unify effects skins around Deere

[Owen Williams]

It looks like Deere has the best interface for working with effects. Let's unify around that interface by factoring the effects bar into an xml template that can be used by all of the skins. The other skins should be able to apply CSS to make the panel blend in. Then we only have one place to change the effects interface rather than 3.

[Sean M. Pappalardo (pegasus-renegadetech)]

Excellent idea, but isn't this too much work to be done for 2.1?

[Owen Williams (ywwg)]

We can always push it back, but we might be able to at least make some headway. Not sure what our planned branch date is for 2.1

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

The idea is good, but the implementation will be hard. Deere exposes the
most features of the underlying framework but it is almost unusable on
small screens. It will have problems es well on big screen if we starting
to use the lv2 branch with 8 or more parameters.

We have also a usability issue since it targets the minority of advanced
effect users.

I have tried to target that issue in Shade by reducing the gui elements to
a minimum. It offers only the right and left bus effect. It can stack only
two effects, but has a comfortable space for 8 knobs.

.. but it does not meet advanced requirements.

Conclusion: We need to go back to the drafting stage. Maybe we can come up
with a modular Gui. Or two or more alternative bars for the different tusr
cases or controller layouts
Am 06.01.2016 5:15 nachm. schrieb "Owen Williams" <email address hidden>:

> We can always push it back, but we might be able to at least make some
> headway. Not sure what our planned branch date is for 2.1
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are a member of Mixxx
> Development Team, which is subscribed to Mixxx.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1531519
>
> Title:
> unify effects skins around Deere
>
> Status in Mixxx:
> New
>
> Bug description:
> It looks like Deere has the best interface for working with effects.
> Let's unify around that interface by factoring the effects bar into an
> xml template that can be used by all of the skins. The other skins
> should be able to apply CSS to make the panel blend in. Then we only
> have one place to change the effects interface rather than 3.
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/mixxx/+bug/1531519/+subscriptions
>

[Owen Williams (ywwg)]

deere and latenight have similar size requirements so we could at least unify those two

[Be (be.ing)]

IMO this should be a release blocker for 2.1.

[Be (be.ing)]

I think the best strategy to handle all use cases, from making use of all engine features to using effects on a netbook screen, is to design multiple modes that display different levels of detail.

[Sean M. Pappalardo (pegasus-renegadetech)]

Like responsive CSS Web site design? Can we do that in Qt?

[Be (be.ing)]

I have no comment about the technical implementation of it because I don't know the skin system very well. I think the various modes should be easily toggled similar to other skin options, like 2/4 decks and hide/show samplers.

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

maybe we can also think of an "advanced" pane for effect editing (something like the sandwich menu in deere) with the most advanced effects options we don't need/want on the interface directly and only keep most used controls on the main interface.

most of the time, DJ setup their effects before the show and only adjust the strength of the effect and the channel they are applied to during the gig.

[Owen Williams (ywwg)]

This bug is strictly limited to the near-term goal of taking the existing Deere effects UI and generalizing it so LateNight can use it. Please keep more general discussion about the UI in the mailing list.

[jus (jus)]

Adapting this to Latenight should not be too hard , since the Deere uses mostly templates.

Begs the question why we maintain multiple skins at all, rather then allowing loading of CSS at runtime. Also see lp:1402236

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

A css feature similar to colour schemas solves the visual beauty taste. So I like the idea to improve the situation here.

On other aspects of a skin we should keep in mind is that it support one or more special use case like beginner, advanced, radio DJ scratching DJ vinyl control DJ and so on.
We may try to catch them by config option. But the downside of such an "eierlegende Wollmilchsau" is that it may fail for very special demands. This may happen also because the maintainer, the head of the design as the taste master does not feel there requirements of some use cases.
That is the reason why I think we need dedicated skins for use-cases as well.

[Be (be.ing)]

Deere and Tango have both implemented the new 2.1 effects UI:
https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/pull/1063
https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/pull/1151

[Sébastien BLAISOT (sblaisot)]

shouldn't this one be kept open until Latenight is updated ?

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

and Shade ..

[Be (be.ing)]

LateNight:
https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/pull/1489

Shade:
https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/pull/1459
https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/pull/1551

[Swiftb0y (swiftb0y)]

Mixxx now uses GitHub for bug tracking. This bug has been migrated to:
https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/issues/8424