New Compact Player Layout

[Steven]

The biggest reason I'm constantly going back to main player mode is search box.

you can activate the search box - right click/ Search/ Text Search (alt-F default hotkey)

[Alexis]

Personally, I would voice that I would prefer the spectrum visualizer to either be (a) the same the same colour as the rest of the fill area, OR (b)that it be incorporated into a taller playbar and have the playbar background.

The good thing with (a)   is that the color changes depends on the artist picture, and no matter the skin, there won't be any conflict regarding visibility.

(b) Runs the risk of the skin conflicting with a color chosen by the artist picture... so this would mean that moving it to the playbar would then require removing the spectrum bar color  changing feature, unless you can override possible conflicts.  
Therefore, the skin makers would determine the color of the spectrum visualizer.

Doing (b), I think would also require the removal of the top skinner bar, so the image looks more free above the playbar, as if they are emerging from the player.  Not trapped between two bars.

Regarding  navigating the playlist:

I personally have no problems with it (But I may not be the best judge since I am so accustomed to theatermode),  but it may not be a bad idea to have the now-playing assistant as an option when one right-clicks on the artist picture area,  instead of just 'customize panel settings'.  (I know it is also available from the top bar and the bottom)

[redwing]

The biggest reason I'm constantly going back to main player mode is search box.

you can activate the search box - right click/ Search/ Text Search (alt-F default hotkey)

You mean on Now Playing list? Yes, but probably pressing Alt-J to launch NP assistant is quicker than that.
But still they are not as instant as auto-hide panel and can't search across filters. That's why I rather go back to main player.

[psychoadept]

couple of questions:
- do you like that the spectrum visualiser is displayed in a different colour band (artist picture view only) ? I have tried it myself using the same colour as the rest of the fill area and the reason its done the way it is is to make the fill area seem less large

My preference would be for having it the same color as the rest of the player.   The different color makes it look tacked on, to me.  But I haven't seen it the other way, so maybe I'd agree with you once I saw it.  The other thought I had was that if you were going to use a different background color for that piece, you could blend it with a gradient instead of the sharp line.  I also think it needs a little bit of a dividing line at the bottom, so that it *doesn't* blend in with the player if they happen to be the same color.

[redwing]

Another way is to pick up a skin override if it exists, otherwise to use the current colors.

[Steven]

http://musicbee.niblseed.com/V2_1/MusicBee_Exe_Patched.zip
has the following changes:
- improved wavebar (still not ideal as it really needs skin overrides for more interesting colours and i had one song that had some funny visual effects but most are better)
- experiment with the visualiser background colour (colour band effect removed)

[Bee-liever]

- improved wavebar (still not ideal as it really needs skin overrides for more interesting colours and i had one song that had some funny visual effects but most are better)
- experiment with the visualiser background colour (colour band effect removed)

I like the new wave bar, has a sense of 'movement' to it. Almost like it's vibrating

I wonder what the visualiser would look like if you incorporated it into the top of the player bar, but still used the current colour picking for the visualiser bars themselves? Would the player bar be to 'chunky'? Or is it possible to generate a colour that is somewhere between the player bar background colour and the colour generated from the Artist pic?

[psychoadept]

Really like the latest changes!

[Alexis]

Thank you Steven!

The removal of the background bar seems to be the right decision.  Looks sooooo much cleaner.

I am not sure on the wave bar as yet..  it seems a bit fuzzy to almost affecting the eyes,  but definitely an improvement imo over the previous.

I know that you have the capability but I just wanted to share an image so that I know we are all seeing the same thing.

Man, the spectrum visualizer looks sexy here:

[psychoadept]

...don't suppose there's any way to apply replay gain tags to the waveform, so they're all about the same size?

Also, now I find that I miss the gradient on the artist images that don't have it.  Maybe you could do a smaller gradient right at the bottom of those?

There've been a couple of cases in which the bars of the spectrum visualizer seemed a really random color, but aside from those tiny kinds of things, it all looks great.

[Bee-liever]

There doesn't seem to be as much variation in colour with the bars on the visualiser in 2.1.4825 as before,
but when it it does work out right - it certainly works out right

[Alexis]

I am guessing this looks like poo because it is copy and paste work, and you guys knowing more about the wave bar may feel different, but aside from the color.. any thoughts  to a bar type enhancement sorta like what is shown below?

[SimonBRT]

...don't suppose there's any way to apply replay gain tags to the waveform, so they're all about the same size?

Sorry, whilst I understand your logic here scampbll, I have to -1.  The size of the wavebar says a lot about how the track was mastered which is one of my main reasons for using it.

[jistme]

Just voicing my probably more 'Spartan' personal opinion;

I liked the 'old' wavebar for it's no-nonsense clean looks.
It also fitted the rest of the layout very well.
I feel the latest suggestions (and implementation?) are not consistent with the current clean look and feel, and are mainly eye-candy and not an improvement or a solution to any problem.

A big + for all work, efforts and suggestions, but a -1 for the current outcome.

[Alexis]

Just voicing my probably more 'Spartan' personal opinion;

I liked the 'old' wavebar for it's no-nonsense clean looks.
It also fitted the rest of the layout very well.
I feel the latest suggestions (and implementation?) are not consistent with the current clean look and feel, and are mainly eye-candy and not an improvement or a solution to any problem.

A big + for all work, efforts and suggestions, but a -1 for the current outcome.

Respectable feedback.