Tinted Modules
Nikolozi
There was a lot of discussion on the Audiobus Forum about adding the ability to tint or set colour to each module: https://forum.loopypro.com/discussion/comment/1386136#Comment_1386136
- Either Mela will auto-colour modules from different categories
- Or the user will colour modules manually
- Or provide both capabilities
- Maybe ideally, Mela will auto-colour and then the user can override.
- The assumption is that the preset will save the overridden colours. And so if the preset is shared, the user loading the preset might see colours chosen that don't match their desired preference.
- The simplest approach must be taken with the least number of rules.
- There is also a somewhat related feature request, which focuses more on modulation, but both feature requests probably should be addressed at the same time: https://mela-feedback.nikolozi.com/feature-requests/p/add-html-colour-for-modules-that-also-show-on-modulations
Some considerations:
- How will this affect the themes?
- It might be a better approach just to drop theme support and instead provide light and dark themes, that way it will be harder for the user to get in a situation where they open a preset and all of a sudden some modules are harder to see.
- Do we allow arbitrary colours? It might be better to provide a set colour that the user can select, and those colours can always be tested to remain compatible with the rest of the interface. And there might be slightly different versions of those colours depending on the light or dark theme.
- It should be noted that I often get emails from Mela users telling me how much they love the ability to create custom themes, so I need to be careful. Because this feature request is in direct conflict with custom themes. Maybe there's a solution for this, but it's not an obvious one.
Attached is an example provided by Ailerom
Update:
The feature appears to be a bit controversial, and at the moment, there's no clear agreement on how the feature should work exactly. One big question is, should the colouring be part of the preset or the user's local settings?Jon Diercks
My opinion:
- KEEP CUSTOM THEMES! :-)
- Expand themes to include some options for different default colors on modules by category or even individual modules by name
- Allow theme colors to be overridden per-module within a preset
- Provide a function to remove all color overrides from a preset (so if I import a preset from someone else, I can easily change all colors back to my theme)
One of the best things about Mela for me is the elegant balance of form and function. The UI is aesthetically gorgeous while still being intuitive and efficient to operate. Everyone has different expectations around this (beauty in the eye of the beholder...) but I think part of the reason this topic is controversial is that people already love the way Mela looks, and they don't want anything to "ruin" it. :-)