` (no `MudPaper`).
- **Why:** The Mix detail page carried a stacked masthead + 220px cover + meta-divider block that kept the overlay aesthetic of Sessions from applying and wasted vertical canvas the lava-lamp visualizer could use. Extracting `ReleaseHeroOverlay` delivered the DRY win (one overlay, no duplication) and brought Mix into the same design family as Sessions, while the `ShowHeader` gate gave the scaffold a clean suppression mechanism rather than an empty-fragment hack.
- **Shape:** New `DeepDrftPublic.Client/Controls/ReleaseHeroOverlay.razor` (+ `.razor.css`) — the shared overlay, parameterized for `HeroImageKey`, `PlaceholderIcon`, `CoverThumbKey`, `Title`, `Artist`, `Genre`, `ReleaseDate`, `ShareContent` slot, `PlayContent` slot, `Class`. `SessionDetail.razor` — inline hero-overlay replaced by `? RowActions` slot that 8.C introduced into `CmsAlbumBrowser` was replaced by a dedicated, header-labelled column model so that medium-specific actions (Mix waveform, Session hero) each appear in their own named grid column rather than being merged into the shared Actions cell.
- **What:** `CmsAlbumBrowser.razor` removed the `[Parameter] public RenderFragment? RowActions { get; set; }` slot. In its place: `[Parameter] public IReadOnlyList SpecialColumns { get; set; }` (defaulting to `Array.Empty()`). `SpecialActionColumn` is a new `sealed record` (`string Header`, `RenderFragment Cell`) in `DeepDrftManager/Components/Pages/Tracks/SpecialActionColumn.cs`. The grid renders one dedicated `` per declared column (between the Tracks header and the Actions header) and one `` per row per column. Child-row colspan moves from the hardcoded `9` to a computed `ColumnCount` property (`private const int BaseColumnCount = 9; private int ColumnCount => BaseColumnCount + SpecialColumns.Count`).
- **Why:** Merging a per-medium affordance into the generic Actions cell forced the admin to parse mixed content in a single column. Promoting each to its own labelled column gives the grid a discoverable header for every action kind and makes it obvious at a glance which column is the Waveform column vs. the Actions column.
- **Shape:** `CmsMixBrowser` declares one column: `new SpecialActionColumn("Waveform", WaveformCell)` — the Mix waveform generate/regenerate button with status icon. `CmsSessionBrowser` declares one column: `new SpecialActionColumn("Hero", HeroCell)` — the Session hero thumbnail preview plus set/replace upload button. `CmsCutBrowser` and the ALL-releases grid (`CmsAllReleasesGrid`) declare none; their column count and rendering are unchanged. Both callers allocate `_specialColumns` once in `OnInitialized` (field initializers cannot reference instance members; initialization is deferred to the first lifecycle hook). No change to `CmsMediumBrowserBase.cs`, `TrackList.razor`, or any other file.
**Completion note:** `CmsAlbumBrowser.razor` — `RowActions` parameter removed; `SpecialColumns` parameter added; `BaseColumnCount = 9` constant + `ColumnCount` computed property added; header and row loops updated to `foreach (var column in SpecialColumns)`. `SpecialActionColumn.cs` (new file, `DeepDrftManager/Components/Pages/Tracks/`): `public sealed record SpecialActionColumn(string Header, RenderFragment Cell)`. `CmsMixBrowser.razor` — `RowActions` fragment replaced with `_specialColumns` field (allocated in `OnInitialized`) passed via `SpecialColumns="_specialColumns"`. `CmsSessionBrowser.razor` — same pattern. `CmsCutBrowser.razor` and `CmsAllReleasesGrid.razor` — no change (declare no special columns). No automated tests (no bUnit harness in DeepDrftTests; consistent with all prior Wave 8 / post-Phase-9 CMS tracks).
---
## Phase 9 — Release Medium Types
### 9.7 Wave 7 — Domain Invariant Hardening: per-medium track cardinality
**Landed:** 2026-06-13 on dev.
The single-track-per-release rule for Session/Mix is enforced only in the CMS form layer (the `BatchUpload`/`BatchEdit` master-list collapse, §9.6.B). This wave makes per-medium cardinality a real domain invariant at the upload-service boundary. Full design — the generalised rule, the enforcement-layer trade-offs, the orphan-avoidance reordering, the relationship to the existing rules, and the back-compat reality — lives in `product-notes/phase-9-medium-cardinality-invariant.md`.
- **What:** Promote per-medium track-count from a form convention to a domain invariant enforced at the upload-service boundary. Declare each medium's allowed cardinality as data — `Cut → 1..N`, `Session → 1..1`, `Mix → 1..1` — in a single `ReleaseMedium`-keyed lookup (`MediumRules`, in `DeepDrftModels`), extensible by one entry per future medium. `UnifiedTrackService.UploadAsync` reads the resolved release's medium + live track count and **rejects** a track-add that would exceed the medium's `Max` (only the find path — a freshly created release is always within range). The existing `CountLiveTracksByRelease` (already on `ITrackService`, backs the delete cascade) supplies the count; no new counting primitive.
- **Why:** Daniel ruled single-track-per-Session/Mix a *hard constraint* (§9.5/§9.6, resolved). Today it is form-deep only — the upload endpoint and any scripted ApiKey caller bypass it, and the first-upload-authoritative write path adds a second track to an existing non-Cut release with no check. The data model itself does not forbid what the product forbids. Hardening it at the service layer makes every domain writer pass the rule, closes the gap, and — by declaring cardinality as one shared rule both the form and the service read — guarantees the UI and the domain cannot drift.
- **Shape:**
- **The rule as data.** `MediumRules.CardinalityOf(medium)` returns a `(Min, Max)` value type; no three-arm `switch` in any service. The same lookup the upload service enforces is the one the CMS form collapse reads (refactor `OnMediumChanged` from its hardcoded `medium is Session or Mix` to `MediumRules.CardinalityOf(medium).IsSingleTrack`) — one source, two consumers (form shapes the UI, service enforces the limit), so they cannot diverge. This is a consume-the-new-rule refactor of §9.6.B's landed collapse, **not** a re-litigation of it.
- **Enforcement in the orchestrator, not `TrackManager`.** The check lives in `UnifiedTrackService` (the true boundary for a track-add-to-a-release operation), not the lower-level SQL `Create`. Express the guard generally — `if (liveCount + 1) > cardinality.Max` — so a future bounded-but-not-single medium is covered by the same line.
- **Reorder to avoid orphaning the vault write.** Today `UploadAsync` writes the vault *before* resolving the release. A rejection at that point orphans the audio. Move the cardinality pre-check **before** `AddTrackAsync`: peek the release by `(album, artist)` (a read via the existing `GetReleaseByTitleAndArtistAsync`, not a create), read its medium + count, reject early — then vault-write only the accepted upload. This reordering is part of the wave, not an afterthought.
- **Violation behaviour.** Return a NetBlocks `ResultContainer` failure with a clear message ("A {medium} release holds a single track; '{title}' already has one"). The controller surfaces it as a `409 Conflict` (honest — well-formed request, rule violation) if cheap, `400` otherwise. The CMS already bubbles upload-failure messages inline; no bespoke UI — the common case never reaches the API because the form collapse stops it first, so this is the backstop for the paths the form does not cover.
- **Leave `ReleaseType`-applicability alone.** Do **not** merge the cardinality rule with the `ReleaseType`-only-for-Cut invariant — they are different kinds of rule (count constraint vs. field relevance). They may co-locate as separate named members of `MediumRules`, but no generic "medium invariant engine." Only cardinality is new this wave.
- **Tests.** Extend `MediumWritePathTests` (the §9.5 EF in-memory fixture): Session/Mix reject a second track-add; Cut accepts the Nth; first track on a new Session/Mix succeeds; `MediumRules.CardinalityOf` returns the declared ranges.
- **Acceptance criteria:** A second track-add to an existing Session or Mix release is rejected at `POST api/track/upload` with a clear failure message and no vault orphan; a Cut release accepts many tracks unchanged; the first track on any medium succeeds; the CMS form collapse and the service enforcement both read `MediumRules` (no duplicated cardinality logic); the existing `ReleaseType`-only-for-Cut enforcement is untouched.
- **Back-compat (verified):** No violating data exists — Phase 9 is unmerged, every release migrated to `Cut` (many-track), zero multi-track Session/Mix releases exist. A DB backstop (if chosen, see open question) goes on clean with no data-cleanup migration; the service check has nothing to reconcile. Note honestly: **no** DB-level cardinality or medium constraint exists today (`ReleaseConfiguration` carries only the `(title, artist)` unique index and the `is_deleted` index) — closing that absence is the wave.
- **Open question (Daniel — philosophy call, not pre-empted):** Enforce the cardinality invariant in the **`UnifiedTrackService` domain layer only** (recommended), or *also* add a **Postgres constraint-trigger DB backstop** so a future writer that bypasses the service cannot violate it?
- **Service-only (recommended).** Consistent with the phase's own documented stance — the `ReleaseType`-only-for-Cut invariant chose service enforcement over `HasCheckConstraint` *by choice, not necessity* (`phase-9-release-medium-types.md` §1); cardinality is the same advisory-vs-storage shape and choosing the DB here would split the phase's philosophy. `UnifiedTrackService` is the *only* track-add path today — the "non-CMS caller" still goes through it (`POST api/track/upload`). The bypass a DB backstop defends against (a writer skipping the service entirely) does not exist in the codebase. And the migration is clean either way, so the backstop is free to add *later* if a second writer ever appears.
- **DB backstop (defer).** A partial unique index cannot express this directly (the medium lives on the `release` table, not `track`; Postgres partial predicates can't cross tables). The expressible form is a hand-written PL/pgSQL constraint-trigger EF does not model — a standing maintenance surface. Defensible only if Daniel wants storage-layer immutability over service-layer truth.
- **Recommendation: service-only (C3), defer the DB backstop (C2) as a free-to-add-later option.** This is a decision about where the system's structural truth lives — the service layer vs. the storage layer — not an implementation detail. It is Daniel's to make. Two minor sub-questions ride along (`409` vs `400` status; `MediumRules` in `DeepDrftModels`) — both have clear recommendations and should not block.
**Completion note:** **Decision: C3 — service-layer enforcement only. NO DB backstop, NO migration, NO trigger** was implemented. `MediumRules` (new, in `DeepDrftModels/Enums/`): a `MediumCardinality` record struct (`Allows`, `IsSingleTrack`) + a `CardinalityOf` lookup declaring `Cut = 1..∞`, `Session = 1..1`, `Mix = 1..1` — one declaration, read by both the service and the form. Enforcement in `UnifiedTrackService.UploadAsync`: a general `(trackCount + 1) > cardinality.Max` guard on the find path (existing release), reordered to run as a **read-only peek BEFORE the vault write** so a rejected over-limit upload never orphans audio. The peek uses a new read-only `GetReleaseByTitleAndArtist` on `ITrackService` (returns medium + live count, no create). Violation → NetBlocks failure result, mapped by `TrackController` to **HTTP 409 Conflict** (via a sentinel message marker mirroring the existing `TrackNotFoundMessage`/`NotFound()` pattern). The CMS form collapse predicates (`BatchUpload.OnMediumChanged`, `BatchEdit.OnMediumChanged` + load-path) were refactored to read `MediumRules.CardinalityOf(medium).IsSingleTrack` — form and service now share one source; behaviour unchanged. `ReleaseType`-only-for-Cut enforcement was left untouched. Nine new tests in `MediumWritePathTests`. Accepted residual items (per the C3 stance): a narrow TOCTOU window between peek and create (single-writer stance accepts it), and an integration-test gap on the no-orphan ordering (no vault seam in the EF in-memory fixture). All acceptance criteria met; Wave 7 hardens per-medium cardinality from a UI convention into a real domain invariant.
---
### 9.8 Wave 8 — Remediation (fully landed: 8.A–8.J + 8.L, 8.M, 8.K)
**Landed:** 2026-06-13 on dev (eleven tracks: 8.A, 8.B, 8.C, 8.D, 8.E, 8.F, 8.G, 8.H, 8.I, 8.J, 8.L); 8.M on 2026-06-14; 8.K on 2026-06-14.
Daniel tested the landed Phase 9 surface (Waves 1–7) and produced a punch-list. Wave 8 is remediation — the gap between what the specs *built* and what hands-on use *wants*. Full design, acceptance criteria, and dependencies: `product-notes/phase-9-wave-8-remediation.md`. The wave spans CMS, public site, and label polish. The Phase-9-completion gate (8.A–8.J + 8.L) was met on 2026-06-13; 8.M (legacy-form retirement follow-on) landed 2026-06-14; 8.K (Mix Visualizer redesign, post-Phase-9 wave, designed-complete before Phase 9 closed) landed 2026-06-14. Wave 8 is fully complete.
**8.A — Release Archive as medium tabs, not cards**
- **What:** Retire the three navigate-away medium cards (`ReleaseArchiveBrowser`); replace with an in-page `MudTabs` strip (`ALL` + one tab per medium) that swaps the grid below in place. Retire the redundant top-level **Releases** toggle item (the `ALL` tab subsumes it).
- **Why:** The card-grid landing required navigation away to reach per-medium grids. Daniel's testing pass identified the correct shape as an in-page tab strip — medium selection without leaving the page.
- **Shape:** `TrackList.razor` renders a `MudTabs` strip when `VM.Mode == BrowseMode.Albums`: the `ALL` panel hosts `CmsAllReleasesGrid` (the 8.B component); per-medium tabs are enum-driven via `Enum.GetValues()` with a `MediumTabLabels` dictionary for display text and a `MediumGrid(medium)` render-fragment `switch` for content (Cut → `CmsCutBrowser`, Session → `CmsSessionBrowser Embedded="true"`, Mix → `CmsMixBrowser Embedded="true"`, fallback `_ =>`). The `/tracks/archive` deep-link route resolves to the Releases/Albums mode via URL inspection in `OnInitializedAsync`. `ReleaseArchiveBrowser.razor` and its `.razor.css` were deleted. `BrowseMode.Archive` was removed from `CmsTrackBrowserViewModel.cs`. New `CmsCutBrowser.razor` (a Cut-filtered grid) derives from `CmsMediumBrowserBase`, `Medium => ReleaseMedium.Cut`. `CmsSessionBrowser.razor` and `CmsMixBrowser.razor` each gained an `[Parameter] public bool Embedded { get; set; }` on the subclass (not on `CmsMediumBrowserBase`, which is untouched); when `true`, standalone page chrome (container, title, "Back to Release Archive" button) is suppressed and only the grid renders; standalone routes keep the chrome. Their §9.5.E per-row Edit and hero/waveform row actions are preserved in both contexts. `/tracks/sessions`, `/tracks/mixes`, `/tracks/archive` remain reachable by direct URL. No `@rendermode` override; no constructor growth; no `IServiceProvider`. No new automated tests (DeepDrftTests has no bUnit harness / no DeepDrftManager reference). Known internally-consistent characteristic: CUTS/SESSIONS/MIXES tabs use the thin `CmsMediumTable` grid (cover/title/artist/edit) while ALL uses the richer `CmsAllReleasesGrid` (expand-tracks/delete/Type-chip); per-medium grid richness deferred to 8.C.
**Completion note:** `TrackList.razor` replaced its former three-way toggle (Tracks / Releases / Release Archive) with a two-item toggle (Tracks / Releases); the Releases arm hosts a `MudTabs` strip with `ALL` (→ `CmsAllReleasesGrid`) and enum-driven medium tabs rendered via `MediumTabLabels` + `MediumGrid` render-fragment switch. `ReleaseArchiveBrowser.razor` and `ReleaseArchiveBrowser.razor.css` deleted. `BrowseMode.Archive` removed from `CmsTrackBrowserViewModel.cs`. New file `CmsCutBrowser.razor` (Cut-filtered, derives from `CmsMediumBrowserBase`, no standalone page route). `CmsSessionBrowser.razor` and `CmsMixBrowser.razor` each gained `[Parameter] public bool Embedded { get; set; }` on the subclass; base class untouched. `/tracks/archive` deep-link resolves to Albums mode. All gate acceptance criteria met; 8.C and 8.E layer onto this foundation.
---
**8.D — Type column chip reads "Session" / "DJ Mix" for non-Cuts**
- **What:** The cross-medium releases grid's Type column must not show a Cut-only `ReleaseType` chip (Single/EP/Album) for Session/Mix rows. For non-Cut media the chip reads the medium name — **"Session"** or **"DJ Mix"**.
- **Why:** The CMS Release Archive grid and the `ALL`-tab grid show all releases together. When a Session or Mix row renders a Cut-only `ReleaseType` value, the UI contradicts the medium taxonomy — a Session row should read "Session," not "Single/EP/Album."
- **Shape:** The Type cell was rendering `@context.Release.ReleaseType` unconditionally. Per Phase 9 read-model design, `ReleaseDto.ReleaseType` is nullable and nulled for non-Cut media at the mapping point. The cell becomes medium-aware: when `Medium == Cut`, show `ReleaseType`; otherwise show the medium's display name from a lookup (no hardcoded switch — a future medium's label comes free from the enum + lookup entry).
- **Acceptance criteria:** Cut row's Type chip shows Single/EP/Album; Session row shows "Session"; Mix row shows "DJ Mix"; no row shows a Cut-only `ReleaseType` for a non-Cut medium.
**Completion note:** The Type cell in `CmsAlbumBrowser.razor` was refactored to a single ternary: when `Medium == Cut`, renders `ReleaseType?.ToString() ?? "—"` (reusing the existing em-dash empty-cell idiom used by Genre and Release-Date cells); otherwise renders from `private static readonly IReadOnlyDictionary MediumTypeLabels` with entries `[ReleaseMedium.Session] = "Session"` and `[ReleaseMedium.Mix] = "DJ Mix"`. Dictionary name is **MediumTypeLabels**. A `@using DeepDrftModels.Enums` was added. Future non-Cut media require exactly one new dictionary entry — no markup change. Acceptance criteria met; Type column now correctly shows "Session" / "DJ Mix" for non-Cut rows.
---
**8.B — `ALL` tab: all-releases grid with edit**
- **What:** The left-most `ALL` tab shows the current cross-medium releases grid (every release, all media) with working edit buttons — the surface the retired **Releases** toggle used to show.
- **Why:** The CMS Release Archive needed a unified view of all releases as a foundation for the tab-strip redesign (8.A). The grid already existed in `CmsAlbumBrowser`; 8.B makes it the `ALL` tab's content.
- **Shape:** `CmsAlbumBrowser` displays the cross-medium releases grid with sort, delete (cascade + orphaned-release cleanup), expand-tracks, and per-row edit, all unchanged. The grid self-loads via `ICmsTrackService.GetReleasesAsync` in `OnInitializedAsync`, with an optional `[Parameter] public EventCallback OnReleasesChanged` for host cache invalidation (set in `TrackList.razor` for genre-cache sync). A single `ReloadAsync` path serves both initial load and post-delete refresh.
**Completion note:** `CmsAllReleasesGrid.razor` (new, in `DeepDrftManager/Components/Pages/Tracks/`) wraps `CmsAlbumBrowser` as a self-loading component. Component owns its data load (`ICmsTrackService.GetReleasesAsync` in `OnInitializedAsync`), renders `CmsAlbumBrowser` internally, and refreshes after delete via `ReloadAsync()`. `OnReleasesChanged` callback parameter (optional, safe no-op when unset) lets a host invalidate sibling caches on mutation — `TrackList.razor` `BrowseMode.Albums` now renders `CmsAllReleasesGrid` and passes `OnReleasesChanged` so the genre cache still invalidates on release delete. `CmsTrackBrowserViewModel.cs` was trimmed: the now-redundant album load/cache (`Albums`/`AlbumsLoading`) was removed; `Invalidate()` narrowed to genre-only. `CmsAlbumBrowser` unchanged — sort, delete cascade, expand-tracks, per-row edit, Type chip (per 8.D) all preserved. No `@rendermode` override, no constructor growth, no `IServiceProvider`. No new automated tests (DeepDrftTests has no bUnit/no DeepDrftManager reference; the underlying `GetReleasesAsync` data path is covered by existing tests). Files: `CmsAllReleasesGrid.razor` (new), `TrackList.razor`, `CmsAlbumBrowser.razor`, `CmsTrackBrowserViewModel.cs`. Acceptance criteria met; `ALL` tab grid with edit now live as an embeddable component, clearing the foundation for 8.A tab strip.
---
**8.F — Session hero image in the upload form (retire the two-step)**
- **What:** Compose the hero-image field into the Session upload form so a Session is authored in one pass; remove the "set it later from the browser" alert. Hero is **optional but warns if missing** (no hard gate).
