Ok, we know, well heavily assume, that Cakewalk doesn't want to muck around with the color scheme of the console or other aspects of Skylight as this could diminish its "coolness". So here's a suggestion that comes from my friends at Acura:

Why not just provide a dim switch and an intensity knob? Make it so the surfaces have a dimmer that doesn't affect the waveforms, or that the waveforms will change to "night" (X2 waveform colors at night and X1 waveform colors during the "day"). For all of the light-blue "lit" buttons and texts, keep these separate and allow us to use an intensity knob for the brightness of those. We can put these knobs on the Control bar at the top next to the Save button...........{crickets....} too soon? Or it can be merely a Preferences thing. 

Even better, would it be cool to have the effect of a "pin" light from old consoles, one for each session that will try and center itself over your session, or, if the session is wide/large enough, it may add another light. Maybe these can be adjusted just above the timeline perhaps, and adjusted from controls like above.

Just a fun thought.  Now an inherent gem, if Cakewalk likes these (and I know at least a few of their guys do): Many newer laptops have a daylight detection sensor. Re-read above, and you might see where I'm going with this one....    

Brian, I think this is an excellent idea! That said, I do have some news....but the problem is, I don't know "when" this may go down.

I have a friend that works at Cakewalk. I asked him if he could tell me what the deal is with the colors once and for all. All he said was there ARE plans to add them at some point for sure, but he didn't say when or what version they would be added on. He also said that implementing these colors (at least at the time I asked him which was near the last patch for X1 because I was hoping to see them added then) would be more difficult than say a Panu mod. The reason being, there are lots of things that need to be dealt with correctly in this situation. If a guy like Panu gives us one of his mods and it doesn't work right, every one knows from the beginning that he is not affiliated with Cakewalk, you use his mods at your own risk, and the best part....Panu usually come up with a patch to anything of his that may be broken in like a day tops if not sooner. He's a machine and really delivers the goods on his mods.

Cakewalk doesn't have that luxury because everything needs to be tested etc and it's just an entirely different animal. You know how it goes...sometimes they fix one thing with a version and break something else. This color thing in Skylight must be really intense for them to have passed on 2 releases without them. I'm really hoping that if there is an X3, that they will implement them then. I know for a fact that I will be highly upset if this isn't added this time. We've all voiced our opinions about it to the point where I think it's more important than if they were to implement VST3. Though VST3 is important to a few, I think colors and customization are more important to a vast majority.

That said, I do like your idea and maybe if they see your post here, it may be something they can implement until they do get our colors sorted. I just really hope they fix it with whatever the next release is. I'm not even using console view as often now because it just isn't appealing to me. Stupid for me to say that I know, but I use this software for hours and hours. I really enjoy liking what I see. I have always liked Reaper, but man, it just looks terrible to me. BUT....they allow you to totally customize it. I have a mixing console view in there that is better than anything I have ever used. What can I say....I'm an image prostitute. :)

-Danny

All he said was there ARE plans to add them at some point for sure, but he didn't say when or what version they would be added on

Danny Danzi

Let's hope it's sooner rather than later. Can't see me buying X anything until something can be done about that awful console view.

i use panu's mods. they work and he supports them. cw could try them, test them, then pay him. not sure why that can't happen...

If and when Cakewalk gets around to it, they'll undoubtedly do things from the inside out.

panu has to go at things from the outside in, and it must cause him great hardship.

Id like to see possibly an option in Console View to select a Mixer Manufacturers color options to match their boards. (Something like a button that would list  A&H, YAMAHA, etc...)

Then it could be linked so Track View Settings change their as well to match.

Then get the others manual changes all working so users can make changes to suit their taste

This would keep continuity for those using it in a real world Live situation but give the option to adjust outside of it

I don't have much to add to this but thought I'd at least add one more voice. I'm pretty busy just trying to get used to the program and get back to actually writing and recording music so I haven't really thought about colours much, but I will say that as soon as I first looked at X2 I felt it was much darker than X1.

I can't really remember X1 any more (since I wasn't bothered with how it looked, I didn't pay any attention) but I definitely wasn't as concerned with the look as I am now. It seems like everything is now so much darker and more monotonous that I actually get kind of depressed every time I open the program. I don't really want to work in it any more just because of how it looks. I know that sounds strange and somewhat petty but I really notice it.

It doesn't have to be overtly colourful but I think I remember Pro Audio being more of a light gray and it just felt more friendly. I also remember that there were options to change some colours so maybe I just have to go looking for that again but there are so many changes and so much to learn that I'm pretty overwhelmed by it all. My productivity is way down since the upgrade so the last thing I need is one more thing to figure out!

Just my 2 cents. 

Scott

https://soundcloud.com/scott-from-canada

digi2ns


Id like to see possibly an option in Console View to select a Mixer Manufacturers color options to match their boards. (Something like a button that would list  A&H, YAMAHA, etc...)

Then it could be linked so Track View Settings change their as well to match.

Then get the others manual changes all working so users can make changes to suit their taste

This would keep continuity for those using it in a real world Live situation but give the option to adjust outside of it

its an awesome idea.
not sure when we will ever get color back, soon I hope (crossing fingers)
but if we do, id love to see this.
 
myself I would like to see designing capability's, something like the fx chains how we design our buttons and what they do.
id love to be able to invent my own daw layout the way I like to work.

scotteh


I don't have much to add to this but thought I'd at least add one more voice. I'm pretty busy just trying to get used to the program and get back to actually writing and recording music so I haven't really thought about colours much, but I will say that as soon as I first looked at X2 I felt it was much darker than X1.

I can't really remember X1 any more (since I wasn't bothered with how it looked, I didn't pay any attention) but I definitely wasn't as concerned with the look as I am now. It seems like everything is now so much darker and more monotonous that I actually get kind of depressed every time I open the program. I don't really want to work in it any more just because of how it looks. I know that sounds strange and somewhat petty but I really notice it.

It doesn't have to be overtly colourful but I think I remember Pro Audio being more of a light gray and it just felt more friendly. I also remember that there were options to change some colours so maybe I just have to go looking for that again but there are so many changes and so much to learn that I'm pretty overwhelmed by it all. My productivity is way down since the upgrade so the last thing I need is one more thing to figure out!

Just my 2 cents. 

Scott

https://soundcloud.com/scott-from-canada

You can easily revert back to the X1 color scheme in X2. I did this after seeing how cartoony and moody X2's interface and color scheme is by default. It's like a bad trip backward in evolution of a DAW. I'm not in front of mine, but you should be able to see X1 Default colors as a Color Profile that you can simply load. You'll feel better afterward. I agree X1's colors were far less depressing. 
As for editing specific colors, the descriptions used by Cakewalk in the color editing preferences aren't very intuitive, or many of them simply don't work. I found that very few (and relatively none) of the editable settings were of use to me.  

I want to see it the way I want to see it. Not the way you think it should be.

Thank you Cakewalk for making a GREAT DAW!
Thank you Panu for making X... usable.