LateNight 2.1 :: fine tuning, 4 FX units, more samplers, skin menu

[ronso0]

This is roughly what has to be done to lift LateNight to a proper level.

General

• fix fonts: resize GUI quick toggles
• fix fonts: OpenSans for all numbers
• vectorize remaining buttons (deck toggles, xFader switches)

Toolbar

• find a way to adjust additional GUI options: Deere/Tango-like skin menu, or maybe a combobox to set the number of sampler rows

Decks

• add beatgrid edit buttons right to waveforms
• add crossfader routing switches below mixer channels (4 decks only)
• don't transform Key display to uppercase
• add SplitCue button to mixer
• fix mixer alignment when EQs are hidden
• implement star rating in deck controls grid

Mic/Aux

• add ducking controls
• tweak Mic/Aux units
• remove crossfader switches from Mic units

Samplers

• make space for 8 HotCues when window is at minimal size: shrink Sync, move it below VU meter
• make Title/Artist font case with decks

Library

• prevent OS themes from making Analyze radio buttons invisible
• fix style & position of Library buttons, colorize AutoDJ & Recording toggles

Nice to have

• create minimal samplers*
• merge vinyl control toggle & vinyl status light*
• vectorize VUs, add path mask, so they are easier to resize*
• clean up SVGs*

[ronso0]

@Be-ing I recall removing the microphone xfader switches from Tango earlier on your demand.
What was the reason again? They're not implemented in the engine?

[Be-ing]

Correct, the microphones are processed independently of the crossfader, so they do not have crossfader orientation switches.

[nopeppermint]

• star rating
  => now working
  

• EQ Kill
  => working, thanks

[naught101]

Just trying the old LateNight again (sorry, I haven't had time to compile from the branch), and maybe it's because I'm used to using Deere for the ratings widget, but the title/artist sections seem quite dense. Perhaps it would be good if both rows had an extra pixel or two of padding on all sides? This might also help to make the 2-deck version line up with the mixer panel at the bottom.

[ronso0]

@naught101
You don't need to compile to test a skin.
Check mixxx wiki 1 2, and my comments here and here

The essence from those links:
use git to test skins/mappings

• choose/create a folder on your disk where to put mixxx source code
• in there, type git clone https://github.com/ronso0/mixxx to clone the repo to your disk
• git checkout Tango-update to switch to skin update branch
• link the /res/skins/Tango-update from repo clone to your skin directory
• start Mixxx, Settings > Preferences > choose new skin, test
• type git pull every time you want to pull recent changes from PR and skin will be updated
• restart Mixxx, test again

In case you experience strange behaviour of a skin, you can also try with a clean profile:
mixxx --resourcePath /where/ever/source/files/are/res/ --settingsPath /*the folder you like*/
Your library won't be accessible then but you have a clean mixxx.cfg and soundconfig.xml

[ronso0]

You're right, in LateNight 2.0 artist and title rows were 2px taller... 2.0:

2.1 (this branch)

Btw the decks' bottom margin and smaller margin of the mixer are fixed no matter how tall the decks are. Only thing that changes is the overview's height, it's compressed to minimum with 4 decks

[naught101]

Ah, cool, thanks. Now running the updated version.

I mean this bit, I don't understand why the mixer is slightly taller than the decks:

I'm not sure that I like the ALL CAPS ARTIST in the new version, but if it does stay, that's all the more reason to have more padding around the artist (it's more noticably cramped with all caps).

Otherwise the new skin is looking damn fine. I quite like the green, even though it seems like the kind of colour that shouldn't work..

[ronso0]

I'm not sure that I like the ALL CAPS ARTIST in the new version, but if it does stay, that's all the more reason to have more padding around the artist (it's more noticably cramped with all caps).

