AmpGUI DP Themes (now at AMPGUIMODS.NET)

[amplidood]

It already is sort of a modular system. You just have to look and see what .png's are used where. Perhaps I will create another guide similar to the .xml guide. Available by donation, of course I'm not sure about putting more folders in the Supplemental one. That would be purely dependent on the code DP uses to link to those files in the first place. There is one direction I could go in, however, that would make the whole thing pretty flexible...

So far there's no problem. What I do to try different elements is rename the original pngs with a .orig in the supplemental folder and then just option drag from another folder of "Nice GUI" elements that I created. Assuming that it's drawing from the root folder like a standard XTML app then it's just ignoring what isn't in it's code. I've even created sizably larger files in Fireworks and PS (say 200k vs 20k original) that have worked fine.
Anyway, my simple point was going back to when I first found and followed this thread before I upgraded. When people were asking about one subtle change or another, you're response was (paraphrasing) "unfortunately you can't please everyone".
My suggestion of a mod-mod release (with future releases of new design elements) would give you a way to make money, er, ah, donations, doing something really valuable while solving the "you can't please everyone" issue. A good business model.
Hey as a new business consultant, I'd normally be billing you right now <g>.

No no no, I totally understood what you were saying, and I agree with it all. What I forgot to mention in my post was that the main obstacle to changing the business model is MOTU's EULA. Donations are the only way to get around it. If I tried to charge directly for anything it would get complicated very quickly. Ultimately I was hoping for MOTU to just come out and say "Do whatever you want, charge whatever you want, you are making our customers happy", but they haven't. What they *have* done is begun to open up parameters that were hidden before, which is encouraging to me. I'm just hoping it can open up a little further...

[amplidood]

Andy, the picture of your "Sleek mod" looks with a nice grey background overview, I downloaded the Sleek 7.1 version and the background overview is still white.

BTW, any chance to have the Gold 1.1 for 7.1? that's my favorite!

Best regards.

delcosmos.

Fixed, thanks for catching that. And Gold will be my next target!!

[amplidood]

Nostalgia 7.1v1 available. Also new 7.02v1.

[amplidood]

Gold 7.1v1 and new 7.02v1 available.

[James Steele]

Ultimately I was hoping for MOTU to just come out and say "Do whatever you want, charge whatever you want, you are making our customers happy", but they haven't.

Your breath... don't hold it. I'm sure both of us can think of numerous reasons MOTU won't and can't make such a public statement to that effect. I would wager they are aware of the mods by now and if they haven't contacted you about them, then you can read the subtext of that. But I would never expect them to officially endorse it.

I'm seriously considering expanding MOTUNATION to be more of a "site" than just a forum, but in a very modest way, like UnicorNation used to be years ago. That is to say, a few different areas of the site in addition to the forum. One area would be links to DP/DAW resources. Another would be organized pages of the best online, home-brew YouTube tutorial videos that I and others would select out of the many poor ones. (Let's just say most of the Expert Village videos wouldn't make the cut! LOL). Then another area might be screen shots of available mods with links to author's sites such as your own and iPerformer's.

This last feature of course is one that might be touchy. The last thing I want to do is run afoul of MOTU's desires in that regard. For all the flack they take on the forum, I want everybody here to be aware of just HOW COOL MOTU HAS BEEN TO UNICORNATION/MOTUNATION over the years. They have allowed me to appropriate some of their logo artwork for the sites, given us a link on their Support page at their web site, and NEVER ONCE have they attempted to influence the content here. They take a lot of guff, but I'm not sure all of the users here at this site appreciate just how good they've been as a company as far as being hands off what we do here. You can say that they don't post as much, but really I think that it's due nothing more to the fact that given the competition they deal with and the size of the company, they're all just too damned busy. If you worked at MOTU and put in 8 hour days (and trust me, I know some MOTU folks and that's a short day for them), the last thing you'd feel like doing is coming here and talking shop when you're not on the clock. I suspect Magic Dave pipes in here on his own time, which is testament to his interest and dedication and I'm grateful to him for that. With any luck I may get some unofficial "hint" from them about their feelings about creating a mod section to this site, as I'm hesitant to put to much time into that, lest it bother them. Again, I think the best thing to do is just be low profile about it as we are doing, and they're cool with it.

