Skin Waveforms

Curated reference for the waveform, rhythm, and song-position element family in VirtualDJ desktop/remote skin XML: <rhythmzone>, <scratchwave>, <blockwave>, <beattunnel>, <songpos>, <scratch>, and their sub-elements.

Evidence base:

The six official wiki pages (Skin Rhythmzone.html, Skin Scratchwave.html, Skin BlockWave.html, Skin BeatTunnel.html, Skin songpos.html, Skin scratch.html), all linked from the official Skin SDK index and all live as of 2026-07-12. Source: Official.
All 15 built-in skin XML files copied into this repo (examples/Skins/Built-In/Desktop/*.xml, examples/Skins/Built-In/Lite/Lite.xml, examples/Skins/Built-In/Remote/*.xml) plus examples/Skins/SDK Example - Custom Browser Skin/skin.xml. Source: Built-in skin / Published skin (SDK example).

Every attribute row below carries a source label. Attributes that appear only on the official page and never in shipped XML are marked Official (not observed locally). Attributes that appear only in shipped XML are marked Built-in skin. Semantics this repo derived rather than read are marked Inference.

The Two Waveform Mechanisms

VirtualDJ skins have two unrelated ways to draw a deck waveform:

<visual type="waveform"> — the simple mechanism documented in Skin SDK §<visual>. One deck's waveform in a box, no beat grid, no cue markers, no color scheme, no mouse behavior. Must sit inside a <deck> container. Source: Official.
<rhythmzone> / <scratchwave> — the full-featured mechanism every built-in skin actually uses. <rhythmzone> draws the classic multi-deck "rhythm wave" (two opposing curves approaching a center needle); <scratchwave> draws a per-deck scrolling scratch waveform with beat grid, cue markers, and mouse nudge/scratch behavior. Source: Official, Built-in skin.

No built-in skin in this repo's copies uses <visual type="waveform">; all use <rhythmzone> and <scratchwave>. Built-in desktop skins switch between the two displays with panels keyed to the skinWaveformType setting, e.g. <panel name="horizontal_scratch_active" visibility="not setting skinWaveformType 0"> (examples/Skins/Built-In/Lite/Lite.xml ~line 884). Source: Built-in skin.

Usage counts across the 16 local skin XML files (15 built-in + SDK example):

Element	Instances	Files	Notes
`<rhythmzone>`	19	15	Every skin except Vertical.xml (which is scratchwave-only)
`<scratchwave>`	62	16	Horizontal and vertical variants
`<songpos>`	47	16	46 of 47 use the `class=` define-template pattern
`<scratch>`	45	16	Jog wheels; 43 contain `<mousecircle>`
`<blockwave>`	0	0	Official page only (VDJ 2018 default video skins, not copied here)
`<beattunnel>`	0	0	Official page only

Source: Built-in skin (counts), Official (blockwave/beattunnel provenance).

`<rhythmzone>`

Draws the multi-deck rhythm waveform. Per the official page it is the newer replacement for an older rhythm element, replacing mask/up images with fade and <overlay>. Source: Official.

Syntax: <rhythmzone mirror="" upsidedown="" fade="" center="" deck1="" deck2="" visibility="" os="">

Attributes (all optional):

Attribute	Values	Description	Source
`mirror`	`true`\|`false` (default `false`)	Adds a mirrored wave below the current one (at the X axis)	`Official`; `Built-in skin` (19/19 instances set it, e.g. `mirror="true"` in SDK example skin.xml ~line 1322)
`upsidedown`	`true`\|`false` (default `false`)	Inverts the wave on the X axis	`Official`; `Built-in skin` (19/19)
`fade`	pixels	Width over which the waves fade to black at both sides	`Official`; `Built-in skin` (19/19, always `fade="200"` locally)
`center`	X position	X position of the wave center, for off-center rhythmzones	`Official (not observed locally)`
`deck1`, `deck2`	`left`\|`right`	Which deck feeds each wave slot; all 2-deck built-ins use `deck1="left" deck2="right"`	`Built-in skin` (15 files); slot-assignment semantics: `Inference`
`visibility`	bool or VDJScript	Standard conditional visibility	`Official`; `Built-in skin` (SDK example skin.xml ~line 1379: `visibility="not skin_panel 'horizontal_scratch_active'"`)
`os`	`mac`\|`pc`	OS-conditional display	`Official (not observed locally on this element)`