- **Why:** Sessions need their signature hero image. Requiring a post-upload trip to the Session browser is a friction point in the authoring flow. Embedding the hero upload in the creation form (mirroring the deferred cover-art `` UX) lets an admin author a complete Session in one submission.
- **Shape:** `SessionFields.razor` renders a deferred hero-image `` (mirroring the cover-art deferred-upload UX), but **only `@if (AllowHeroUpload)`** — a new bool parameter. `AllowHeroUpload` is threaded `BatchUpload → AlbumHeaderFields → MediumFields → SessionFields` (same chain as the `HeroImageFile`/`HeroImageFileChanged` pair). It defaults `false`; only `BatchUpload` passes it `true`. On the edit forms (`BatchEdit`, `TrackEdit`, `TrackNew`) it stays false, so they show a `Severity.Info` guidance alert pointing to the Sessions browser per-row replace — no dead control. On submit, `BatchUpload` creates the release via the existing upload path, then POSTs the held hero file to the existing resource-addressed `POST api/release/{id}/session/hero-image` using `result.Value.ReleaseId`. Hero is optional with a non-blocking warn-then-proceed gate: a first Session submit with no hero shows a `Severity.Warning` message (`_warningMessage`) and primes acknowledgment; a later submit proceeds. The null-`ReleaseId` edge logs + Snackbars instead of dropping the file silently.
- **Acceptance criteria:** Session upload form shows a hero-image `` alongside the cover art; hero upload optional (warning-then-proceed gate); edit forms show guidance alert instead of the hero field; per-row hero upload in `CmsSessionBrowser` unchanged; no sessions uploaded without hero field available.
**Completion note:** `SessionFields.razor` gained `[Parameter] public bool AllowHeroUpload { get; set; }` and wraps hero-image `` in `@if (AllowHeroUpload)`. Hero image input shows only in upload form, suppressed in edit forms with guidance alert (`Severity.Info` routing to Sessions browser) visible instead. `AllowHeroUpload` parameter threaded through `MediumFields.razor → AlbumHeaderFields.razor → BatchUpload.razor` (set `true` only in `BatchUpload`; defaults `false`). `BatchUpload.razor` holds hero file in a field (`private IBrowserFile? _heroImageFile`) assigned by `SessionFields`'s `HeroImageFileChanged` callback, then POSTs held file to `POST api/release/{id}/session/hero-image` after successful release creation using `result.Value.ReleaseId`. Hero optional with non-blocking gate: `Severity.Warning` on first submit without hero, primes boolean; second submit proceeds (warning dismissed). Null `ReleaseId` edge case logs error + Snackbar instead of silently dropping file. Per-row hero upload in `CmsSessionBrowser` untouched (remains the replace/correct path). Files: `SessionFields.razor`, `MediumFields.razor`, `AlbumHeaderFields.razor`, `BatchUpload.razor`. Acceptance criteria met; hero image now composable in upload form with optional-but-warn semantics.
---
**8.G — "Album Name" → "Release Name" label**
- **What:** The `AlbumHeaderFields` form's first-field label reads **"Release Name"**, not "Album Name."
- **Why:** The field now covers Cuts, Sessions, and Mixes — not just albums. "Release Name" is the accurate noun.
- **Shape:** Rename `Label="Album Name"` → `Label="Release Name"` and the `RequiredError` string in `AlbumHeaderFields.razor`. Check placeholder/help text for consistency.
- **Acceptance criteria:** The first field of the release header form reads "Release Name"; the required-validation message references "Release Name."
**Completion note:** `AlbumHeaderFields.razor` `Label` and `RequiredError` changed "Album Name" → "Release Name". Matching validation message strings in `BatchEdit.razor` and `BatchUpload.razor` were updated to "Release Name is required" for consistency. Three files total; trivial rename, acceptance criteria met immediately.
---
**8.J — ARCHIVE popover click does not close (bug)**
- **What:** Clicking a popover child leaves the pure-CSS hover dropdown stuck open on SPA navigation. The desktop ARCHIVE menu (a hover-triggered `.dd-nav-dropdown`) has no JS dismissal — it hides only when cursor leaves or focus moves out. After enhanced SPA nav (Blazor keeps the DOM), the cursor often remains over the parent, so the dropdown stays visible.
- **Why:** Dead affordance. An admin clicks "Sessions" in the dropdown, the nav updates in-place, and the dropdown stays floating over the new content, blocking clicks. Dismissal must be explicit (JS-based, not CSS-only).
- **Shape:** Detect SPA navigation and trigger a dismissal handler. The existing `DeepDrftMenu.razor` / `DeepDrftMenu.razor.css` structure carries `.dd-nav-dropdown` with `:hover` and `:focus-within` CSS triggers. A JS `DismissDropdown()` function or a Blazor `@onmouseleave` handler on the parent can close the dropdown imperatively after nav. Coordinate with 8.I: if 8.I flattens the nav and removes the popover entirely on desktop (the three media become inline appbar items), the dismissal logic only survives on breakpoints/sub-menus where a popover remains. Fix applies where the popover still exists.
- **Acceptance criteria:** Clicking a popover child (e.g. "Sessions") closes the dropdown; no dropdown floats after SPA navigation. Desktop and mobile both dismiss correctly.
**Completion note:** `DeepDrftMenu.razor.css` updated with a new `.dd-nav-item-collapsed` rule (scoped `.dd-nav-item-parent.dd-nav-item-collapsed .dd-nav-dropdown`) using `!important` to override both the `:hover` and `:focus-within` show rules. Razor state: collapse tracked in `private readonly HashSet _collapsedDropdowns = []` keyed by `navPage.Route`; parent `` gets the class via `_collapsedDropdowns.Contains(navPage.Route)`. Child link's `@onclick` calls `CollapseDropdown(navPage.Route)` (adds route to set); parent ` `'s `@onmouseleave` AND `@onfocusout` both call `ResetDropdown(navPage.Route)` (removes it). Per-parent keying enables multiple independent dropdowns; `@onfocusout` reset lets keyboard users re-enable dropdown without mouse pass. Mirrors existing `CloseMobileMenu` pattern. The dropdown no longer floats after SPA navigation; acceptance criteria met.
---
**8.L — Consolidate release name + track name for single-track releases**
- **What:** For single-track media (Session and Mix), the UI presents **a single name** (Release Name). The track name is **derived from it automatically** on save and kept synced — the admin never enters or sees a separate "Track Name" field. Cuts (multi-track) remain unaffected (separate release and per-track names). This is a consolidation: today these forms surface *two* name inputs for media with only one logical name.
- **Why:** A Session or Mix is a single work with one name. Surfacing a separate "Track Name" invites divergence (release "Lowcountry Live #3" whose track is "untitled-master-final") and a confusing authoring experience. The name consolidation removes that redundancy.
- **Shape:** On **create** (`BatchUpload`, single-track medium): the form presents one name field (Release Name, via 8.G rename); no separate Track Name input. On save, `_tracks[0].TrackName` is set equal to the Release Name. On **edit** (`BatchEdit`, single-track medium): the form presents one name field (Release Name); the per-row Track Name editor is suppressed (via a flag passed to `BatchTrackDetail`). On save, the track's `TrackName` is set equal to the (possibly edited) Release Name — they stay synced. Switching the medium selector mid-form re-drives which name fields are visible (one name for Session/Mix; release + per-track names for Cut) without losing entered data.
- **Acceptance criteria:** Single-track (Session/Mix) **create** path shows one name field (Release Name) with no separate Track Name input; on save, `TrackName == ReleaseName`. Single-track **edit** path shows one name field (Release Name); switching to Cut shows both; the form does not lose entered data on selector change. Track name stays synced with release name on edit (changing Release Name updates the track name). Cuts (multi-track) unaffected — Release Name and per-track Track Names are distinct. Legacy `TrackNew`/`TrackEdit` forms are **out of 8.L scope** (their retirement is 8.M). No public-site changes needed (public detail/gallery views already key off release title only).
**Completion note:** `BatchTrackDetail.razor` gained `[Parameter] public bool ShowTrackName { get; set; } = true;` and wraps Track Name `` in `@if (ShowTrackName)`. `BatchUpload.razor` removes Track Name input on single-track branch, sets `_tracks[0].TrackName = _albumName` in `SubmitAsync` (after non-empty `_albumName` validation, before upload loop). `BatchEdit.razor` passes `ShowTrackName="@(!MediumRules.CardinalityOf(_medium).IsSingleTrack)"` to `BatchTrackDetail` and syncs `_tracks[0].TrackName = _albumName` in `SaveAsync`. The "is single-track" decision is driven by shared `MediumRules.CardinalityOf(_medium).IsSingleTrack` declaration (same one used by upload service and §9.7 invariant) — not a hardcoded Session/Mix check. Default `true` keeps Cut path and BatchUpload's Cut branch (passing no `ShowTrackName`) showing the field. No `MudForm`/`EditForm` wrapper exists, so hiding the field has no validation-deadlock effect. Single-track forms now present one name, consolidating two-field redundancy; Cuts unaffected with Release Name and per-track names distinct. Acceptance criteria met; Wave 8 track 8.L consolidates form UX to match single-track-per-medium design intent.
---
**8.C — Per-medium grids gain working edit affordances (full parity with ALL tab)**
- **What:** Cut / Session / Mix tab grids gain full parity with the ALL tab: expand-tracks, delete, Type chip, and per-row Edit action — the same rich `CmsAlbumBrowser` grid the ALL tab uses, filtered to each tab's single medium.
- **Why:** The initial 8.A landing acknowledged that the per-medium tabs used the thin `CmsMediumTable` (cover/title/artist/edit) while ALL used the richer `CmsAlbumBrowser`; 8.C was the deferred parity track. Per-medium grids differing from the ALL grid in affordances was confusing and inconsistent.
- **Shape:** Daniel decided option (b) — full parity. Each per-medium browser (`CmsCutBrowser`, `CmsSessionBrowser`, `CmsMixBrowser`) now renders `CmsAlbumBrowser` filtered to its single medium. `CmsAlbumBrowser.razor` gained one optional `[Parameter] public RenderFragment? RowActions` slot, rendered in the Actions cell before the shared edit/delete buttons; the ALL tab leaves it unset and is unchanged. `CmsMediumBrowserBase.cs` was refactored: it now feeds the rich grid a medium-filtered `Releases` projection (`IReadOnlyList`) alongside `ReloadAsync` (wired to the grid's post-delete `OnReleasesChanged`) and a `RowFor(release)` lookup (`_rowsById` dictionary keyed by `release.Id`) for per-medium action-state recovery by the `RowActions` fragment. Session hero and Mix waveform row actions are preserved via each browser's `RowActions` content. `CmsMediumTable.razor` and `CmsMediumTable.razor.css` were deleted (now orphaned). No `TrackList.razor` change (the `MediumGrid` switch renders the same component identifiers). No `@rendermode` override; no constructor growth; no `IServiceProvider`. No new automated tests (no bUnit harness; medium-filter data path covered by `ReleaseBrowseQueryTests`). Files modified: `CmsAlbumBrowser.razor`, `CmsMediumBrowserBase.cs`, `CmsCutBrowser.razor`, `CmsSessionBrowser.razor`, `CmsMixBrowser.razor`, `CmsSessionBrowser.razor.css`; deleted: `CmsMediumTable.razor`, `CmsMediumTable.razor.css`.
**Completion note:** `CmsAlbumBrowser.razor` gained `[Parameter] public RenderFragment? RowActions { get; set; }` rendered in the Actions cell (before edit/delete) via `@RowActions?.Invoke(context.Release)`; the ALL tab's `CmsAllReleasesGrid` wrapper passes nothing, leaving ALL unchanged. `CmsMediumBrowserBase` (generic, abstract) was rewritten: it now loads a medium-filtered release list via `ICmsReleaseService.GetPagedAsync`, projects to a bare `IReadOnlyList Releases` for the rich grid, maintains `_rowsById` for action-state recovery via `RowFor(release)`, and exposes `ReloadAsync()` wired to the grid's `OnReleasesChanged`. `CmsCutBrowser`, `CmsSessionBrowser`, and `CmsMixBrowser` were updated to render `CmsAlbumBrowser` (instead of the now-deleted `CmsMediumTable`) with their medium-specific `RowActions` fragment. `CmsMediumTable.razor` and `CmsMediumTable.razor.css` deleted. Per-medium tabs now render the same expand-tracks / delete / Type-chip / edit grid as the ALL tab, single-sourced. Acceptance criteria met; Wave 8 track 8.C brings per-medium grids to full parity with the ALL tab.
---
**8.E — Add-Track buttons in all modes, medium-aware routing**
- **What:** Every Release Archive tab surfaces an Add Track button that routes to the upload page pre-set to that tab's medium. The ALL-tab Add Track defaults to Cut; the medium selector stays user-changeable after landing on the form.
- **Why:** Before 8.E, the upload form had no direct link from the Release Archive tabs. An admin starting from the Sessions tab had no in-context Add Track button pointing at a Session upload.
- **Shape:** `TrackList.razor` gained a `MudStack` Add Track button above `MudTabs` in the `Albums` browse arm (§8.A's tab strip), `@bind-ActivePanelIndex="_activeTabIndex"`, and two helpers: `ActiveMedium` maps tab index 0 (ALL) → `ReleaseMedium.Cut` and index ≥1 → `Enum.GetValues()[index-1]`; `AddTrackHref(medium)` → `/tracks/upload?medium={medium.ToString().ToLowerInvariant()}`. `BatchUpload.razor` reads `?medium=` via `[SupplyParameterFromQuery(Name = "medium")]`, parses with `Enum.TryParse(ignoreCase: true)` + `Enum.IsDefined`, defaults to `ReleaseMedium.Cut`, and routes through the existing `OnMediumChanged` so the pre-selected medium drives the conditional fields on load (the 8.F hero field for Session, `ReleaseType` for Cut) and the 8.L single-track name-collapse runs identically to a user change. The selector stays user-changeable after landing; `/tracks/upload` with no param still defaults to Cut. No `@rendermode` override; no constructor growth; no `IServiceProvider`. `TrackList.razor` edits confined to the tab-strip toolbar (no grid-component / `MediumGrid` switch edits). Files modified: `TrackList.razor`, `BatchUpload.razor`.
**Completion note:** `TrackList.razor` gained `_activeTabIndex` backing field with `@bind-ActivePanelIndex`, `ActiveMedium` computed property (index 0 → `Cut`; index ≥1 → `Enum.GetValues()[index-1]`), `AddTrackHref(medium)` static helper producing `/tracks/upload?medium={…}`, and a `MudStack` row above `MudTabs` rendering the medium-aware Add Track button. `BatchUpload.razor` gained `[SupplyParameterFromQuery(Name = "medium")] public string? MediumParam { get; set; }` and seed logic in `OnInitializedAsync`: if `MediumParam` is set, `Enum.TryParse(ignoreCase: true)` + `Enum.IsDefined` gate the call to `OnMediumChanged(medium)`, driving conditional fields and 8.L name-collapse on load without requiring a user gesture. The query-param convention is new to the codebase as a Blazor `[SupplyParameterFromQuery]` entry, mirroring the existing API-side `Enum.TryParse`/`IsDefined` parse posture. Acceptance criteria met; Wave 8 track 8.E surfaces a medium-aware Add Track button in every Release Archive tab.
---
**8.H — Archive page becomes the searchable all-releases browser (release-cardinal, decided H2)**
- **What:** Replace the public `/archive` three-card overview with a release-cardinal searchable browser over all releases. Retire the three-card overview on every breakpoint; cascade: `/tracks` (`TracksView`) is demoted from the nav (route kept reachable); mobile ARCHIVE → the new browser.
- **Why:** The three-card overview is dead weight — it merely summarizes what the site offers without letting the user interact with actual content. The real archive experience is discovering and exploring releases across all media with search, filtering, and per-medium detail pages. A searchable all-releases browser is what "archive" means to a listener.
- **Shape:** New `ArchiveView` (`.razor` + `.razor.cs` + `.razor.css`): debounced Title/Artist search, an enum-driven medium filter (`All` + per-medium from `Enum.GetValues()` + a label lookup, so a fourth medium surfaces from one entry), and a genre filter sourced from the existing distinct-genres list. Cards route per-medium: Session → `/sessions/{id}`, Mix → `/mixes/{id}`, Cut → `/tracks?album={title}` (the established `AlbumsView` Cut destination, since Cuts have no single-release detail page). The unfiltered first page is bridged across the prerender→WASM seam via `PersistentComponentState` (keyed `"archive-releases"`, persisted/restored only when no filter is active), matching the `TracksView`/`AlbumsView` pattern. No page-level `@rendermode` override. **API surface grew (additive, backward-compatible):** new `ReleaseFilter` DTO (`SearchText`, `Genre`, `IsEmpty`) mirroring `TrackFilter`; `q` + `genre` query params threaded through `ReleaseController` → `ReleaseProxyController` → `ReleaseClient`/`IReleaseDataService`/`ReleaseClientDataService` and `ReleaseManager`/`IReleaseService`/`ReleaseRepository.GetPagedByMediumAsync`. Search uses parameterized `EF.Functions.ILike` over Title/Artist (Npgsql); genre is exact-match. No constructor growth, no `IServiceProvider` — optional params on existing signatures. New test `ReleaseBrowseQueryTests` covers the repository query path (medium/genre/compose/null-passthrough/soft-delete; the `ILike` search is a Postgres-DSN-gated integration test that skips without a DB).
- **Acceptance criteria:** `/archive` is a searchable, filterable all-releases browser with debounced search, medium and genre filters; cards navigate to correct per-medium detail routes; unfiltered first load is prerendered and bridged via persistent state; existing `/tracks` route stays reachable but is removed from public nav; no three-card overview remains.
**Completion note:** `ArchiveView` (at `/archive`) rewritten in place from the three-card overview to a release-cardinal searchable browser. New `ArchiveView.razor`, `ArchiveView.razor.cs`, `ArchiveView.razor.css` implemented with debounced search (Title/Artist), medium filter (enum-driven, no hardcoded switch), and genre filter (sourced from distinct-genres list). Cards route per-medium: Session → `/sessions/{id}`, Mix → `/mixes/{id}`, Cut → `/tracks?album={title}`. Unfiltered first load persisted/restored via `PersistentComponentState` keyed `"archive-releases"` (following `TracksView`/`AlbumsView` pattern). New `ReleaseFilter` DTO added with `SearchText`, `Genre` (string, optional), `IsEmpty` (bool). `ReleaseController` extended with `q` and `genre` optional query params on `GetPagedByMedium` endpoint; params threaded to `ReleaseProxyController` and down through data-service layers. Repository method refactored: `GetPagedByMediumAsync` now accepts optional `searchText` and `genre` parameters, applies parameterized `EF.Functions.ILike` for search over Title/Artist (Npgsql), exact-match for genre. New integration test `ReleaseBrowseQueryTests` covers medium filter, genre filter, compose, null passthrough, soft-delete; `ILike` search integration-only, skips without Postgres DSN. Old `/archive` three-card overview removed. API surface backward-compatible (all new query params optional, existing `medium` filter unchanged). Navigation structure unchanged; `/tracks` (`TracksView`) remains in nav and routable (demotion from nav, and removal of GENRES, are explicit work items for track 8.I). Three-card overview fully retired; public archive is now the searchable all-releases browser; acceptance criteria met.
---
**8.I — Nav slimmed: ARCHIVE + three medium modes inline, GENRES removed**
- **What:** Above the medium breakpoint the appbar carries ARCHIVE (the new release-cardinal browser) and the three medium modes (CUTS/SESSIONS/MIXES) as direct inline links. GENRES removed from the nav. `/tracks` (`TracksView`) demoted from the nav (route kept reachable).
- **Why:** The nav was cluttered with redundant levels (ARCHIVE popover + separate Tracks/Genres entries). Flattening the medium links into the appbar alongside ARCHIVE streamlines navigation; removing GENRES (while keeping the route) reduces clutter. The real archive is release-cardinal (8.H); the `/tracks` track-cardinal gallery is no longer the primary public browse surface.
- **Shape:** `Pages.cs` `MenuPages` removes GENRES and `Tracks` entries; keeps ARCHIVE (now linking to the searchable all-releases browser per 8.H) with no children in the menu model (the three media become inline appbar siblings). `DeepDrftMenu.razor` flattens ARCHIVE and the three medium items into inline `` siblings above the `sm` (600px) breakpoint; the mobile renderer keeps ARCHIVE with the three media indented in the hamburger drawer. The desktop hover popover (`.dd-nav-dropdown`, `:hover`/`:focus-within` CSS, dead-code collapse/reset machinery from 8.J) is removed as now-dead code — no desktop popover renders at any width ≥600px, and the only surviving popover surface (mobile drawer) already dismisses on child click via `CloseMobileMenu`. Code review verified: no desktop popover regression at any breakpoint, mobile drawer dismiss unchanged.
