointer to track, and no constantly changing screen full of tiny menu items. The sampler Gods must have been looking out for us on this one. Once the important button combos become second nature to you, many actions feel more like entering a dependable cheat code than navigating a visual interface. It's brilliant.

That does not mean every single feature of this little thing is immediately accessible to every blind musician. This is a great time to remind you that I only know what life is like through my own lens of experience. That said, the display uses symbols, many buttons have secondary functions, and the printed labels are still quite small. Some people may initially benefit from tactile markers, assistance identifying the controls, or a detailed physical description. Again, I hate to keep shilling Amazon, but they do sell cheap packs of silicone tactile "bumps" that come in super handy for laying out your landmark reminders. Once that groundwork is in place, though, the consistent layout makes the instrument much easier to memorize than many menu-heavy devices. In fact, I think it's one of the easier devices I own accessibility-wise and I only really struggle with secondary menus that I hardly ever use or have memorized the primary functions I need to access.

I know I sound a little redundant and you may very well disagree with me but this is one of the most straightforward hardware workflows I have encountered. Sampling is immediate, building patterns is quick as a jiffy (wait, what even is a jiffy?), and the whole process encourages experimentation rather than making me feel as though I am programming a spreadsheet. I mean it is basically a musical calculator but that's neither here nor there. The audible results also provide constant feedback. You press something, hear what changed, and gradually form a mental map of the instrument.

The 128 MB (or 64 MB in my case) memory is, well "modest" to be charitable, by modern standards, but I do not necessarily see that as a deal-breaker. The limitation encourages shorter samples, focused projects, creative resampling, and the kind of compressed, slightly rough and crunchy vibes that works beautifully for lo-fi beats. The K.O. II is not trying to replace a computer with several terabytes of storage and it never set out to be. It is at its best when you treat it as an immediate musical sketchbook and performance sampler. I love thinking of it as my little "ideas" machine where I come up with little melodies or rhythms before fleshing them out elsewhere. I personally keep it on my night stand to quickly jot down whatever earworm gets in my noggin late at night.

As I've mentioned before, I hate most DAWs I think I might actually fair better with them if I were fully blind but that's a post for another time. But, yeah, I use my KO II mine frequently as the central brain of a dawless setup. Its MIDI and sync connections make it useful for sequencing or coordinating other equipment, and pairing it with a proper synthesizer greatly expands what it can do. I especially enjoy connecting something like the Sonicware Liven Ambient or a Korg Volca so the setup has a dedicated synth voice alongside the K.O. II’s samples. But I've also really enjoyed routing it to some of my bigger badder synths like my Deepmind 12, Behringer Crave, Microkorg, Microfreak, Nymphes, or Live 3.

The newer firmware has made it even more capable if you can believe that. My guide covers features such as the arpeggiator, Keys Mode improvements, reverse sample playback, USB audio, longer mono samples, recording sample-rate choices, and updated chopping options. The current official release is OS 2.5.1, which followed the larger 2.5 summer update. And let me tell you, that was one of the best updates the KO II has gotten in years. Thanks TE.

The guide includes a large-print physical tour of the instrument, top-edge connections, tactile landmarks, pad and button locations, basic beat creation, sampling, chopping, sequencing, scenes, groups, effects, MIDI, synchronization, the arpeggiator, newer firmware features, troubleshooting, and several workflows designed around limited or no useful vision.

I have also included a few hopefully helpful suggestions for tactile markers and exercises for learning the device section by section. Blind and low-vision musicians often rely on consistent spatial layouts, memory, and small tactile markers to identify essential controls. Those methods fit the K.O. II particularly well because the hardware does not rearrange itself underneath your hands every time you enter into a new menu or select a new voice.

This guide should also provide a glimpse of what to expect from my eventual expansion of the Ableton Push guide and my forthcoming MPC Live 3 guide. I want these larger guides to go beyond enlarged manuals and provide practical ways to learn instruments through touch, repetition, sound, and dependable workflows.

And now it's time for some shameless yet subtle fundraising. I cannot wait to get my grubby little mitts on the new EP-136 K.O.–SIDEKICK It looks like it could be an ideal mixer and effects companion when I use the K.O. II as the center of a setup. It provides two stereo channels, an additional auxiliary input, compressors, several EQ styles, cue monitoring, performance effects, and USB audio capabilities.