I'm sure I don't like it. And I don't recall transforming anything to uppercase, I just wanted to keep as many things the 'LateNight style' as they were. Now that I see it side by side, I'll double check the 2.0 version.
Sure we can increase artist & title rows, but it'll eat up another half line of the library.. Will check that

I know that you were talking about that tiny offset between mixer and decks, it's just that 'it was like that' and -for me- it somehow creates character, compared to streamlined Deere and Tango. We also need to keep in mind that we actually need larger margins between that major skin components so the skin works good on big screens. But if that's an issue for others as well, I'll remove it.

[ronso0]

Okay, I fixed uppercase text-transform for artist & sampler title. Apparently I introduced it by mistake while consolidating css, and it felt plausible for LateNight ;)
Also artist & title have more whitespace around them.

[naught101]

Padding fix is much better. I think the decks could benefit from an extra couple of px left/right padding on my screen (1080p), though I can see how that might be problematic for smaller screens.

[taller mixer] somehow creates character, compared to streamlined Deere and Tango

Ok, yeah, I can agree with that. It helps to differentiate between the sections a bit too. Perhaps it should actually be bigger on larger screens though, to make it more obviously intentional.

Also, there is a gap between the decks in 4-deck mode. A similar gap could be added between the decks and the mixer, to further accentuate the separation.

And perhaps the line-fill in the bottom section of the deck could also be added to the top section (KEY to FX2), to further reinforce the deck gap?

Another couple of minor things:

• The beat grid adjust section expansion button has two icons, and no tool-tip.
• Maybe the minimum waveform height should be equal to the minimum height when the beat grid section is open?
• the text in the master section (MASTER, L/R, HEAD, PRE/MST) could be slightly lighter, to differentiate between the text and background lines.
• the zero and 100% position markers in the master section are slightly squashed, and a bit blurry:

[daschuer]

PRE/MST is IMHO uncommon
How about PFL/MST or CUE/MST ?

[ronso0]

The beat grid adjust section expansion button has two icons, and no tool-tip.

It's one icon saying something like "configure beatgrid". not intuitive for you?
As I said

There are some controls we don't have tooltips for, yet. We could create them, but we can't add them to skins right now, because of the 2.1 string freeze for translations.
We can work on adding them to master after I fixed lp:1740513

This is one of them.

Thanks, your further suggestions are good, but it would take maybe another week to implement them and make it look good. Let's keep them in mind for the next PR.
I think LateNight is in a good shape now and I'd like to get this merged soon.

How about PFL/MST or CUE/MST ?
CUE/MST is fine. Before it was PRE/MAIN

[ronso0]

Latest changes:

• headphone mix knob is labeled CUE/MST
• knob labels in Master/Headphone Mixer and expanded FX slots are much easier to read, they now have a dark background
• removed expanding spacers from FX unit controls column, increased padding
  

Ready to merge?

[nopeppermint]

nice !

• Preview text is written in capital letters, I prefer mixed letters, as in the decks/samplers

[Be-ing]

• The PLAY button on the auxiliary inputs is confusing. It uses the tooltip for mute, but it says PLAY.
• With 4 decks and no EQ kill buttons, the EQ knobs are misaligned:
  
• I do not see an icon to toggle broadcasting.

Anyhow, this PR has enough improvements to be merged as is. Let's continue the discussion in a new PR.

[ronso0]

Thanks for merging!

The PLAY button on the auxiliary inputs is confusing. It uses the tooltip for mute, but it says PLAY

https://bugs.launchpad.net/mixxx/+bug/1747212
optimize Auxiliary enable control

With 4 decks and no EQ kill buttons, the EQ knobs are misaligned

if they're aligned with VU like before, the whitespace within the mixer just doesn't look good..

[Be-ing]

I think the EQ knobs should be centered with respect to the volume faders.

[naught101]

The beat grid adjust section expansion button has two icons, and no tool-tip.

It's one icon saying something like "configure beatgrid". not intuitive for you?

On my system, it looks like this:

[naught101]

@Be-ing : the knobs and faders ARE centred on my screen, although the 'Filter' text is not:

[naught101]

Ah, it's because the EQ-Kill offsets the knobs..