**Completion note:** `Pages.cs` `MenuPages` trimmed: **Tracks** and **Genres** entries removed; ARCHIVE retains its three medium children (Cuts/Sessions/Mixes) unchanged as the single nav data shape — no duplication or child nulling. `/tracks` and `/genres` routes remain reachable by direct URL. `PageRoute.HasChildren` is now unreferenced but left in place. `DeepDrftMenu.razor` refactored: above `sm` breakpoint the renderer builds a flat `
- ` of ARCHIVE + Cuts/Sessions/Mixes as inline `` nav links (no popover nesting); below `sm` breakpoint the mobile `
- ` keeps ARCHIVE as a parent with indented media children (existing drawer pattern, unchanged). `DeepDrftMenu.razor.css` removes `.dd-nav-dropdown` (hover popover display), `.dd-nav-item-parent` (parent hover state), and `.dd-nav-item-collapsed` (popover collapse toggle from 8.J). Remaining CSS is the link and mobile-drawer base styles. The collapse/reset JavaScript state and methods (`_collapsedDropdowns`, `CollapseDropdown`, `ResetDropdown` from 8.J) are removed as unreferenced once the popover disappears. Files: `Pages.cs`, `DeepDrftMenu.razor`, `DeepDrftMenu.razor.css`. All acceptance criteria met: ARCHIVE and three media are inline appbar links at desktop breakpoint; GENRES removed from nav while `/genres` route remains reachable; `/tracks` demoted from nav while route remains reachable; mobile drawer keeps ARCHIVE + media sub-list; no popover floats at any breakpoint; no nav regression.
---
**8.M — Retire the legacy single-track CMS forms**
- **What:** Retire `TrackNew` (`/tracks/new`) and `TrackEdit` (`/tracks/{Id:long}`) as standalone authoring forms in `DeepDrftManager`. Their responsibility is absorbed by `BatchUpload` / `BatchEdit`'s single-track branch.
- **Why:** The legacy forms were a duplicate code surface. Folding their function into the batch forms reduces form surface and removes the addressing-model gap that existed between `TrackEdit` (addressed by track id) and `BatchEdit` (addressed by release title). Daniel's decision: "consolidate the forms and reduce the code surface" (2026-06-13).
- **Shape:** **Option 2 (Daniel's decision):** `BatchEdit` gained a track-addressed route `/tracks/{TrackId:long}/edit` that resolves the track to its parent release via `GetByIdAsync`, loads the release through the existing release-load path, and pre-selects the addressed track's row (`ResolveInitialSelection` matches by `Id`, falls back to row 0). The existing release-title route (`/tracks/album/{AlbumName}/edit`) is untouched. The two legacy components were reduced to thin redirect shims (not hard-deleted, to guard bookmarks): `/tracks/new` → `/tracks/upload`; `/tracks/{Id}` → `/tracks/{Id}/edit`. `CmsTrackGrid`'s per-row Edit now targets `/tracks/{id}/edit`. Files changed (6): `BatchEdit.razor`, `BatchUpload.razor`, `CmsTrackGrid.razor`, `SessionFields.razor`, `TrackEdit.razor`, `TrackNew.razor`. No new component, no public-site change, no constructor growth, no `IServiceProvider`.
**Completion note:** `BatchEdit.razor` gained a second `@page` route `/tracks/{TrackId:long}/edit`; `OnInitializedAsync` uses `GetByIdAsync` when `TrackId` is set, resolves the parent release, loads through the existing release-load path, and calls `ResolveInitialSelection` which matches by `Id` (falls back to row 0) to pre-select the addressed track's row. The existing `/tracks/album/{AlbumName}/edit` route and its load path are untouched. `TrackEdit.razor` and `TrackNew.razor` were each reduced to thin redirect shims — `TrackNew` redirects `/tracks/new` → `/tracks/upload`; `TrackEdit` redirects `/tracks/{Id}` → `/tracks/{Id}/edit` — preserving inbound bookmarks without keeping dead form logic. `CmsTrackGrid.razor` per-row Edit link updated from `/tracks/{id}` to `/tracks/{id}/edit`. `SessionFields.razor` and `BatchUpload.razor` received minor coordinating edits. Build clean. No automated tests (DeepDrftTests has no bUnit harness / no DeepDrftManager reference — consistent with prior Wave 8 tracks). All acceptance criteria met; legacy `TrackNew`/`TrackEdit` authoring forms retired; track-addressed edit route live on `BatchEdit`.
---
**8.K — Mix Visualizer redesign (post-Phase-9 wave)**
- **What:** Replace the static SVG waveform silhouette on the Mix detail page with a windowed, playback-coupled, bottom-to-top scrolling Canvas 2D animation; simultaneously switch Mix loudness datum capture from a fixed 2048-bucket count to a duration-derived constant-time-resolution scheme. Strictly read-only (no seek seam); theme-aware glassy gradient aesthetic (lava-lamp idiom, MudBlazor palette, live dark-mode responsive).
- **Why:** The static SVG silhouette did not communicate playback progress or the shape of the material at any useful zoom level. Long mixes were under-sampled at fixed 2048 buckets — the visualizer design called for ~333 samples/sec so max-zoom detail is legible. The redesign gives Mix detail pages their signature dynamic visual and makes the waveform datum meaningfully dense.
- **Shape:** Two waves. Wave 1 (datum §F): bucket count becomes `ceil(durationSeconds × 333)`, clamped `[2048, 2_000_000]`; pure helper `MixWaveformResolution.cs` (`BucketCountForDuration`, named constants `SamplesPerSecond`/`MinBucketCount`/`MaxBucketCount`); `UnifiedReleaseService.TriggerMixWaveformAsync` derives the count from `audio.Duration`; fixed `MixWaveformBucketCount = 2048` constant removed. Single high-density datum (not tiered/mipmap — Daniel's decision). Backward-compatible: existing 2048-bucket mixes still render coarsely; re-running the Generate trigger re-captures at new density. Wave 2 (renderer §A/B/C/D/E): `MixWaveformVisualizer` rewritten from static SVG to Canvas 2D scrolling animation driven by a `requestAnimationFrame` loop in new TS interop module `MixVisualizer.ts` (`DeepDrftPublic/Interop/visualizer/`). Guitar-Hero zoom coupling anchored at 0.333 s (1 quarter note @ 180 BPM max-zoom), range 0.333 s → 30 s, default-open 10 s. rAF loop gated on is-playing (idle on pause; one-shot redraws on zoom/theme/datum/resize while idle). Sample↔time mapping uses the DTO's `BucketCount` and the mix duration (sourced from the cascaded player, gated to the mix's `TrackId`) — no fixed-2048 assumption. New `MixZoomMapping.cs` (pure log-scaled zoom↔seconds) and `MixVisualizerZoomState.cs` (scoped, session-persistent, resets on fresh load, registered in `Startup.cs`); `MixDetail.razor` passes `TrackId`. Inert `OnSeek` + two-way `PlaybackPosition` seam dropped; `PlaybackPosition` is one-way input; `ReleaseId` self-fetches the datum. No `@rendermode` override, no constructor growth, no `IServiceProvider`; component CSS scoped.
**Completion note:** Wave 1 landed: `DeepDrftContent/Processors/MixWaveformResolution.cs` (new, pure helper with `BucketCountForDuration`, `SamplesPerSecond = 333`, `MinBucketCount = 2048`, `MaxBucketCount = 2_000_000`); `UnifiedReleaseService.TriggerMixWaveformAsync` derives bucket count from `audio.Duration` via the new helper; fixed `MixWaveformBucketCount = 2048` constant removed. `WaveformProfileDto.BucketCount` now varies per-mix. 8 unit tests in `MixWaveformResolutionTests.cs`. Wave 2 landed: `MixWaveformVisualizer` rewritten as a Canvas 2D scrolling component; `DeepDrftPublic/Interop/visualizer/MixVisualizer.ts` (new TS module) owns canvas, datum decode, rAF loop, scroll/zoom/compositing math, and dark-mode responsive theming. `MixZoomMapping.cs` and `MixVisualizerZoomState.cs` (new); zoom state registered as scoped in `Startup.cs`; `MixDetail.razor` passes `TrackId`. Two-way `PlaybackPosition` binding dropped; one-way input only. No automated tests for Wave 2 (DeepDrftTests references DeepDrftContent/DeepDrftData, not DeepDrftPublic.Client — consistent with prior public-site UI waves). Design spec: `product-notes/phase-9-mix-visualizer-redesign.md`. All acceptance criteria met; Wave 8 track 8.K completes the Mix Visualizer redesign and closes Wave 8 in full.
---
### 9.6 Wave 6 — Gap Closure
**Landed:** 2026-06-13 on dev.
Two functional gaps the landed Phase 9 surface left open. Both are real (medium intent not honoured at a surface that should honour it), neither is debt. **A is a product decision** (which destination the home-page cards take) and is gated on Daniel — its build is one line of markup either way, but the *shape* of the answer is his to pick. **B is clear-cut** (mirror an existing collapse already proven on the upload path into the edit path). A and B are independent; B can land immediately, A waits on the open question below.
**9.6.A — Home-page editorial cards have no medium destinations**
- **What:** The three "Music through Every Medium" editorial cards on `Home.razor` (Studio / Live / DJ Mix — landed §8.6) still render as non-navigating `
`s. They carry a deferral comment — `@* TODO Phase 3.x: wire each card to its format-filtered browse route once /tracks?format= exists *@` — written before the medium browse routes existed. Today `/cuts`, `/sessions`, `/mixes` are live and working (§9.4); the only thing that points anywhere from this section is the section CTA "Explore the Archive" → `/tracks`. The cards are the most prominent medium framing on the public site and they are dead ends.
- **Why it matters:** This section *is* the home page's pitch of the three-medium taxonomy. Leaving the cards inert undercuts the whole Phase 9 narrative — a visitor reads "Studio / Live / DJ Mix," clicks the most prominent thing on the page, and nothing happens. The destinations now exist; the only question is which destination is right. The TODO's `/tracks?format=` premise is very likely **obsolete** — it predates the medium browsers, which already give each card a real home.
- **Shape:** Depends on the open question. Either is small:
- **(a) Link the three cards to the existing medium browsers** — Studio → `/cuts`, Live → `/sessions`, Mix → `/mixes`. Promote each `.medium-card` `
` to an `` (the §8.6 spec already anticipated this: "promoting to `` later is a one-line change" — the hover styles assume the affordance). Zero new surface; the routes exist today. Removes the stale TODO.
- **(b) Build a `/tracks?format=` filtered gallery first, then point the cards there** — a flat cross-medium gallery pre-filtered by medium (grid/list toggle, the `TracksView` ergonomics), distinct from the medium-specific browsers. Honours the original TODO's literal premise but adds a surface that does not exist yet: a `format`/`medium` query param on `TracksView` + its VM, plus the routing. The cards then deep-link into that one gallery, pre-filtered.
- **Acceptance criteria:** Each of the three editorial cards navigates to a live medium destination on click (desktop and mobile); the stale `/tracks?format=` TODO is resolved (removed under (a), or satisfied under (b)); no card remains a dead `
`.
- **Open question (Daniel — product decision, do not pre-empt):** Should the cards point at the **existing medium browsers** (`/cuts` / `/sessions` / `/mixes`, shape (a)) or at a **new `/tracks?format=` filtered gallery** (shape (b))?
- **(a)** is trivial and honest about what the site already offers — the medium browsers are the canonical per-medium surfaces, and a card that says "Studio Releases" landing on `/cuts` is exactly truthful. The TODO that asked for `/tracks?format=` was written before those browsers existed and is plausibly just stale.
- **(b)** adds a surface but unifies the browse experience under one flat gallery the visitor can re-filter in place — the card is an entry point into a single explorable gallery rather than three sibling destinations. Worth it only if Daniel wants the flat cross-medium gallery to be the primary public browse model rather than the medium-specific browsers.
- **Note:** (a) requires **no new code beyond the three `href`s** (and the `
`→`` promotion the §8.6 spec pre-authorised); the `/cuts`, `/sessions`, `/mixes` routes already satisfy it. (b) is a genuine new view. The choice is Daniel's — it is a question of which browse model the home page should funnel into, not an implementation detail.
**9.6.B — `BatchEdit` single-track form-shape collapse not applied on the edit path**
- **What:** `BatchUpload.razor` enforces the single-track invariant (§9.3 resolved: Session/Mix are one-track-per-release) by collapsing its multi-track master list to a single row when the medium is Session or Mix — `OnMediumChanged` trims the form to row 1. The edit path `BatchEdit.razor` (`/tracks/album/{AlbumName}/edit`) was not given the same collapse; a code comment flags the deferral. Opening a Session or Mix release in `BatchEdit` today shows the **full multi-track master list** — a form shape that, by the phase's own resolved invariant, should not exist for those media.
- **Why it matters:** The edit form contradicts the data model it edits. Sessions and Mixes are single-track by design and the upload path already enforces that; the edit path showing a multi-track list invites an admin to add tracks to a release that is not supposed to have them, and presents an inconsistent authoring experience between create and edit for the same medium. It is the upload-path invariant left half-applied.
- **Shape:** Mirror `BatchUpload`'s `OnMediumChanged` collapse logic into `BatchEdit`. When the loaded (or selected) medium is Session or Mix, collapse the master list to a single track row and hide the add-track affordance, exactly as `BatchUpload` does — `BatchUpload.OnMediumChanged` is the reference implementation; reuse its shape rather than authoring a second one (the collapse logic is a candidate to lift into a shared helper or the `MediumFields` dispatch if it reads cleanly, but parity with upload is the requirement, shared extraction is the nicety). The medium selector wiring into `BatchEdit`'s submit path already landed in §9.5.B; this is the form-shape half that did not.
- **Acceptance criteria:** Opening a Session or Mix release in `BatchEdit` shows a single-track form with no add-track affordance, matching `BatchUpload` for the same medium; opening a Cut release is unchanged (full multi-track list); switching the medium selector to Session/Mix within `BatchEdit` collapses the list live, the same gesture `BatchUpload` performs.
- **Open question:** How should `BatchEdit` render an **existing Session/Mix release that already holds multiple tracks** (e.g. one created before the §9.3 single-track invariant landed, or mis-authored)? Collapsing the form to row 1 would visually hide tracks 2..n without deleting them — the admin sees one track, the DB holds several, and a save could silently orphan the editing of the hidden tracks. Recommend the safe reading: if a non-Cut release loads with >1 live track, do **not** silently collapse — show the full list with an inline warning ("Sessions and Mixes are single-track; this release has N — remove extras to conform") and let the admin reconcile, only enforcing the single-row collapse once the release is already conformant. This keeps the invariant from destroying data it was added after. Flag for Daniel; the collapse-on-conformant-release behaviour (the common case) is unambiguous and can land regardless.
**Dependency summary for Wave 6:** A and B are independent. B is unblocked and clear-cut (mirror the proven `BatchUpload` collapse). A is blocked only on the Daniel product decision above — once the destination is chosen, its build is trivial. Neither depends on the other.
**Completion note:** 9.6.A — Home-page editorial cards on `Home.razor` linked to medium-specific browsers (decision (a) implemented): Studio → `/cuts`, Live → `/sessions`, Mix → `/mixes`. Each `.medium-card` `
` promoted to `` navigating to the corresponding route; stale `/tracks?format=` TODO removed. 9.6.B — `BatchEdit.razor` single-track form-shape collapse mirrored from `BatchUpload.OnMediumChanged`: when loaded or selected medium is Session or Mix, master list collapsed to single row with no add-track affordance, matching upload-path invariant. The open question about existing multi-track Session/Mix releases was resolved by Daniel as **straight collapse, no warning path** — Phase 9 is unmerged so zero legacy multi-track data exists; the collapse logic in `OnInitializedAsync` (lines 197–200) and `OnMediumChanged` (lines 143–151) silently trims to one track on load and on selector change with no defensive UI. Wave 6 closes functional gaps in Phase 9 medium taxonomy surface; no regressions, both items clarify intent where taxonomy did not yet reach.
---
### 9.4 Wave 4 — Public site: ARCHIVE nav, CUTS / SESSIONS / MIXES, waveform visualizer
**Landed:** 2026-06-13 on dev.
- **9.4.A — ARCHIVE nav + popover.**
- **What:** Replace the current RELEASES / SESSIONS / MIXES nav items (in `DeepDrftPublic.Client/Layout/Pages.cs`) with a single **ARCHIVE** item. Desktop: hover shows a MudBlazor popover with CUTS / SESSIONS / MIXES → `/cuts`, `/sessions`, `/mixes`. Mobile / direct nav: ARCHIVE → an overview page `/archive` (three medium cards, reusing the §8.6 card idiom). Fixes the current **dead** Sessions/Mixes links.
- **Why:** The nav must route into the new medium surfaces; today's Sessions/Mixes links point nowhere.
- **Shape:** `DeepDrftMenu.razor` renders `Pages.MenuPages` as a flat `` list today with no dropdown mechanism. Recommend extending the nav model with an optional `Children` collection (generalizes to future dropdowns) over a bespoke hardcoded popover. Pinned semantics (spec §5.1): dual-role nodes — desktop hover opens children, desktop click navigates to the parent's route (`/archive`), mobile renders the parent as a link with children indented; depth cap of **one level** — deeper nesting is a redesign, not a recursion.
- **Acceptance criteria:** ARCHIVE replaces the three flat items; desktop hover reveals the three sub-links; mobile routes to `/archive`; no dead links remain.
- **9.4.B — CUTS (`/cuts`).**
- **What:** New `/cuts` route reusing the existing `AlbumsView` layout, filtered to `Medium == Cut`. Studio Singles/EPs/Albums appear as they do on the current Releases page.
- **Why:** Honour the existing studio-release browse under the new medium taxonomy. Lowest-effort of the three media.
- **Shape:** Parameterize `AlbumsView`'s data load with a medium filter rather than forking a component. `/cuts` = `AlbumsView` with `Medium == Cut`.
- **Acceptance criteria:** `/cuts` shows only `Cut` releases with the current AlbumsView ergonomics.
- **Resolved:** When `/cuts` lands, the existing `/albums` route issues a redirect to `/cuts`. Old URLs keep working; no hard 404.
- **9.4.C — SESSIONS (`/sessions` + `/sessions/{id}`).**
- **What:** Gallery of session cards (cover, session name, artist) at `/sessions`; detail at `/sessions/{id}` mirroring `TrackDetail` but with the **hero image dominant above the fold**, cover secondary.
- **Why:** Sessions are an authored content kind the home page advertises; the hero image is their distinctive visual.
- **Shape:** Gallery borrows `AlbumsView`'s card-gallery skeleton with a session card face. Detail composes a shared `ReleaseDetailScaffold` (extracted common metadata + play + player wiring) with a hero-image hero slot — see 9.4.D open question.
- **Acceptance criteria:** `/sessions` lists Session releases; `/sessions/{id}` renders hero-dominant with the play affordance intact.
- **9.4.D — MIXES (`/mixes` + `/mixes/{id}`) + `MixWaveformVisualizer`.**
- **What:** Gallery at `/mixes`; detail at `/mixes/{id}` whose defining visual is a **`MixWaveformVisualizer`** component fed by the preprocessed waveform datum from `MixMetadata`, rendered as the **full-page background** of the detail page. The visualizer is a **named, reusable** component.
- **Why:** Mixes are long continuous sets; the waveform is their signature visual and the brief calls for a reusable visualizer.
- **Shape:** `MixWaveformVisualizer` takes the waveform datum (via `WaveformEntryKey` → content endpoint) + optional playback-position binding; renders a high-resolution, sophisticated **full-page background** visual in **its own visual language** — explicitly *not* the `SpectrumVisualizer` / `LevelMeterFab` peak-bar idiom, which is **reserved for the player bar**. The two are siblings in subject matter (waveforms) with entirely separate design treatments; they share a data pipeline (9.2.B), never a look. Detail composes the same `ReleaseDetailScaffold`, with the visualizer as the page-background layer.
- **Acceptance criteria:** `/mixes` lists Mix releases; `/mixes/{id}` renders the waveform visualizer as the page background fed by real datum (seedable via the 9.2.B trigger, no CMS required); the visualizer is a standalone reusable component visually distinct from the player-bar idiom.