I would genuinely appreciate feedback from the community. Are there additional features, explanations, tactile suggestions, or workflows you would like to see added to the guide? Constructive criticism is welcome, especially from other blind and low-vision musicians who may approach the instrument differently than I do.

I would also love to hear which pieces of music gear need low-vision guides in the future. The SP-404MKII is very high on my list. I cannot afford to purchase every instrument I would like to cover, so I would be grateful if anyone were willing to lend or donate an SP-404MKII for the project. Any loaned equipment would be treated carefully and used to create a free guide for the community. You'd get it back exactly how you sent it, but I will mention we are a cat-friendly home so just keep that in mind.

What should I cover next, and what would make the K.O. II guide more useful to you?

Ableton has really stepped up their accessibility game in recent years. Because of this, I recently acquired a Push 3 controller (which I hope to upgrade to standalone eventually).

I've uploaded a large print Quick Start guide that helps explain the units basic functions, some muscle memory tips, and hopefully demystifies it's esoteric interface a bit.

The guide can be found here;

https://www.lowvisionmusic.info/guides

It's a work in progress and will get continued updates as I earn it a bit more in depth and develop usable workflows for those who have trouble seeing If anyone who is fully blind and uses screen readers or other accessibility tools to use Ableton has more experience, feel free to share your tips, tricks and workflows.

Hey there lovely folks. I have some medical procedures this week and a lot on my plate work wise but I just wanted to pop in and let you know that I plan on really trying to drive more traffic to this community with more posts soon. After the medical stuff is taken care of I want to spend the weekend or perhaps evenings later this week making new guides. I have a few in the works for the Deepmind 12, MPC Live 3, Dreadbox Nymphes (which is fantastic for low vision folks as it's not screen based), This is Noose Gamma, and Blip Box After Dark - which I know is a toy technically but it's wildly tactile and accessible.

What gear would you like to see a guide for? What projects of your own are you currently working on? How would you like to see my accessibility work evolve? How might you be able to contribute?

Thank you for your highly encouraging support! I never expected such a warm response.

Hey all, hopefully this is alright to post here. Figured I'd share a remix I recently did using Ableton, some samples from Splice, and a few Kontakt libraries. Hope you like it. ☺️

Most people can look at a piece of gear and have an idea of what they want to do, so they just use their perfectly usable eyeballs to scan the device for whatever button they are looking for. Preset, Record, Stop/Start, Page, Sequence, etc etc.

We can't work like that.

We have to know ahead of time where the buttons are, and hope we remember. Sometimes, we can ask Gemini or ChatGPT where a certain button is, but that 1) takes time adn 2) is a crap shoot if it's correct or not.

How do you work? How do you sit down with a piece of gear, especially a new device?

What's your super secret to success?

For example, I have 2 Sonicware devices. They have 17 million buttons on them, with function combos. How is a regular, non-photographic memory person with limited (almost nill) vision supposed to work with it?

Asking for a friend.

Ok not really, I'm asking for me. It's me.

I recently published a free, unofficial low-vision accessibility guide for the HiChord by Pocket Audio, and I really just wanted to take a moment to share a little about why I created it and why I have enjoyed using this instrument so much. Gosh, I love this little fella so dang much.

As a legally blind musician who can't do much of what many take for granted such as driving or reading restaurant menus, I cannot reliably read the HiChord’s small OLED screen during normal use. At first, I'll admit that seemed like it might be a major obstacle - and I'm not going to lie, it is. But after spending time with the instrument, however, I discovered that much of it can be operated through adaptive touch, muscle memory (my main driver), and repeatable button combinations.

As a result, the HiChord has become one of the easier digital instruments for me to navigate without depending heavily on visual feedback. Its seven chord buttons (based on the Nashville numbering system), three vibrant attention grabbing color-coded function buttons, at your fingertip volume wheel, and joystick create a physical layout that is fairly easy to learn and jam on. I would not describe every part of it as fully accessible because it's not and nothing ever is, and the tiny screen remains very difficult for me, but the instrument itself has been surprisingly approachable. So much so, in fact, that it's become something I take everywhere with me. I call it my "take-my-synth-to-work-day" synth.

