Symphonix Evolution Player Update

A new version of the Symphonix Evolution Player app releases today.  This update gives the Player the same "look and feel" as the full Symphonix Evolution app, including redesigned screens for tempo, program change etc.

We've also added a few features in response to feedback from our users such as access to settings and the ability to repeat a song (eg for using the app as a beat generator).

Patch Map Converter

Now that Symphonix Evolution 1.85 has been released, we've also put together an application to convert your existing Cakewalk®/Sonar® instrument files into the Symphonix Evolution format, so you can use the presets for your external MIDI devices right away without having to create the Device Map inside the Symphonix Evolution app.

The converter asks for the filename of an ".ins" instrument definition file and the output filename of the ".sxd" Symphonix Evolution patch map you'd like to create.

Once the .sxd file has been created,  use iTunes® to copy it from your Mac or PC to the iPad using the same procedure that you'd use for transferring MIDI files.

Please note that the Symphonix Evolution instrument "families" are not created automatically, since this information is not contained in the .ins file, and the converter assumes General MIDI style mappings. After you've loaded the .sxd file on your iPad, use Symphonix Evolution to edit the device map and select the correct instrument family for each instrument, or edit the .sxd file in a text editor and add the families there.

You can download the patch converter from here:
Mac Version (OSX 10.4 or later)
Windows Version

Symphonix Evolution 1.85 Released!

Symphonix Evolution 1.85 hits the App Store today!  This update is packed with new features, enhancements and bug fixes - Here's a list of all the changes:

New Features and Enhancements:

• Sheet Music View. The main Symphonix Evolution screen can now be switched into a “Sheet Music” mode that displays in Portrait Orientation, with multiple lines of music per page. 
• External MIDI Device Patch Maps. Patch maps for external devices to be created and edited.
• Support for AirPlay®. It is now possible to route the output of the internal synth to AirPlay®.
• Play to WAV file. It is now possible to render the music output to a WAV file, for use in other applications. 
• Play to Pasteboard. It is now possible to render the music output to the Pasteboard, for use in other applications that support audio pasting. 
• Redesigned screens for track, preset, tempo and channel selection 
• Chord Builder. This is a new screen that allows chords to be inserted directly into the score.
• Redesigned Mixer screen. The Mixer now shows Pan as well as Volume for each track, as well as current activity (levels) on each track. 
• Remote Connection Capability. Touch this icon to start a peer-to-peer connection with compatible external applications that can be used to control or send input to Symphonix Evolution. 
• Auto MIDI File Key Signature. When MIDI files are loaded without a key signature, Symphonix Evolution will now automatically choose the key signature that results in the fewest number of note accidentals. 

Bug Fixes:

• Piano Roll - Improved note selection. It should be easier to select, drag and resize notes without scrolling accidentally 
• Piano Roll - Measures were not displayed on the correct beat lines with time signatures other than 4/4
• Piano Roll - The Piano Roll allowed the user to rotate the screen into Portrait mode, causing the main display to be displayed incorrectly after closing the piano roll screen.
• Realtime Recording - Some screen buttons still responded to user interaction when recording was active, even though the buttons were not visible. These have now been disabled.
• MIDI - Pitch bend events from external MIDI devices were not played correctly through the internal synth causing the note to sound at the wrong pitch during recording, even though the correct pitch was recorded. This could cause the internal synth to sound off pitch by as much as two semitones. 
• Song Playback - Repeats did not play correctly if the next repeat started on the same measure as the end of the previously repeating section (i.e. two repeated sections one after the other with the next section beginning on the very next bar after the end of the previous section).
• Notation - When scoring notes, a full measure containing a single note would center the note in the measure, causing it to be misaligned with other tracks. This behaviour is now limited to whole note rests only. 
• Notation - Uncommon accidentals were chosen when recording into some key signatures. Common note names are now used where possible.  
• Notation - Incorrect leger line positions were displayed for some notes in certain key signatures, causing the rendered notation to be wrong compared to the played notes. 

The "SE Controller" app is also available from today, and our "Player" app will be updated within the next few days.

One More Feature Coming Soon in Symphonix Evolution 1.85

We've nearly finished testing Symphonix Evolution 1.85 and are about to submit it to iTunes for review.  Before we do, here's one last surprise - Sheet Music View!

Sheet Music View shows multiple lines of notation in portrait orientation, and is designed to make it easier to use when playing along with the music.  It's especially useful when setting the clef to a single staff and hiding other tracks.

This makes it possible to use Symphonix Evolution for displaying lead sheets during a performance and also works well with lyrics.

In "Sheet Music" mode notes are highlighted as they play, and the screen updates a full page at a time instead of the horizontal scrolling when in landscape mode.

When viewing multiple tracks overlaid (see the screenshot), Sheet Music mode makes it much easier to see the flow of the music and how the tracks interact with each other across multiple bars.  Swipe gestures can be used to "turn the pages", so this feature presents a familiar way to see the music.


We're still saving a few more features for the actual release, so there's more to come!

Announcing SE Controller for Symphonix Evolution

SE Controller is an iPhone app we'll be releasing soon.  It works as a companion app with Symphonix Evolution 1.85 to add Pitch Bend, Modulation Wheel and Sustain controls to the virtual synth keyboard.  It communicates using a Bluetooth shared connection with the new "Remote Device Control" feature, and SE Controller events appear to Symphonix Evolution as MIDI input.

Here's a video of SE Controller in action:

(Apologies for the poor quality of the video).

