New approach.

[MC_K3NNA]

Hi guys, my name is Alex and I've been using MusicBee for a few years now and I love all the ways I can optimize my music database.
Unfortunately, all these little settings start to get a little overwhelming at some point. On days like this as a graphic designer I miss simpler times and a simpler UI design. I then miss iTunes, which is more visually appealing to me. Even if it cuts down the range of settings significantly.

Yes, we can customize the look of MusicBee using skins - even with limitations. Because to achieve this light and slim design, we'd have to get rid of all the frames that make MB look kind off "blocky" and hard.
So would it even be possible to achieve this kind of lightweight UI design in MB, or is MusicBees' freedom to customize linked to that degree of "stiffness"?

I have some examples of the "lightweight UI design" I was talking about.
You'll find that these UI designers show very nice approaches to what a modern MusicPlayer could look like:

Apple iTunes Redesign Using Google Material
from UIUX Lab






iTunes MaOS — Reimagined 2019
from Kacper Rawluk






Apple OS Future UI Kit - Music Edition
from Aurélien SALOMON








So let me hear what you think about it.
Is it even worth all the effort? Or do you think such a design is beyond MusicBees' capabilities?
I look forward to your ideas and feedback.


Cheers

[MainPapaya]

I would love to see something like this. With full respect to all current MusicBee skin designers, there is a lack of much variety in what's available. This style is right up my street, although I can't speak for how doable it is in MusicBee.

[hiccup]

To me it looks like the OP is looking for some 'MusicBee Light' version of MusicBee?
That certainly cannot be achieved by skinning.
So this topic can probably be closed for this board.

He (or you) could post a request in the Wishlist board for it, but such a request should be very detailed and specific about what features, options and panels you believe can be left out, and what such a 'Light' version should look like.
Just posting nice screenshots of other players will not do much.

[Steven]

To me it looks like the OP is looking for some 'MusicBee Light' version of MusicBee?
That certainly cannot be achieved by skinning.
So this topic can probably be closed for this board.

That's my thoughts as well. Along with if someone want's a simple player with a nice simple layout then there are plenty of other players that already fill that requirement.

[MC_K3NNA]

It's not about slimming down MusicBee - I love the variety of options on MusicBee - but simply about the possibility of making the whole visual appearance a little lighter and cleaner. Hence my question:
would you be able to create the designs I presented with a MusicBee-Skin?

[fred]

PM me - I might be able to help

[hiccup]

Hence my question:
would you be able to create the designs I presented with a MusicBee-Skin?

That certainly cannot be achieved by skinning.

The only things that can be done to resemble some elements of your screenshots are the player bar (but then buttons such as eq. shuffle, repeat etc. would have to be made invisible, which is not advisable), and the specific light colouring of panels.

For getting layouts that resemble the screenshots better, perhaps a Theatre Mode could achieve something more like it.

[MC_K3NNA]

The only things that can be done to resemble some elements of your screenshots are the player bar (but then buttons such as eq. shuffle, repeat etc. would have to be made invisible, which is not advisable), and the specific light colouring of panels.

For getting layouts that resemble the screenshots better, perhaps a Theatre Mode could achieve something more like it.

Well, that's a start!

But I think it's more about the handling of MusicBee, rather than a  "just look, don't touch"- look, as the TheaterMode allows us to do.

Anyway, i wrote fred an PM. Maybe we can find a way to put such a clean style into MusicBee.

[Full_Circle]

@MC_K3NNA, those are some very nice designs in your screenshots. The simplicity and clean lines really appeal to me.

I get what @hiccup and @Steven are saying about this being almost a fundamental change to what MusicBee is and does. But while the suggestion of other "lighter" players out there being available is probably true, they would likely lack most of what MusicBee does so well (offer tons of customisation and ability to handle a sizeable library).

It would be interesting to see if a similarly simple layout and colour scheme in your screenshots could be achieved by way of modifying the panel layouts and applying a certain skin.

One of the reasons I love going through the screenshots thread is to see just how wildly different MusicBee can look with relatively minor adjustments applied to the layout/skin, based on peoples own set-ups and preferences.