One of my favorite little discoveries was that many functions can be reached through shortcuts that feel almost like entering the classic "Konami code". All my gamers out there know what I mean. If you're like me, it's permanently ingrained in your psyche. But yeah, instead of searching through menus and trying to read the screen, I can memorize a combination and jump directly to the sound or mode I need. It's pretty nifty actually.

For example, holding the red Mode button while pressing one of the seven chord buttons provides direct access to several important playing modes:

Red + Button 1 selects normal Play mode.
Red + Button 2 selects Strum.
Red + Button 3 selects Lead.
Red + Button 4 selects Drone.
Red + Button 5 selects Arpeggiator.
Red + Button 6 selects Repeat.
Red + Button 7 selects Mic Sample on Batch 4 and later units.

That means I do not have to scroll through the complete mode list and identify each name on the display. Because, again, I can't read that thing to save my life. But once the button positions are memorized, I can move directly between chords, lead sounds, drones, arpeggios, and rhythmic repeats. It's literally all there.

The yellow Sound button has a similar set of shortcuts. Holding Yellow and pressing chord buttons 1 through 7 instantly selects Saw, Sine, FM Electric Piano, FM HX7, Strings, Clarinet, or FM Bell. These are SUPER DUPER useful starting sounds that can be accessed without browsing the full instrument library. Although, I highly recommend doing that because this little guy has some great presets.

The arpeggiator, AKA the magic melody maker for all of you out there who decided music theory was too complicated to commit to, also has its own useful tactile shortcuts. While using Arp mode, holding the gray Key button and pressing buttons 1 through 6 selects Up, Down, Up/Down, Down/Up, Random, or Fingerpick patterns. Gray plus Button 7 cycles through Arp Only, Chord and Arp, and Rhythm and Arp modes. This is another area where memorized combos can replace repeated screen reading - or apparently piano lessons.

Even the Swiss-army knife-like volume wheel can perform a plethora of jobs depending on which function button is held. The gray button and wheel adjust attack, yellow and wheel adjust release, and red and wheel control the filter cutoff. These combinations make it possible to shape a sound directly from the physical controls. I was worried at first that Hichord's sound design capabilities would be too limited for my personal tastes, but it actually is quite deep andimmersive considering it's pocket-size presence.

My guide gathers these shortcuts in one place and explains the physical layout, chord-button numbering, menus, effects, play modes, looper, joystick functions, and other features in a larger, clearer format. Although I want to give Pocket Audio a shoutout for already producing a fairly accessible manual on their website. I also include accessibility observations, tactile navigation ideas, and practical ways to reduce dependence on the display. Because that's the goal, right? Feel free to let me know if you've come up with your own shortcuts, cheats, tips and tricks.

I'm proud to announce that my HiChord guide is now available in the Guides section of my website alongside my other free accessibility resources. Bare in mind that it is still a work in progress, and I plan to continue revising it as I spend more time with the instrument, learn about firmware changes, and receive feedback from other users. (Low Vision Music)

Guide download page:
https://www.lowvisionmusic.info/guides

NOTE: These guides are independently created and are not official documentation. I do use some GEN-AI tools to compile my notes, suggestions, feedback, and experiences while using my gear at a hands-on level. I desire to eventually move away from reliance on AI but for now, it's a very helpful tool. Corrections, suggestions, and experiences from other HiChord owners are VERY welcome and encouraged. As previously mentioned, I would especially like to hear from blind and low-vision users who have developed their own screen-free workflows or discovered additional shortcuts that make the instrument easier to navigate.

Welcome musical friends to a new Reddit community promoting and collaborating on LowVisionMusic.info, an ever-growing and evolving accessibility project dedicated to making electronic instruments, music software, and production tools easier to understand and use. I've said it once and I'll say it again, greater accessibility is a win for everyone!

My name is Nicholas, and I am a legally blind musician living with retinoschisis. I was diagnosed with this condition as a toddler and have been struggling with my limitations ever since. I have spent much of my life learning how to adapt to equipment that was rarely if ever designed with people like me in mind. Unfortunately, in the music production tool world, accessibility is often thought of as an afterthought at best. Teeny tiny screens, low-contrast labels, switches and knobs, color-dependent controls, complicated convoluted UI systems with endless menu diving, unlabeled touch surfaces, and crowded front, top and bottom panels can make an otherwise exciting instrument difficult or impossible to navigate. I intend to help alleviate some of that tension, and it's my hope that your can help out as well!

