Symphonix Evolution 2.0 is under development

It's been a while since I've posted here, and that's because we've been very busy putting together the feature set for Version 2.0 of Symphonix Evolution!  Version 2.0 is a major update and adds some great new functionality to the app, as well as implementing many of the suggestions that have been sent to our support mailbox.

Here's just a hint of some of the things we are working on:

• Enhanced lyric editor
• Improvements to Piano Roll
• A new "arranger" function for easier navigation, copying and pasting
• Improved device management

There's also some big surprises coming but I don't want to spoil the surprise - we'll reveal these when we're closer to the release date.  As always, the next version will be a free upgrade as we continue to support our loyal (and growing) user base.

Some of our users have asked about whether we can build some sort of user base.  The great news is that we're working on a forum site so that our users can share tips, discuss the app and tell us about areas that need to be improved.  I'll post more about this over the next few weeks!

Symphonix Evolution Player Rocks on iPhone 5

Well, it's been a busy time over the last few weeks with the release of the iPhone 5.  Those of you who have purchased our Symphonix Evolution Player app will have noticed that we've already updated it to fit the new 4-inch retina display, and the app looks better than ever!

The larger screen is enough room to fit a couple more keys on the piano display, which doesn't seem like much but it makes the virtual instrument much more playable.

More importantly though,  the performance has to be seen to be believed - especially when compared to the earlier iPhones.  In our testing the phone consistently performs extremely well with the polyphony set to a full 128 voices (previously the iPhone could manage between 30 and 48 voices before the CPU started to overload).  This means that most MIDI songs now play beautifully without any dropouts and performance is actually comparable to the iPad 3!  If you already have the app and have upgraded to an iPhone 5, make sure you've edited the app's settings using the gear icon in the top right corner of the screen to take advantage of the additional voices.

Our testing also shows that the inbuilt speakers perform much better than the earlier iPhone models and the app is noticeably louder.

Finally, those of you who use MIDI might be wondering how the app works with the new "lightning" connector.  We've tested the lightning to 30 pin adapter cable with the iRig MIDI and it performs extremely well.

In conclusion the iPhone 5 is highly recommended and noticeably outperforms the 4th generation iPhone in almost every way when it comes to virtual instrument and audio processing.  We're thinking carefully about how we can use this extra power in our apps!

Symphonix Evolution 1.95 now available

Symphonix Evolution 1.95 hits the App Store today!

Here's a summary of the new features:

• MIDI control input allows external devices to control App functions 
• New function for access to synth parameters 
• New rectangular selection tool 
• New tool to toggle selected note enharmonics 
• Improved Controller function for dragging MIDI events into a song 
• Added setting to change metronome volume 
• Improved user interface with slide-out panel for file functions 
• New tap tempo function 
• New tap tempo recording 
• Added option for auto note stem placement 
• Finger positions are now notated in the score if available 
• New function for adding grace notes 
• Automatic chord matching and display when playing notes 
• Added improved interface for track and song controls, including new buttons for "all notes off", "synth reset" and "controller reset". 
• New Chord Sheet function to easily detect and manage chords in a song 
• Added Play and Stop buttons to the Print Preview screen 
• Added option for inserting both chord name and notation to the Chord Builder 
• Added text filter to the file browser 
• The lyric tool now supports voice input on iPad 3rd Generation 
• Improved response time when loading and saving files

Bugs Fixed: 

• Time signature changes were not saved to SXE files 
• Fix for MIDI channel assignments when loading some files 
• Internal drum sounds were not shown in the correct instrument groups 
• Measure numbers were displayed incorrectly after loading a file 
• MIDI controller messages were not recognised in a MIDI file if no program change event was found at the beginning of a track 
• Fixed issues with playing to Bluetooth or AirPlay devices 
• Fixed note timing issue with some MIDI tracks

 

Chords in Symphonix Evolution 1.95

It's time to introduce another new feature that's coming soon to Symphonix Evolution version 1.95: Chord Sheet!

The Chord Sheet function analyzes the song and automatically calculates the best chords to accompany a track.  These chords can then be added to the track using notation or as a fret diagram.  If the track already contains chords then the Chord Sheet will display them for you in the key signature used by each measure.

Chord Sheet is especially useful for learning a song or identifying the chord progressions in a MIDI file.  It displays the chord name, fret and piano keyboard together in a single screen as well as the ability to play each measure separately in addition to the entire song.  The user can also manually select a chord to build new progressions and immediately hear the effect that chord has on the music.

