Quinto Black CT - New Winamp Modern skin

[ChozoSR388]

Hey, listen here, quit updating so often

Also, I saw the CD in album art has a label now. Is there any merit to thinking that may or not mean disc label art some time in the future?

[PeterK.]

What about such pseudo-3D-look for Main Player and other components?

[Aminifu]

Looks great for the Main Player! Not so sure about the other components. I assume you will provide an on/off option for each.

[ariszlo]

Looks great! Will this be a new Quinto skin or a continuation of Quinto Black CT?

[Dr.Flay]

In v2.6. I can't see a number in the crossfade box in the equaliser.

[PeterK.]

Originally Posted by ariszlo

Looks great! Will this be a new Quinto skin or a continuation of Quinto Black CT?

Now THIS is a very good question which also crossed my mind. I am still planning on making a poll so all of you could decide: should we keep the old fashioned 2D look or switch to 3D?

Originally Posted by Dr.Flay

In v2.6. I can't see a number in the crossfade box in the equaliser.

Very good Dr.Flay. Now please find the other component with missing digits.

The width and height for this so called bitmap font file are wrong. I will fix it for the upcoming 2.7 version.

[PeterK.]

And this is how some other components would look like:



I am aware of the fact that creating such fake perspective is only possible by having different vanishing points, which is impossible while displaying several 3D objects on the same plane. The proper approach for that challenge should be like this: As soon as we place two components next to each other we make a perspective view, which "ends" in one and only vanishing point somewhere on the horizon and should look like in this following example:



And this is in our project just not doable.

At the end having such a 3D option would be nice gimmick within the skin. But is it good enough to create a brand new one?

[Dr.Flay]

Found it !
The Frequency Response Graph (I never use the builtin equaliser so may never have seen it unless you had said something).

[PeterK.]

And this is what I made last weekend and will add to the upcoming version of my skin:



P.S. Yes, those white "wheels" will rotate during playback.

[Dr.Flay]

Cool addition, but why a basic ferrous oxide tape ?
I would suggest an upgrade to something high end like a metal type IV Thats tape.
They look cool, and the high recording ranges available more closely reflect the higher quality audio we commonly have.
Minor point obviously, but fun, and the tapes we all really wanted.

https://tapetardis.wordpress.com/tag/thats/
https://www.adelcom.net/ThatsTape.htm
http://vintagecassettes.com/triad_thats/triad_thats.htm

At least consider a TDK SA 90 ? or something from the chrome and metal options

[gaekwad2]

AR isn't a basic tape either. It's a highly regarded super ferric that can take almost the same levels as type IV tape.
[/extreme_nerdiness]

[ariszlo]

Originally Posted by PeterK.

And this is what I made last weekend and will add to the upcoming version of my skin...

That's too new for going retro. Why not reel-to-reel?

[PeterK.]

Originally Posted by ariszlo

That's too new for going retro. Why not reel-to-reel?

Because my retro skin originates mainly from this period of time. And reel-to-reel would replace the Main Player and I am not sure I would like it now.

A brand new skin - just a reel-to-reel component - a high definition and high resolution drawing - nothing else - we could talk about it.

[PeterK.]

Originally Posted by Dr.Flay

Cool addition, but why a basic ferrous oxide tape ?
...

Originally Posted by gaekwad2

AR isn't a basic tape either ...

Adding such cassette feature is merely for our "visual amusement" regardless if the tape is ferric-, chrome-, or metal-type. We could discuss whether choosing a transparent version like this one would be a better idea. It looks slightly better and cooler but having transparent case seems not always to be the better choice. You might "lose" a lot of details while having a transparent cassette on your desktop. In order to prevent such loss we might add an opaque background. In the end we would have a transparent tape case with opaque background for better visual experience.

[PeterK.]

Should I add two options to the cassette feature, namely

- light (during playback)
- transparent background?

[ariszlo]

Originally Posted by PeterK.

Should I add two options to the cassette feature, namely

- light (during playback)
- transparent background?

Yes, please do. Transparent background would make it realistic and backlight animation would be fun.

A request: could you make it with less shadows? Too many shadows make the contours blurred.

[PeterK.]

Originally Posted by ariszlo

... A request: could you make it with less shadows? Too many shadows make the contours blurred.

You mean the shadows around the cassette?

[ariszlo]

Yes.

[PeterK.]

Originally Posted by ariszlo

... A request: could you make it with less shadows?...

Like this?



P.S. Please remember that the desktop wallpaper plays an important part in your "visual experience". On some the shadow will be more subtle, on others more visible/darker. Pretty hard to hit the "golden mean" here.

[ariszlo]

Oh my! No blur at all. It is just that my browser enlarged the image to 550x351. When I click on the thumbnail and view the image in its original size, it is all right. Looks gorgeous!

[PeterK.]

There is a post in which a user requests the deletion of the time next to the artist and song title in the songticker. Ariszló pointed correctly that changing songticker to text would mean losing the scroll functionality.

But!

What about we hide the time while having Songticker Scrolling option off? (for those of us who do not activate modern nor classic scrolling)

[ariszlo]

Okay.

[PeterK.]