Using Symphonix Evolution with Network MIDI

Did you know that if you have a Mac, you can connect Symphonix Evolution to it using Network MIDI?  This means that you can use Symphonix Evolution as a MIDI input or output for other applications thanks to the Core MIDI support in iOS.

Here's how to get it running:

1. On your Mac, go to Applications and then Utilities.  Locate the Audio MIDI Setup app and open it.

2. When the Audio setup screen appears, go to the View menu and choose the Show MIDI Window option

3. You'll now see a screen that shows the MIDI devices connected to your Mac.

4. Now double-click the "Network" icon to show the Network MIDI Settings.  In the top right corner you'll see a box labelled "Sessions".  Click the + button under this to add a new session so that your screen looks like this:

5. Now start Symphonix Evolution on your iPad.  If all is well, you should see the iPad listed in the "Directory" panel like this:

(Note this is notoriously fickle the first time you try it, so if you don't see the iPad in the list you may need to look at your network setup.  In my case, I had to add it manually first with the + button and then remove it before the Mac showed it with the green light indicator.  If you don't see it at first, try rebooting both Mac and iPad).

6. Once the iPad shows up, highlight it and click the Connect button.  You should now see it in the "Participants" list in the "Session" box to the right, like this:

7. Now you're all connected.  Try pressing some notes on the Symphonix Evolution virtual keyboard.  You should see them appear in the "latency" box, which will confirm that everything's working.

8.  Now start any application that uses Core MIDI, to try it out.  I'm going to use GarageBand, and create a new "Loops" composition:

9. GarageBand opens an empty screen ready for me to add tracks.

10. Click the + button in the lower left corner under the track list, and select a virtual instrument so it appears like this:

11. Now start playing the Symphonix Evolution keyboard.  GarageBand detects the MIDI input automatically and plays it using the software instrument, as if you'd connected a real MIDI keyboard!

This is an excellent way to add more instruments to the standard set in Symphonix Evolution.  It's also a great way to extract any performances you might have created on the iPad while on the road, without having to sync MIDI files through iTunes.  Enjoy!

Patch Maps in Symphonix Evolution 1.85

In the forthcoming Symphonix Evolution 1.85 it will be possible to create your own patch maps for MIDI devices, allowing Symphonix Evolution to use your instrument's actual names when selecting presets.  The patch maps are stored in an XML file with a ".sxd" extension where each file represents a different device, and there is no limit on how many devices you can have.

The .sxd files are kept in the app's Documents folder, meaning that they are visible to iTunes and may be copied into and out of the folder using drag-and-drop from iTunes on your PC or Mac.

Here is the structure of the .sxd file, if you'd like to get a head start on creating your own patch map:

<patchmap version="1.0" device="Your Device Name Here">
<patch family="GM Family" bank="CC00.CC32" preset="PROG" name="Instrument Name Here" />

<-- Insert as many patch lines as you need to cover all instruments -->
</patchmap>

Replace "Your Device Name Here" with the name of the MIDI device as you'd like it to appear in Symphonix Evolution.  Similarly, "Instrument Name Here" is the name of the preset. (Remember that HTML-style quotes will be needed for certain characters such as &, ', <>, etc).

"GM Family" is a number that describes the instrument family to which the preset belongs, based on the General MIDI groupings:
0 = Piano
1 = Chromatic Percussion
2 = Organ
3 = Guitar
4 = Bass
5 = Strings
6 = Ensemble
7 = Brass
8 = Reed
9 = Pipe
10 = Synth Lead
11 = Synth Pad
12 = Synth Effects
13 = Ethnic
14 = Percussive
15 = Sound Effects
16 = Drum Kit

Each preset must specify a MIDI bank (MSB/Controller 0 and LSB/Controller 32) and preset number ("PROG").

For example, if the MIDI device is a "MySynth 1000" and has a single instrument named "Synth Lead" that is set by sending controller #0=8, controller #32=0 and preset of 85:

<patchmap version="1.0" device="MySynth 1000">
<patch family="10" bank="8.0" preset="85" name="Synth Lead" />
</patchmap>

This would be saved in a file named "MySynth 1000.sxd".

Chord Builder

In the previous post we promised we'd tell you about another new feature in the upcoming version 1.85 of Symphonix Evolution, so we're pleased to unveil the new Chord Builder!

The Chord Builder allows the user to select a chord and then insert the notes directly into the song using the current key signature and note length.  The screen updates immediately during chord selection to show the notation (in the current key signature) and the piano keyboard highlights the notes, which makes it easy to learn how to read and play each chord.  It's also possible to hear the chord play through the internal synth or external MIDI device if connected.

Many commonly used chord types are represented including all possible inversions and variants such as "power" chords.

Development on version 1.85 is nearly complete and we're now concentrating on testing.  We'll post more information about the final release date soon.

The New Mixing Control Panel

In the forthcoming version of Symphonix Evolution we've redesigned the Mixer.  The original version looked like this:

And here's what the same panel looks like in version 1.85:

The new version is displayed in a larger window so it's easier to manipulate the controls.  It adds the ability to see either the current volume (MIDI controller #7) or sound level (a combination of MIDI velocity and volume).  The "sound level" mode makes it easy to see which tracks are currently playing music.  There's also a Pan controller under each track that operates MIDI controller #10 (panpot).  Mute and Solo buttons provide the ability to isolate individual tracks.

The Mixer is updated in real time while music is playing so you can use it to see which tracks are active.

In the next post we'll move on to another major new feature.  Watch this space!