We're really excited about version 1.95 and we've nearly finished our testing.  This version will be available in early September 2012!

Tap Tempo Coming in Symphonix Evolution 1.95

As we continue to work our way toward version 1.95 of Symphonix Evolution, it's time to talk about another new upcoming feature:  Tap Tempo!

Notice the new "Tap" button in the top right corner of the Tempo entry screen? Tap this button in time with the beat and the tempo will update accordingly.  This feature works even when a song is not playing, but observant readers will also see that the Tempo screen has new buttons in the lower left corner for starting and stopping playback.  This is to help with another new feature...Tempo Track!

Now if the tempo is changed while the song is playing, and the Stop button is pressed, Symphonix Evolution detects the tempo changes and asks whether or not to save them:

Choose the "Use current tempo as the initial tempo" option to keep the most recent tempo change you made and use it as the new tempo for the song  (This finally provides a way to adjust the tempo during playback).  The second option is more interesting however, as it allows the tempo changes to be added to the song using Track #1 as the "tempo track", preserving the timing of the original changes in the order that they were made.


With these new features it is now possible to enter a score from sheet music or by recording an instrument, and then use the tempo function to add subtle tempo changes into the music to make it sound more natural.

We'll keep updating this blog over the next few days as we reveal more features!

Synth Controls in Symphonix Evolution 1.95

As mentioned in the previous post, we are adding Synth controls to the next version of Symphonix Evolution.

This new panel provides access to the Modulation, Vibrato and Volume synth parameters including filters and envelope (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release as well as Hold and Delay).  Manipulating these values can dramatically alter the characteristics of an instrument, and these have also been made available as NRPN (non-registered parameter number) messages via MIDI.

To make the settngs even more useful the Controller button on the main toolbar has also been enhanced so that the Synth Parameters can be easily copied into the song:

When you find a set of Synth Parameters you like, drag from the Controller button into the song at the point where you'd like to apply the NRPN message and use the "Copy Synth Parameters" button on the NRPN tab to quickly add all of the controller messages to the song.

There are many more features coming, and we'll try to detail them here over the next few weeks.

Coming Soon: Symphonix Evolution 1.95

Since version 1.90 and 1.91 we've been busy making our app even better!

Here's just a few of the new features that are coming soon:

• Map functions to MIDI controllers so that external hardware or MIDI apps can control the software.  For example using a MIDI controller keyboard to change track presets or control the transport functions
• Significant performance improvements and improved stability
• Improved user interface for transport controls and more intuitive design of other features such as Controller input
• Access to low-level synthesizer parameters (this is one of our favorites and will be covered in this blog soon)
• More powerful selection tools for modifying notes and manipulating the song

Over the next few weeks we'll discuss some of these features in more detail here, as we work toward the final release.  August is going to be a great month!

Symphonix Evolution Version 1.91 Release

Symphonix Evolution version 1.91 hits the App Store today!

The big news for this release is the ability to export songs in MusicXML format, the addition of a guitar chord library to show fret diagrams and finger positions, and Play Lists for managing music and grouping songs into albums. 

Here's the full list of changes:

• Songs may now be exported to MusicXML format for use in other notation applications 
• It is now possible to group songs into Play Lists 
• Added Delete track button to the Track Summary view 
• Added "Move Up/Move Down" buttons to the Track Summary view for changing track order 
• Chord Builder now allows chords to be added to the score as Notation, Text (Chord Name Only) or Guitar Fret Diagram 
• When pausing song playback, the current position is now selected automatically, allowing playback to resume from that position by pressing Play again

The following bugs were also fixed:

• The track name could display as garbage in the Track Summary view if no mapping for an instrument in a song could be found 
• Saving over an existing file in Dropbox resulted in a duplicate file with (1) at the end of the name instead of replacing the old file 
• Beamed notes could display incorrectly after using the Copy/Paste function
• Fixed various issues with the Virtual MIDI implementation and background play  
• The Clear function on the main toolbar now leaves measures, key changes and time signature changes in place, and only deletes notation 

Improvements to Chord Builder

We're busy improving the Chord Builder in Symphonix Evolution so it works with guitar chords!

In the next update to Symphonix Evolution it will be possible to add the guitar fret diagrams into the score, or just the chord symbol without notation.  This will make the app even better for the creation of lead sheets.

We'll keep posting here as we continue to add more features.

MusicXML is Coming to Symphonix Evolution

Even though version 1.90 has just been released, we're already working on the next update to Symphonix Evolution and it will soon be possible to export your songs to MusicXML format!

