IK Multimedia's iRing Motion Control

It's been a little while since I last posted an update here, but rest assured we have been very busy here and I'm pleased to announce that the next version of Symphonix Evolution is almost complete.  We hope to be releasing it very soon, most likely before the end of July 2014.

Symphonix Evolution v2.5 is a major update that adds a number of new features including inbuilt support for the iRing motion control system from I.K. Multimedia!

For those who are unfamiliar with the iRing, it uses the iPad's camera sensor to detect the position of two ring-shaped controllers in real time.

The position of each controller is determined in 3D space allowing X (horizontal left-right), Y (vertical up-down) and Z (depth) coordinates to be used by the app.  Symphonix Evolution can map each of these parameters individually to a MIDI custom controller or pitch bend, creating six possible controller inputs.  As far as the app is concerned this input is treated exactly like the input from any other MIDI device, allowing rich expression to be added to song compositions.  The app reads the iRing at least 25 times a second so latency is approximately 40-50 milliseconds.

Symphonix Evolution also sends the input from the iRing to any connected MIDI devices, allowing the app to control other apps in the same way.

We're really excited about the flexibility this adds to Symphonix Evolution and we look forward to revealing more information about the upcoming version 2.5 over the coming weeks!

Add a Sustain pedal to Symphonix Evolution with iRig BlueBoard

Recently IK Multimedia introduced the iRig BlueBoard, which provides four programmable buttons and two external controllers.

The BlueBoard is an excellent way to add a sustain or expression pedal to Symphonix Evolution.  It's a wireless solution and is battery-powered for maximum portability.  When combined with a USB keyboard controller via a suitable MIDI adapter, you can quickly create a piano or keyboard setup for live gigs that uses Symphonix Evolution as the sound engine.  Guitar players and vocalists will also find the BlueBoard useful as a way to quickly switch through a playlist of backing tracks.

The iRig BlueBoard allows a Sustain pedal to be connected

  

Setting up a sustain pedal is very easy:  Simply start the BlueBoard’s own control app, connect the pedal to one of the ports on the side of the BlueBoard itself and then tell the iRig BlueBoard to use MIDI controller #64.  Symphonix Evolution will immediately “see” it as a sustain controller.

The four buttons marked "A", "B", "C", and "D" on the BlueBoard can be used in either a program change or MIDI controller mode.   When in Program Change mode, pressing a button will send a MIDI "program change" message, and Controller mode treats each button as a control "toggle" where the button is either on or off (the buttons stay lit when they are "on").

 Symphonix Evolution can use either mode, but the BlueBoard’s controller mode only sends “toggle” type messages so it is of limited use in our app when controlling functions because you have to press a button twice to toggle between "on" and "off".  However, Program Change mode is much more useful; by using the External Command function in Symphonix Evolution it’s possible to map the program change messages to different functions, and this works much better.  For example, I was able to map the buttons to “Next Track in Playlist”, “Previous Track in Playlist”, “Play” and “Stop” by setting these up on the BlueBoard as program changes 124, 125, 126 and 127 (I chose these preset numbers because I don't use them often on my other MIDI gear, which limits the potential for conflict).

If you are currently using a keyboard controller that doesn’t allow you to connect an external sustain or expression pedal, or if you just want a set of foot switches for triggering the different functions in Symphonix Evolution, then the iRig BlueBoard is highly recommended.

Symphonix Evolution version 2.1.1 is coming soon

We've been working on Symphonix Evolution version 2.1.1  This update will focus mainly on stability rather than adding too many new features but there will still be some surprises.

Most importantly, we're pleased to announce that version 2.1.1 fully supports the 64-bit ARM architecture so that it can take full advantage of the processor improvements in the iPad Air.  This required a complete rewrite of the virtual synth engine, which also gave us the opportunity to add some architectural improvements that will become apparent over the next few months as we make further enhancements to the app.

The update will be available early in February 2014.

Symphonix Evolution and the iPad Air

We've now had a chance to play with the new iPad Air and were very impressed with the new form factor and processing power.  Symphonix Evolution runs better than we've ever seen it before!

