[Draft discussion] Theme / skin support

[icaria36]

Hi @Dan_CF, welcome! Thank you for your comments. There are different topics mixed here, let’s go through them, starting with the ones related to skin support – the rest need to find other venues if you want to discuss them. #brainstorm is a good place to start, one topic at a time.

@Dan_CF

Also, over time the colors start to get tiring.

The colors and color schema of the clips can be changed (right-click). What elements of the UI would you like to see in different colors?

@Dan_CF

The ability that we can’t change to a darker theme is also a bit off-putting to me.

Have you tried different combinations of contrast? See Settings > Contrast > Midtones / Black level.

@Dan_CF

I hate how the midi notes look, kind of like they ‘dont stick’.

This sentence is very subjective as it is now. I don’t think I understand what you mean. Is this caused by elements that could be addressed by a skin?

@Dan_CF

The clips in the arrangement have an awful ‘look-feel’ to them

Also subjective. Can you suggest improvements that (ideally) a skin could handle?

@Dan_CF

Either make the whole UI flat or to make the clips and notes ‘pop’ a little bit more and have more of a 3D look to them.

Preferences here are subjective too. I wonder whether the skin/theme engine could allow defining flatness vs 3D (like CSS supports 3D buttons).

I guess the question is, when we talk about skins, are we talking only about colors or also about shapes of UI elements? I bet that going beyond colors complicates things way more.

@Dan_CF

Having the options to have the clips background in the arrangement to be transparent could be a nice break from all those bold colors.

I don’t know whether this helps, but you can paint the tracks with the same color as the background, or choose colors that have little contrast with the background.

About transparency in clips, see also Visible Gridlines Behind Clips.

For #brainstorm or new Drafts (separately):

@Dan_CF

It feels like there is a ‘delay’ everytime you need to do something, anything.

(I’ll note that in my system I feel Bitwig responsive, without a sense of delay.)

@Dan_CF

They’re hard to extend or shorten if you’re a bit zoomed out.

Separate discussion.

@Dan_CF

once the project gets busy, it’s hard to discern tracks in the arrangement window because they’re identified by a very small and thin color code to the left of the header.

Separate discussion.

@Dan_CF

Honestly when I add notes and midi/audio clips in BW it’s the weirdest and most unnatural looking out of all DAWs.

OK, but bear in mind that this is subjective. DAWs weren’t found in nature before humans invented them, and this defines how “natural” any of them is. I’m skipping other comments about something being nice or not, for the same reason.

@Dan_CF

An option for a one-window browser could be good too. I can’t get used to this one.

Different discussion. See (perhaps) Global search for browser.

@Dan_CF

A better visual way of identifying tracks

Different discussion.

@Dan_CF

Ability to custom set track heights in the arrangement or at least multiple different sizes.

Different discussion. There is a related topic that was archived due to inactivity: Mixed track heights. If anyone wants to work on this request, just ask.