CSIX Series 3.6
The update offers more possibilities with CSIX and includes a number of changes to adapt the design to new features and changes in REAPER 7. Furthermore, an optimization of theme configurations and associated resources has been made.
As always, the latest features is to further improve CSIX and to strive for an even better experience with REAPER.
Theme Settings management
With the latest CSIX Theme Adjuster 3.17, current changes or all parameter values can be exported as a setting file. Settings can then be reloaded or imported to other theme variants, making it easy to have the same Adjuster setup across the CSIX Series.
Also new: The name of the running theme is now shown at the top of the Adjuster, especially useful when saving setups for different theme variants.
When current changes or all settings are saved under their default file name, the two Load buttons will use these settings for quick application. Also shown in this GIF↗︎
Toolbars and icons
New appearance of blink, highlight and armed state as they are set from the Customize menus/toolbars window. These changes are made to all CSIX Series:
Title-Track
The alternate Title-Track layout in AE and BC Series, designed for showing custom colored separators or folders with large text, now has more control options. Dimmed elements light up if there are routing, input or inserts which may affect the overall output, and more track settings can be accessed.
Note that the Title-Track isn’t a ‘blind track’ like the available TrackSpacer in REAPER. A Title-Track is indexed and has same properties as regular tracks, but for the purpose of this layout, it does not show recording controls, automation mode or any parameter settings.
Clean looking Master Meter
For all CSIX themes there’s now a setting to hide meter scale markings also on the Master Mixer. With this option, scales will only show when the master panel is selected. When scales are hidden, the meter bars are narrowed for even cleaner presence. Peak/loudness readout will always be displayed.
For mixer tracks there are further options to setup sections of controls with conditional visibility.
Create your own buttons in AE Series
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It’s fairly simple to customize the four big Action Buttons shown on the alternate Wide_Master layout. If you have some frequently used plug-ins, you can generate a unique ID# for each plug-in by choosing create shortcut from the REAPER Fx Browser Window.
Then from the Actions List, find and copy the corresponding plug-in action ID# and paste into the configuration of the theme (rtconfig.txt > setup MASTER buttons Wide 1-4).
You can also create your own three-state images for the buttons and copy to the resources > _xcustom sub-folder. In the example above, the default image named “mcp_main_wide2.png” was replaced by a cropped and renamed screenshot of the plug-in GUI, roughly 3:1.
More info on how to edit action buttons in CSIX
Supplemental themes in AE Series
There are now two more themes in the AE Series package: Dark-8 and Slate-8.
Only difference is that these variants have additional mixer layouts with different colored volume thumbs, for a total of eight distinct colors, plus the default thumb (white).
In addition to custom colors on tracks, the thumbs can be used to highlight instruments types, sections or special track properties. All layouts are preserved when switching between the two variants.
Coloring with CSIX Theme Adjuster
As a new option, it’s now possible to create color gradients for child tracks, where the assigned custom color on the parent folder is used as the base color for underlying tracks. When running the function, different key modifiers can be used to change step value and whether the gradation should go towards dark or light:
Learn more about coloring in CSIX
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An advantage of coloring with the associated Theme Adjuster script is to have useful coloring tools available along with other relevant theme settings, as well as making use of dedicated palettes, created with the CSIX Series in mind.
When using the Adjuster, the full project can be recolored at once, regardless of whether the contained tracks are selected first, and including any hidden or locked tracks.
– Since the function changes assigned colors on ALL tracks in the ENTIRE project, the Theme Adjuster now prompts a warning. Color changes are written to the Undo History so it can be undone, however, there may be cases where there are hidden or locked tracks/items that you are not immediately aware of, so this is mostly meant as a reminder before proceeding.
With the CSIX Theme Adjuster, which is a customized edition of the original Default 6 Adjuster, there are several added options for coloring both tracks and media items. For convenience, selected coloring actions are available right at hand e.g. resetting tracks or items to default appearance (unassigned). Furthermore, media items can be colored individually when clicking a target color while holding down Ctrl -modifier (Cmd on mac).
All theme variants in AE and BC Series have custom overlays on all track panels and automatically inherits a muted color from the parent track to the underlying envelope control panel (ENVCP). From the Adjuster > Globals tab, the opacity of custom overlays is set in the same place for all panel types at once.
Note that some built-in color functions requires SWS/S&M extensions to be installed, similar to other linked actions in the CSIX Series. It’s a good idea to install SWS, which over time has become a natural part of the REAPER experience as it integrates seamlessly with a range of useful features. You should also install the ReaPack package manager, which provides access to a number of repositories (including ReaTeam/SWS) with automatic updates, etc.
Apart from what is possible with the Theme Adjuster, there are much more advanced color tools available for REAPER, which also require additional installations and API. If you have interest, Rodilab_Color palette and CHROMA – Coloring Tool are both recommended to check out.
Action Buttons
When getting familiar with actions and their placement in the GUI, the buttons may not need to be as prominent, or vice versa. CSIX Theme Adjuster now has further options to set Action Buttons appearance and behavior:
CSIX AE Series 3.5
Fixated TCP control area
The standard B layout of the latest AE Series allows you to work with a non-auto-wrapping TCP where buttons do not automatically reposition when the panel width is adjusted. With the new layout, the user can choose between a dynamic flow of elements (layouts A and C) or a fixed layout, even with the same theme.
To get a nice framed look of the control area, all buttons should preferably be shown in the B layout. It is still possible to hide elements via the Theme Adjuster, however this will of course affect the alignment.
New options for the TCP is only available in the AE Series.