[fred]

Google "open source music library software" and what is top of the list MusicBee which is definitely not open source!

As regards Music library + player,with MusicBee we are in a cathedral not a bazaar (see Eric Raymond). So if you want to do anything you have 2 choices:

Take hiccup's Sample Skin as a starter & change every one of the n elements to a colour of your own choosing or download one of       @diego's skin and change what you want. Beware that, for example, there are are 64 (I joke not) named colour items for a skin that basically contains 3 separate colours - black gray & white.

My take: @hiccup was the pioneer. With his skin you could pinpoint what colour went with which UI element but it left unanswered the vital question - if panel x is coloured a,b,c what other panels are coloured a,b.c? In other words is there a object hierarchy or not? In a "clean" object hierarchy if the main window/panel is "x"then every other window/panel in the app would be in some way a descendent of "x". If you examine MusicBee with a UIA tool like UI Spy this is definitely not the case. As there is no documentation on the design, implemention, .., this is the only way to find out how it works. And if I discover that by doing z I can change MusicBee's behaviour how do I publish/share

 As MusicBee is free at the point of use (like the NHS in the UK) we cannot complain about a free product. But if the source were available (with suitable checks) we could make MusicBee ours in the sense that we could tailor it to our own specific needs individually and generally.

As a starter would the moderator start a poll of how many year's IT experience members have/had?

[frankz]

Fact of the matter is that MB is someone's hobby, the fruits of which he has generously shared with the rest of us free of charge. He takes our suggestions as to how to alter it as he sees fit.  I'm amazed he's as responsive as he is, frankly. He certainly doesn't need to be.  He has no reason to keep us happy besides his own spirit of generosity and community.

To have folks endlessly griping about what MusicBee should be but is not in their opinions, or what a user-contributed skin should be but is not for that matter, is uncalled for.

Steven has weighed in on the suggestion that originated this thread. Steven has weighed in on the matter of MusicBee going open source.  That should be the end of the discussion.  MusicBee is his.

If there is a group of disgruntled highly experienced IT experts who wish to have an open source player with all of the functions of MusicBee, their high experience should lend itself quite well to that endeavor outside of this forum.

In my opinion. No polling required.

[fred]

Did you even read what I posted? That is is one thing that that p*sses about this forum - some people seem have an an agenda so you can't even have a civilized conversation - kneejack reaction -> don't engage brain -> be like butthead

[frankz]

I don't engage in name calling or tit-for-tat questions of another's intelligence.  My post stands for itself.

[Steven]

As MusicBee is free at the point of use (like the NHS in the UK) we cannot complain about a free product. But if the source were available (with suitable checks) we could make MusicBee ours in the sense that we could tailor it to our own specific needs individually and generally.

I have already made my position clear on this - just do a forum search for detail or check the FAQ in the Help topic. There are plenty of open source/ simple players available and it seems to me one of those will be the best way forward for you if you want to tailor things to your specific needs.

Back on the original topic, I still havent changed my view that the request is really looking for something that MusicBee is not and which I dont think it should try to be. However I am open to suggestions to add specific styles to skin elements such as the tab style in the screenshot or player bar layout etc

[falso63]

first i must ask to excuse my english it not my first language.

i am amazed and saddened by posts on here.

As regards Music library + player,with MusicBee we are in a cathedral not a bazaar (see Eric Raymond). So if you want to do anything you have 2 choices:

i look up this man eric raymond. same man just banned from two OSI mailing lists following messages whose tone violated the code of conduct? maybe not good example to give.

but fred miss point. more than 2 choices. extra choice is to not use this software. use something that does what he wants.

i think that musicbee is free and is best i use. i like some skins not like others. i make choice which i use. same for software. it not do what i want i go elsewhere. but it do what i want so i stay. i have no right to change software as i not own it. simple as that. if i want it look different i make skin. if i can not make skin i use one available. if skin not what i want it to be i must live with or go different software.

i not see skins from fred or mc_3kenna on list. if they do not make skin how they make software? how they can expect be allowed to make changes?

sorry i speak long but this get me angry when steven make this in his own time and not charge. i think should be greatful.