theme FLAT_WHITE (2021.12)

[ceakay]

I'm enjoying that theme a lot. Great work!

[Jean]

Thanks very much for the FLATWHITE theme Colin. Really enjoying it!

[tparker24]

On 10/20/2020 at 7:04 PM, Colin Nicholls said:

Please let me know if you spot something that doesn't work in the context of the theme.

I'm enjoying the Flat White theme very much.  I did run into one little problem, though.

This is with the "Clip header indicators" on MIDI clips.  (Clip indicators are those little icons on the top right of the clip, that show things like double-click action preference, FX presence, and several others).

As shown below, on an unselected clip, the indicators are "white on white" and are very hard to read.   Similarly,   on a selected clip, the indicators are "black on black" and also hard to read.

Thanks for any advice or modifications.

[Colin Nicholls]

@tparker24, you're not wrong. I noticed this a while back, and put in on the list for addressing. And then.... I forgot. I normally use "Maximize Waveform Height"so it dropped off my radar. Sorry about that. Thanks for reminding me.

I've updated the top post with details, and refreshed the ZIP.

 

[tparker24]

1 hour ago, Colin Nicholls said:

I've updated the top post with details, and refreshed the ZIP.

Working great now!   Thanks so much.

[garybrun]

Just had to say well done on your theme.
Looks great and many thanks for taking the time to make it.
Appreciated.

Gary

[Daniel Liebtag]

I LOVE this theme.

Thank you!

[Paul Conroy]

this is my default theme now!
thanks

[Michael Fogarty]

thank you. Will give it a go as we speak. Much appreciated.

[Colin Nicholls]

ZIP updated with 1.0.4, with changes to Control Bar Select Module for 2021.01.

Backward-compatible with 2020.11 and earlier, if you don't mind some extra white space in the Large size.

[Colin Nicholls]

ZIP updated with 1.0.5 with changes to the Control Bar Tools module, including the Pattern, Mute, Sine, Square, Triangle, Line, etc, tools that were missing from previous releases. The Tool module is now complete!

[Colin Nicholls]

ZIP updated with 1.0.6 with 2021.04 changes to Inspector Tab buttons, including new Tempo Track.

[Terry Kelley]

Thanks for updating this Colin. I can't live without it. Well, I can but prefer not too. Well, I won't do anything drastic but I really like it.

[GreenLight]

Thanks for this theme, it's great! ❤️

I've been using Mercury for many years, but realized this theme increases visibility for many things, including automation. And the flat look also helps readability of the FX names in the FX bin! ?

Is it time-consuming or difficult to learn how to make personal modifications to it with the Theme Editor? I would like to try slightly less dark lines between the tracks in the track view, and also have less saturated colors (I think I'd like pastel) for clips, for example.

Edit: In projects where track colors are set, the clip colors don't match the colors set for the track. Would this be technically possible to achieve? It would make more sense... ?

Edited April 25, 2021 by GreenLight

[Colin Nicholls]

4 hours ago, GreenLight said:

Is it time-consuming or difficult to learn how to make personal modifications to it with the Theme Editor? I would like to try slightly less dark lines between the tracks in the track view, and also have less saturated colors (I think I'd like pastel) for clips, for example.

Edit: In projects where track colors are set, the clip colors don't match the colors set for the track. Would this be technically possible to achieve? It would make more sense... ?

It's not time-consuming once you know what you are doing but there is a learning curve.

For your specific issue, have you tried changing the option under the Track View menu:

View > Display > [X] Display Track Separators

I usually run with that option un-checked, as this specific UI element - Track Separator - is not affected by Theme customization, there just isn't an option for it.

Also, color customization is complicated by an older feature in Cakewalk that interacts/overlays the Theme options. Basically you can load a custom theme, but then any changes from "Normal" under Preferences > Customization > Colors that you've made will overlay or over-ride the Theme elements.

And there are some options under this Customization > Colors area that don't have a matching element in a Theme - the Track View Vertical Beat and Vertical Measure line colors for example.

Regarding the clip colors, this is another case where the Theme sets the default but the Colors preferences can override. And of course, in any project you can then customize the colors on a per-Track and per-Clip basis, which take precedence over any Theme or Color Pref option.

I get what you're saying about preferring pastel shades but you also have to be aware of how Cakewalk will tint, fade, or change these colors based on things that are happening in your project. I recommend reviewing this section of my guide: Clip Colors

Edited April 25, 2021 by Colin Nicholls

[GreenLight]

On 4/25/2021 at 6:25 PM, Colin Nicholls said:

It's not time-consuming once you know what you are doing but there is a learning curve.

Regarding the clip colors, this is another case where the Theme sets the default but the Colors preferences can override. And of course, in any project you can then customize the colors on a per-Track and per-Clip basis, which take precedence over any Theme or Color Pref option.

I get what you're saying about preferring pastel shades but you also have to be aware of how Cakewalk will tint, fade, or change these colors based on things that are happening in your project. I recommend reviewing this section of my guide: Clip Colors

Thank you for your ambitious input and sorry for my late reply.

Oh, it can get a bit complicated then with themes and colors and different overrides. And thanks for the input about Track Separators, I had never seen that in the menu. ? I will check out the clip colors post as well.

I had my first stint at theming this weekend and I can see why you guys do it... it's addictive! It's easy to forget about the music... ?

[Deleted Account]

This theme reminds me now Ableton Live! (Sadly there is no FL Studio theme), but Ableton Live is the easiest DAW which is for me too.

[Terry Kelley]

Hi Colin,

Any chance you will update flat white matcha once the December build settles out?

You added some features that CW should adopt.

Edited December 14, 2021 by Terry Kelley

[Starship Krupa]

On 5/9/2021 at 12:54 PM, GreenLight said:

I had my first stint at theming this weekend and I can see why you guys do it... it's addictive! It's easy to forget about the music... ?

I turn to it when I otherwise get creatively blocked. Toss a junk food movie up on monitor 2 and open Theme Editor and Paint.NET. Even in cases where it is procrastination, at least there is a productive result, and it always makes Cakewalk more fun to use.

I've also found theming to be useful for shining light into the nooks and crannies of Cakewalk that I haven't yet traveled in my usual workflow. If I'm going to bring some theming to Matrix or Step Sequencer, I need to know how they work, what the buttons do. As a result of this, I'm using Step Sequencer more often. Still can't quite get my head around Matrix, but I plan to try some more.

[Colin Nicholls]

12 hours ago, Terry Kelley said:

Hi Colin,

Any chance you will update flat white matcha once the December build settles out?

You added some features that CW should adopt.

I've made the change already but I haven't published it yet. So, yes, as soon as the release drops, I'll update all my themes. Just in case there's a last minute ui change (unlikely, but stil...)