soundcraft/docs/ui-parity.md

UI parity

Last reviewed: 2026-10-13 · Last updated: 2026-10-13 · Change: minor (waveforms preview fades during drag) · Target: Avid Pro Tools Ultimate 2026.4.1

How SoundCraft feels in the hands of a Pro Tools user: tools, modes, modifiers, shortcuts, windows, meters. Measured from crates/model/src/session.rs (tools, modes), the command registry (shortcuts), crates/ui-egui/src (windows, gestures) and user issues; compared with reference screenshots kept locally under plan/protools/screenshots/ (16, never committed).

UI/UX fidelity: ~55 % ready (estimated). Remaining ≈ 60–100 h.

Legend: ✅ matches · 🟡 partial · ❌ missing.

Tools and modes

Feature	Status	Notes
Tools: Zoom, Trim, Selector, Grabber, Scrubber, Pencil, Smart (7)	✅ present	Trim variants (TCE, loop, scrub trim) and Grabber variants (separation, object) partial; Multitool fade/trim handles don't adjust audio (#5)
Smart-tool Fade In / Fade Out drag bounds and preview	✅	One thin curve replaces the dragged side's previous curve and matches its appearance after release; bounded to the clip, including full-clip fades. Hovering the curve's upper endpoint shows the fade cursor and lets the existing fade be dragged
Fade midpoint curvature	✅	Visible fades retain a small midpoint handle in Smart mode, including after release and extreme bends. Hover shows the vertical resize cursor; repeated drags change curvature without changing length. Curves sample at physical-pixel resolution; preview, playback and bounce share the envelope. Length drags retain curvature
Live waveform fade preview	✅	Waveform amplitude updates during fade-length and midpoint-curvature drags, sharing the curve's temporary envelope. Mono/stereo, waveform styles, zoom and clip gain remain effective; release preserves the displayed waveform with one undo step and cached peaks
Edit modes: Shuffle, Slip, Spot, Grid (absolute/relative)	✅	Spot dialog present
Grid and nudge values, all timebases	✅	Bars/Beats, Min:Secs, Timecode, Feet+Frames, Samples
Keyboard focus modes (Commands, Clip List, Groups)	🟡	Commands focus single-key editing ✅; list focus partial
Link timeline/edit, link track/edit, Tab to transient, insertion follows playback	✅
Mirrored MIDI, MIDI merge, layered editing	🟡	Stored and partly honoured

Keyboard and mouse

Feature	Status	Notes
Default shortcuts	🟡 146 bound (measured: distinct Some("…") shortcuts in the registry)	Pro Tools' default set is several hundred incl. numeric keypad and focus keys. Collisions: Mix/Edit toggle vs zoom (#144), Heal (#140), Export (#7)
Ctrl as Cmd on Windows/Linux	✅ since #15, #41 still open in some builds	#62 shows Ctrl in labels
Numeric keypad transport and memory-location recall	🟡	Classic / Transport / Shuttle modes not all present
Modifier gestures (Alt for all tracks, Shift-Alt for selected, Cmd-click fine faders, Ctrl-click defaults)	🟡	Main ones on faders and pan; not across every control
Scroll/zoom: wheel, trackpad pinch	🟡	Anchored trackpad zoom in open PRs #112, #137
Drag and drop: Clip List → tracks, files → tracks	✅ macOS/Windows; 🟡 Wayland (PR #150)
Context menus (clip, track name, ruler, Clip List)	🟡	Clip and track menus exist; depth lower than Pro Tools'; Clip List delete (#4)

Windows and panels

Window	Status	Notes
Edit window: rulers, track headers, view columns, Clip List, Groups, Tracks list	✅	Track Pin (new in 2026.4) ✅ (track.pin)
Mix window: strips, views (inserts, sends, I/O, comments, EQ curve, preamps, instruments, object)	✅	Narrow Mix ✅; Mix and Edit on screen at once (Window › Mix in Separate Window, its own native window) ✅; Delay Compensation view and HEAT missing
MIDI Editor, Score Editor, Event List	🟡	Dock height bug fixed (#113); notation editing shallow
Transport, Big Counter, Memory Locations, Automation, Video, Universe, Renderer, UI Customization	✅ present
Workspace / sound browser with previews	❌	G-16
I/O Setup	🟡	Busses and paths; no hardware channel matrix (G-01)
Preferences	🟡	Many settings stored, fewer honoured
Window configurations, Tile/Cascade	🟡	Configurations ✅; Tile/Cascade in PR #151
Plugin windows	🟡	Generic parameter sliders; Pro Tools plugins have bespoke GUIs (#138 asks for skeuomorphic design); multi-page plugin views (#6)
Command palette (Search)	✅	Over every command

Look and meters

Feature	Status	Notes
Dark theme close to Pro Tools'	✅	Light theme (#32) and live system appearance (#85) beyond Pro Tools
Interface scaling	🟡	Slider in PR #147
Meter types and ballistics (peak, RMS, VU, K-scales, gain reduction)	🟡	Peak/RMS; meter type choice and GR meters partial
Clip indicators, track colours, waveform views (peak/power/rectified/outlines)	✅
Fader resolution, fine adjust, numeric entry	🟡
macOS system menu bar	✅	#10

Revision history

Date	Change	Summary
2026-10-13	minor	Waveforms and fade curves share temporary envelopes during drag, without rebuilding media or editing the document before release. Readiness estimate unchanged
2026-10-13	minor	Fade curves use bounded physical-pixel sampling; midpoint handles stay visible and inside the clip, with repeat-drag coverage after extreme bends. Readiness estimate unchanged
2026-10-13	minor	Continuous fade curvature from a midpoint drag, shared UI/audio envelope, one-step undo and saved session data. Readiness estimate unchanged
2026-10-13	minor	Existing fades have draggable upper endpoints with matching hover/drag cursors, including at adjacent clip boundaries. Readiness estimate unchanged
2026-10-13	minor	Fade drags use the same thin S-curve renderer as committed fades, replacing the dragged side's old curve. Readiness estimate unchanged
2026-10-13	minor	Bounded Smart-tool fade previews and commits; full-clip fades target only the dragged clip and side. Readiness estimate unchanged
2026-10-12	minor	Mix window: Mix in Separate Window (Edit and Mix on screen at once)
2026-10-10	major	Created: tools, modes, shortcuts, windows and meters checklist against Pro Tools 2026.4.1