@Ariszló: Do you know a skin which uses bitmap font file (like Winamp Modern and Quinto) but shows the artist and title in the form: Depeche Mode - Strange Love - instead of DEPECHE MODE - STRANGE LOVE?

[ariszlo]

No. Afaik, the whole range of characters that you can have in a Winamp bitmap font is what you have in font_songticker.png. In fact, it is even less because if the song info text contains any of the three accented letters from row three then the TrueType font specified in altfont is used instead or if none is specified then the default TrueType font.

[PeterK.]

Question: how do I make songticker use a TrueType font? Apparently Arial is always shown regardless of my font="..." parameter.

[ariszlo]

If it is a system font then you just give the filename of the font in the songticker tag like this:

PHP Code:

font="comic.ttf" 


If it is a freely distributable font (like Lobster) that you put into Quinto's fonts directory then:

PHP Code:

<elements>
  <truetypefont id="lobster.font" file="fonts/Lobster.ttf"/>
</elements> 


And in the songticker tag:

PHP Code:

font="lobster.font" 


[PeterK.]

Originally Posted by ariszlo

If it is a system font then you just give the filename of the font in the songticker tag like this:

PHP Code:

font="comic.ttf" 


Got it! So the missing extension was the reason for not showing. Thank you.

[bennyboy]

Hi Peter. I'm absolutely loving the new graphics - the 3D look is incredible! But... can you please PLEASE make it so that the wood-effect "cheeks" of the main player and the system components are all of the same dimensions so the line up neatly, and that all the components snap to each other regardless of what order the user "stacks" them? It is literally the ONLY thing that has been niggling at me since I first started using you awesome skin. :-) Keep up the mind blowing work. Without WACUP skinned with Quinto I'd be forced to use a clone instead of sticking to my roots!

[bennyboy]

*they
*your
^^^
(typing too fast!)

[PranksterBear]

Loving this skin!
Any chance for a shade mode?

I have been using Bento for so long because it allows me to use a shade, and when I'm on the laptop, I love being able to have Winamp in shade mode at the top of the screen for easy access!

[ariszlo]

PeterK. has not been around since January 28, 2019. During his absence, he published Quinto Black CT v2.7 at Winaero.

Earlier, whenever he had published a new version Quinto Black CT, he announced it here.

Winaero's Sergey Tkachenko informs us that according to PeterK. "the future of the skin now depends on Radionomy and what they are going to do with Winamp."

[Marcos]

Originally Posted by bennyboy

Hi Peter. I'm absolutely loving the new graphics - the 3D look is incredible! But... can you please PLEASE make it so that the wood-effect "cheeks" of the main player and the system components are all of the same dimensions so the line up neatly, and that all the components snap to each other regardless of what order the user "stacks" them? It is literally the ONLY thing that has been niggling at me since I first started using you awesome skin. :-) Keep up the mind blowing work. Without WACUP skinned with Quinto I'd be forced to use a clone instead of sticking to my roots!

You can manually size any module via preset percentage or use custom slider for precision.

[MourningStar]

1. 'Hide' light reflection on side panel non-function for playlist editor and spectrum analyzer.
(possibly others, I only use these 2)

2. Unable to locate Album Art missing (from Main Menu).

[Aminifu]

Originally Posted by MourningStar

...

2. Unable to locate Album Art missing (from Main Menu).

There are 4 buttons on the left-hand side of the main player window (above the playback control buttons). The 1st is for opening and closing the Playlist Editor window, the 2nd is for opening and closing the Media Library window, the 3rd is for opening and closing the Equalizer window, and the 4th is for opening and closing the Album Cover (art) window.

[MourningStar]

^
Thank you Aminifu. Hmmm, ... unfortunate that the window has a size limit (700x700 max.????)

[MourningStar]

Originally Posted by PeterK.

... In case there is a size you do not find in this list and which you would find useful, please let me know and I will add it.

Regarding the Album Art window, please have it user sizable with the typical edge/corner clik and stretch.

-thx

[Marcos]

The analog VU meter is awesome. My only advice, to represent the real-life meters, is to make the meter illumination light source at the base of the needle. Refer to random google image :
.

[ariszlo]

Originally Posted by Marcos

My only advice, to represent the real-life meters, is...

PeterK. is no longer visiting this forum so you had better write him an email with your request. Find his email address in the skin.xml file inside Quinto Black CT.wal.

[MourningStar]

Originally Posted by ariszlo

PeterK. is no longer visiting this forum so you had better write him an email with your request. Find his email address in the skin.xml file inside Quinto Black CT.wal.

I did not come across it but I hope peterk had the decency to announce this to the winamp community.

[Aminifu]

Hi MourningStar,

Peter's email address is where ariszio stated it is at. It has always been there, starting with his 1st update version (in 2016). It is also listed in the Skin information box in the Winamp Preferences dialog.

Peter's efforts were a labor of love. He did not have to share it. People come and go in this forum as they choose. Decency has nothing to do with that.

Peter worked very hard learning what he needed to know in order to update the original Quinto skin. I, for one, appreciate his work very much. His work, and that of others, has motivated me to learn a little about skin development myself and make a few custom changes for my own personal use. Maybe you should do the same.