Easier to see grid lines

[Scoox]

Grid lines in Live are already too faint and therefore hard to see. They don't stand out against the background.

There's another problem: when moving or stretching items while holding down the Alt key (freehand mode), the grid lines go even fainter (they are almost invisible). If you are trying to align an audio clip so that a specific transient coincides with a grid line, which obviously needs snap off, it becomes an impossible task because the grid lines disappear. I don't see any logical reason for the grid lines to fade when Alt is held down, the need for 'visual confirmation' not only serves no purpose but also gets in the way.

The visual design should not detract from the usability of the product but instead it should enhance it and make it easier on the user.

(quoted from this article on UX design)

[Lokan]

+1

After 10.0.6 update (not quite sure) grid lines got thinner i guess.


I can't live without dark modes but.... in Live....
Sitting a bit further than arm length, I can't even see the bar lines.
My monitor uses a VA panel, and it's less sharper than typical office monitors equipped with IPS panel.
But I never had problem with other DAWs. Like bitwig also have thin lines but they are sharp and have good contrast to the background.

[ozinga]

I just wrote to support about this and they offered to use a different theme but does not change the visibility of pale grid lines. I tried all themes with different settings.
A setting for grid line sharpness/contrast would be great.

[Scoox]

The problem with trying a different theme is that you always end up trading one set of problems for another. However, in this case it looks like this isn't something that can be fixed by a theme anyway..

When holding Alt down the grid lines should not get fainter, just leave them alone. This is a classic case of over-engineering, where the designers try too hard to make something look sleek and end up spoiling the ergonomics.

Fader handles are also a shade of gray that doesn't contrast enough against the background. I was able to change the colour to yellow, but the corresponding setting effects other controls as well, so it's not ideal. Wren the fader handle has input focus, it turns solid black, which again is no easy to see. I couldn't find any way to change the 'focused' colour.

All this should be extremely easy to fix. Hopefully Ableton will acknowledge these issues and tweak the colours accordingly.

[jonljacobi]

There’s a website where you can alter existing themes or create your own. I believe grid line intensity is supported. Abletonthemes.com I believe.

[Lokan]

There’s a website where you can alter existing themes or create your own. I believe grid line intensity is supported. Abletonthemes.com I believe.

Grid color is adjustable the problem is that it's too thin and blurry. And setting it full black doesn't make it full black.

[Jordan Vanderwerf]

"A setting for grid line sharpness/contrast would be great." Please and thank you!

[Jordan Vanderwerf]

And a 'hide markers' function would be super swell!

[2k*]

When holding Alt down the grid lines should not get fainter, just leave them alone. This is a classic case of over-engineering, where the designers try too hard to make something look sleek and end up spoiling the ergonomics.

That's because holding Alt down allows you to change note length without snapping to the grid.

[jlgrimes]

Grid lines in Live are already too faint and therefore hard to see. They don't stand out against the background.

There's another problem: when moving or stretching items while holding down the Alt key (freehand mode), the grid lines go even fainter (they are almost invisible). If you are trying to align an audio clip so that a specific transient coincides with a grid line, which obviously needs snap off, it becomes an impossible task because the grid lines disappear. I don't see any logical reason for the grid lines to fade when Alt is held down, the need for 'visual confirmation' not only serves no purpose but also gets in the way.

The visual design should not detract from the usability of the product but instead it should enhance it and make it easier on the user.

(quoted from this article on UX design)

I voted Not sure as certain skins they are easy to see but some of the darker ones, they can be faint.

[Stiksi]

Yep, came here because I can't see the lines and it's hurting my eyes. I think it's worse on "normal" resolution displays that are around 100 ppi. On the newer 200+ ppi displays it's a little easier, but yeah, the contrast sucks in dark themes.

This is a common issue, developers have their displays at max brightness to stay awake into the long hours and then don't try the themes at normal, calibrated levels. For reference, the normal level for a screen calibrated to match print publication is 120 nits. That's pretty dark and it's what many designers and visual professionals calibrate to. I'm an illustrator but I calibrate to 150 or above because of the contrast issues in app UIs. Still can't see the grid lines in Live.

[Scoox]

If this is a bone of contention, then it's simple: allow this to be user-configurable via .ask file.

[JedFishGould]

I'm visually disabled so I would greatly appreciate darker (adjustable) grid lines. As your users age this will be important. Seems like an easy fix.

[Scoox]

I'm visually disabled so I would greatly appreciate darker (adjustable) grid lines. As your users age this will be important. Seems like an easy fix.

I'm not visually disabled and have trouble seeing them anyway! Maybe the lines are easier to see on *some* displays, but if it could be adjusted everyone would be happy.

[ulipro]

I'm visually disabled so I would greatly appreciate darker (adjustable) grid lines. As your users age this will be important. Seems like an easy fix.

I'm "aging" (52) and I totally agree. I love Ableton, but it hurts my eyes (and my neck) to detect the gridlines, especially in the piano roll. This seriously slows me down and forces me to shorten my Ableton sessions.