For those who are lucky enough to have an iPad Air, you will find that it is now possible to set the Virtual Synth in Symphonix Evolution as follows:

• Polyphony to 256 voices
• Reverb ON
• Chorus ON
• Full Instrument Mode ON

As a result of the increased polyphony the app's internal synth was able to handle any MIDI files we could throw at it including some rather intense orchestral pieces, without dropping any notes or stuttering (normally when the polyphony increases, the load on the CPU causes digital noise in the output due to the synth not keeping up with the sample rate).  This is the first time that we've been able to do this on the iPad.

Astonishingly, the average CPU load during our tests was about 30%.  This is truly an excellent result: Symphonix Evolution can now work as the keyboard or sound source for other apps without impacting performance.  The iPad is now approaching laptop performance levels.

(For those interested in a comparison, on the iPad 4 we were able to get the polyphony to 128 voices but still had to disable Reverb and Chorus effects for some songs).

The main limitation now is RAM where the iPad Air still only has 1GB of memory to work in.  This is the main thing stopping us from adding higher quality instrument samples, although we are working on some new functionality soon in this area.  It is going to be very interesting to see what happens in the next iPad generation!

Symphonix Evolution 2.1 for iOS 7

We're pleased to announce that version 2.1 of Symphonix Evolution is about to be released!  This update supports iOS 7 and the user interface has been changed to a "flat" look, while preserving the familiar layout of previous releases.  We think you'll find that the new interface is much cleaner and more modern-looking:

The old look is also retained when running under earlier versions of iOS, so if you haven't yet upgraded you won't see too many differences to the screen design.

Other changes in this release are:

• Added a new setting so that the Drum Percussion MIDI channel can be changed or completely disabled
• Added a new setting so that the mixer volume controls can be locked during playback so that a song cannot change the volume using MIDI messages.
• The Piano Roll now scrolls when a song is playing
• New Tempo Track function allows the user to select which track to use for tempo change events
• Tempo Changes can now be edited in the Piano Roll screen using the Controller lane
• It is now possible to connect two or more instances of Symphonix Evolution running on different iPads using the remote connection function

There are also some bug fixes:

• Resolved an issue with Audiobus initialization on iOS 7
• Fixed crash when saving a file that was last loaded using Dropbox
• Fixed incorrect note values when selecting chord inversions
• The Undo function was not working for ties and slurs
• General stability enhancements

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR EXISTING USERS:
In order to resolve an iOS 7 bug that affected Audiobus integration we needed to change the app's internal product name.  This means that you may have to delete the old version from your device and then reinstall it manually using the "Purchases" tab in the AppStore app.   DELETING THE APP WILL ALSO DELETE YOUR FILES so it is important to back them up before you update.  (We understand this is inconvenient - we made this change because our only other option would have been to require you to purchase a new app).

To back up your existing files you can use the iTunes "file sharing" method to copy them to your computer as explained in the Symphonix Evolution user manual, or you can use a tool such as the excellent iExplorer application from Macroplant.  Alternatively, saving the files to a Dropbox account will prevent them from being lost.

About Symphonix Evolution on iOS 7

We're aware of a number of issues with Symphonix Evolution on iOS 7.  In particular, users will see a message on startup about Audiobus initialization failing due to Apple's tighter sandbox rules and improved OS security (it's taken us a little while to find a solution that works reliably).  The good news is that these problems have now been resolved by our development team and we'll be submitting the update to Apple for review in the next day or two.

In the meantime if you've not updated to iOS 7 yet and are using Symphonix Evolution, you might want to wait until our Version 2.1 is released.

I'll update this blog soon with more information about our new version!

Symphonix Evolution news

I can't talk too much about it yet, but we're really excited about the work we're doing for iOS 7.  A major refresh of the user interface is coming soon!

iOS 7 raises a number of challenges because so many things have changed, and one of the more interesting aspects is the need to make the app look great on iOS6 while simultaneously embracing the new look.  We believe we've accomplished this by allowing the app able to dynamically change its graphical elements depending on which operating system version it is running on.  This means that you won't have to worry about having to purchase a separate "iOS 7" version of the app - we're absolutely committed to supporting our existing users as much as we can!