Children (all observed in 19/19 built-in instances unless noted): <pos>, <size>, <colors>, <rhythm>, <grid>, <gridlines> (16/19), <cue>, <overlay>. The official page documents all of these except <gridlines>. Source: Official, Built-in skin.

`<rhythm>` (child)

Vertical position and height of the waves inside the zone. Attributes: y="", height="". Both math expressions allowed (height="173-30"). Source: Official, Built-in skin (19/19).

`<colors>` (child) — deck color scheme

Sets the wave color per deck. The official page names the attributes chanX="", chanX_left="", chanX_right="", chanX_active="" and notes that transparent, black, and #000000 waves are ignored. Its own example, however, uses deck1= / deck1_active= naming, and every built-in skin uses the deckN form exclusively. Source: Official (attribute set and ignore rule), Built-in skin (naming).

Observed attribute matrix (25 <colors> blocks: 19 in rhythmzones, 6 in <define> blocks):

Attribute	Count	Meaning	Source
`deck1=`, `deck2=`	19 each	Base (inactive/passive) wave color for that deck	`Official` example, `Built-in skin`; "base color" reading: `Inference`
`deck1_active=`, `deck2_active=`	19 each	Wave color when the deck is active	`Official`, `Built-in skin`
`deck1_left=`, `deck2_right=`	5 each	Side-variant color; official page lists `chanX_left`/`chanX_right` without explaining them	`Official` (names only), `Built-in skin`
`deck3=`, `deck3_active=`, `deck3_left=`, `deck4=`, `deck4_active=`, `deck4_right=`	4 each	Same scheme extended to decks 3/4 in Pro.xml and Performance.xml 4-deck rhythmzones	`Built-in skin`

Values may be hex colors, named skin colors (waveform_active1), or 0. Pro.xml ships two parallel rhythmzones that differ only in which slots are 0 versus colored (lines 4672-4695 vs 4698-4721), and the official ignore rule says black/transparent waves are skipped — so 0 appears to be the "don't draw this variant" switch. Source: Built-in skin; interpretation: Inference.

Trimmed real example (examples/Skins/Built-In/Desktop/Pro.xml lines 4698-4706):

<colors
    deck1="waveform_passive1" deck1_active="waveform_active1" deck1_left="0"
    deck2="waveform_passive2" deck2_active="waveform_active2" deck2_right="0"
    deck3="waveform_passive3" deck3_active="waveform_active3" deck3_left="0"
    deck4="waveform_passive4" deck4_active="waveform_active4" deck4_right="0"
/>

Note the left/right pairing: odd decks get _left, even decks get _right, matching the sides those decks occupy in the rhythm display. Source: Built-in skin; pairing rationale: Inference.

`<grid>` (child of rhythmzone)

Computed-beat-grid (CBG) markers under the wave.

Attribute	Description	Source
`height`	Marker height	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (19/19)
`width`	Marker width	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (19/19)
`mainwidth`	Width of the main (downbeat) marker	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (Lite.xml ~line 869, Remote skins)
`maxwidth`	Appears where `mainwidth` would (Pro.xml line 4682, SDK example ~line 1306); relationship to `mainwidth` unconfirmed	`Built-in skin`

Child <pos y1="" y2="" y3="" y4=""/> gives the Y position of each deck's grid row (official page: y1, y2, yX). Source: Official, Built-in skin.