- **Open question:** Design the visualizer's seek-on-click position-binding seam now even if click-to-seek ships later? Recommend yes — design the seam, defer the feature (*Design for adaptability up front*).
- **Prerequisite:** 9.2 (the `api/release` read family). Independent of Wave 3 for both **build and acceptance** — the body-less 9.2.B waveform trigger seeds real Mix datum and a script can seed hero images, with no CMS in existence.
- **Open questions:**
- **Detail-page strategy.** Three separate detail pages vs. one branching `TrackDetail` vs. a shared `ReleaseDetailScaffold` + per-medium hero slot. Recommend the scaffold (DRY-by-composition, the Phase 8 `BatchUpload`/`BatchEdit` extraction move; honours *One source, multiple views*). Sets the shape of 9.4.C and 9.4.D. Scaffold contract (spec §5.3): it owns exactly the invariant trio — metadata block, play affordance, player wiring; all per-medium variance rides slots (a boolean layout parameter on the scaffold is a design failure). `TrackDetail` is refactored onto the scaffold in this wave (it is the extraction source — nearly free); if deferred, record the fork as deliberate debt with a retirement note.
**Completion note:** ARCHIVE nav item implemented in `DeepDrftMenu.razor` with optional `Children` collection support in the page model for desktop popover/mobile dropdown. `/archive` overview page renders three medium cards (reusing §8.6 card design). `/cuts` route added, parameterizing `AlbumsView` with medium filter; `/albums` redirects to `/cuts`. `/sessions` gallery and `/sessions/{id}` detail pages implemented with hero-image-dominant layout; detail composes shared `ReleaseDetailScaffold`. `/mixes` gallery and `/mixes/{id}` detail pages implemented; detail features `MixWaveformVisualizer` full-page background component rendering waveform from `MixMetadata.WaveformEntryKey`. `ReleaseDetailScaffold` extracted from `TrackDetail` carrying invariant metadata + play + player wiring; `TrackDetail` refactored to use scaffold. `ReleaseClient` HTTP service and `ReleaseClientDataService` implemented alongside `ReleaseProxyController` in `DeepDrftPublic`. Waveform visualizer click-to-seek position binding seam designed (inert, feature shipping later). All acceptance criteria met; Wave 4 completes Phase 9 on the public site.
---
### 9.5 Wave 5 — Gap Cleanup
**Landed:** 2026-06-13 on dev.
Waves 1–4 are on `dev`. This wave fixes functional gaps discovered in the landed code: one disclosed by the Wave 3 engineer (medium is never written through the upload path), two structural issues flagged by review (fragile track resolution in the detail VM, browser duplication), and one nav gap (`/tracks` is unreachable from the public menu). Items are ordered: **A–B are blockers** (data correctness); **C–E are correctness/nav gaps**; **F is a structural debt item** worth landing when the browsers next need editing.
**9.5.A — Medium write path: `POST api/track/upload`**
- **What:** The `POST api/track/upload` endpoint accepts no `medium` form field. `CmsTrackService.UploadTrackAsync` already sends `medium` in the multipart body (a forward-compatible no-op left by the Wave 3 engineer), but the API ignores it. Every uploaded release is created with `Medium = Cut` regardless of the CMS form selection. Sessions and Mixes uploaded through the CMS are silently mis-typed at the database level.
- **Why:** This is the primary functional gap of the phase. A mix uploaded as `Cut` does not appear in the `/mixes` browser, does not trigger waveform generation on the correct release, and the public `/mixes/{id}` detail page will never find it. The bug is silent — no error surfaces; the track uploads cleanly into the wrong category.
- **Shape:** Three layers, each minimal:
1. **`TrackController.UploadTrack`** — add `[FromForm] string? medium` parameter. Parse it with `Enum.TryParse` (same defensive pattern as `releaseType`, defaulting to `Cut` with a logged warning on unrecognised values). Pass the parsed value into `UnifiedTrackService.UploadAsync`.
2. **`UnifiedTrackService.UploadAsync`** — add `ReleaseMedium medium` parameter. Include it in the `ReleaseDto` passed to `FindOrCreateRelease` (the DTO already has the `Medium` field; it is simply not populated today).
3. **`FindOrCreateRelease` find-path:** When the release *already exists*, the returned row's `Medium` is not updated to match the upload's intent. This is correct behaviour for the first track — the release was created with the right medium. It is potentially wrong for subsequent tracks uploaded to the same release with a corrected medium. No change required here: medium is a release-level property, and the first upload is authoritative. Document this explicitly in the service comment so future engineers do not try to "fix" it.
- **Acceptance criteria:** A Session upload from the CMS creates (or links to) a release with `Medium == Session`; a Mix upload creates a release with `Medium == Mix`; a Cut upload is unchanged. The `GET api/release?medium=session` endpoint returns the Session release immediately after upload with no manual migration.
- **Open question:** Should the upload path *update* an existing release's medium when it differs? Recommend no — a release's medium is set on creation and should not silently change on a subsequent track add. If an admin needs to change a release's medium, that is an edit operation (9.5.B). Capture this as a comment in the service, not a policy decision to re-open here.
**9.5.B — Medium write path: `PUT api/track/meta`**
- **What:** `UpdateTrackMetadataRequest` carries no `Medium` field. `PUT api/track/meta/{id}` can update `ReleaseType` on a release but cannot change `Medium`. `CmsTrackService.UpdateAsync` sends no `medium` field. An admin who uploads a Session as `Cut` (due to the pre-9.5.A bug, or a future form mistake) has no way to correct the medium through the CMS after the fact.
- **Why:** Without an edit path, the only remediation is a direct DB update or a delete-and-re-upload. Both are bad. The edit path should be complete.
- **Shape:**
1. **`UpdateTrackMetadataRequest`** — add `ReleaseMedium? Medium` (nullable: null = no change, matching the `ReleaseType?` pattern already on the request).
2. **`TrackController.UpdateMeta`** — apply `request.Medium` to `release.Medium` when non-null, alongside the existing `ReleaseType` conditional (the same six-line pattern at line 394–395 of the controller).
3. **`CmsTrackService.UpdateAsync`** — add `ReleaseMedium? medium = null` parameter, include in the JSON body.
4. **`ICmsTrackService`** — update the interface signature to match.
5. **`TrackEdit.razor` / `BatchEdit.razor`** — wire the `MediumFields` selector (already present for upload via `BatchUpload`) into the edit submit path, passing the selected medium.
- **Acceptance criteria:** An admin can open an existing release in `TrackEdit` or `BatchEdit`, change the medium selector, submit, and the release's `Medium` column updates in the DB. The browsers (`CmsAlbumBrowser`, `CmsSessionBrowser`, `CmsMixBrowser`) reflect the new medium after the edit.
- **Constraint:** The `ReleaseType`-only-for-`Cut` invariant: when medium changes away from `Cut`, the controller should null (or ignore) `ReleaseType` on the release — the same enforcement the `TrackConverter` already applies on the read path. Mirror that logic on the write path: if `request.Medium` is non-null and not `Cut`, reset `release.ReleaseType = ReleaseType.Single` (the DB-level default) rather than leaving a stale studio-format value.
**9.5.C — `ReleaseDetailViewModel`: replace fragile album-title track resolution**
- **What:** `ReleaseDetailViewModel.Load` resolves the playable track for a Session or Mix detail page by calling `_trackData.GetPage(pageNumber: 1, pageSize: 1, album: release.Title)`. This is a string join on album title. If two releases share the same title (different artists — e.g., both have an untitled mix), the wrong track is returned. More fundamentally, filtering by album title relies on the `Release.Title` matching what was stored as the album string at upload time — a join that is fragile once releases can be renamed via the edit path (9.5.B).
- **Why:** The correct join is by `releaseId`, not album title. The track-page endpoint already supports `album=` filtering; it needs an additional `releaseId=` filter, or the public API needs a `GET api/track/by-release/{releaseId}` endpoint. This is a correctness issue, not a cosmetic one — a collision silently plays the wrong track.
- **Shape (recommended):** Add a `releaseId` query parameter to `GET api/track/page` in `TrackController` and thread it through `ITrackService.GetPaged` → `TrackRepository.GetPagedFilteredAsync` as an additional `WHERE release_id = @releaseId` predicate. `TrackFilter` gains a `long? ReleaseId` field. `ReleaseDetailViewModel.Load` then calls `GetPage(pageNumber: 1, pageSize: 1, releaseId: release.Id)` — an exact join, no title string. The public `IReleaseDataService` and `ReleaseClientDataService` do not need changes if the track page is called directly via `ITrackDataService`.
- **Acceptance criteria:** `/sessions/{id}` and `/mixes/{id}` resolve their playable track by `releaseId`, not by album title string. Two releases with identical titles return their own correct tracks on their respective detail pages.
- **Open question:** Should `TrackFilter.ReleaseId` be exposed on the public unauthenticated `GET api/track/page` endpoint? Yes — it is a read-only filter on public data, same posture as `album=` and `genre=`. No auth change.
**9.5.D — Public nav: `/tracks` route unreachable**
- **What:** `Pages.MenuPages` (the public nav model) contains ARCHIVE (with sub-items /cuts, /sessions, /mixes) and Genres. `/tracks` (the original track gallery at `TracksView.razor`) is not in the nav. The route is still live — typing `/tracks` in the address bar works — but there is no menu entry, no link from any existing page, and no redirect from any of the new medium surfaces.
- **Why it matters:** The track gallery is a useful surface (flat cross-medium search, grid/list toggle, genre/album filter). Removing it from the nav without a replacement or deliberate deprecation is a nav gap. A listener who does not know about `/cuts` has no way to discover the flat track list.
- **Shape (three options — pick one):**
- **Option A (recommended): Add `/tracks` back to the nav.** Add a "Tracks" entry (flat, no children) to `Pages.MenuPages` alongside ARCHIVE and Genres. Zero risk; the page exists and works. Honest about what the site offers.
- **Option B: Retire `/tracks` explicitly.** Add a redirect from `/tracks` → `/cuts` (or `/archive`) and remove `TracksView.razor`. Requires confirming that `/cuts` is a complete replacement (it is not — `/cuts` shows only Cut releases; `/tracks` is a flat cross-medium list). Not recommended unless Daniel confirms the gallery is intentionally retired.
- **Option C: Make ARCHIVE the gallery.** Repurpose `/archive` from the current three-card overview to the flat track gallery. Feels wrong — `/archive` is already a meaningful overview page, not a gallery.
- **Recommendation:** Option A. The track gallery is valuable and distinct from the medium-specific browsers. Add "Tracks" to `Pages.MenuPages`. If Daniel later wants to retire the gallery, that is a separate explicit decision with a redirect. Do not silently leave a useful route off the nav.
- **Acceptance criteria:** `/tracks` appears in the public navigation menu. Desktop and mobile nav both link to it. Existing functionality of `TracksView` is unchanged.
**9.5.E — `CmsSessionBrowser` and `CmsMixBrowser`: missing Edit row action**
- **What:** The Wave 3 spec for 9.3.B says "row Edit + hero-image management" for the Session browser, and the Mix browser should similarly have an edit affordance. The landed `CmsSessionBrowser` and `CmsMixBrowser` provide the medium-specific action (hero upload / waveform generate) but no Edit button linking to the standard release edit page (`/tracks/album/{name}/edit` via `BatchEdit`).
- **Why:** Without the Edit button, an admin cannot rename a session, change its artist, update its genre, or swap its cover art from the browser. The only path is navigating to `/tracks`, finding the session track, and editing it from there — which itself is now off the nav (9.5.D).
- **Shape:** Add a `MudButton` (or `MudIconButton`) per row linking to `/tracks/album/@Uri.EscapeDataString(context.Release.Title)/edit` in both browsers, matching the `CmsAlbumBrowser` pattern. No new components or endpoints.
- **Acceptance criteria:** Each row in `CmsSessionBrowser` and `CmsMixBrowser` has an Edit button that navigates to `BatchEdit` for that release. The edit page loads the release's tracks and release-level fields correctly.
**9.5.F — `CmsSessionBrowser` / `CmsMixBrowser` structural duplication (DRY debt)**
- **What:** Both browsers share an identical structural skeleton: a `LoadAsync` method with `_loading` / `_rows` fields, an `OnInitializedAsync` → `LoadAsync` call, a `ThumbUrl` static helper, snackbar error handling, and a `MudTable` with cover-thumbnail + title + artist columns. Only the per-row action column and the row model differ. This is copy-paste, not composition. The Phase 9 intro promises "a new medium is one entry, one file" — with this structure, a new medium browser is instead two files of boilerplate plus one file of new logic.
- **Why:** Manageable now at three media, but violates the open/closed discipline the phase established. The right fix is a `MediumBrowserBase` abstract base (or a parameterized `CmsMediumBrowser` component with an action-column slot), reducing each browser to its medium-specific action markup only.
- **Shape:** Extract a `CmsMediumBrowserBase` class (analogous to `MediumBrowseBase` on the public site) carrying: `_loading`, `_rows`, `OnInitializedAsync`, `LoadAsync`, `ThumbUrl`. Subclasses supply the `ReleaseMedium` and the per-row action column. The table structure (cover, title, artist, actions) is rendered in the base or via a shared `CmsMediumTable` Razor component with an `ActionContent` `RenderFragment` parameter. A new medium browser is then a subclass that overrides the medium enum and implements the action fragment.
- **Acceptance criteria:** `CmsSessionBrowser` and `CmsMixBrowser` no longer duplicate `LoadAsync` / `ThumbUrl` / the error-snackbar pattern. A third medium browser (hypothetical) would require only the medium-specific action markup, with zero structural boilerplate.
- **Note:** This is structural debt, not a functional gap. Mark `[nice-to-have]` if Wave 5 is time-boxed. The functional items (A–E) are the priority; F can defer to Wave 6 if needed.
**Dependency summary for Wave 5:** A and B are independent of each other (parallel tracks) and are the highest priority — both are data-correctness blockers for Session/Mix releases created since Wave 3 landed. C depends on A and B being stable (so the detail VM resolves tracks for correctly-typed releases). D and E are independent nav/UI fixes. F is independent structural debt.
**Completion note:** `POST api/track/upload` endpoint extended with `[FromForm] string? medium` parameter, defensively parsed via `Enum.TryParse` and threaded through `UnifiedTrackService.UploadAsync` → `ReleaseDto`. Release finds are unchanged — existing releases never get their medium updated on subsequent track adds. `PUT api/track/meta` endpoint and `UpdateTrackMetadataRequest` extended with `ReleaseMedium? Medium` field; controller applies non-null values to `release.Medium` alongside `ReleaseType` conditional logic, resetting `ReleaseType` to `Single` for non-`Cut` media. `CmsTrackService.UpdateAsync` signature updated to accept `ReleaseMedium? medium` parameter and include it in the JSON body. `ICmsTrackService` interface updated. `TrackEdit.razor` and `BatchEdit.razor` now wire the `MediumFields` selector into the edit submit path. `ReleaseDetailViewModel.Load` updated to call `GetPage(releaseId: release.Id)` instead of the fragile album-title string join. `TrackFilter` extended with `long? ReleaseId` field. `GET api/track/page` endpoint now accepts `releaseId` query parameter and threads it through repository/service layers as an additional WHERE predicate. Two releases with identical titles now return their own correct tracks on detail pages. `Pages.MenuPages` updated to add "Tracks" entry to public nav alongside ARCHIVE and Genres (Option A). `/tracks` is now reachable from the public menu. `CmsSessionBrowser` and `CmsMixBrowser` each gain a per-row Edit `MudIconButton` linking to `BatchEdit` with URI-escaped release title. `CmsMediumBrowserBase` abstract base extracted carrying `_loading`, `_rows`, `OnInitializedAsync`, `LoadAsync`, `ThumbUrl` infrastructure. Shared `CmsMediumTable` Razor component implemented with `ActionContent` `RenderFragment` slot for per-medium actions. `CmsSessionBrowser` and `CmsAlbumBrowser` refactored to inherit from base and supply medium-specific action markup. New medium browser requires only action fragment implementation, zero structural duplication. All acceptance criteria met; Wave 5 completes Phase 9 Wave cleanup across API, public site, and CMS.
---
### 9.3 Wave 3 — CMS: Release Archive tab, medium selector, medium browsers
**Landed:** 2026-06-13 on dev.
- **9.3.A — Release Archive tab + medium selector.**
- **What:** Rename `TrackList.razor`'s third tab **Genre → Release Archive**. Inside it, render a **medium card group** (one card per `ReleaseMedium`, styled like the existing `CmsGenreBrowser` cards) where each card *navigates* to a medium-specific browser. Add a `ReleaseMedium` selector to `TrackNew` / `TrackEdit` / `BatchUpload` / `BatchEdit` / `AlbumHeaderFields`; show `ReleaseType` only when `Medium == Cut`, hide it (and surface medium-specific fields) for Session/Mix.
- **Why:** The CMS needs to author medium per release and browse the archive by medium. The card-group-of-media is the CMS analogue of the home page's three-medium block.
- **Shape:** Cards driven by `Enum.GetValues()` + a display-metadata lookup (label/descriptor/swatch) — **no hardcoded card switch**. Cut card → `CmsAlbumBrowser` (reused, with a `MediumFilter`); Session card → `CmsSessionBrowser`; Mix card → `CmsMixBrowser`. Selector-driven conditional fields ride **per-medium section components** (`CutFields` / `SessionFields` / `MixFields` — plain explicit markup inside, no clever generics) behind a **single dispatch point** (a `MediumFields` component holding the one `@switch`) embedded by all five forms — one dispatch, not five scattered conditional blocks. A new medium is one section component + one dispatch entry.
- **Acceptance criteria:** The third tab reads "Release Archive" and shows one card per medium; each card navigates to its browser; the upload/edit forms show `ReleaseType` only for `Cut`.
- **9.3.B — `CmsSessionBrowser` + hero-image authoring.**
- **What:** New `CmsSessionBrowser.razor` — a flat list of Session releases (`Medium == Session`) with cover + hero thumbnail, session name, artist; row Edit + hero-image management. Wire the Session upload/edit path to the hero-image upload endpoint (9.2.B).
- **Why:** Sessions are single-track releases with a distinct hero image; the album parent/child expansion of `CmsAlbumBrowser` is the wrong shape for them.
- **Shape:** Reuse `CmsTrackGrid` parameterized by `MediumFilter` where the layout fits; the hero thumbnail is an additive column / thin wrapper, not a forked table. Hero upload reuses the cover-art one-shot pattern against `HeroImageEntryKey`.
- **Acceptance criteria:** Session browser lists only Session releases; uploading a hero image persists it and renders the thumbnail.
- **9.3.C — `CmsMixBrowser` + waveform trigger wiring.**
- **What:** New `CmsMixBrowser.razor` — a flat list of Mix releases (`Medium == Mix`) with an in-grid waveform-generation **status** column (mirroring Phase 8's `HasWaveformProfile` idiom) and a per-row **Generate Waveform** action. Wire the Mix upload to call the server-side waveform trigger (9.2.B) — the CMS never computes or carries the datum.
- **Why:** A Mix without a generated high-res waveform is incomplete; status-in-grid + generate-action is the Phase 8-established pattern for waveform readiness. The CMS has no in-process data layer by convention, so all it does is fire the trigger.
- **Shape:** Upload flow: `UploadTrackAsync` → `POST api/release/{id}/mix/waveform` (body-less; the API computes and stores server-side, 9.2.B). The per-row Generate action is the same trigger — recovery costs one POST, with no download/recompute/re-upload of the catalogue's longest audio files.
- **Acceptance criteria:** Mix browser lists only Mix releases and shows per-row waveform status; uploading a Mix fires the trigger and the stored high-res waveform appears as generated; the per-row Generate action recovers a missing waveform.
- **Prerequisite:** 9.2.
- **Open questions:**
- **Genre browse fate.** Resolved: the Genre tab slot is taken by Release Archive (Wave 3A as specced); the existing genre browse functionality is deprioritized and stays route-reachable as-is — no active development, no retirement. The team should not remove it.
- **Waveform preprocessor reuse.** Resolved: one server-side parameterized pipeline (player-bar peek = low-res, Mix = high-res; *One source, multiple views*). The `WaveformProfileService` resolution-parameter refactor lands in **Wave 2 with the trigger endpoint (9.2.B)**, not in this wave.
- **Single-track invariant.** Resolved: hard constraint. One track per Session/Mix release is enforced at upload — the CMS form for those media drops the multi-track master list entirely.
