Look at Melbourne Instruments' new Nina synthesizer and tell me it isn't super cool, but its looks are nothing compared to what's happening inside its knobs.

The Nina is a hybrid analog-digital synthesizer, and that hybrid aspect runs throughout the design. For example, of the three oscillators (the bits that generate the basic sound, ready to be modulated and modified by the rest of the circuitry), two are analog, and one is a digital wavetable, the latest in digital oscillator thinking. But we’re not here to talk about the sound (although, as you’ll see in the video below, it does sound totally awesome). We’re here to talk about the knobs, each of which has a motor inside it so that they can rotate into position even when controlled by a computer. They’re the holy grail for musicians, who almost universally prefer hands-on control.

“Buttons that always show their state are important to a good user interface because they provide a tactile way to interact with the interface. This is especially important when the user is in a creative environment, such as music production, because it allows them to quickly adjust settings without having to look at a screen,” tech writer Timothy Mcknight told Lifewire via email.

Knobs are a great way to fine-tune a variety of parameters, but not all knobs are created equal. Knobs let you adjust by feel without having to align a mouse cursor with a circle on the screen. But knobs also provide valuable visual feedback. You can see at a glance how they’re set. You can tell if the volume knob on an amp is turned all the way up before you even turn anything on.