`<gridlines>` (child of rhythmzone and scratchwave)

Vertical beat lines across the full wave. Not on the official rhythmzone page; the official scratchwave page lists a <gridlines> child with height, y, deckcolor, mirrored — none of which appear in shipped XML. All 74 local instances use exactly:

<gridlines width="1" color="darkgray" transparency="0.6"/>

Attribute	Description	Source
`width`	Line width in pixels	`Built-in skin` (74/74)
`color`	Line color (named or hex)	`Built-in skin` (74/74)
`transparency`	0-1 opacity	`Built-in skin` (74/74)
`height`, `y`, `deckcolor`, `mirrored`	Listed on official scratchwave page only	`Official (not observed locally)`

`<cue>` (child of rhythmzone and scratchwave)

Cue/POI markers drawn on the wave. Attributes: y="", height="" (Official, 81/81 local), plus mirrored="true" on 5 vertical-scratchwave instances (Pro.xml ~line 5874, Vertical.xml ~line 4617) — Built-in skin only.

Children:

<mask x="" y="" width="" height=""/> — sprite coordinates in the skin graphic used as the marker flag. Source: Official (named, no attribute detail), Built-in skin (81 instances, all with x/y/width/height).
<text dx="" dy="" fontsize="" size="" weight="" color=""/> — cue-name label offset and styling; color="deckcolor" is common. size= appears in the official examples, fontsize= in built-ins. Source: Official (named), Built-in skin (67 instances).

`<overlay>` (child of rhythmzone and scratchwave)

The play-position needle/marker drawn over the wave. Children <pos>, <size>, <background>. Source: Official, Built-in skin (81/81 instances have all three).

<background> takes two mutually exclusive forms in real skins:

Drawn shape: <background color="needle" shape="square"/> — modern built-ins. Source: Built-in skin.
Skin-graphic coordinates: <background x="715" y="1395"/> — official example and SDK example skin. Source: Official, Published skin.

Full example

examples/Skins/Built-In/Lite/Lite.xml lines 864-882 (trimmed indentation):

<rhythmzone mirror="false" upsidedown="false" fade="200" deck1="left" deck2="right">
  <pos x="0" y="44"/>
  <size width="1920" height="135"/>
  <colors deck1="waveform_passive1" deck2="waveform_passive2"
          deck1_active="waveform_active1" deck2_active="waveform_active2"/>
  <rhythm y="+0" height="115"/>
  <grid height="6" width="5" mainwidth="10">
    <pos y1="+117" y2="+125"/>
  </grid>
  <gridlines width="1" color="gridlines" transparency="0.5"/>
  <cue y="+0" height="115">
    <mask x="169" y="262" width="11" height="66+20"/>
    <text dx="+10" dy="+0" weight="bold" fontsize="12" color="deckcolor"/>
  </cue>
  <overlay>
    <pos x="960" y="+0"/>
    <size width="1" height="135"/>
    <background color="needle" shape="square"/>
  </overlay>
</rhythmzone>

Source: Built-in skin.

`<scratchwave>`

Per-deck scrolling scratch waveform. Source: Official, Built-in skin (62 instances in all 16 files — the most-used element of the family).

Syntax: <scratchwave deck="" orientation="" color="" color2="" nudge="" visibility="">

Attributes:

Attribute	Values	Description	Source
`deck`	`left`\|`right`\|`1`..`4`	Deck to display	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (62/62)
`orientation`	`horizontal`\|`vertical`	Waveform direction	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (62/62; vertical in Pro.xml ~line 5820 and Vertical.xml)
`color`	color	Primary waveform color (official: used when volume is "full")	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (58/62, typically `color="scratch1"`)
`color2`	color	Secondary color (official: when primary isn't full)	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (58/62)
`colorVocal`, `colorInstru`, `colorBeat`	colors	Stem-colored waveform colors	`Official (not observed locally)`
`colorNoVocal`, `colorNoInstru`, `colorNoBeat`	colors	Colors when that stem is muted; default to darkened versions	`Official (not observed locally)`
`nudge`	`yes`\|`no`\|`vinylmode`	Mouse behavior: nudge the song or scratch	`Official`; `Built-in skin` (`nudge="vinylmode"` in 4 Remote skin instances, e.g. `examples/Skins/Built-In/Remote/16x9T.xml` ~line 1712)
`visibility`	bool or VDJScript	Conditional visibility	`Built-in skin` (6 instances)