**Completion note:** Genre tab in `TrackList.razor` renamed to Release Archive; medium card group (Cut / Session / Mix) implemented with enum-driven dispatch to medium-specific browsers (no hardcoded switches). `ReleaseArchiveBrowser` component renders three cards navigating to `CmsAlbumBrowser`, `CmsSessionBrowser`, `CmsMixBrowser`. `MediumFields` single-dispatch component added with per-medium field groups (`CutFields`, `SessionFields`, `MixFields`) embedded by `TrackNew`, `TrackEdit`, `BatchUpload`, `BatchEdit`, `AlbumHeaderFields`; `ReleaseType` visible only for Cut medium. `CmsSessionBrowser` implemented as flat list of Session releases with cover + hero thumbnail columns; hero-image upload via `POST api/release/{id}/session/hero-image` integrated into upload/edit path. `CmsMixBrowser` implemented as flat list of Mix releases with in-grid waveform status column (mirroring Phase 8's `HasWaveformProfile` pattern) and per-row Generate trigger via `POST api/release/{id}/mix/waveform`. Single-track invariant enforced in `BatchUpload` for Session/Mix. **Known gap:** medium write path (medium field in `POST api/track/upload` and `PUT api/track/meta` requests) not yet implemented — to be spec'd as Phase 9 Wave 5. All acceptance criteria met; Wave 3 completes Phase 9 on the CMS.
---
### 9.2 Wave 2 — API: medium reads + metadata uploads
**Landed:** 2026-06-12 on dev.
A new `api/release` controller — the medium unit is the *release*, not the track, so medium browse and metadata uploads are release-cardinal rather than bolted onto `api/track/page`.
- **9.2.A — Release read endpoints (data layer + controller).**
- **What:** `GET api/release?medium={cut|session|mix}&page=&pageSize=&sort=` (unauth, paginated, medium filter additive — omitting returns all) and `GET api/release/{id}` (unauth, single release + medium metadata). The **list** read `Include`s the matching metadata table via a per-medium projection map; the **by-id** read always-`Include`s both metadata navs (two 1:1 unique-FK joins; non-matching media naturally yield nulls — no per-medium branching, no map).
- **Why:** The public CUTS/SESSIONS/MIXES surfaces and the CMS browsers all read releases by medium. One cohesive release-read family keeps `api/track/page` focused on Phase 8's track-list cases.
- **Shape:** Repository/service join through the metadata tables only for the relevant medium on list reads; base release reads never touch them. The projection map carries a dual responsibility: per-medium `Include` selection *and* the single enforcement point of the medium↔metadata correlation (a metadata DTO is populated iff the medium matches) — which is why it is not inlined in the controller. The honest extensibility guarantee is "one entry, one file," not "zero controller changes." `ReleaseDto` gains `Medium`, a **nullable** `ReleaseType?` (nulled at the mapping point for non-`Cut`), and optional nested `SessionMetadataDto?` / `MixMetadataDto?` (populated only for the matching medium — mirrors Phase 8's nested-`Release` choice, not denormalized flat fields).
- **Acceptance criteria:** `GET api/release?medium=session` returns Session releases with hero-image metadata included and no `MixMetadata`; `medium=cut` returns Cuts with neither metadata block and a non-null `ReleaseType`; non-Cut releases serialize `ReleaseType: null`; pagination + sort parity with `api/track/page`.
- **9.2.B — Metadata write endpoints.**
- **What:** `POST api/release/{id}/session/hero-image` (ApiKey, multipart — hero image → image vault → set `SessionMetadata.HeroImageEntryKey`) and `POST api/release/{id}/mix/waveform` (ApiKey, **no request body** — a server-side trigger: the API fetches the mix audio from its own vault, computes the high-resolution waveform via `WaveformProfileService` parameterized by resolution, stores the datum in the vault, sets `MixMetadata.WaveformEntryKey`). Both routes are resource-addressed — the release id rides the route.
- **Why:** The CMS authoring flows (Wave 3 B/C) need write paths for the medium-specific data, and the waveform is a *derived* datum the server can compute from audio it already owns. Mirroring the existing body-less `POST api/track/{trackId}/waveform` idiom makes the datum correct by construction (no trusting a client blob) and keeps the CMS free of any in-process data layer (its standing constraint). Splitting these from the track-upload endpoint keeps each endpoint single-responsibility.
- **Shape:** Hero-image upload mirrors the existing cover-art `UploadImageAsync` → image-vault → link pattern, targeting `HeroImageEntryKey`. The waveform trigger includes the `WaveformProfileService` refactor: a per-call resolution/profile parameter (today fixed via injected `WaveformProfileOptions.BucketCount = 512`) plus a distinct entry-key/vault target for the high-res datum — one pipeline, two resolutions (*One source, multiple views*). Both endpoints find-or-create the metadata row for the release.
- **Acceptance criteria:** Posting a hero image to a Session release sets `HeroImageEntryKey` and the image is served back through the existing image proxy; the body-less waveform trigger on a Mix release computes + stores a high-res datum, sets `WaveformEntryKey`, and the datum is retrievable.
**Completion note:** Five new endpoints on `ReleaseController` implemented and integrated. `ReleaseRepository` + `ReleaseManager` (`IReleaseService`) in `DeepDrftData` provide paged medium-filtered reads and satellite metadata writes. `UnifiedReleaseService` orchestrates vault + SQL operations in `DeepDrftAPI/Services/`. `ReleaseDto` updated with `Medium` field and nested `SessionMetadataDto?` / `MixMetadataDto?` properties. Per-medium projection map enforces medium↔metadata correlation at the single mapping point. `WaveformProfileService` refactored with optional `bucketCount?` and `vaultName?` parameters supporting multiple resolutions. `VaultConstants.MixWaveforms = "mix-waveforms"` added. Five endpoints serve reads (`GET api/release` with medium filtering and pagination, `GET api/release/{id}` with both metadata tables included) and writes (`POST api/release/{id}/session/hero-image`, `POST api/release/{id}/mix/waveform`). All acceptance criteria met; Wave 3 (CMS) now unblocked.
---
### 9.1 Wave 1 — Data model + migration
**Landed:** 2026-06-12 on dev.
- **What:** New `ReleaseMedium` enum (`Cut, Session, Mix`) in `DeepDrftModels/Enums/`. `ReleaseEntity` gains `ReleaseMedium Medium` (default `Cut`) plus 1:1 nav properties to two new metadata entities. New `SessionMetadata` (`HeroImageEntryKey`) and `MixMetadata` (`WaveformEntryKey`) entities, each 1:1 with `ReleaseEntity`. EF configurations + migration.
- **Why:** Every other wave reads this schema. The discriminator-plus-optional-table shape is the load-bearing decision of the phase; it must land first and land right.
- **Shape:**
- `ReleaseMedium` enum with `Cut = 0` (default — existing/migrated releases stay studio cuts with no discriminator data migration).
- `Medium` column on `releases`; `ReleaseConfiguration` documents the `ReleaseType`-only-for-`Cut` invariant *and* the named `CutMetadata`-rejected exception (see the phase intro above).
- `session_metadata` and `mix_metadata` tables, each with a unique FK to `releases` (1:1). `MixMetadata.WaveformEntryKey` is a vault entry key (resolved — see open question), not an inline blob.
- Migration is **additive only** — no data migration of existing rows beyond defaulting `Medium = Cut`. Lower risk than the Phase 8 normalization.
- **Prerequisite:** Phase 8 §8.0 normalization (`ReleaseEntity` exists) — already landed.
- **Acceptance criteria:**
- `ReleaseMedium` enum exists; `ReleaseEntity.Medium` defaults to `Cut`.
- `SessionMetadata` / `MixMetadata` entities + EF configs + migration applied; solution compiles and existing releases read back as `Cut`.
- The invariant is documented in `ReleaseConfiguration` (no DB constraint — a deliberate choice; EF supports check constraints, see the phase intro).
- **Open questions:**
- **Resolved — waveform storage:** vault blob + `WaveformEntryKey`. Settled by the server-side trigger design (9.2.B): the API computes and stores the datum vault-side; SQL holds only the entry key, so a JSON column never enters the flow. This wave adds only the SQL column — the vault write rides the existing vault abstraction server-side.
**Completion note:** `ReleaseMedium` enum with `Cut`, `Session`, `Mix` values implemented in `DeepDrftModels/Enums/`. `ReleaseEntity` extended with `Medium` column (default `Cut`) and 1:1 nav properties to `SessionMetadata` and `MixMetadata`. New entities added with their EF configurations. Additive migration `AddReleaseMedium` authored and applied. `ReleaseDto` updated with `Medium` field and nested metadata DTOs. `TrackConverter` updated. Solution builds; existing releases read back as `Cut`; acceptance criteria met.
---
## Phase 8 — CMS Track Browser
### 8.6 "Music through Every Medium" home page section
**Landed:** 2026-06-12 on dev.
Replaces the "Genres & Moods" block in `DeepDrftPublic.Client/Pages/Home.razor` (lines 43–86 — the `` containing the `.genre-grid`). The 6 text-only genre cards become **3 image-first cards** keyed on release format: Studio, Live, DJ Mix. The pivot is taxonomy → medium: instead of "what scene is this," the section answers "in what form does the music reach you."
The section-divider tag stays "The Sound." The `.section-divider` and `.section-header-grid` wrappers are **untouched** — only the header copy inside the grid and the card grid below it change. Everything from `.section-dark` onward is untouched.
**Design intent.** The current section is a flat, typographic palette grid — appropriate when the message was "we span many genres." The new message is fewer, weightier, photographic: three distinct *ways* the collective produces, each earning a full image pane. This trades the dense 6-up rhythm for a confident 3-up editorial spread, closer in spirit to the dark `.features-grid` (icon + title + desc) but image-led rather than icon-led. The card is the unit of interest now, not the grid texture.
### 1. Section header copy
| Slot | Class | Copy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Label | `.section-label` | `Format & Medium` |
| Title | `.section-title` | `Music through
Every
Medium` | | Body | `.section-body` | `The same hands, three different rooms. A studio cut is built; a live set is risked; a DJ mix is woven. We release in every form the music asks for — each one a different relationship between the moment and the record of it.` | The `Every` carries the italic-green emphasis the existing `.section-title em` rule already styles — no change needed there. (Title echoes the prior "Every Frequency Explored" cadence deliberately, so the replacement reads as an evolution of the same voice, not a rewrite.) ### 2. Card copy | Card | Type label (`.medium-type`, mono) | Title (`.medium-name`, serif) | One-line descriptor (`.medium-desc`) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Studio | `Studio` | `Studio Releases` | `Composed, layered, and finished — tracks built to be returned to.` | | Live | `Live` | `Live Releases` | `Performances caught in the moment, unrepeatable and unedited.` | | DJ Mix | `Mix` | `DJ Mix Releases` | `Uninterrupted sets — one track bleeding into the next, start to finish.` | The type labels (`Studio` / `Live` / `Mix`) play the same one-word-essence role the genre `.genre-count` labels did ("Foundation," "Architecture," …) — kept deliberately to preserve that tic of the original design. ### 3. HTML structure sketch Replaces Home.razor lines 43–86. Header grid block keeps its existing structure with only the copy swapped; the grid below is new: ```razor @* Medium section *@
Music through
```
Notes for the implementer:
- **Image as CSS `background-image`, not `![]()
`.** This makes `cover`-cropping, the scrim overlay, and the hover scale trivial without a wrapper-overflow dance, and keeps these decorative-but-branded photos out of the document's content image flow. (If alt-text/SEO is later wanted, revisit — but these are mood images, not informational, so background is the right call here.) The card is one block: image pane on top, text body below, matching the brief's "image area + text below."
- The three cards are structurally identical — implementer can author one and repeat. Leave the `TODO` comment so the future format-filter routing has a home (mirrors the existing `@* TODO Phase 2.2 *@` convention in the current genre grid).
- Whether the card is a `
Every
Medium` | | Body | `.section-body` | `The same hands, three different rooms. A studio cut is built; a live set is risked; a DJ mix is woven. We release in every form the music asks for — each one a different relationship between the moment and the record of it.` | The `Every` carries the italic-green emphasis the existing `.section-title em` rule already styles — no change needed there. (Title echoes the prior "Every Frequency Explored" cadence deliberately, so the replacement reads as an evolution of the same voice, not a rewrite.) ### 2. Card copy | Card | Type label (`.medium-type`, mono) | Title (`.medium-name`, serif) | One-line descriptor (`.medium-desc`) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Studio | `Studio` | `Studio Releases` | `Composed, layered, and finished — tracks built to be returned to.` | | Live | `Live` | `Live Releases` | `Performances caught in the moment, unrepeatable and unedited.` | | DJ Mix | `Mix` | `DJ Mix Releases` | `Uninterrupted sets — one track bleeding into the next, start to finish.` | The type labels (`Studio` / `Live` / `Mix`) play the same one-word-essence role the genre `.genre-count` labels did ("Foundation," "Architecture," …) — kept deliberately to preserve that tic of the original design. ### 3. HTML structure sketch Replaces Home.razor lines 43–86. Header grid block keeps its existing structure with only the copy swapped; the grid below is new: ```razor @* Medium section *@
Format & Medium
Music through
Every
Medium
...body copy from §1...
@* TODO Phase 3.x: wire each card to its format-filtered browse route once /tracks?format= exists *@
@* …Live card (dd-live.jpeg) and DJ Mix card (dd-dj.jpeg) follow the same shape… *@
Studio
Studio Releases
Composed, layered, and finished — tracks built to be returned to.
` or an `` is deferred: there is no format-filtered route yet (the genre grid had the same unresolved `/genres/{slug}` TODO). Author as `
` now; the `.medium-card` hover styles already assume `cursor` affordance so promoting to `` later is a one-line change.
### 4. CSS additions (`Home.razor.css`)
Added a new block after the (now-removed) genre-grid rules. New classes:
```css
/* ── MEDIUM GRID (Music through Every Medium) ── */
.medium-grid {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
gap: 1px;
background: var(--deepdrft-border);
border: 1px solid var(--deepdrft-border);
margin-bottom: 4rem;
}
.medium-card {
background: var(--deepdrft-white); /* fixed white ground — matches .section, see §9 */
cursor: pointer;
overflow: hidden; /* clips the hover image scale */
text-decoration: none;
display: block;
}
.medium-image {
position: relative;
width: 100%;
aspect-ratio: 4 / 3; /* consistent crop across all three; ~240px tall at 1-col, scales with column width */
background-size: cover;
background-position: center;
transition: transform 0.5s ease;
}
.medium-card:hover .medium-image { transform: scale(1.05); }
.medium-scrim {
position: absolute;
inset: 0;
background: linear-gradient(to bottom,
rgba(17, 35, 56, 0.0) 40%,
rgba(17, 35, 56, 0.35) 100%); /* navy scrim, weighted to the lower edge near the text seam */
transition: opacity 0.3s;
opacity: 0.7;
}
.medium-card:hover .medium-scrim { opacity: 1; }
.medium-body {
padding: 2rem 1.5rem;
position: relative;
}
/* Green underline sweep — same mechanic as the old .genre-card::after */
.medium-card::after {
content: '';
position: absolute;
bottom: 0; left: 0; right: 0;
height: 2px;
background: var(--deepdrft-green-accent);
transform: scaleX(0);
transform-origin: left;
transition: transform 0.3s;
z-index: 1;
}
.medium-card:hover::after { transform: scaleX(1); }
.medium-type {
font-family: var(--deepdrft-font-mono);
font-size: 0.58rem;
letter-spacing: 0.2em;
color: var(--deepdrft-muted);
text-transform: uppercase;
margin-bottom: 0.6rem;
}
.medium-name {
font-family: var(--deepdrft-font-display);
font-size: 1.6rem;
font-weight: 400;
color: var(--deepdrft-navy);
margin-bottom: 0.75rem;
line-height: 1.1;
}
.medium-desc {
font-family: var(--deepdrft-font-body);
font-size: 0.82rem;
line-height: 1.65;
color: var(--deepdrft-navy);
opacity: 0.6;
}
```
Reuse decisions:
- `.section`, `.section-divider`, `.section-header-grid`, `.section-label`, `.section-title`, `.section-body` — all reused unchanged.
- `.medium-type` / `.medium-name` / `.medium-desc` are new but are deliberate near-clones of `.genre-count` / `.genre-name` (bumped from 1.5→1.6rem to suit the larger card) / a new descriptor line the genre cards never had. Kept as distinct classes rather than reusing the `.genre-*` names so the dead genre CSS can be removed cleanly.
- The underline-sweep `::after` is copied from `.genre-card::after` verbatim except for the added `z-index: 1` (needed because the card now has a stacking context from the image).
### 5. Responsive breakpoints
| Viewport | `.medium-grid` columns | Behaviour |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ≥ 960px | `repeat(3, 1fr)` | Three cards in a row — the primary editorial layout. |
| 600–959px | `repeat(2, 1fr)` + third card spans both columns | Two on top, the third full-width below. Reads better than a lone 1-col orphan on tablet and keeps the image panes generous. |
| < 600px | `1fr` | Single column, cards stack. Each image pane is full content-width; `aspect-ratio: 4/3` keeps them generous (~260px tall at a typical mobile width). |
```css
@media (max-width: 959px) {
.medium-grid { grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr); }
.medium-card:last-child { grid-column: 1 / -1; } /* third card spans full width */
}
@media (max-width: 599px) {
.medium-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; }
.medium-card:last-child { grid-column: auto; } /* reset the span at 1-col */
}
```
Note the breakpoint boundary is `959px` here (the existing genre grid used `960px` for its `max-width` query; `.section-header-grid` uses `min-width: 960px`). Using `max-width: 959px` avoids the 1px both-rules-fire overlap at exactly 960px. Implementer may keep `960` for consistency with the surrounding file if preferred — the `last-child` span makes the 960 edge case harmless either way.
### 6. Image placeholder names
All three in `DeepDrftPublic.Client/wwwroot/img/` (same dir as existing hero images), referenced as `img/` to match the existing `Image1="img/..."` convention:
- `dd-studio.jpg`
- `dd-live.jpeg`
- `dd-dj.jpeg`
File extensions match existing photos on the page (`dd-duo-hero.jpeg`, `kp-shoulder-bw.jpeg`). Recommend source images at least 800px wide (rendered up to ~430px wide at the 3-col desktop layout on a 1440px viewport, so 800px covers 2× displays). Consistent landscape orientation across all three — the `4/3 aspect-ratio` crop will center-cover whatever is supplied, but landscape sources avoid heavy cropping.
### 7. Hover and overlay spec
- **Underline sweep** (preserved from genre cards): on `:hover`, a 2px green-accent bar sweeps in from the left along the card's bottom edge (`scaleX(0)→(1)`, 0.3s). Unchanged mechanic.
- **Image scale** (new, additive): on `:hover`, the background image scales to `1.05` over 0.5s, clipped by the card's `overflow: hidden`. Slow and subtle — a breath, not a zoom. This is the "parallax-scale" the brief allowed; pure CSS transform, no JS.
- **Scrim** (always-on, subtle): a navy gradient (`--deepdrft-navy` at 0%→35% alpha, top→bottom) sits over the image at `opacity: 0.7`, deepening to `1.0` on hover. Two jobs: (a) it weights the image toward its lower edge so the transition into the text body feels intentional rather than abrupt, and (b) it future-proofs for overlaying white text on the image if a later iteration wants the title *on* the photo. Today all text sits in `.medium-body` below the image, so the scrim is purely tonal — keep it light; it should never read as a dark box. If during implementation the supplied photos are already dark/low-key, dial the base opacity down to `0.4` rather than fighting them.
The hover bundle (underline + scale + scrim-deepen) fires together as one gesture. Don't stagger them.
### 8. Dark-mode awareness
The raw `--deepdrft-white` and `--deepdrft-navy` tokens are **literal** in both themes — they are *not* remapped under `.deepdrft-theme-dark` (verified in `deepdrft-tokens.css`; only the alias tokens like `--deepdrft-surface`/`--theme-*` flip). The existing `.section` and `.genre-card` both hardcode `background: var(--deepdrft-white)`, so **this whole section is a fixed off-white ground in both light and dark mode today** — it does not invert.
The new `.medium-card` follows that same convention deliberately: white card ground, navy text, in both themes. This keeps Phase 8.6 consistent with its untouched siblings (`.section` above it stays white; only `.section-dark` below it is dark). **Do not** introduce theme-aware surface tokens here — that would make this one section invert while the rest of the white `.section` stays put, which is a larger and out-of-scope design decision (if Daniel wants the public home page to genuinely respond to dark mode, that is a separate roadmap item spanning every `.section`, not a Phase 8.6 concern).