Unfortunately there are some changes that we can't avoid, and one of these is that the minimum iOS version required to run Symphonix Evolution will soon be iOS 6.0.  This means that the next major update will no longer support the iPad 1.  We'll be releasing one more minor update to the current version so that our iPad 1 users get the benefit of the latest bug fixes.

But now is a good time to tell you about some of the things we've got planned for the next few versions so I'm delighted to present the product roadmap.  These enhancements won't all happen at once but you will see them over the coming months:

• Major UI refresh for iOS 7
• More guitar functions including support for bass, capo, strum patterns and user-defined chords.  We're also looking at a way to zoom the fretboard.
• Digital audio enhancements such as the ability to bounce down MIDI tracks to audio and apply filter/processing effects
• Improved interoperability with other apps
• Improved track editing functions and notation entry
• Piano Roll improvements
• New sheet music editing and viewing modes
• Improved support for custom instrument presets

Symphonix Evolution continues to grow thanks to the great user support and feedback that we receive.  Keep the great emails and suggestions coming!

MIDI BreakOut Box 2.0 is Coming

We've been working on an updated version of our MIDI BreakOut Box app.  For those who aren't familiar with it, the MIDI BreakOut Box provides a way to monitor incoming MIDI messages and redirect them to one or more output channels.

For example, you can use the app to add a layering capability by taking a single channel's input and routing it to multiple outputs at the same time.  Each output can have its own separate instrument preset, pan and volume.  It's even possible to create keyboard split points so that the output switches seamlessly as you play a keyboard controller.  This is useful because it adds a feature that's often only found on high-end keyboards and makes it available to any MIDI device.

The app is also great for remapping channels: For example, some synths use a different channel for percussion when they are not in "General MIDI" mode but the BreakOut Box can be used to reroute incoming MIDI data to the correct channel.

Another useful function is the ability to transpose incoming data before routing it to the output.  When combined with the layering this makes all sorts of interesting effects possible such as "octave piano".

Version 2.0 of the app adds a number of features that have been requested by our existing users and these make the app much more useful:

• It's now a Universal App!  Previously available only for the iPad but it's now possible to use the app on an iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad.  This makes the app much more portable and useful.
• It's now possible to monitor and redirect multiple input channels at the same time.  This makes it possible to swap channels, for example to map channel 10 to channel 16 while at the same time mapping channel 16 to channel 10.
• On the iPad you can finally use the app in both Portrait and Landscape orientations so it "fits" into your studio setup.

Here's what the app looks like on the iPad (To those who already have version 1.0 you won't notice too much of a difference until you switch to Landscape mode):

On the iPhone we've tried hard to keep every feature, but obviously screen space made this challenging to do.  We ended up with a landscape design, and it's possible to scroll the output channel list to see all 16 channels.  The transpose and keyboard split points are still available too - just scroll the output panel horizontally to see them.

Updated: Version 2.0 hits the App Store this week and requires a Core MIDI compatible hardware adapter such as the iRig MIDI.  On the iPad you can also use a compatible MIDI adapter connected to the Apple USB Camera Control Kit.  We hope you'll find the app as useful as we do!

Symphonix Evolution will be discounted during WWDC 2013

Here's a "heads up" - Symphonix Evolution will be heavily discounted from Sunday 9th June through to Friday 14th June during Apple's WWDC event.  If you haven't yet purchased the app, take a look at our website or purchase the app directly from iTunes.

Symphonix Evolution is continually under development and we're already working on our next update (Version 2.0.2).  I'll post more info about this soon!

Symphonix Evolution 2.0.1 is Incoming

We're releasing a minor update to Symphonix Evolution soon that's a response to some of the feedback we've had after the massive 2.0 release.  These changes add some refinements to the app and address some small issues that have been raised.  As usual we can't thank our users enough for the wonderful feedback we get.  Thanks to you, we're working on some amazing new functionality over the next couple of months!