Children: <pos>, <size>, <grid>, <gridlines> (see rhythmzone section above), <cue> (see above), <overlay> (see above). Source: Official, Built-in skin. Pro.xml also stacks multiple <size ... condition="..."/> children so the wave resizes per layout condition (Pro.xml ~lines 5822-5823). Source: Built-in skin.

`<grid>` (child of scratchwave)

Different attribute set than the rhythmzone grid — flat attributes instead of a <pos> child:

Attribute	Description	Source
`size`	Regular beat marker size	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (60/62)
`mainsize`	Downbeat (4-beat) marker size	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (60/62)
`phrasesize`, `phrasecolor`	Phrase-boundary marker size/color	`Official (not observed locally)`
`height`	Marker height (width if vertical)	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (62/62)
`pos`	Position offset	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (62/62, often negative e.g. `pos="-10"`)
`maincolor`	Downbeat marker color (often `deckcolor`)	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (58/62)
`color`	Regular marker color	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (58/62)
`transparency`	0-1 opacity	`Official (not observed locally on grid; observed on gridlines)`
`mirrored`	Mirror markers to the other side of the wave	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (62/62 among desktop skins)
`background`	Shade the background by beat (`yes`/`no`)	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (16 instances)
`backgroundcolor`	Shading color (default white)	`Official (not observed locally)`
`backgroundshaded`	Appears alongside `background="no"`	`Built-in skin` (16 instances, e.g. Pro.xml ~line 5824)
`shapepos`, `shapemirrored`	Position/mirror for the stem-"shape" marker row; `shapemirrored="down"` observed	`Built-in skin` (46 instances each)

Full example

examples/Skins/Built-In/Desktop/Pro.xml lines 4724-4738:

<scratchwave deck="1" orientation="horizontal" color="scratch1" color2="scratch2">
  <pos x="0" y="+45+12"/>
  <size width="1920" height="43-24"/>
  <grid size="1" mainsize="4" height="8" pos="-10" maincolor="deckcolor" color="darkgray"
        mirrored="true" shapepos="-12" shapemirrored="down"/>
  <gridlines width="1" color="darkgray" transparency="0.5"/>
  <cue y="-12" height="15">
    <mask x="307" y="0" width="15" height="15"/>
    <text dx="+12" dy="-2" weight="" fontsize="13" color="texton"/>
  </cue>
  <overlay>
    <pos x="960" y="-12"/>
    <size width="1" height="43"/>
    <background color="needle" shape="square"/>
  </overlay>
</scratchwave>

Source: Built-in skin.

`<songpos>`

Whole-song position/overview bar with waveform, hot-cue markers, and POI markers. Source: Official, Built-in skin (47 instances in all 16 files).

Attributes (on the element or its <define> template):

Attribute	Values	Description	Source
`deck`	deck id	Deck to display (`deck="sandbox"` observed in Pro.xml line 1615)	`Official`, `Built-in skin`
`class`	define name	References a `<define class="...">` template; 46/47 built-in instances use this	`Built-in skin` (define mechanism itself: `Official`, see Skin SDK §`<define>`)
`width`, `height`	expressions	Placeholder overrides passed into the define template	`Built-in skin` (36 and 12 instances)
`visibility`	bool or VDJScript	Conditional visibility (e.g. `visibility="leftdeck"` in Performance.xml ~line 7428)	`Built-in skin` (12 instances)
`half`	`YES`\|`NO`	Display waveform cut in half	`Official (not observed locally)`
`colorPlayed`	color	Color of the already-played portion	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (on every songpos define, e.g. `colorPlayed="darker"`)
`colorBass`, `colorMed`, `colorHigh`	colors	Frequency-band colors; optional, only used when `coloredWaveforms` is set to monochrome	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (on every songpos define)
`colorVocal`, `colorInstru`, `colorBeat`, `colorNoVocal`, `colorNoInstru`, `colorNoBeat`	colors	Stem colors (VirtualDJ 2021+)	`Official (not observed locally)`
`orientation`	`horizontal`\|`vertical`\|`circle`\|`round`	Bar orientation	`Official (not observed locally)`