MusicXML has become the standard file format for music notation and it means that a song can be created in Symphonix Evolution and then loaded into a desktop application such as Finale or Sibelius, without any change to the interpretation of the music score.

We'll reveal more about this over the coming weeks as we move toward version 1.91.

Symphonix Evolution 1.90 Features

I've posted a new video on YouTube to demonstrate and explain the new features in Symphonix Evolution version 1.90.  Enjoy!

Symphonix Evolution 1.90 Available Today

Version 1.90 of Symphonix Evolution is finally here, and will hit the App Store today!

Here's the list of changes:

• It is now possible to enter instrument finger positions 
• New settings for background playback and virtual MIDI 
• New settings for beginners to assist with note recognition and playback 
• Added an Arpeggiator function 
• Mute function is now available from the main screen 
• Easier scrolling when dragging the main scrollbar 
• Added a new Pad mode for full piano keyboard visibility 
• The current Pad mode is saved between sessions 
• Added the ability to select MIDI devices 
• Added staccato note accent 
• Support for transposing instruments separate to concert pitch 
• Added function to transpose by octave 
• Support for MIDI clock

The following bugs were also fixed: 

• Piano Roll rendering of measures was incorrect 
• Tied notes were not treated as a single long note by Piano Roll 
• Fixed incorrect rendering of rests in percussion symbol mode 
• Fixed position of chord builder relative to selection 
• Program change events were not handled in MIDI files 
• Fixed note position when printing with key signature other than C

 

We'll further explore some of the new features in this blog over the next few days.

An Arpeggiator for Symphonix Evolution

We're nearly done with our testing of Symphonix Evolution version 1.90, but there's one more feature to talk about - Introducing the Arpeggiator function!

The Arpeggiator has over 16 operating modes (patterns) including random sequence, with variable note lengths and a configurable octave span.  External MIDI devices can be used as an input in addition to the virtual synth keyboard built into Symphonix Evolution.  It's also possible to use an external virtual MIDI connection, and the output of the Arpeggiator can of course be routed to MIDI devices.

This feature can be used on its own as a MIDI/performance tool, or recorded and combined with the Rhythm Generator to create many new interesting patterns and variations.  Version 1.90 will be submitted to the App Store very soon now, so there's not long to wait!

Virtual MIDI Support is Coming

Recently there has been a lot of buzz about Virtual MIDI, which provides a way for different apps to connect to each other as if they were real MIDI devices.  Using Virtual MIDI it is possible for one app to generate MIDI while another app generates the sound, or to play music in one app and record it in another.

We're pleased to announce that Virtual MIDI is coming in the next update to Symphonix Evolution!

Virtual MIDI also brings other notable improvements including the ability to:

• Select which MIDI devices are connected to (currently Symphonix Evolution connects to all discovered devices)
• Continue playing music when running in the background
• Generate MIDI clock signals (master clock)
• Slave to MIDI clock signals generated by external MIDI devices or apps

Of course it's still very much a work in progress - When the next version is complete you will also have the ability to receive specific MIDI channels from specific devices.

These changes allow Symphonix Evolution to be an integral part of your virtual studio!

More Features for Beginners

In my last post I mentioned that we're busy adding new features to Symphonix Evolution to make it more useful as a learning tool.  One of the new functions is the ability to enter the finger positions for each note:

This screen capture shows the new feature in action - In this mode, an instructor first selects a note from the music in the top part of the screen and tells Symphonix Evolution the finger that should be used to play that note.  Later, when the student loads the song into the app, the finger positions will appear on the piano keyboard while the music is playing.  Even if the music is not playing, it's possible to select any position in the score to see the notes and finger positions for the highlighted notes.

The new tools make it easy to create and save finger exercises, or to prepare tutorials for learning new pieces of music.

Keep watching this blog and we'll reveal more information about the next version of Symphonix Evolution over the coming weeks!

Upcoming Symphonix Evolution Features for Beginners

One of the aims in designing Symphonix Evolution was for it to be a tool that beginners could use to understand the relationship between music notation, the piano keyboard, and the pitch of the sound.  We're pleased to announce that the next update will focus on ways to make the app even better for those who are learning about music, or for teachers who want to extend the use of the app into their classrooms.

Here's a screenshot of what it looks like when you turn on the new "Beginner" modes:

A number of new features are visible here:

• Highlighting middle "C" in yellow, so it's easy to know which part of the keyboard is visible
• Notes are labelled
• Notes that are playing are shown in red

Each of these functions can be activated separately, so even advanced users may find them useful.

