diff --git a/configs/app.toml b/configs/app.toml
index 24e75f1..3cd3c08 100644
--- a/configs/app.toml
+++ b/configs/app.toml
@@ -3,19 +3,23 @@
 # config="example"
 # load with themes enabled? set the default mode
 [theme]
-enabled=true
-mode="light"
+enabled = true
+mode = "light"
 # load in extended mode? if so which orientation
 [extends]
-extended=true
-extends_horizontal=true
+extended = true
+extends_horizontal = true
 # default dimensions for channel label frames
 [channel]
-width=80
-height=130
+width = 80
+height = 130
+xpadding = 2
 # size of a single mouse wheel scroll step
 [mwscroll_step]
-size=3
+size = 3
 # default submix bus
 [submixes]
-default=0
+default = 0
+# show the navigation frame?
+[navigation]
+show = true
diff --git a/vmcompact/app.py b/vmcompact/app.py
index 78dd0f8..85a2c87 100644
--- a/vmcompact/app.py
+++ b/vmcompact/app.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import logging
 import tkinter as tk
 from functools import cached_property
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -11,6 +12,8 @@ from .errors import VMCompactError
 from .menu import Menus
 from .subject import Subject
 
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
 
 class App(tk.Tk):
     """App mainframe"""
@@ -34,9 +37,10 @@ class App(tk.Tk):
 
     def __init__(self, vmr):
         super().__init__()
-
+        self.logger = logger.getChild(self.__class__.__name__)
         self._vmr = vmr
         self._vmr.event.add(["pdirty", "ldirty"])
+        self.after(12000 if not self._vmr.gui.initial_state else 1, self.start_updates)
         self._vmr.init_thread()
         icon_path = Path(__file__).parent.resolve() / "img" / "cat.ico"
         if icon_path.is_file():
@@ -54,6 +58,10 @@ class App(tk.Tk):
         self.drag_id = ""
         self.bind("<Configure>", self.dragging)
 
+    def start_updates(self):
+        self.logger.debug("updates started")
+        _base_values.run_update = True
+
     def __str__(self):
         return f"{type(self).__name__}App"
 
diff --git a/vmcompact/configurations.py b/vmcompact/configurations.py
index 60c4de6..a3dcc09 100644
--- a/vmcompact/configurations.py
+++ b/vmcompact/configurations.py
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ _defaults = {
     "channel": {
         "width": 80,
         "height": 130,
+        "xpadding": 3,
     },
     "mwscroll_step": {
         "size": 3,
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@ _defaults = {
     "submixes": {
         "default": 0,
     },
+    "navigation": {"show": True},
 }
 
 if "app" in configuration:
diff --git a/vmcompact/data.py b/vmcompact/data.py
index 9a466ca..38e82c0 100644
--- a/vmcompact/data.py
+++ b/vmcompact/data.py
@@ -32,10 +32,15 @@ class Configurations(metaclass=SingletonMeta):
     # bus assigned as current submix
     submixes: int = configuration["submixes"]["default"]
 
-    # width of a single labelframe
-    level_width: int = configuration["channel"]["width"]
-    # height of a single labelframe
-    level_height: int = configuration["channel"]["height"]
+    # width of a single channel labelframe
+    channel_width: int = configuration["channel"]["width"]
+    # height of a single channel labelframe
+    channel_height: int = configuration["channel"]["height"]
+    # xpadding for a single channel labelframe
+    channel_xpadding: int = configuration["channel"]["xpadding"]
+
+    # do we grid the navigation frame?
+    navigation_show: bool = configuration["navigation"]["show"]
 
     @property
     def config(self):
@@ -46,7 +51,7 @@ class Configurations(metaclass=SingletonMeta):
 @dataclass
 class BaseValues(metaclass=SingletonMeta):
     # pause updates after releasing scale
-    run_update: bool = True
+    run_update: bool = False
     # are we dragging main window with mouse 1
     dragging: bool = False
     # a vban connection established