Children:

<pos>, <size> — placement. Source: Official, Built-in skin.
<wave> — inner waveform strip: <size height=""/> and <pos y=""/> only. Every built-in songpos define includes one (19 instances, 15 files). Source: Official, Built-in skin.
<cues> — hot-cue markers. Element attributes dy="" and shade="" appear in both the official example and built-ins (shade="0.2" in Pro.xml line 1343) but neither source explains them. Children: <size width="" height=""/>, <clipmask x="" y=""/> (mask coordinates), <up>, <down>, <over> (sprite coordinates for default/active/hover states — official; <down>/<over> observed in SDK example skin.xml lines 19-26). Source: Official, Built-in skin, Published skin.
<loops> — saved-loop markers, same structure as <cues> (dy observed, shade not). Source: Official, Built-in skin (18 instances).
Special waveform-state children <down>, <volume>, <selected>, <volumeselected>, <upselected> (graphics for played/unplayed portions at min/max volume). Source: Official (not observed locally as direct songpos children).

The define-template pattern

Built-in skins never inline songpos styling at the call site. They declare one template and instantiate it per deck/panel:

examples/Skins/Built-In/Desktop/Pro.xml lines 1336-1350:

<define class="songpos" colorPlayed="darker" colorBass="colorbass" colorMed="colormed"
        colorHigh="colorhigh" placeholders="width=799-20-24-2-2-170">
  <pos x="+0" y="+0"/>
  <size width="[WIDTH]" height="34-2"/>
  <wave>
    <size height="34-2"/>
    <pos y="+0"/>
  </wave>
  <cues dy="0" shade="0.2">
    <size width="9" height="34-2"/>
    <clipmask x="277" y="0"/>
  </cues>
  <loops dy="0">
    <size width="5" height="34-2"/>
    <clipmask x="291" y="0"/>
  </loops>
</define>

Instantiation (Pro.xml lines 1615-1618):

<songpos class="songpos" deck="sandbox">
  <pos x="+35+1" y="+1"/>
  <size width="200-2" height="27-2"/>
</songpos>

Source: Built-in skin. The SDK example uses classdeck="left" / classdeck="right" on its songpos defines to make per-deck template variants (examples/Skins/SDK Example - Custom Browser Skin/skin.xml lines 19-33). Source: Published skin.

`<scratch>`

Invisible interactive zone for mouse scratching — the hit area of a jog wheel. It draws nothing itself; built-ins layer it over <slider orientation="round"> spinners and <visual> dome graphics. Source: Official; layering observation: Built-in skin.

Syntax: <scratch visibility="" os="" panel="" deck="">

All four attributes are the standard inherited/global ones; built-in instances inside <define class="jogwheel..."> blocks omit them all. Source: Official, Built-in skin (45 instances in 16 files).