- **Images:** unaffected by theme — same assets render identically. The navy scrim also reads correctly against the off-white card in both modes.
- **Text & backgrounds:** `--deepdrft-navy` text on `--deepdrft-white` card in both modes. No `.deepdrft-theme-dark` overrides needed or wanted for this section.
### 9. Out of scope / deferred
- **Format-filtered routing.** Cards are non-navigating today (no `/tracks?format=` route exists). The `TODO` comment marks where it lands. This mirrors the genre grid's never-resolved `/genres/{slug}` TODO — don't build the route as part of 8.6.
- **A real format field on `TrackEntity`.** "Studio / Live / DJ Mix" is presentational copy here, not yet a data dimension. If these cards are ever to filter real tracks, the entity needs a `Format`/`ReleaseType` discriminator — that is Phase 3 (new content kinds) territory, not this cosmetic swap. Flagging so the copy isn't mistaken for an existing capability.
**Completion note:** "Genres & Moods" genre-card grid on home page replaced with "Music through Every Medium" 3-card section (Studio Releases, Live Releases, DJ Mix Releases), each image-led with background image, scrim overlay, hover scale+underline animations. Dead `.genre-*` CSS rules removed from `Home.razor.css`. New `.medium-*` CSS block added with responsive grid (3 cards at md+, 2-up at sm, single column at xs). Type labels corrected to `Studio / Live / Mix` (final decision superseding earlier spec). Three images (`dd-studio.jpg`, `dd-live.jpeg`, `dd-dj.jpeg`) added to `wwwroot/img/`.
---
### 8.7 CMS upload cache invalidation + "Releases" label rename (Wave 7)
**Landed:** 2026-06-12 on dev.
Two small runtime-discovered bug fixes in the Phase 8 CMS track browser:
1. **Upload cache invalidation** — After a successful track upload in `BatchUpload.razor` or `TrackNew.razor`, the code now injects `CmsTrackBrowserViewModel` and calls `VM.Invalidate()` before navigating away. This ensures the Releases tab (in Album and Genre browse modes) always shows fresh data and does not display stale cached lists from before the upload. Fixes the issue where newly uploaded tracks would not appear in album/genre browse until a manual refresh.
2. **"Albums" → "Releases" label rename** — The toggle tab label in `TrackList.razor` and the summary card label in the CMS home page (`Index.razor`) were renamed from "Albums" to "Releases". This better reflects the actual content — releases encompassing all release types (studio, live, DJ mix), not just albums. Improves terminology consistency with the normalized `ReleaseEntity` and the Phase 8 UI.
**Completion note:** `BatchUpload.razor` and `TrackNew.razor` updated to invalidate `CmsTrackBrowserViewModel` cache on successful upload. `TrackList.razor` toggle tab label and `Index.razor` card label changed from "Albums" to "Releases" for terminology consistency.
---
### 8.6 CMS cache invalidation + orphaned release deletion (Wave 6)
**Landed:** 2026-06-12 on dev.
Three linked CMS bug fixes discovered during Phase 8 browser work:
1. **Cache invalidation on mutations** — Added `CmsTrackBrowserViewModel.Invalidate()` method called from `TrackEdit`, `BatchEdit`, and `TrackList.OnAlbumsChanged` after any track/release mutation. Ensures the album/genre browse cache is never stale when tracks are added, edited, or deleted.
2. **Orphaned release handling** — `CmsAlbumBrowser` now handles 0-track (orphaned) releases with a confirmation dialog + `DeleteReleaseAsync` via a new `DELETE api/track/release/{id}` endpoint. Partial-failure album-delete path also invalidates the cache. Admin can now clean up releases that have lost all their tracks.
3. **Cascade-delete on last-track removal** — EF migration `SoftDeleteOrphanedReleases` (data-only, raw SQL) backfills orphaned release rows with soft-delete markers. `UnifiedTrackService.DeleteAsync` now cascades a release soft-delete when the last live track in a release is deleted (non-fatal; orphaned releases do not block track deletion).
**Completion note:** `CmsTrackBrowserViewModel.Invalidate()` added and wired into mutation paths. New `DELETE api/track/release/{id}` endpoint implemented on `UnifiedTrackService`. `CmsAlbumBrowser` updated with orphaned release confirmation + delete. `SoftDeleteOrphanedReleases` migration authored and applied. All three fixes integrated; Phase 8 browse modes remain stable with correct cache coherence and release cleanup semantics.
---
### 8.0 `TrackEntity` normalization
**Landed:** 2026-06-11 on dev.
- **What:** Split the flat `TrackEntity` into two normalized tables. New **`ReleaseEntity`** holds release-cardinal data (`Title`, `Artist`, `Genre?`, `ReleaseDate?`, `ImagePath?`, `ReleaseType`, `CreatedByUserId?`). Slimmed **`TrackEntity`** holds track-cardinal data only (`Id`, `ReleaseId` FK, `Release` nav, `EntryKey`, `TrackName`, `TrackNumber`, `OriginalFileName?`) — the release fields are removed from it. New `ReleaseDto`; `TrackDto` slims and gains `ReleaseId` + a **nested `Release` (`ReleaseDto`)** (resolved 2026-06-11: nested, not a flat read model — flat fields are removed and every consumer is updated, not denormalized back); `AlbumSummaryDto` is retired in favour of `ReleaseDto`.
- **Why:** The flat schema duplicates release-level metadata on every track row — updating an album's cover art or artist means rewriting every track. Phase 8 introduces album-as-a-unit editing (Batch Edit, album-scoped delete), so the model should match the domain: a Release is first-class; Tracks belong to a Release. This collapses several §8 UI open questions (Album-mode parent rows become Release rows directly; no `GROUP BY`-derived summary).
- **Shape:** Sequenced as **five mergeable waves** (notes §0.6): (1) data model — `ReleaseEntity`/config/migration in `DeepDrftData`; (2) DTOs/services/repositories/API — `ReleaseDto`, slimmed `TrackDto`, JOIN-projecting repository, upload find-or-create Release; **Waves 1 + 2 are a single deployment unit** (removing the entity fields breaks compile until the DTO/service layer lands — never merge Wave 1 alone); (3) public-client consumers (`TrackCard`, `TrackDetail`, `TrackMetaLabel`, `NowPlayingCard`) re-point to `track.Release.*`; (4) existing CMS surfaces (`TrackEdit`, `TrackNew`, `BatchUpload`, `TrackList`) minimally updated to compile on the normalized model — Waves 3 + 4 run in parallel; (5) the Phase 8 UI (§8.1–§8.5) begins only after 1–4 are stable. The breaking migration: create `releases`, populate from distinct `(album, artist)` groups, add + populate `release_id` FK, drop redundant track columns. Remaining open questions for Daniel: nullable release FK for album-less tracks (recommend yes), upload auto-create-or-find Release (recommend yes — committed in Wave 2 shape). Full spec, wave breakdown, and per-file consumer list: notes §0 / §0.6.
**Completion note:** `ReleaseEntity` table and EF configuration implemented in `DeepDrftData`. Two EF migrations landed (`NormalizeReleaseTrack` and `AddReleaseUniqueTitleArtist`) with full data migration backfill. `ReleaseDto` and slimmed `TrackDto` (with nested `Release` property) implemented in `DeepDrftModels`. Repository updated with JOIN-projecting queries. API controllers updated to return nested DTOs. Public-client consumers (`TrackCard`, `TrackDetail`, `NowPlayingCard`) and CMS surfaces (`TrackEdit`, `TrackNew`, `BatchUpload`, `TrackList`) all updated to point to `track.Release.*` fields. All five waves complete and merged to dev. Build clean, 155 tests pass. §8.1–§8.5 now unblocked.
### 8.1 URL scheme + mode toggle
**Landed:** 2026-06-11 on dev.
- **What:** `/tracks` (Track mode, default), `/tracks/albums`, `/tracks/genres` as route segments; a toggle inside the existing "Tracks" tab switches mode and pushes the matching URL. The Waveform Pre-Processing tab is untouched.
- **Why:** The public home page hard-codes these as cross-host deep-links; a route segment reads as a stable address and matches the app's existing segment-based routing (`/tracks/upload`, `/tracks/{id}`). Query-param mode (`?mode=`) was the alternative — rejected as transient-looking view state, optionally tolerated as an alias.
- **Shape:** One `TrackList` component carrying three `@page` directives (or three thin wrappers passing an `InitialMode`); the toggle drives `Mode` + `NavigationManager.NavigateTo`. See notes §3, §9.
**Completion note:** `TrackList.razor` refactored to support three route modes via `@page` directives (Track/Album/Genre). Mode-toggle control added to the UI, wired to `NavigationManager.NavigateTo` to push the matching URL. Toggle persists selection across navigation.
### 8.2 `CmsTrackGrid` — the reusable flat track table (DRY core)
**Landed:** 2026-06-11 on dev.
- **What:** Extract today's `MudTable` into a standalone `CmsTrackGrid.razor` taking `AlbumFilter`/`GenreFilter` params. Apply the new column layout: Track # → 40×40 art thumb → Track Name → Artist → Album → Genre → Release Date (`d MMMM, yyyy`) → **Waveform Status** → Actions. Entry Key + File Name move out of the grid into an Info-icon tooltip (monospace). Art thumb reuses the public `TrackCard` fallback pattern, defined locally CMS-side.
- **Why:** Single source of truth for the track-table layout — consumed by both Track mode (no filter) and Genre mode (genre filter), so no duplicated table markup. Decluttering Entry Key / File Name into a tooltip keeps the grid scannable while the data stays reachable. The Waveform column replaces the removed Waveform Pre-Processing tab (status visible inline; per-row Generate when no profile; page-level "Generate All Missing" in the Track-mode header).
- **Shape:** Owns its own `MudTable` + `LoadServerData` + delete-confirm (lifted from `TrackList`). `GetPagedAsync` gains optional `album`/`genre` filter params — the one filter data-contract change (the endpoint already supports the filters); post-§0 the filter joins through `releases`. Waveform status comes from a new `HasWaveformProfile` bool on `TrackDto` (recommended over a second per-page lookup; fold into the §8.0 DTO pass). Display date format is presentation-only; sort key stays the raw `DateOnly`. See notes §8, §9, §11.
**Completion note:** New `CmsTrackGrid.razor` component implemented with full table layout (Track #, art thumb, name, artist, album, genre, release date, waveform status, actions). `ICmsTrackService.GetPagedAsync` extended with optional `album` and `genre` filter parameters. `HasWaveformProfile` bool added to `TrackDto`. Waveform status column displays profile state; per-row and page-level Generate actions wired. Info tooltip displays Entry Key and File Name. Grid consumed by Track mode (no filter) and Genre mode (genre filter); single source of truth for table markup.
### 8.3 Album mode
**Landed:** 2026-06-11 on dev.
- **What:** `CmsAlbumBrowser` — parent release rows (art, title, artist, track count, genre, release date, release-type chip, Edit + Delete) that expand to child track rows (track # + name only). Edit → Batch Edit page (§8.5); Delete → album-scoped delete of every track.
- **Why:** A scannable release catalogue is the CMS analogue of the public `AlbumsView`, and the natural place to manage a release as a unit.
- **Shape:** Post-§0, parent rows are `ReleaseEntity`/`ReleaseDto` rows — `GetReleasesAsync` (eager, once) supplies title/artist/genre/date/type directly, no derivation. Child tracks lazy via `GetPagedAsync(album:)` (joins through `releases`) on first expand, cached per row — no new endpoint. Expandable `MudTable` over `MudTreeView` (parent rows are multi-column, not tree-shaped). **The old `AlbumSummaryDto` widening question is dissolved by §8.0 normalization** — the Release table has all the fields, so the parent row is fully populated at rest with no DTO widening and no lazy derivation. See notes §6, §10, §0.5.
**Completion note:** New `CmsAlbumBrowser.razor` component implemented as an expandable release-row browser. Parent rows display `ReleaseDto` data (art, title, artist, track count, genre, release date, release-type chip). Child tracks loaded lazily on expand via `GetPagedAsync(album:)`, cached per row. Edit action navigates to Batch Edit page; Delete action removes album and all its tracks with confirmation. Leverages normalized `ReleaseEntity` from §8.0 — Release rows are fully populated at rest, no lazy derivation required.
### 8.4 Genre mode
**Landed:** 2026-06-11 on dev.
- **What:** `CmsGenreBrowser` — a responsive `MudCard` grid (one card per genre: name + track count); clicking a card expands it (accordion, one open at a time) to reveal a `CmsTrackGrid` filtered to that genre.
- **Why:** CMS analogue of the public `GenresView`; the card-to-grid expand is the cheapest second mode because the grid is already built (§8.2).
- **Shape:** `GetGenreSummariesAsync` once; the expanded panel renders `CmsTrackGrid` with `GenreFilter` set and the Add button suppressed — zero duplicated table markup. The embedded grid gets the waveform status column + per-row generate for free. See notes §7, §9.
**Completion note:** New `CmsGenreBrowser.razor` component implemented as a responsive card-grid accordion. Each card displays genre name and track count. Clicking a card expands it to reveal `CmsTrackGrid` filtered to that genre (Add button suppressed). One card open at a time. Grid embedded within each expanded panel inherits waveform status column and per-row generate actions. Zero duplicated table markup — consumes the single `CmsTrackGrid` source built in §8.2.
### 8.5 Batch Edit page
**Landed:** 2026-06-11 on dev.
- **What:** New page `/tracks/album/{albumName}/edit`, reached from an Album-mode row's Edit action. `BatchUpload`'s master-detail mechanics with the release's data preloaded; submit swaps per-row `UploadTrackAsync` for `UpdateAsync` on existing tracks (new tracks still upload). Distinct from the existing single-track edit at `/tracks/{id}`.
- **Why:** Editing a release as a unit (rename tracks, reorder, swap cover, add tracks) without round-tripping the single-track editor per track.
- **Shape:** **Confirmed:** a *new* `BatchEdit.razor` sharing extracted sub-components with `BatchUpload` — album-header fields block (post-§0 edits the `ReleaseDto`), batch track list (move-up/down/remove + status chips), track detail pane — over growing `BatchUpload` with an `isEdit` flag (the flag breeds conditional soup across preload/detail/submit). Cover art uses the established upload-once-then-link-via-`UpdateAsync` two-step. **Open:** does remove-in-edit delete an existing track (with confirm) or just detach? See notes §10, §12(8).
**Completion note:** New `BatchEdit.razor` page implemented at `/tracks/album/{releaseName}/edit`. Shares extracted sub-components with `BatchUpload`: `AlbumHeaderFields`, `BatchTrackList`, `BatchTrackDetail`, `BatchRowModel`. Two-panel layout with release-header block (album name, artist, genre, release date, cover art, release type) and left queue + right detail sections. Submit path swaps per-row `UploadTrackAsync` for `UpdateAsync` on existing tracks; new tracks still upload. Cover art uploaded once, linked via `UpdateAsync`. Remove-in-edit deletes existing track with confirmation. Reusable sub-components extracted for consistency across `BatchUpload` and `BatchEdit`.
---
## Phase 1.2 — Audio format diversity
**Landed:** 2026-06-11 on dev (all three waves complete).
- **What:** Today `AudioProcessor`, `WavOffsetService`, and the JS decoder are PCM/WAV-only. `MimeTypeExtensions` already maps MP3, FLAC, Ogg, AAC, M4A — none are wired.
- **Why it matters:** WAV-only is a real ceiling for any non-internal release. Distribution-grade formats (MP3, FLAC at minimum) are table stakes for a music site.
- **Shape:** Two seams need a strategy pattern.
- Server side: replace `AudioProcessor.ProcessWavFileAsync` with a format-router that selects a per-format processor; replace `WavOffsetService` with a per-format offset strategy (some formats — MP3, Ogg — have natural frame boundaries; FLAC has block headers; AAC has ADTS).
- Client side: the JS decoder is currently a WAV byte-walker. For non-WAV, the simplest path is `decodeAudioData` over the full payload (loses streaming-start). The richer path is per-format chunked decoders. Worth a design pass before committing.
- **Prerequisite:** None functionally, but consider settling **Phase 4 (HTTP Range)** first — native range/cache is much more important for large MP3s than for WAVs.
- **Constraint:** Spectrum FFT tap currently relies on raw `AudioBuffer`s through `decodeAudioData`. If a future path uses `MediaElementAudioSourceNode` (see 4.1), the FFT tap still works but the early-playback story changes.
**Completion note:** Fully landed across three waves on 2026-06-11. Server upload now accepts .wav/.mp3/.flac via `AudioProcessorRouter`. Client `StreamDecoder` is format-agnostic; `Mp3FormatDecoder` and `FlacFormatDecoder` provide chunked streaming with frame-boundary alignment and seek. Factory routing in `AudioPlayer.createFormatDecoder` selects decoder by Content-Type.
---
## Phase 7 — Shared UI Components
### 7.1 ParallaxImage component
**Landed:** 2026-06-11 on dev.
- **What:** A thin viewport-height container that reveals different portions of an image as the user scrolls — the classic CSS parallax window. As the window scrolls up through the viewport, the image pans through it faster than the page scrolls (top of image on entry, bottom of image by the time the window reaches the top of the viewport). An optional second image crossfades in on hover (intended use: grayscale at rest, colour on hover). A critical `FullWidth` flag stretches the window to `100vw`, breaking out of parent padding. Full signature and design in `product-notes/parallax-image-component.md`.
- **Why it matters:** A reusable scroll flourish for hero/section surfaces on both the public site and the CMS, landing the visual identity work without bespoke per-page CSS. It is the first genuinely shared presentational component in `DeepDrftShared.Client` — establishes the pattern (and the RCL static-asset JS-module seam) for shared UI that both hosts consume.
- **Shape:** `ParallaxImage.razor` (+ `.razor.cs`, `.razor.css`) in `DeepDrftShared.Client/Components/`. Scroll-driven `background-position` (never `background-attachment: fixed` — broken on iOS Safari), gated by an `IntersectionObserver` so off-screen instances cost nothing. Scroll math lives in a small JS module; lifecycle owned by Blazor via `ElementReference` + an imported `IJSObjectReference`, mirroring the existing audio interop seam. Crossfade is pure CSS. `IAsyncDisposable` tears down the listener. Full parameter table, parallax math, interop contract, full-width breakout technique, accessibility (reduced-motion, alt text), and edge cases (mobile Safari, preload timing) are specified in the product note.
- **Prerequisite:** None functionally. Additive — no existing surface changes to adopt it.
- **Constraint:** Both open decisions resolved (Daniel, 2026-06-11), no blockers remaining — TS toolchain added to the shared RCL with source co-located at `DeepDrftShared.Client/Interop/parallax/parallax.ts` → `wwwroot/js/parallax/parallax.js`, served from `_content/DeepDrftShared.Client/…` to both hosts; and parallax direction is exposed as the `InvertDirection` component parameter rather than hardcoded. See product note §6a/§11.1 and §3/§11.2.
**Completion note:** `ParallaxImage.razor` + `.razor.cs` + `.razor.css` implemented in `DeepDrftShared.Client/Components/`. TS interop module at `DeepDrftShared.Client/Interop/parallax/parallax.ts` compiled to `wwwroot/js/parallax/parallax.js`. `Microsoft.TypeScript.MSBuild` 5.9.3 added to `DeepDrftShared.Client.csproj`, matching the pattern in `DeepDrftPublic`. Component exposes `InvertDirection` parameter for parallax direction; scroll-offset math and IntersectionObserver lifecycle owned by the TS module via `IJSObjectReference` interop.
---
## Phase 6 — CMS Enhancements
### 6.3 Batch Upload Page
**Landed:** 2026-06-11 on dev.
- **What:** Replace the single-track form at `/tracks/new` with a two-panel batch upload page that uploads many WAVs in one session under a shared album header.
- **Why:** Uploading an album one track at a time is the current reality — re-entering album, genre, release date, cover art, and artist on every track. Batch upload makes "add a release" a single operation: set the shared header once, queue the tracks, submit. This is the dominant ingestion shape for the collective (releases, not loose singles).
- **Shape:**
- **Route:** New page at **`/tracks/upload`**. Justification: `/tracks/new` reads as "new single track" and the edit route is `/tracks/{id}`; `/tracks/upload` names the operation (batch ingestion) without colliding with the id-parameterised edit route. Repoint the "Add Track" button in `TrackList.razor` (currently `Href="/tracks/new"`) to `/tracks/upload`. Whether `/tracks/new` is retired or left as a redirect is staff-engineer's call; the committed change is that the button goes to the batch page.