I have wondered though frankly if there might be an opportunity for MOTU to get out ahead of the curve on this issue and consider mods a SELLING POINT compared to other DAWs, perhaps creating some sort of toolkit that would allow users to mix and match interface elements and then save skins as a special file format that users could trade. While Logic, Cubase, Pro Tools users are stuck with whatever the programmer's aesthetic choices are, DP could be that app that could look like whatever the user wants. Who's to say that couldn't be marketed on the back cover of EM? "Digital Performer-- personalize it to YOUR tastes!"

BTW, by now most of us know that our bud Kwiz who is a longtime member of this forum was featured on MOTU's site and in the photo of him in front of his rig, his copy of DP was modded!

P.S. On a personal note to Amplidood. Bro... my donation is this thread. Can you hook a brother, up??? I lovin' the fact that you can choose a color for the Track Overview background now!

[amplidood]

P.S. On a personal note to Amplidood. Bro... my donation is this thread. Can you hook a brother, up??? I lovin' the fact that you can choose a color for the Track Overview background now!

That's the biggest evidence that they are moving towards opening DP to mods. They made the parameters available to change several things I've been wanting to mess with since the beginning.

And man, what you need from me?? Name it!!! I know you've been doing the "public service" with this board for a long time, and it's not lost on me. Thanks for all you do.

[delcosmos]

Andy, how can I get the Colored "tracks overview" background of "Gold Complete" in "Gold 1.1?

I love the Gold 1.1 but I don't like it's white background overview.

Is there something I can copy from the "supplemental" folder of Gold Complete in to the "Supplemental" folder of Gold 1.1?

Best regards.

Armando.

[amplidood]

Andy, how can I get the Colored "tracks overview" background of "Gold Complete" in "Gold 1.1?
I love the Gold 1.1 but I don't like it's white background overview.
Is there something I can copy from the "supplemental" folder of Gold Complete in to the "Supplemental" folder of Gold 1.1?
Best regards.
Armando.

Yes, you could just copy the EditorContentBackground and TkvGridBackgroundColor parameters from GoldComplete's DefaultStyle.xml into Gold's, but not the entire file.

Just grab this and put it in Gold's Supplemental folder...http://b4.s3.p.quickshareit.com/files/d ... pe4869.zip

[delcosmos]

Thank you Andy.

You Rock.

Armando.

[jimagine]

I have wondered though frankly if there might be an opportunity for MOTU to get out ahead of the curve on this issue and consider mods a SELLING POINT compared to other DAWs, perhaps creating some sort of toolkit that would allow users to mix and match interface elements and then save skins as a special file format that users could trade. While Logic, Cubase, Pro Tools users are stuck with whatever the programmer's aesthetic choices are, DP could be that app that could look like whatever the user wants. Who's to say that couldn't be marketed on the back cover of EM? "Digital Performer-- personalize it to YOUR tastes!"

My point exactly James. MOTU is a demonstrably intelligent company but as good an idea as this may be, it doesn't mean it sits anywhere near the top of there priorities. I don't want to get into the "this is what I do" stuff, but that's one of the things that the company I built does - product development and marketing. So as someone that is both a producer using the tools, and a developer and marketer of the same...it's a no brainer concept. I hate trite aphorisms like win/win, but the first DAW with a customizable user interface is home run stuff.

[amplidood]

I'd like to poll you guys to find out which mods you're using the most. It would be very helpful in prioritizing my efforts and not leave anyone out.

Please don't post here, email me at amplidood@gmail.com with your votes. Thanks!!

[amplidood]

"Idleness is to the human mind like rust to iron."
Ezra Cornell

[corbo-billy]

WHAOuuhhh !!!.. change of tone, color _

[amplidood]

Snow 7.1v1 and 7.02v1 available...

[Shooshie]

"Idleness is to the human mind like rust to iron."
Ezra Cornell

Shooshie Likee!