Children:

Child	Description	Source
`<pos x="" y=""/>`	Zone position	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (45/45)
`<size width="" height=""/>`	Zone dimensions	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (45/45)
`<mousecircle x="" y="" r=""/>`	Circular mouse-detection area	`Official`. Built-ins use it either empty (`<mousecircle/>`, inherit zone bounds — `Inference`) or as `<mousecircle width="184" height="184"/>` (Lite.xml ~line 558); the official `x`/`y`/`r` form is not observed locally
`<mouserect x="" y="" width="" height=""/>`	Rectangular mouse-detection area	`Official (not observed as a scratch child locally; the local mouserect hits are on other element types)`
`<mousemask x="" y=""/>`	Black/white graphic mask for mouse detection	`Official`, `Built-in skin` (2 instances; most local mousemask usage is on `<slider>`)
`<center x="" y=""/>`	Center point for circular mouse movement	`Official (not observed locally)`

Real example (examples/Skins/Built-In/Desktop/Pro.xml lines 1203-1207, inside a jogwheel define):

<scratch>
  <pos x="+0" y="+0"/>
  <size width="164" height="164"/>
  <mousecircle/>
</scratch>

Source: Built-in skin. Note <mousecircle> also appears as a child of <visual> (25 local instances, e.g. Pro.xml ~line 1163) to give jog-dome visuals a circular hit area. Source: Built-in skin.

`<blockwave>`

Block-style monochrome waveform with no skin graphics; per the official page it was introduced for VirtualDJ 2018's default video skins. Zero instances in this repo's built-in skin copies — everything below is official-page only. Source: Official.

Syntax: <blockwave color="" blocksize="" zoom="" center="" deck="" panel="" visibility="" os="">

Attribute	Description	Source
`color`	Block color (HTML, RGB, ARGB, or predefined names)	`Official`
`blocksize`	Block width in pixels (integer); gap between blocks is hard-coded 1:1	`Official`
`zoom`	Samples per block (integer): `1` = 80 blocks/second, `2` = 40, etc.; `4` used in the 2018 video skins	`Official`
`center`	Centers the wave (current position in the middle); left-aligned if omitted	`Official`
`deck`, `panel`, `visibility`, `os`	Standard inherited attributes	`Official`

Children: <pos x="" y=""/>, <size width="" height=""/>. Source: Official.

Official example:

<blockwave deck="left" blocksize="5" zoom="4" color="#0d86e3" center="middle">
  <pos x="5" y="10"/>
  <size width="1280" height="150"/>
</blockwave>

Source: Official.

`<beattunnel>`

Beat-move "tunnel" visualization (concentric rings approaching on the beat), no skin graphics. Zero instances in this repo's built-in skin copies. Source: Official.

Attribute	Description	Source
`color`	Ring color (HTML, RGB, ARGB, or predefined names)	`Official`
`depth`	How far in the future the center ring is, in milliseconds (`4000` = 4 s ≈ 8 beats at 120 BPM)	`Official`

Children: <pos x="" y=""/>, <size width="" height=""/> — equal width/height gives a round tunnel, unequal gives an oval. Source: Official.

<beattunnel depth="4000" color="#00AAFF">
  <pos x="30" y="200"/>
  <size width="250" height="250"/>
</beattunnel>

Source: Official.

Related Elements That Are Not Part of This Family

<zoomed x="" y="" width="" height=""/> — despite the waveform-sounding name, every local instance (8 in 5 files, e.g. examples/Skins/Built-In/Lite/Lite.xml line 1380) is a child of <browser> and defines the browser's zoomed-view rectangle. Not a waveform element. Source: Built-in skin.
<songposbar> — does not exist. Not on the official Skin SDK index, no dedicated wiki page, zero hits in local skin XML. Source: Official (absence from index), Built-in skin (absence).
Legacy <rhythm> top-level element — the official rhythmzone page says rhythmzone superseded an older rhythm element with mask/up images. Every local <rhythm> hit is the rhythmzone child described above; the legacy standalone form has no local evidence and no live wiki page found. Source: Official (mention), Built-in skin (absence).
<visual type="waveform"> and type="spectrum"> — see Skin SDK §<visual> and VirtualDJ Reference §Skin SDK for the simple visual-based alternatives.