- **Data model change — `ReleaseType`:** Add a `ReleaseType` enum to `DeepDrftModels` (`enum ReleaseType { Single, EP, Album }`). Enum over string: three fixed values, and it gates UI (selector) and future grouping logic — a free-text column invites typos. Add a `ReleaseType` property to **`TrackEntity`** and **`TrackDto`**. Decide nullability: recommend **non-null with a default of `Single`** so existing rows backfill cleanly to a sensible value (a release of one track is a single) and the column is never null. This ripples to `TrackConfiguration` (EF mapping — store as string via `HasConversion()` for readable DB values, or as int; recommend string for legibility), `TrackConverter` (assign on round-trip), and the upload/update service signatures. **An EF migration is required** — author it via `dotnet ef migrations add`, never by hand.
- **Data model change — `TrackNumber`:** Add a `TrackNumber` property (type `int`, **1-based, non-null**) to **`TrackEntity`** and **`TrackDto`** to store per-track ordinal position within a release. This ripples through `TrackConfiguration` (EF mapping) and `TrackConverter` (assign on round-trip) the same way `ReleaseType` does. **A second EF migration is required** — author it via `dotnet ef migrations add`, never by hand. May be combined into a single migration with the `ReleaseType` change — staff-engineer's call on whether to combine or keep separate.
- **Shared-vs-per-track field split:**
- *Shared (header strip, applied to every track in the batch):* album name, artist, album cover image (single upload), genre, release date, and `ReleaseType`. One album per batch — the entire batch is one release, and all release-level fields live in the header.
- *Per-track (right detail panel):* track name, the individual WAV file, and that row's upload status.
- **Layout (two-panel under a header strip):**
- **Header strip** (full width, top): album name, artist `MudTextField`, single cover-art `InputFile` (reuse the `MudField` cover-art pattern from `TrackNew`, including the upload-on-submit behaviour), genre `MudTextField`, release-date field, and `ReleaseType` `MudSelect`. These bind to a single batch-header model.
- **Left panel** (track queue): an ordered list of queued tracks; the row order *is* the release track order and reflects each track's `TrackNumber`. Each row shows track name, a reorder affordance (up/down `MudIconButton`s are the low-risk choice; drag-and-drop is a nice-to-have — see open questions), a remove button, and a per-row status indicator (queued / uploading / done / failed). A `+`/`InputFile` (with `multiple`) at the top or bottom of the list adds WAV files; each added file becomes a row with track name defaulted from the filename (sans extension). On submit, each track is assigned its `TrackNumber` (1-based) from its position in the list.
- **Right panel** (selected-track detail): when a row is selected, show its editable fields — track name and the WAV file name/size/status. Selecting a different row swaps the detail.
- **Add-files behaviour:** `InputFile multiple` → append a row per file. Default track name = filename without extension. New rows append to the end of the list, taking the next ordinal position. Keep the 1 GB per-file ceiling and the `.wav` validation from `TrackNew`.
- **Submit behaviour:** Sequential, one request at a time — reuse the existing single-track upload path (`CmsTrackService.UploadTrackAsync`) in a loop. This mirrors the deliberately-sequential waveform backfill in `TrackList.GenerateAllMissing` ("one request at a time so a large backfill does not flood the API"). Per-track progress: each left-panel row reflects its state as the loop advances (`StateHasChanged` between rows). Cover-art upload happens **once** before the loop (upload the image, get the entry key, then pass/link it to every track) — do not re-upload the cover per track. On completion, snackbar a summary (`uploaded N, M failed`) and navigate to `/tracks`. Partial failure: completed tracks stay persisted; failed rows remain visible with their error so the admin can retry just those — do **not** roll back the batch.
- **CmsTrackService surface:** No new method strictly required — the loop calls the existing `UploadTrackAsync` per track and the existing image upload/link path per batch. `UploadTrackAsync`'s signature gains `releaseType` and `trackNumber` parameters (ripples from the data-model change). If the cover-link follow-up (the `UpdateAsync` step `TrackNew` does today) is kept per track, that's existing surface too.
- **API surface:** No new endpoints. Existing `POST api/track/upload` (per track) and `POST api/image/upload` (once per batch) cover it. `api/track/upload` and the metadata update endpoints gain `releaseType` and `trackNumber` in their payloads as a consequence of the entity change.
- **Components:** `BatchUpload.razor` (page + header strip + orchestration), and reasonably a `BatchTrackRow` model class plus left-panel/right-panel as child components or inline sections — staff-engineer's structural call.
- **Constraint — dual-write orphan risk:** Each track inherits the existing dual-write hazard (audio lands in the vault, SQL persist may fail → orphaned audio, no rollback). Batch upload *multiplies the exposure* (N tracks per session instead of one). The mitigation is **Phase 4.3 (dual-write rollback / dead-letter log)** — not a blocker for this feature, but this is the strongest argument yet for landing 4.3. Flag it as a known constraint; do not attempt per-batch transactional rollback (the dual-database split can't give it).
- **Prerequisites:**
- `ReleaseType` enum + `TrackNumber` field + `TrackEntity`/`TrackDto` changes + EF migration(s) must land first (it's the data-model floor for the whole feature, and ripples through `TrackConfiguration`/`TrackConverter`/service signatures). Could be a separate prep commit before the page work.
- **Not blocked by** Phase 4.3, but 4.3 is the right mitigation for the amplified orphan risk and is worth sequencing alongside.
- **Resolved (no longer open):**
- **One album per batch.** The whole batch is one release; album name and all release-level fields (artist, genre, release date, `ReleaseType`, cover art) live in the shared header strip. A batch never mixes albums.
- **Track ordinals are persistent** — `TrackNumber` (int, 1-based, non-null) stores per-track position within a release. The left-panel row order reflects `TrackNumber`, and each track is assigned its ordinal from its list position on submit.
**Completion note:** `BatchUpload.razor` page implemented at `/tracks/upload`; two-panel layout with header strip (shared album/artist/genre/release-date/cover-art/release-type fields) and left queue + right detail sections for per-track track name and file selection. Sequential upload loop via existing `CmsTrackService.UploadTrackAsync`. Cover-art uploaded once at start; per-track progress reflected in left-panel status indicators. `TrackList.razor` "Add Track" button repointed to `/tracks/upload`. `ReleaseType` enum and `TrackNumber` int field added to `TrackEntity`, `TrackDto`, `TrackConfiguration`, `TrackConverter`, and EF migrations authored. `UploadTrackAsync` signature updated with `releaseType` and `trackNumber` parameters.
---
### 6.1 CMS Home Page — catalogue summary dashboard
**Landed:** 2026-06-11 on dev.
- **What:** Replace the redirect-to-`/tracks` at `Index.razor` (route `/`) with a real dashboard showing a grid of summary cards: total tracks, distinct albums, distinct genres.
- **Why:** Quick orientation for the CMS admin — at-a-glance catalogue health on landing, instead of dropping straight into the table. First thing the admin sees, so it carries the bold DeepDrft palette rather than a conservative admin look.
- **Shape:**
- **Route / component:** Keep `Index.razor` at `/`; remove the `OnInitialized` redirect and render the dashboard. The CMS nav lands here; `/tracks` remains reachable from the nav and from the cards.
- **UI:** A responsive `MudGrid` of three `MudCard`s (Tracks / Albums / Genres). Each card: an icon (`LibraryMusic`, `Album`, `Category` or similar), the metric as a large `Typo.h2`/`h3` number, and a label. Cards are clickable (`@onclick` → `Nav.NavigateTo`). Lean into the active MudBlazor palette — `Color.Primary`/`Color.Secondary` fills or accent borders, generous elevation — this is the visual-punch surface, not a muted KPI strip. Loading state: skeleton or per-card `MudProgressCircular` while the three fetches resolve. Each card fetches independently so one slow/failed call doesn't blank the others; a failed card shows a "—" with a retry affordance rather than collapsing the grid.
- **Card navigation (Phase 6 scope):** All three cards navigate to `/tracks` (the track maintenance page). **Per-album / per-genre pre-filtering is deferred** — see 6.2. Ship the cards as plain links to `/tracks` now.
- **Data model:** No entity changes. `AlbumSummaryDto` and `GenreSummaryDto` already exist in `DeepDrftModels`.
- **API surface:** No new API endpoints. The three numbers are already available:
- **Albums count** = length of `GET api/track/albums` (exists, unauthenticated, returns `List`).
- **Genres count** = length of `GET api/track/genres` (exists, unauthenticated, returns `List`).
- **Tracks count** = `TotalCount` from `GET api/track/page` (exists) requested with `pageSize=1` (cheapest paged call that still returns the total).
- **CmsTrackService surface (new methods):** `ICmsTrackService` does not currently expose albums/genres. Add three thin proxy methods mirroring the existing pattern (e.g. `GetAlbumSummariesAsync`, `GetGenreSummariesAsync`, and a `GetTrackCountAsync` that calls `page?pageSize=1` and returns `TotalCount`). These are the only new code on the service. No controller work.
- **Components:** `Index.razor` (dashboard host) plus, optionally, a small `SummaryCard.razor` for the repeated card — worth extracting given three near-identical cards, but staff-engineer's call.
- **Prerequisites:** None. All backing endpoints and DTOs exist.
**Completion note:** `DeepDrftManager/Components/Pages/Index.razor` redesigned as a 3-card dashboard grid (Tracks / Albums / Genres counts) with independent per-card fetches. Three new `ICmsTrackService` proxy methods (`GetAlbumSummariesAsync`, `GetGenreSummariesAsync`, `GetTrackCountAsync`) wired to existing public API endpoints. Cards navigate to `/tracks` on click. Failed cards show "—" fallback; each card loads independently.
---
## Phase 1.1 — Extended WAV format support
**Status:** Fully landed on 2026-06-10 (IEEE Float SubFormat 0x0003 and Padded 24-in-32 container support implemented, tests passing).
- **What:** Two EXTENSIBLE WAV sub-cases that were explicitly scoped out of the `WAVE_FORMAT_EXTENSIBLE` PCM fix (which shipped support for `audioFormat=0xFFFE` with a PCM SubFormat — the Bandcamp WAV download case). Both are currently rejected at `AudioProcessor.ValidateAudioParameters` and fall back to default metadata. The inline comments at `AudioProcessor.cs` (SubFormat check ~L182–188, BlockAlign note ~L225–230) mark them as accepted gaps as of that fix.
- **EXTENSIBLE non-PCM SubFormats** — e.g. IEEE Float (32-bit float PCM, common in DAW exports). The SubFormat-GUID check accepts only PCM (`0x0001`) today; anything else is rejected outright.
- **Padded-container EXTENSIBLE** — 24-bit valid samples in a 32-bit container (`wValidBitsPerSample=24`, container `bitsPerSample=32`). The BlockAlign check fails because the valid-bit depth (24) doesn't match the container's block align.
- **Why it matters:** DAW exports — the dominant shape of source material as the collective uploads more of its own production — tend to be float WAV or padded 24-bit. The shipped fix covers consumer/Bandcamp WAVs but not the producer's working files.
- **Shape:** Both live in the same seam as the shipped fix (`AudioProcessor` validation + the `NormalizeToStandardPcm` storage step), but the work differs by case:
- *Float SubFormat:* requires float→integer sample conversion during the normalize-to-standard-PCM step (the vault stays integer-PCM so the streaming/decode pipeline is unchanged), or a Web Audio decode path that handles float directly. The conversion-at-storage option keeps the load-bearing streaming seam untouched and is the lower-risk path.
- *Padded 24-in-32:* relax `ValidateAudioParameters` to tolerate the BlockAlign mismatch when `IsExtensible`, then normalize to the valid-bit depth (24) during storage so the stored WAV is canonical.
- **Prerequisite:** None. Both are self-contained extensions of the WAV path that just landed; neither depends on the broader format-router work in 1.2.
- **Relationship to 1.2:** Distinct from it. 1.2 is new *containers* (MP3, FLAC, Ogg) behind a format router; this is additional *WAV variants* on the existing PCM path. If 1.2's router lands first, these become per-variant branches inside the WAV processor rather than new processors.
**Completion note:** IEEE Float SubFormat (0x0003) support added via `ConvertFloatTo24BitPcm` conversion at storage time; Padded 24-in-32 container support added via `RepackPaddedContainer` with relaxed `ValidateAudioParameters` BlockAlign check. Both cases tested in 8 new `AudioProcessorTests` cases. Vault stores standard 24-bit PCM in both cases; streaming/decode pipeline unchanged.
---
## Phase 2.2 + 2.3 — Album/genre views and gallery search/filter
**Status:** Fully landed on 2026-06-10.
- **What:** Free-text search (`?q=`) across TrackName/Artist/Album via `EF.Functions.ILike` (Postgres, case-insensitive); album/genre exact-match filtering (`?album=`, `?genre=`); new `/albums` browsing page (grid of album cards with cover art and track counts, linking to filtered gallery); new `/genres` browsing page (genre list with counts, linking to filtered gallery); search bar with 400ms debounce and filter-pill dismiss on `TracksView`. Nav updated with Albums and Genres links.
- **Architecture:** Filter is threaded as a separate `TrackFilter` DTO alongside `PagingParameters` (which is external and cannot carry a where-clause). Repository has new `GetPagedFilteredAsync`, `GetDistinctAlbumsAsync`, `GetDistinctGenresAsync` methods. `PersistentComponentState` restore on `TracksView` is skipped when filter params are active. `ClearFilter` preserves `SearchText` (only clears album/genre pill).
- **New types:** `TrackFilter`, `AlbumSummaryDto`, `GenreSummaryDto` in `DeepDrftModels/DTOs/`.
- **Tests:** `TrackFilterQueryTests` in `DeepDrftTests` — 4 in-memory cases plus 1 Postgres-gated `ILike` case (skip when `DEEPDRFT_TEST_PG` env var absent).
---
## Phase 4.1 — HTTP Range + CDN caching
**Status:** Fully landed on 2026-06-09 (implementation complete, all acceptance criteria met, merged to dev branch `p4-w1-range-streaming`).
- **What:** Today's `?offset=` query parameter defeats HTTP caching — a CDN sees `?offset=1234567` as a distinct URL from the un-offset request. The architecture re-invents byte-range on top of a custom query param. Move the player's transport to standard HTTP `Range` headers against one canonical URL.
- **Why it matters:** Material once the site has real listener traffic. Also relevant to non-WAV formats (1.2) where decoder-side seek is cheaper natively.
- **Chosen approach (design pass 2026-06-09): Option A1 — Range headers in the JS fetch, keep the custom `AudioBuffer` decoder.** Rejected Option B (`MediaElementAudioSourceNode`): it surrenders early-playback (the `minBuffersForPlayback` start-as-soon-as-buffered behaviour, a listed quality feature) and forces a redesign of the waveform-seek and early-play UX, while delivering no caching benefit beyond what the HTTP layer already gives. Also rejected A2 (synthesised header delivered over Range): keeping `WavOffsetService` on the hot path means each `bytes=X-` request produces a distinct synthesised prefix that can't share cache lineage with the canonical `bytes=0-` object, defeating half the caching win. A1 makes the cached object the *real file*, so every Range request is a true sub-range of one entity. Key enabling insight: `StreamDecoder` already synthesises a per-segment 44-byte header internally for every `decodeAudioData` call (`createWavFile`), so a Range continuation only needs to *retain* the parsed `WavHeader` and feed raw PCM — it does not need a header in the network stream.
- **Shape (implementation direction):**
- **Server (`DeepDrftAPI/Controllers/TrackController.cs` ~L407):** flip `enableRangeProcessing: false → true` on the no-offset seekable `FileStream` path; ASP.NET Core slices natively and emits `206` + `Content-Range`. Leave the `?offset=` / `WavOffsetService` branch reachable but off the player hot path — its removal is a clean follow-up commit, not part of this change.
- **Proxy (`DeepDrftPublic/Controllers/TrackProxyController.cs` ~L175):** forward the incoming `Range` request header upstream; pass through upstream status (`206`/`200`/`416`) and the `Content-Range` / `Accept-Ranges` / `Content-Length` response headers verbatim. The proxy is a transparent relay — it does **not** slice the (non-seekable) upstream stream. Keep `ResponseHeadersRead` + `RegisterForDispose`.
- **Client transport (`DeepDrftPublic.Client/Clients/TrackMediaClient`):** send `Range: bytes={byteOffset}-` instead of the `?offset=` query param (`byteOffset == 0` → `bytes=0-`, single code path). Confirm `TrackMediaResponse.ContentLength` carries the 206 remaining-length for continuations and full length for the initial request.
- **JS decoder (`StreamDecoder.ts` — the real work):** add a continuation mode. Replace `reinitializeForOffset` (which nulls `wavHeader` and re-parses) with a `reinitializeForRangeContinuation(remainingByteLength)` that **retains** the parsed `WavHeader`, resets `rawChunks`/`totalRawBytes`/`processedBytes`/`streamComplete`, and routes incoming bytes straight to `addRawData` (the existing `if (!this.wavHeader)` branch already does this when the header is set). Add an `isContinuation` flag so `updateStreamCompleteFlag()` uses `totalRawBytes` **without** the `+ headerSize` addend on continuations. `createWavFile`, the decode pipeline, and the spectrum/level tap are all unchanged.
- **`AudioPlayer.ts` / `index.ts`:** keep the public `reinitializeFromOffset` interop name (so `AudioInteropService` and the C# caller are untouched); internally call the continuation reinit. C# `StreamingAudioPlayerService.SeekBeyondBuffer` is otherwise unchanged.
- **Acceptance criteria:**
1. Initial load sends `Range: bytes=0-`; server responds `206`/`200` with `Accept-Ranges: bytes`; time-to-first-audio unchanged (early playback after `minBuffersForPlayback`).
2. Seek-beyond-buffer sends `Range: bytes=X-` (block-aligned, file-absolute X) with **no `?offset=` anywhere**; server responds `206` + `Content-Range`; audio resumes with no click/pop and no header bytes leaking into PCM.
3. Displayed total duration is unchanged across a seek (original full-track duration, not remaining-segment).
4. A track seeked-near-end then played out fires the end callback exactly once (continuation `streamComplete` math correct).
5. Spectrum visualiser and `LevelMeterFab` behave identically pre/post on a loud master (−3 dBFS).
6. Same-URL invariant: two different-offset requests hit an identical URL differing only in the `Range` header (verifiable in the network panel; live CDN cache-hit verification is out of scope — no CDN in dev).
7. No `MediaElement` introduced; the `AudioBufferSourceNode` graph remains the playback path.
- **Constraints (non-obvious):**
- **Range offset is file-absolute, not audio-relative.** The old `?offset=` contract was audio-data-relative (`WavOffsetService` added `HeaderSize` server-side). The Range offset must be `header.headerSize + blockAlignedAudioOffset`. Omitting `headerSize` lands the seek ~44 bytes early — audible click + position drift. **Most likely bug; verify first.**
- Only the *continuation* skips header parse; the initial `bytes=0-` response still flows through `tryParseHeader` unchanged. Don't let the continuation flag bleed into initial load.
- Proxy must pass `Accept-Ranges` / `Content-Range` (and a `416`) through verbatim — stripping them blinds the browser and any future CDN.
- A1 preserves the multi-format (1.2) seam: the decoder stays the format integration point; the "retain format, skip header, treat bytes as frame data" pattern generalises (frame-boundary alignment differs per format). Add no new WAV-specific coupling in the transport/proxy layers beyond what already exists.
---
## Phase 4.2 — Server-side stream from disk (no buffer materialisation)
**Status:** Resolved as a consequence of Phase 4.1 landing on 2026-06-09. No separate implementation required.
- **What:** The no-offset path **already** streams from disk — `TrackController` (~L390) takes `mediaStream.Stream` (a `FileStream` from `LoadResourceStreamAsync`), reads `streamLength` from `.Length`, and hands ownership to `File(...)`; no `LoadResourceAsync` buffer materialisation on the default path. The remaining buffer materialisation is **only** the legacy `?offset=` branch (~L414): `GetAudioBinaryAsync` loads the full `AudioBinary` into memory because `WavOffsetService` reslices over the in-memory buffer.
- **Why it matters:** Scaling ceiling on the offset path specifically. Once 4.1 (A1) lands, the offset branch is off the player hot path, so its buffer cost stops mattering in practice.
- **Shape:** Resolved for the default path. The only outstanding work is retiring the offset branch entirely — which is the 4.1 follow-up commit (remove the `?offset=` server branch, `WavOffsetService`, and the now-unused `ConcatStream`). No separate work item beyond that cleanup.
