Small issue: can't get rid of gradient

I finally got back to the mothership and have begun testing WL8. So far it seems to play along quite nicely (even the “crash when hitting space with no file loaded” is gone). I have however encountered one small problem: I am unable to get rid of the …slightly annoying main window gradient. If I uncheck the “Use gradient” all new windows are fine, but the original one still has it. I tried the obvious, splitting the window and closing the “first”, but that doesn’t work. Ideas?

This is obviously a minor issue, but any input is appreciated.

r,
j,

Picture welcome, to see what you mean.

Screenshot:

r,
j,

The difference is on purpose: the gradient one is an hint to designate the tab area with the focus.

Ah. So it’s not possible to turn it off altogether? Oh well, I’ll just keep a wave loaded to cover it up :smiley:

Thanks,
j,

I was hoping for a much better designed GUI but I guess it was not in the plans.

Wavelab looks somewhat dated and tired and I think having the ability to change “skins” would be welcomed by a vast majority of users. The program works GREAT (Thanks P.G.) but the GUI could stand some updating and refinement.

I was hoping for a much better designed GUI

“All tastes are in the nature”. There has been a fair number of positive comments on the new look of WaveLab 8, in this forum. I also had elsewhere comments such as “don’t go away from the current design”. And there are persons like you who have other tastes.
To keep as many people satisfied, I guess I will have to provide more customization in the future.

I quite like the current look of Wavelab and have no opinion of the word ‘dated’. It’s a discussion that can’t be won; see how Apple - supposedly graphic design front runner (ha! not my words for sure) - uses a wooden bookshelf, a 50s style TV, a gearbox and yellow ‘paper’ to identify e-books, youtube, settings and notes, respectively… User’s choice is never bad ofcourse, so nothing against customization here.

I agree.

I also think, for a lot of us, we got use to the way WL looked (I have been using it since version 1.6) and when the new WL7 came out were expecting some pretty nice GUI updates. It never happened and some things like the master section actually looked worse. When WL8 came out we, the users, again had the expectations of a somewhat updated GUI. Unfortunately no real changes and in fact some of the GUI customization that was in earlier versions of WL were, for some strange reason, taken away.

I love and have always loved WL but I think there are some things that need to be changed and the GUI is one of them.

PRAISES all around for PG and WL.

If in some future version we could have the ability to customize WL’s appearance it would be a GREAT!

Yes - but at least Apple uses graphics from this century. Their 50’s bookshelf is at least a good “looking” 50’s bookshelf - not one that was included in OS1.5.

I do not think any one of us is ever worried about how WL functions - it’s king of it’s domain - but the 1995 icons, graphics and ultra antiquated tab controls - with the Wavelab 1.0x crude/jagged rounded corners like at the bottom of the WAV window (Waveform, Spectrum, Loudness) are a constant source of annoyance to me.

No other tabs in the entire system look like these cheesy things - and these have been there - like forever.

Said it before and will say it again - this application would literally look brand new - if someone would do nothing but change the look of the toolbars, icons, buttons and tab controls to be at least 2010 era.

VP

Once tabs were designed that looked like, well, tabs, it became impossible for people to make “new” designs without making them less so. As a result some (not all, granted) features of modern GUIs are actually less clear and less functional than older ones. Change for the sake of looking modern is change for the worse possible reason.

As a UI designer - consistency is paramount over anything else - modern or otherwise.

But since “modern” tabs are rampant all over the WL program - would it kill PG to make these tabs use the same tab control as the rest of the program?

VP

If you look carefully, you will see that these tabs need to be smaller. Moreover, they have a very different role. Hence it’s not bad to have a different look.

A different role? And what exactly do they do that is any different than any other tab - besides letting me tab between the three options?


VP

The other tabs switches between files, or between tool windows. Having different visual hints for these different functions is a plus IMO.

+1 and they’re nice and small so they don’t take up too much vertical space.

Yes, yes and yes -

I’m looking so much forward to more customization as PG is aware of is needed.
Especially regarding color, which for me as things are now is unfortunately not a small issue…

Mads Lj