Tango :: small fixes + Master/Head mixer toggle

[ronso0]

Bug 1707991 samplers don't scale well: Time to load and shut down Mixxx increases perceptibly if skins are loaded with a total of 64 sample decks.

This is a quick workaround that reduces the number of available sample decks to 16, and introduces a second version of the skin with 64 sample decks. Both versions are identical, except the number of available sample decks, of course.

The number of samplers is set in three places in skin.xml only:

• <attribute config_key="[Master],num_samplers">16</attribute>
  defines the number of samplers available in the engine
• <Template src="skin:skin_settings_sampler_rows_16.xml"/>
  this is a Singleton definition that loads the respective row selection button for the skin's settings menu
• <Template src="skin:sample_decks_16.xml"/>
  this loads the appropriate sample decks template

When changing Tango in the future, just work on the now-standard version with 16 samplers, "Tango".
When all changes are in place

• delete the original 64-samplers version
• add a copy of the 16-samplers version to /res/skins, name it "Tango (64 sample decks)"
• change "16" to "64" in all three places listed above

---

This PR also contains some fixes some bugs that slipped through my fingers in the previous PR:

• some old COs in skin settings menu, some typos (now 4 FX units are available again :)
• consolidate some COs so that visibility settings persist when switching skins
• right-hand decks' track time is now aligned properly when set to 'symmetrical"
• use Q also for main Cue point mark on waveforms
• minor changes behind the scenes that reduce flickering when components are shown/hidden

One of the first things I did when I started working on Tango: remove Master & Headphone controls, they are (hard-wired) on my controller and superflous in the skin.
So to complete the "controller focus" of Tango I added a toggle to hide those controls from top bar, as well as a icon in case you want them back. CO is [Tango],master_mixer and "1" by default.

[MK-42]

No more 'mixxx is not responding' under gnome3 with the 16 Samplers version. Thats nice, shutdown time is reasonable now.

What I noticed (also in current master): when you toggle the Channel-Mixer, the top-bar buttons will jump outwards on larger screens, for me that feels strange. I like the spacing that produces between crossfader and buttons with channel-mixers, but I think the spacing could also be used if they are not shown.

[ronso0]

What I noticed (also in current master): when you toggle the Channel-Mixer, the top-bar buttons will jump outwards on larger screens, for me that feels strange.

The quick toggles are supposed to be aligned with the decks (excl. mixer or cover/spinny) and on small screens they're always aligned to decks incl. mixer. Both makes sense, especially when the stacked waveforms are hidden.
I didn't expect users would renounce a big spinny/cover when the screen allows it ;)

For small screens (<1260px) I'll keep it as is, and for big screens I'll just ditch the alignment, it's to complicated anyway.

[daschuer]

This just duplicates the whole skin right? Not a very good idea for repository size and maintenance.
A Version with just a duplicated skin file would work for me.
I think I will Implement the view menu version, to get around this.

[Be-ing]

I agree that duplicating the skins is not a good idea because it creates a big maintenance burden. I don't think the view menu is the right place for this option either. IMO we should work towards removing the top menu bar, not add more to it. I think the preferences would be a better place, so let's finish up #1377 first.

[ronso0]

This just duplicates the whole skin right? Not a very good idea for repository size and maintenance.
A Version with just a duplicated skin file would work for me.
I think I will Implement the view menu version, to get around this.

Sure, it would be way more efficient to just swap skin.xml. But considering a) this is a temporary workaround until your proposal is in place b) size of master is ~400MB and c) any skin is <1MB, I think this okay for now, and avoids complaints.

Also I think the View menu is not a good place for this option. All existing controls there react instantly (except rescanning Library and dev options), but switching sampler count reloads the whole skin and would therefore unexpectedly make the GUI unresponsive for at least a couple of seconds, on slow machines maybe half a minute. Let's put this option to Preferences > Interface. If this window is open, users won't expect the GUI to be accessible.

[daschuer]

I think I have found a better solution: Lazy loading for singleton containers.
This way we do not need even a preferences option.

[Be-ing]

That sounds like a good idea. 👍

[Be-ing]

Hmm, that will still require wasting RAM for the samplers that are not shown because those still need to be created before the skin widgets can connect to the COs. But the startup and shutdown times should improve.

[ronso0]

Lazy loading for singleton containers.
Sounds fun! What does it mean?

[daschuer]

That the skin is parsed only if the container is switched to visible.

[ronso0]

@daschuer
The fixes presented here should really be in the beta.
Should I roll back the 16/64 samplers modification (delete 2nd directory and 64-version just Tango) or do we merge this as well?

[Be-ing]

Should I roll back the 16/64 samplers modification (delete 2nd directory and 64-version just Tango) or do we merge this as well?

Please revert the changes to the samplers.

[ronso0]

okay, now this only contains

• some old COs in skin settings menu, some typos (now 4 FX units are available again :)
• consolidate some COs so that visibility settings persist when switching skins
• right-hand decks' track time is now aligned properly when set to 'symmetrical"
• use Q also for main Cue point mark on waveforms
• minor changes behind the scenes that reduce flickering when components are shown/hidden

and a toggle for Master/Headphone mixer in top bar

[daschuer]

Please rabase -i this on upstream master and remove the duplicating skin commits.
This avoids that everyone has these big size binary commits in the git history to eternity.
Thank you.

[ronso0]

Please rabase -i this on upstream master and remove the duplicating skin commits.

Done.
Today I learned another way not create a mess in the first place...

[daschuer]

Super, thank you.