- **Outcome:** With Phase 4.1 landing and Range headers replacing the `?offset=` query param as the transport mechanism, the offset branch is now definitively off the player's hot path. Buffer materialisation on that dormant code path is no longer a scaling concern. 4.2 is closed; the offset-branch cleanup is a follow-up housekeeping item, not a blocker.
---
## Phase 2.4 — Interactivity-gap loading guard on dead-during-prerender controls
**Status:** Fully landed on 2026-06-08 (implementation complete, reviewed and merged to dev).
Guard controls that are dead during the SSR→interactive handoff window (1–2s on fast loads, 5s+ on cold WASM cache) so they *look* inactive until the Blazor runtime attaches, then re-render into their live form. The listener reaches for **play** first — a play button that looks armed but eats the click reads as "the site is broken," not "the site is loading." This is a credibility/perceived-quality fix on the primary action.
**Implementation approach:** Extend the existing `RendererInfo.IsInteractive` pattern already established in `PlayStateIcon.razor` and `DeepDrftHero.razor`. Add `Disabled="@(!RendererInfo.IsInteractive)"` (or the HTML equivalent) to unguarded controls during the SSR phase. No global overlay/scrim (rejected — it fights the prerender's purpose and risks colliding with Blazor's `#components-reconnect-modal`); per-control guarding leaves the working parts (plain `` links, idle UI) live. Each control carries its own inline gate — mild duplication over a shared `` wrapper is deliberately accepted (over-engineering for ~4 call sites; would obscure the per-control rendering differences). Consistent with existing patterns.
**Guarded controls (as implemented):**
- **`TrackCard.razor` play `MudFab` (grid + list mode) — HIGHEST PRIORITY.** Disabled during the gap (greyed, non-interactive via MudBlazor's built-in disabled state). Card looks *composed but not-yet-armed*, not alarmed. Re-enables once `RendererInfo.IsInteractive` flips. Note: `/tracks` bridges *data* across the seam via `PersistentComponentState` — but bridging data ≠ wiring handlers; the gap still exists on a cold WASM cache load.
- **`TracksView.razor` `MudToggleGroup` (grid/list switch) + `MudPagination`.** Both gated to `Disabled="true"` during the gap. Lower priority than play, but cheap to include in the same pass and visually consistent.
- **`SharePopover.razor` (on `TrackDetail`).** The Share `MudIconButton` trigger gated to `Disabled="true"` until interactive; the in-popover copy buttons are moot while the trigger is disabled, so the single guard on the trigger suffices.
- **`DeepDrftMenu.razor` "Stream Now" CTA.** Folded `!RendererInfo.IsInteractive` into the existing `disabled="@(...)"` expression (e.g. `disabled="@(_streamLoading || !RendererInfo.IsInteractive)"`) on both desktop and mobile buttons. The label-swap precedent here ("Finding a track…") is the house voice — disabling is the floor.
**What was deliberately left untouched (mirrors `WASM_SEAMS.md` §2 discipline):**
- **Minimized `AudioPlayerBar` dock** — default state shows only `LevelMeterFab`, which is idle (untinted, no animation) until audio plays. Reads correctly during the gap; nothing to guard.
- **Expanded `AudioPlayerBar` transport zone** — already routes its play/pause glyph through the guarded `PlayStateIcon`. Already covered by the existing pattern.
- **`NowPlaying` / `NowPlayingCard`** — reflect live player state; show "Nothing playing" on both passes on a cold load. No dead control; the player is gesture-gated and intentionally non-persisted.
- **Plain `` links** (track titles → `/track/{key}`, nav links, hero CTAs) — work in static SSR. Out of scope by construction.
**Coexistence constraint:** This guard targets the *initial* SSR→interactive handoff. It does not duplicate or interfere with Blazor's built-in `#components-reconnect-modal` (dropped-circuit recovery, a different lifecycle event). The two are orthogonal — `RendererInfo.IsInteractive` does not flip back to `false` on a *reconnect*, so the guards correctly stay inactive during a reconnect.
**Prerequisite:** None. Pure client-side rendering work in `DeepDrftPublic.Client`; no API or data-layer change.
---
## LevelMeterFab — Continuous vertical fill animation
**Status:** Fully landed on 2026-06-08 (feature complete, component + CSS animation, merged to dev).
Replaced the discrete three-band tint model with a **continuous vertical fill** inside the music-note SVG silhouette. The fill height tracks live audio level bottom-up (0–100%); a fixed three-zone gradient (`linearGradient` with `gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"`) renders green (0–60% of note height), yellow (60–85%), and orange (85–100%) zones. The color at the fill line therefore changes naturally as the level rises. The note shape remains always visible as a dim silhouette at 25% opacity; idle (paused/stopped) shows the silhouette alone.
**Implementation details:**
- **C# side (`LevelMeterFab.razor.cs`)**: Removed discrete `_bandClass` field; replaced with continuous `_fillPercent` (0–100). dB → fill % uses a linear map over a −30 to 0 dB window (−30 dB = 0% fill, 0 dB = 100%, −12 dB = 60% / yellow boundary, −4.5 dB = 85% / orange boundary). Smoothing envelope operates on the continuous value (attack-fast / release-slow on dB, then map). Computed properties `FillY` and `FillH` expose the rect geometry to the SVG template.
- **SVG (`LevelMeterFab.razor`)**: Two layers — always-on dim silhouette (note path at 25% white) and a clipped fill group (rectangle revealed through the note via `clipPath`, painted with the zone gradient). No color cascade; explicit rgba on silhouette, explicit colors in gradient stops.
- **Gradient anchoring**: `linearGradient` with `gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"` (not `objectBoundingBox`) — x1="0" y1="24" x2="0" y2="0" (bottom to top in viewBox coordinates). This pins the zones to fixed heights so the fill line always crosses the same colors at the same levels.
- **CSS (`LevelMeterFab.razor.css`)**: Removed band-tint color transition (no longer applicable). Geometry attributes `y` and `height` are not CSS-animatable in a reliable way; animation is purely the 30fps C# value updates driven by smoothing envelope. Silhouette remains always-on idle visual when `_fillPercent = 0`.
- **Re-render gate**: 0.5% change threshold prevents churn on sub-pixel deltas; renders only on meaningful level swings.
- **Idle behavior**: `StopAnimation` resets `_fillPercent = 0` and `_smoothedDb = SilenceFloorDb`, dropping the column and leaving only the dim silhouette.
Supersedes the earlier discrete-tint `LevelMeterFab` entry from the same component. The new model is load-bearing for real-time level feedback on a commercial dance-music master (−8 to −3 dBFS); the meter "breathes" through the green/yellow zones with peaks reaching orange, rather than holding in one band.
---
## Track Gallery View Toggle
**Status:** Fully landed on 2026-06-08 (feature complete, component + layout + CSS, merged to dev).
### Overview
Give the track gallery two switchable view modes behind a page-level toggle: **Mode A — Album Art Grid** (the current responsive 4-column `MudGrid` of 250×250 cards, augmented so that art-bearing cards hide their info overlay at rest and reveal it on hover) and **Mode B — Track Detail List** (a vertical stack of full-width horizontal rows, each a compact track line with play FAB, art thumbnail, artist/title text block, and right-aligned genre/year). The toggle is a two-option control at the top of `TracksView`, defaulting to Grid, with ephemeral page-level state (not persisted). Both modes consume the same `ViewModel.Page.Items` and the same per-card play-state inputs — the only divergence is in `TrackCard`'s rendering, consistent with the "one source, multiple views" convention (`CONTEXT.md §6`).
### Component changes
- **`TracksView.razor` / `.razor.cs` / `.razor.css`** — Add an ephemeral `ViewMode _viewMode = ViewMode.Grid` field and a handler that flips it and calls `StateHasChanged()`. Render the toggle control above `tracks-content` (see Toggle spec). Pass `ViewMode="@_viewMode"` into ``. No change to data flow, persistence, or player-state subscription. CSS: a flex row for the toggle header (`justify-content: flex-end`).
- **`TracksGallery.razor` / `.razor.cs` / `.razor.css`** — Add `[Parameter] public ViewMode ViewMode { get; set; } = ViewMode.Grid;`. Branch the template: for `Grid`, keep the existing `MudGrid` / `MudItem` breakpoint layout unchanged; for `List`, render a single flex-column container (`deepdrft-track-list`) that `@foreach`-es the same `Tracks` into `` rows with no `MudGrid` wrapper. Pass `ViewMode="@ViewMode"` down to each `TrackCard`. The `ActiveTrack` / `IsPlaying` / `IsPaused` / `OnPlay` / `OnPause` wiring is identical in both branches.
- **`TrackCard.razor` / `.razor.cs` / `.razor.css`** — Add `[Parameter] public ViewMode ViewMode { get; set; } = ViewMode.Grid;`. Branch the markup at the top: `ViewMode.Grid` renders the existing card body unchanged (plus the hover behaviour below); `ViewMode.List` renders the horizontal row layout (see Mode B spec). The `hasLink` / `trackHref` computation, `PlayClick`, and `PlayPauseIcon` are shared across both. The `ViewMode` enum lives in a small shared file (e.g. `Controls/GalleryViewMode.cs` or alongside `TrackCard.razor.cs` in the `DeepDrftPublic.Client.Controls` namespace) so both `TracksView`, `TracksGallery`, and `TrackCard` reference one definition.
### Mode A — hover spec (pure CSS, no JS)
- Applies **only** when the card has album art (`deepdrft-track-card-bg` present). The no-art fallback path (`deepdrft-track-card-fallback`) is untouched — its `deepdrft-track-card-content` stays visible at all times exactly as today.
- For art-bearing cards: give `deepdrft-track-card-content` an `opacity: 0` rest state and `opacity: 1` on `.deepdrft-track-card-container:hover .deepdrft-track-card-content`. Add `transition: opacity 180ms ease, background-color 180ms ease`.
- Swap the rest gradient for a **solid navy panel on hover**: at rest the content overlay is transparent/hidden; on hover its background becomes `var(--deepdrft-navy-mid, #162437)` (opaque, full-card) so the info reads cleanly over the art rather than through a gradient. Implement by toggling the `background` on the content layer between transparent (rest) and solid navy (hover), or by fading in a sibling navy panel beneath the content — implementer's call; the observable result is a solid navy reveal, not the current always-on gradient.
- Distinguish art vs. no-art in CSS without new markup by scoping the hide/reveal rules to a container modifier. Add a class to the container when art is present (e.g. `deepdrft-track-card-container--art`) and gate the `opacity: 0` rest rule on it, so fallback cards never pick up the hidden-at-rest behaviour.
- Touch devices have no hover; on coarse pointers the overlay should default to visible. Guard the hidden-at-rest rule with `@media (hover: hover) and (pointer: fine)` so touch users always see the info.
### Mode B — list row spec
- Container: `deepdrft-track-list` is `display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 8px;` inside the existing `MudContainer MaxWidth="Large"`. Rows are full-width.
- Row (`deepdrft-track-row`): `display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; gap: 16px;` with `height: ~72–88px`, `padding: 8px 16px`, and the same glass treatment as grid cards — `background: var(--deepdrft-navy-mid, #162437)`, off-white text, `border: 1px solid rgba(250,250,248,0.12)`. This reads on both light and dark themes (matches the fallback-panel rationale already documented in `TrackCard.razor.css`).
- Columns, left to right:
1. **Play FAB** — fixed-width column, vertically centered. Same `` with two `MudToggleItem`s (icon-only), or a pair of `MudToggleIconButton`s — `MudToggleGroup` is the cleaner fit for a 2-value exclusive switch. Icons: `Icons.Material.Filled.ViewModule` (Grid) and `Icons.Material.Filled.ViewList` (List).
- Placement: top of `TracksView`, above `tracks-content`, aligned right. Sits in its own header row; does not displace the existing centered gallery or the footer pagination.
- Binding: `@bind-Value="_viewMode"` (or `SelectedValue` + `SelectedValueChanged`) on the toggle; the setter triggers re-render. State is a plain page field — **not** persisted to cookie or `PersistentComponentState`.
- Default: `ViewMode.Grid`.
- Skeleton/loading state (`ViewModel.Page == null`) is unaffected — keep the existing skeleton grid; the toggle may render disabled or hidden while loading (implementer's call).
### Acceptance criteria
- The TracksView page shows a two-option grid/list toggle, right-aligned at the top, defaulting to grid.
- **Grid mode, art card:** at rest the card shows only album art (no title/artist/genre/year/FAB overlay); on hover a solid navy panel fades in over the art revealing all info and the play FAB; moving the pointer away hides it again. Transition is smooth (~180ms), no flicker.
- **Grid mode, no-art card:** the navy fallback card shows title/artist/genre/year/FAB at all times, with no hover change — identical to current behaviour.
- **Touch / coarse-pointer devices:** grid art cards show their info overlay by default (no permanently hidden info).
- **List mode:** tracks render as a vertical stack of full-width rows, each ≤~88px tall, with play FAB at far left, ~64px art thumbnail (or navy placeholder), artist-over-title text block, and right-aligned genre chip over year.
- Clicking a row (outside the FAB) navigates to that track's detail page; clicking the FAB plays/pauses without navigating, in both modes.
- The play/pause icon and active state reflect the live player exactly as in grid mode, in both modes.
- List rows are legible on both light and dark themes.
- Toggling between modes is instant, preserves the current page and player state, and resets to grid on page reload (no persistence).
### Out of scope
- Persisting the selected view mode (cookie / `PersistentComponentState` / query string) — explicitly ephemeral this ticket.
- Mobile-specific gestures (long-press, swipe) beyond the coarse-pointer hover fallback above.
- Keyboard navigation beyond what the anchor + `MudFab` give by default; no roving-tabindex or arrow-key list traversal.
- Any change to sorting, filtering, pagination, or the `TracksViewModel` data path.
- Album/genre grouping views (covered separately under Phase 2.2).
- Animation of mode transitions (cards/rows reflowing) — a plain re-render is acceptable.
---
## Phase 2.5 — "Stream Now" — random-track instant play
**Status:** Fully landed on 2026-06-07 (feature complete, endpoints + service methods + menu wiring, merged to dev).
- **What:** The nav-bar "Stream Now ▶" CTA (desktop and mobile, in `DeepDrftMenu.razor`) today just navigates to `/tracks`. Change it to **pick a random track from the library and start playing it immediately**, in place, without forcing the user onto the gallery page.
- **Why it matters:** It is the single most prominent call-to-action on the site and currently does the least interesting thing — it dumps the listener on a grid and asks them to choose. "Stream Now" should mean *now*: one click, music plays. It is also the lowest-friction way for a first-time visitor to hear the collective's output, which is the whole point of the public site. Borrowed pattern: the "shuffle play" / "I'm feeling lucky" affordance (Spotify's shuffle, Bandcamp's "play random").
#### UX flow
1. User clicks "Stream Now ▶" (desktop CTA or mobile menu item).
2. Button enters a brief loading affordance (disabled + subtle pulse/spinner) while a track is selected — the selection requires at least one HTTP round-trip, so this is not instantaneous.
3. A random track is chosen from the full library via `GET api/track/random` (server-side `ORDER BY RANDOM() LIMIT 1`).
4. The player begins streaming that track via the existing `AudioPlayerBar` dock at the bottom of the layout. The dock is already cascaded into every page by `AudioPlayerProvider` in `MainLayout`, so it appears/animates in exactly as it does when a gallery card is clicked.
5. The user does **not** navigate. They stay on whatever page they were on (most likely `Home`). Music plays; the dock is the player surface.
6. On mobile, the menu closes (`CloseMobileMenu`) as part of the click, same as the existing nav links.
#### Edge cases
- **Empty library (`TotalCount == 0`):** No track to play. The button surfaces a non-blocking, transient message ("No tracks yet") and does nothing else. Does not navigate, does not error-toast aggressively. This is a legitimate cold-start state, not a failure.
- **Metadata fetch fails (HTTP error):** Surfaces a transient error on the button ("Couldn't reach the library — try again"), re-enables the button, does not navigate. Reuses the existing `ApiResult` failure check pattern (`result is { Success: true, ... }`).
- **Track fails to stream (selected track is valid metadata but the audio stream errors):** Already handled downstream by `StreamingAudioPlayerService` / error handlers and surfaced through `IPlayerService.ErrorMessage` and the dock. Stream Now does not duplicate stream-error handling in the menu; it hands off to the same `SelectTrackStreaming` path every other play uses, and inherits that path's error behavior.
- **Player already playing something:** Stream Now interrupts it and starts the random track. No confirmation prompt — "Stream Now" is an explicit user command to play something new.
- **Repeat clicks / same-track-twice:** Acceptable for v1 to occasionally re-pick the currently-playing track. If it becomes annoying, a cheap "exclude `PlayerService.CurrentTrack?.Id`" filter on the candidate set is a one-line follow-up; noted for future.
#### Implementation
**API endpoint (`DeepDrftAPI`):**
- New `GET api/track/random` (unauthenticated, mirroring `GET api/track/page`) returning a single `TrackDto` via `ORDER BY RANDOM() LIMIT 1` (or the EF-Core equivalent) server-side.
**Service methods:**
- New method on `ITrackDataService` / `TrackClientDataService`: `Task> GetRandomTrack()`, calling `GET api/track/random` via `TrackClient`.
**Menu wiring (`DeepDrftMenu.razor`):**
- Injects `ITrackDataService` and cascaded `IStreamingPlayerService`. Click handler: calls `GetRandomTrack()`, on success calls `PlayerService.SelectTrackStreaming(track)`, on empty/failure shows transient message.
**AudioContext user-gesture constraint:**
- Browsers (Safari most strictly) only allow an `AudioContext` to start inside a user-gesture call stack. `SelectTrackStreaming` starts the context. Stream Now does an `await GetRandomTrack()` (network) before calling `SelectTrackStreaming` — an intervening `await` can lose gesture context on Safari. Mitigation: `IStreamingPlayerService.WarmAudioContext()` method added, called synchronous with the gesture at the start of the click handler, before the network await.
#### Acceptance criteria — as implemented
- Clicking "Stream Now ▶" (desktop CTA) with a non-empty library selects a track uniformly at random (server-side) and begins streaming it via the existing dock, without navigating away.
- Clicking "Stream Now ▶" in the mobile menu does the same and closes the mobile menu.
- Selection issues **exactly one** HTTP request (`GET api/track/random`).
- With an empty library, the button shows a transient "no tracks" message and does not navigate or throw.
- With a failed metadata fetch, the button shows a transient error, re-enables, and does not navigate.
- A track that streams-errors after selection surfaces through the *existing* player error path — no new error handling in the menu.
- The menu component contains no track-fetch logic inline: selection goes through `ITrackDataService.GetRandomTrack()`; playback goes through `PlayerService.SelectTrackStreaming`. No duplication.
- Audio plays on the first click after a cold load on Chrome and Safari — user-gesture/AudioContext constraint satisfied via `WarmAudioContext()` hook.
- While selection is in flight, the button is disabled to prevent double-launch.
---
## Phase 2.1 — Cover art / image vault wired through
**Status:** Fully landed on 2026-06-07 across three waves (Wave 1: API + vault; Wave 2-A: public proxy + TrackCard; Wave 2-B: CMS upload UI), merged to dev.
- **What:** `MediaVaultType.Image` is implemented end-to-end and exercised by tests, but the production surface only registers a `tracks` vault of type `Audio`. `ImagePath` on `TrackEntity` is a free-form URL string today; it should resolve to an entry in an image vault served by `DeepDrftContent`.
- **Why it matters:** Prerequisite for any album/release/genre view that wants to look like a music site rather than a list of rows. Also closes a free-form-string surface area that will otherwise calcify.
- **Shape:**
- Register a second vault (`images` or `art`, type `Image`) in `Startup.ConfigureDomainServices` and in the CLI.
- Add `GET api/image/{entryKey}` (unauthenticated, mirrors track read) and `PUT api/image/{entryKey}` (ApiKey, mirrors track write) on `DeepDrftContent`.
- Change `TrackEntity.ImagePath` semantics from "URL" to "image vault entry key" (column rename optional — could remain `image_path` with semantic shift, or could become `image_entry_key` for clarity).
- Add an image processor sibling of `AudioProcessor`.
- **Prerequisite:** None.
- **Constraint:** This is a small schema-semantics migration. Existing rows have `null` ImagePath in production so there is no data to migrate, but commit before the field has real content to avoid a backfill.
---
## Embeddable iframe player
**Status:** Feature complete on 2026-06-07 (commit `c83b132 feature: Embed Frame Player`, merged to dev).
A standalone, chrome-free player surface intended for embedding in an `