We'll log more posts over the coming weeks as we add new features and work towards version 1.9!

Symphonix Evolution - 3 Day Sale

To celebrate the launch of the New iPad we're setting the price of our flagship Symphonix Evolution app to US $0.99 for 3 days only, from 16th March 2012 to the end of 18th March.  Grab it while it's on sale!

Retina Display Support coming to Symphonix Evolution

We couldn't go past the retina display on the new iPad!  Here's a view of Symphonix Evolution running in the original iPad and iPad 2 and zoomed to double the size so you can directly compare - click on the image to show it at full size:

And here's the same portion of the screen running on the Retina display:

We're still tweaking the graphics and redrawing various gadgets and fonts (if you look closely you'll see some lines aren't yet lining up at the high resolution), and at this stage we'll be releasing an update within a week of the iPad's launch that takes full advantage of the new display.

Symphonix Evolution: We've got Rhythm!

Symphonix Evolution continues to evolve.  We're currently working on an integrated Rhythm Maker (drum sequencer) so that you can create and add your own percussion sequences!

You can save your rhythms and drag them into any song you create, and even use percussion sets for external MIDI devices.  Symphonix Evolution allows the resulting patterns to be repeated throughout the track, or looped for a set number of times.  It is even possible to add "stop", "pause" and "resume" events into your song so that you have fine control over pattern playback.

The next update is not far away and the Rhythm Maker will be available soon!

Symphonix Evolution 1.87 has been submitted to the App Store

The next version of Symphonix Evolution has been submitted to the App Store for review.  As mentioned previously, this version adds support for Dropbox file sharing.  The rest of the update focuses on bug fixes and general improvements to usability and stability.

Here's a "heads up" on the enhancements:

• Files can now be opened or saved from Dropbox
• It is now easier to locate files by filtering between All Files, Symphonix files and MIDI files
• Double tap in the Selection bar to select a measure, triple tap to select the whole song
• Touch the Measure button on the main toolbar to Go To a Measure
• Added Go to Measure button to the Sheet Music View screen

These bugs have been fixed:

• After saving in MIDI format with lyrics, the file was not able to be loaded
• The song file could be corrupted if duplicating or splitting tracks containing beamed or tied notes
• Cut and paste operations could cause incorrect display of beamed notes
• The client could crash when attempting to go to a measure
• The Clear button on the Track Management screen did not operate correctly

The ability to quickly select a Measure or the whole Song makes it much easier to hear playback of a single Measure and addresses one of the functions that have been most requested by our users:  Simply double-tap above the measure and then tap the Play button.

We're now busy updating the Player app to bring it up to the same feature level as the main Symphonix Evolution app - More about this soon!

Dropbox Support is Coming Soon

We're pleased to announce that the next version of Symphonix Evolution will include support for Dropbox!

Dropbox makes it possible to create a shared folder on your Mac or PC, and access it seamlessly from inside Symphonix Evolution.

After the app has been linked to your Dropbox account, the shared folder looks and works just like the iPad's local storage so you can save or load MIDI or Symphonix Evolution files directly to Dropbox.

In version 1.87 you'll see a new button on the File Open and Save screens that allows you to switch easily between "local" and "Dropbox" folders.

With Dropbox you can save a file in Symphonix Evolution and immediately open it on your desktop PC for further editing.

Let us know if you have any ideas for other features you'd like us to add to the app in version 1.87, and we'll see what we can do!  (Version 1.87 is currently scheduled to be released in February 2012).

Symphonix Evolution continues to improve...

Well, we've been busy over the last few weeks!  Firstly, a second small update to version 1.86 is waiting for the App Store review process.  1.86.2 fixes a number of small issues with notation as well as some bugs with time signature changes.  It also adds a few small enhancements:

• The new Track Summary view now has "Play" and "Stop" buttons so it's easier to hear the changes you make.
• We've added a button to the Track Preset selection so it's possible to hear the instrument sound at time of selection (this feature was inadvertently removed in version 1.85 and we've made sure it's back)
• A new "Soft MIDI Thru" mode has been added to the Settings screen.  When this mode is turned on, received MIDI input is automatically sent to the MIDI output on the channel of the currently selected track.  This allows a MIDI controller to act as an input device for a separate MIDI output device.

You should see 1.86.2 some time in the next week or so, depending on how long it takes to be reviewed.