Hybrid view Albums / Tracks

[vaatimidona]

Hi everyone,

I just discovered MusicBee a few days ago and I am pretty amazed by all the possibilities this software has. I have been using iTunes for a while now, and I am currently exploring every parameter of MusicBee to see if I can migrate with all the things I liked in iTunes.

And I have to say that everything is pretty awesome, except for one thing in the interface that I love in iTunes and that I can't manage to find in MusicBee. It's about the "Album and Tracks" view. In iTunes, there is a display mode that is some kind of hybrid between the "Album and Tracks" and "Album covers" views from MusicBee.

Indeed, as you can see in the screenshots below, when selecting an artist, it displays all of its albums and the tracks of these albums as in "Album and Tracks", but it displays it in a minimalist way, just with # - name - love - duration, without "lines" separating each track, and in columns adapting to the size of the window, as in "Albums covers".

Album and Tracks view from MusicBee



Album Covers view from MusicBee



Hybrid iTunes view




I would really love to see this feature in MusicBee, it is the last thing keeping me from migrating to this great software !
Excuse my eventual mistakes in English, and keep on doing such a great work

[phred]

If I'm understanding correctly what you wish to do, simply display the Albums & Tracks view and then open the panel configuration window (click on the box icon to the left of the search bar) > Arrange Panels > drag Thumbnail Browser to the Left Main Panel > Click Panel Settings > select size of thumbnails. Once that's done, click on the header of the thumbnail browser and select what you wish to display.

[vaatimidona]

Hello phred, thank you for your fast answer !

I tried what you explained, but I think that it's not what I meant. (I'm not sure if I'm doing it wrong or if I didn't explain it well).
Here is an edited picture that would represent what I'm trying to mean (it doesn't have to feature the custom colors in the back though) : displaying all albums and tracks when an artist is selected, but in this "minimalist" mode and with columns.



Thank you

[phred]

The instructions I provided should give you what you show in your Hybrid iTunes screenshot. Your latest screenshot looks like Album & Tracks view in the main panel with playing tracks in the right sidebar.

If you now have a layout you like and don't want to lose it while experimenting with new layouts, you can export the layout by clicking in the Menubar View > Import/Export > Export Panel Arrangement. Once you have it saved, I suggest playing with the various panel options via the Panel Configuration settings until you get what you want. Or something close. Using the Import/Export will always allow you to go back to where you started.

[Steven]

@phred, there is a difference in that its sort of like each expanded panel is open

I will probably implement this

[vaatimidona]

Thank you for these pieces of advice, I'll keep on playing with options with my actual display saved
But I think I wasn't very clear. It's my bad, there are many information on these screenshots and I should have cropped them to explain you better what I'm concerned about. I am only talking about the main panel, in the centre, which displays the albums and tracks. And the last screenshot I showed you was only a montage of what I am trying to find.

Anyway, here are more precise explanations, I'm sorry I should have done that in the first place !



Thanks

EDIT : @steven : I just saw your message, thank you !

[psychoadept]

+1, I think this would be great

[fabulario]

+1

[sveakul]

I would really love to see this feature in MusicBee, it is the last thing keeping me from migrating to this great software !
Excuse my eventual mistakes in English, and keep on doing such a great work

+1 for the beautiful new view.  But vaattimidona why waltz when you can rock and roll, don't let one view keep you from migrating NOW

The old adage "it sounds the best" gets thrown around a lot, but I use several players for this and that, call it a hobby I guess, but of all of them MusicBee SOUNDS the best, and that's with all using WASAPI and same VST plugins.  I think it's the equalizer and how it interacts with the VST host and the internal mixer in general.  Just do it, you won't regret it.  Oh yeah it LOOKS best too

[vaatimidona]

Thanks guys

@ sveakul : aha, then I guess I don't have a choice if it's the best in every way ! ^^ I am actually customizing it and looking at all the options and parameters it has ... but the migration is coming !

[Steven]

i have included an iTunes like grid layout. It will be the default for new users. To use it, in the Album and Tracks view customisations, you now have a choice between "compact grid" and "detailed list" (what you would be using now)

http://musicbee.niblseed.com/V3_2/MusicBee32_Patched.zip
unzip and replace the existing files

A note to skin developers, if the alternating rows in the main panel are configured to a different colour, the alternating row colours will be used. Otherwise MB separates each row with a single underline using an auto-generated colour.

Also both variations of the Album and Tracks view now fully support drag/ drop in playlists

[redwing]

How about separating it to another view to configure the layout of each view more usefully?
If not, then support separate settings for the two views.
- A header poses a problem as it can't be disabled in the compact layout. Also you have to keep changing the header tag when changing the view between the two.
- Not possible to choose tags to get displayed in the sub-header and track list.
- Tab-specific layout doesn't remember the view setting.

[redwing]

Also give an option to show header & sub-header above the artwork, not at the right of it.

[Steven]

Also you have to keep changing the header tag when changing the view between the two.

i dont understand that - can you explain some more

As a general point, i am not willing to make this view super-configurable as you already have the older Album & Tracks view which is very configurable. Making the album sub-header fields configurable is something i would consider but not the track fields

I will check out why the tab-specific layout isnt working

[redwing]

For instance, you show "Album" header in detailed view. But it's not necessary in compact view as it currently always shows it.