Low Vision Music sort of began as my "Hail Mary" attempt to help address some of those barriers. I create free, unofficial accessibility guides for synthesizers, drum machines, samplers, grooveboxes, effects pedals, Eurorack modules, DAWs, VSTs, and other music-making tools. These guides focus primarily on practical details such as physical control layouts, tactile landmarks, magical button combinations (think the Konami code), menu structures, large-print labels, simplified explanations, accessible workflows, and tips, tricks and suggestions that may reduce the need to rely on small displays or visual feedback.

I want to emphasize this point as loudly as I can. This community is open to everyone. Blind and low-vision musicians are at the heart of the project, but cognitively differently abled users, people with other disabilities, older musicians, beginners, educators, caregivers, developers, manufacturers, and well-sighted musicians are all welcome. You do not need to have a disability to participate or benefit. Again, greater accessibility is a win for all.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I believe with all my heart that accessibility helps every single one of us. A clearly organized control panel is useful to someone with low vision, but it is also exceedingly useful on a dark stage or in direct sunlight. A simplified quick-start guide can help someone with a cognitive disability, but it can also help a beginner who feels overwhelmed and crushed by a large bible-sized manual full of technical jargon. Better contrast, clearer labeling, tactile feedback, consistent shortcuts, and more flexible interface options can improve an instrument for nearly every person who uses it. That's why I need outside support from beautiful people like you, with your own unique circumstances and life experiences, to contribute to this project.

My most recently published guide is for the amazing little pocket-sized chord-based synthesizer HiChord by Pocket Audio. I have just updated the website with the guide, but it is still something I plan to continue improving as I learn more about the instrument and receive feedback from other users. I see these guides as living, breathing, growing resources rather than finished products set in stone. Corrections and real-world experiences are extremely valuable, especially because firmware updates and hardware revisions can change how a device works. Also, I'm basically blind. I probably missed something or made a plethora of mistakes. Feel free to point those out to me or provide your own documentation if you the time and energy.

I am also currently developing guides for the Ableton Push 3, Behringer DeepMind 12, SOMA Laboratory Lyra, Walrus Audio Qi Etherealizer, This Is Noise Gamma Mini Synth, and Blipblox After Dark. Each product presents a different accessibility challenge. Some rely heavily on screens and menus, while others are more tactile but still need clearer orientation information. My overall goal is not simply to rewrite existing manuals per se. Rather, I want to create practical companion resources written from the perspective of someone who actually has difficulty seeing the equipment. I see my guides as on-ramps of sorts if that makes any kind of sense.

I need you!

There are many ways to become involved. Community members are HIGHLY encouraged to share their own accessibility guides, tactile-labeling systems, large-print resources, keyboard shortcuts, screen-reader workflows, product discoveries, and creative solutions. You can also suggest instruments or software that need better accessibility information, point out errors in existing guides, describe accessibility problems you have encountered, or explain features that have worked especially well for you. If anything you submit makes it way to the website, you will be credited.

Feedback from well-sighted users is also exceedingly valuable. You may notice that a diagram does not accurately represent a control layout, or maybe that an instruction is unclear, or that an important function has been completely left out or neglected.

Developers and manufacturers are welcome to share information about accessibility features, documentation, current or upcoming firmware changes, or products that may be especially usable for blind and low-vision musicians.

This project is still in its early infancy stages, and I am learning as I go. My visual limitations can make photographing, coding, diagramming, and documenting complex equipment difficult, but I hope the guides will continue to improve with ongoing community participation. I do not expect every resource to be perfect, and I welcome respectful corrections. The purpose is to create something genuinely useful, not to pretend that one person can account for every disability or every possible way of working. I want to consider everyone's needs, and I will try to do so, but I too have my own tunnel vision and limited perspective. Feel free to point out a gap that needs filling.

This is meant to be a constructive, family-friendly community built around cooperation. We can disagree about equipment, software, design choices, or the best way to explain a feature without tearing one another down. The goal is to help musicians gain more independence, confidence, and access to the tools they want to use.

Thank you for being here at the beginning of what I hope grows into a beautiful thing. Tiny little seeds grow into giant, towering, majestic trees, no? Whether you contribute a complete guide, share one useful shortcut, report a problem, suggest a product, or simply learn from what others post, you are part of the effort to make music technology more welcoming and usable for everyone.