Open Questions

Unresolved items; do not treat any of these as documented behavior.

chanX vs deckN color naming. The official rhythmzone prose names the <colors> attributes chanX* but its own example and all shipped XML use deckN*. Both may be accepted, or chanX may be stale wiki text. Needs local test.
Semantics of deckN_left / deckN_right. Names are official, usage is real (Pro.xml, Performance.xml 4-deck), but neither source explains when the _left/_right color is applied (crossfader side? screen side?). The odd/even pairing in Pro.xml suggests screen side, but that is Inference only.
deck1="0" in <colors>. Reading 0 as "suppress this wave variant" (via the official black/transparent-ignored rule) is Inference; not officially stated.
grid maxwidth vs mainwidth. Both appear in shipped rhythmzone grids (Lite/Remote use mainwidth, Pro/SDK example use maxwidth); only mainwidth is on the official page. Are they synonyms, or does maxwidth cap marker growth? Needs local test.
<gridlines> attribute mismatch. Official scratchwave page lists height, y, deckcolor, mirrored; all 74 local instances use only width, color, transparency. Both sets may be valid; unverified.
<cues shade="" dy=""> semantics. Present in official examples and built-ins, explained by neither. shade plausibly dims markers in the played region; Inference only.
shapepos / shapemirrored / backgroundshaded on scratchwave <grid>. Heavily used in built-ins (46/46/16 instances), absent from the official page. "Shape" likely refers to the stem-shape waveform row (cf. official colorVocal/colorInstru/colorBeat "shape waveform" wording); exact behavior unverified.
<mousecircle> forms. Official documents x/y/r; built-ins use empty <mousecircle/> or width/height. Whether the empty form inherits the parent zone bounds is Inference.
songpos orientation="circle|round" and the special waveform-state children (<down>, <volume>, <selected>, <volumeselected>, <upselected>): official only, no shipped usage found, no rendering verified.
Stem colors (colorVocal etc.) on scratchwave/songpos. Official (2021+), zero local usage — the built-in skins presumably get stem coloring from app settings rather than skin XML. Unverified.
<blockwave> / <beattunnel> behavior. Official pages only; the 2018 video skins that used blockwave are not among this repo's copies, so nothing has been cross-checked.
<rhythmzone center=""> — official only, never used in shipped XML.
<size condition="..."> stacking inside scratchwave (Pro.xml ~lines 5822-5823): the first matching conditional size appears to win, consistent with the repo's conditional-structure notes in Skin SDK §Conditional Structure vs Visibility, but this specific element's behavior is untested.

Notes

All line numbers are approximate (files may drift when re-copied from newer VirtualDJ versions).
Built-in skin XML is not strictly well-formed XML (unescaped & in scripts, duplicate attributes such as repeated conditional <pos>/<size>); parsers need to be lenient. Source: Built-in skin (parse attempts on all 15 files failed under a strict XML parser).
Counts in this document were generated by regex scans over examples/Skins/Built-In/**/*.xml plus the SDK example skin on 2026-07-12.

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Skin Waveforms

The Two Waveform Mechanisms

<rhythmzone>

<rhythm> (child)

<colors> (child) — deck color scheme

<grid> (child of rhythmzone)

<gridlines> (child of rhythmzone and scratchwave)

<cue> (child of rhythmzone and scratchwave)

<overlay> (child of rhythmzone and scratchwave)

Full example

<scratchwave>

<grid> (child of scratchwave)

Full example

<songpos>

The define-template pattern

<scratch>

<blockwave>

<beattunnel>

Related Elements That Are Not Part of This Family

Open Questions

Notes

`<rhythmzone>`

`<rhythm>` (child)

`<colors>` (child) — deck color scheme

`<grid>` (child of rhythmzone)

`<gridlines>` (child of rhythmzone and scratchwave)

`<cue>` (child of rhythmzone and scratchwave)

`<overlay>` (child of rhythmzone and scratchwave)

`<scratchwave>`

`<grid>` (child of scratchwave)

`<songpos>`

`<scratch>`

`<blockwave>`

`<beattunnel>`