CSIX 3.4.1
New options with Master W in AE Series
With the existing WIDE_MASTER layout there’s now an option to let the combined VU/loudness meter fill the width of the panel, or alternatively, to have four large action buttons. By default these actions use the script Xenakios/SWS Set Volume, which can be used to nudge the master output in steps of exactly 1.0 dB, or to set unity gain.
Unlike Master WS (Wide + Sidebar), the Master W panel can be made wide regardless if an embedded GUI is present in the Extended Mixer, which can be convenient for multi-channel metering.
New options for the master mixer is available only for AE Series.
Tweaked Meters in AE Narrow Slate 3.4.1 (semi-dark variant)
When tracks are armed for recording, the meter bars in AE Slate now has a yellow range from -24dB up to -6dB, and high peaks displayed in a light red color. When recording into REAPER, the color ranges can be used as guidance for adjusting levels and to clearly monitor peaks that overshoot 0dBFS (indicated by a solid dark red).
Also for mixing and finalizing tasks e.g. podcasts and broadcasts, the -24dB transition can be useful to roughly gain-stage tracks and busses, and to preserve the dynamic range of the material.
CSIX 3.4
New alternate TCP Master in CSIX AE Series
The Master Track Panel B-layout in AE Series v3.4, is created to have a compact view of the master track that is more subdued and does not take too much attention away from the tracks below.
All master controls are available, just in a different and more space-efficient way. For convenience, a few action buttons have been added that can be used as is or customized in the configuration. Like other embedded actions in the CSIX Series, they provide quick access to frequently used functions, making the workflow smooth and efficient.
Note that VU meters under the CSIX Series have mouse-sensitive areas, e.g. on the TCP Master where you can click on the meter scale to bring up routing, or in the readout area to reset peak value, and alternatively, by right-clicking to bring up the corresponding context menu.
Here’s a walk-through, showing that each control is strategically placed to allow for intuitive interaction:
CSIX Series 3.3
Version 3.3 introduce significant changes to all CSIX themes and variants.
Some changes have been made to streamline the appearance in cases where different types of layouts are used together, and other changes are implemented to accommodate the latest features in REAPER such as ‘Fixed Lane’ track mode or the ability to toggle TCP width.
In CSIX v3.3, the TCP area now has a different behavior when it’s made narrow. Rather than collapsing the controls and hiding them when width is too small, elements are now retained and instead covered by the main arrangement window, which can then be adjusted manually or toggled between A and B settings. This by using the new native action for ‘TCP area width’ (ID 43188).
CSIX provide further options for setting up responsive layouts where the presence of elements depends on user interactions, e.g. whether track is selected, if it’s armed for recording or if the mixer is visible. However, with all these possibilities and settings in combination, it’s likely to encounter having set up the theme in such a way, that elements suddenly seem to have disappeared(!)
Fortunately, the CSIX Theme Adjuster now has a Reset Button that, when used, returns the theme to its initial default settings, displaying all basic controls and only a few elements with responsive behavior. The available Action Buttons ↙︎, in TCP and MCP are all coded to show only when tracks are selected. Furthermore, all actions, as well for the Transport Bar and Master Mixer, can be reduced or turned off completely.
New in CSIX AE Series: Fx on the right
The latest version in the AE Series ⧉ now also allows you to have Fx/Inserts on the right side of the TCP by using Layout B or C, which can be set as the default format, just like it’s been available for other CSIX Series. In the AE Series, it’s also possible to set maximum columns for the list overview.
By default the right-aligned Fx List contains both Fx/Inserts, Parameters and track Sends. Alternatively there’s a Preferences checkbox in the Theme Adjuster to hide Sends in the Fx List, and instead have a separate Sends List on the left side of the panel.
Below is a brief example showing the right-aligned Inserts list with the latest AE Narrow Light theme.
Note the function to reset theme parameters. It is highly recommended to do this at least once for each updated theme variant, to ensure that new settings from the Theme Adjuster are loaded correctly, especially if you have previously used CSIX.
New features with CSIX V3 and REAPER 7.
In CSIX, AE and BC Series, there’s now an option to enable and adjust custom color overlays on control panels, and all CSIX themes include action buttons inside the workspace, right where you typically have the most focus.
Action buttons have an advantage over regular toolbar buttons as they can be assigned special properties and conditions. For example, they can be set to appear only if a panel is selected or when it has a certain size. In REAPER 7, the new custom element can also be defined as an interactive area and contain different content, such as action scripts, images, text, lines or boxes. This way, a button with a toggle function can also be displayed with a graphical icon, but as it stands now, it cannot automatically switch images and provide visual feedback on the on/off state of the assigned function.
An example of such custom button can be found in the Transport Bar, where there’s an option to toggle the metronome on and off. Although the button does not change its appearance in the two settings, it’s still included and be used if you like.
Please note that themes under the CSIX Series offer different features and works under different layout premises. Some theme variants may not have color overlays or the same number of action buttons. If a function, feature or layout is not available for a given variant, it will usually be indicated in the CSIX Theme Adjuster by showing ‘N/A’ in the parameter readout.
Here are some of the features in version 3 and how they can be set:
Action buttons
Action buttons on tracks and in the transport bar provide access to both scripts and functions in a new and exciting way. When using the alternative “Transport-2” layout found in the latest AE and BC series, it’s possible to have an arsenal of over 70 different action buttons, all of which can be edited relatively easily in the theme configuration. By doing this, you can also make your own custom scripts available or define special buttons to run installed third-party extensions.
Editing the theme configuration can be done in a plain text editor and does require some familiarity with renaming and extracting files in the system. Below is an example of how to unpack .ReaperThemeZip and edit rtconfig.txt.
Note that non-native scripts are typically given a unique action-ID that only applies to the current REAPER installation. In the case of multiple installations, it may therefore be necessary to update the ID commands.
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