Here's the new features:

• It's now easier to add Repeat Bars. The app no longer requires the user to select the exact start and end of the measures where repeats will be applied and will automatically detect the start and end of the measure. Also added a Repeat option to the "Measure" button on the main toolbar so that the user can mark a selection and then press Repeat to quickly add Repeat Bars.
  
  This addresses one of the common support requests we get and makes it easier than ever to mark a section of music and mark it for repeating.
  
• New selection menu options for "Expand" and "Compress": Use the Expand option to increase the space between the notes in a selection. Use the Compress option to bring the notes closer together.  This is great when you're working on a track and would like to add some expression or detail - just mark a section and choose "Expand" to add some more room between the notes.
   
• We've also made some refinements to the app's external MIDI Command function.  Firstly we've added a new "Switch" setting to the MIDI Commands screen to assist with mapping pads with velocity to on/off commands. Use it by setting the controller value to "129" (the display will read "fader" for 128 and "switch" for 129). Once the "Switch" setting is active, non-zero inputs will be mapped to "127" and then only the first non-zero value will trigger the command so that the pad input is effectively converted to a momentary and then latched.  This is great for MIDI controllers that have lots of velocity-sensitive pads because you can now turn the pads into a bank of on/off switches for common functions.  A lot of "DJ Controllers" fit into this category, as does the forthcoming QuNexus controller from Keith McMillen Instruments.
  
• In addition to the "switch" function above, we've also added a new MIDI command "ARP+Hold Toggle". This works exactly like "ARP Toggle" except that the ARP Hold is automatically enabled when ARP is switched on.  So it's now possible to press a button on an external controller to both activate ARP and put it into "keyboard hold" mode automatically.
  
• We had a query about whether it was possible to unlink the app from Dropbox once you'd set it up, for example if your Dropbox account changed.  This update allows the user to unlink the app from Dropbox from the File Load/Save screen.  When viewing Dropbox files a red Unlink button will appear in the top right corner of the file browser. Press this button to remove the link to Dropbox.
  
• We've tidied up some of the screens, using rounded buttons and generally just doing some housekeeping to make them more consistent overall.  The Home screen icon has also changed to "Symphonix EV" so that the whole label is visible without the "..." in the middle.

This version also fixes a number of bugs that have been reported, including:

• The Controllers function now allows a System Exclusive from the Device Manager to be added to the score. This was a bug preventing the Select button from being visible, which made it impossible to use the SysEx Library in the Device Manager (doh!).
  
• Fixed a bug where the Device Manager and Controller screens did not handle long SysEx messages.  Previously these scrolled very strangely and sometimes were truncated as well, causing all sorts of other issues due to an incomplete SysEx message being sent by the app.  SysEx in general should be much more stable with this release.
  
• Fixed a bug when copying and pasting notes with ties, beams or slurs.  After pasting the links between the notes were broken.  If you were lucky, this manifested as a garbled display.  But this bug could also cause instability and crashes after using the copy/paste function.  It was particularly nasty because the crash could occur after you'd saved the song and tried to reload it later.
  
• Fixed a bug where slurs were not printed correctly.
  
• Improved stability of the Lyric Pad.  We had a number of reports of problems with the new Lyric Pad we introduced in Version 2.0.  This new version should be a lot more stable.

Version 2.0.1 will be available very soon, after we finish doing some final testing.  Over the next few weeks we'll let you know what else we're working on!

Symphonix Evolution 2.0 is here

Symphonix Evolution 2.0 is now available in the App Store.  It's a free upgrade for existing users, so don't forget to submit new App Store reviews if you like the new features!

Symphonix Evolution 2.0 supports the QuNexus

We're pleased to announce that Symphonix Evolution 2.0 will include "out of the box" support for the forthcoming QuNexus controller from Keith McMillen Instruments.

From Keith McMillen's website at www.keithmcmillen.com:

"QuNexus is a vividly illuminated keyboard controller that is fun for beginners and a must for professionals. 25 touch-sensitive keys detect finger pressure, velocity, and tilt, giving you an unprecedented degree of musical control. Blue and white LEDs with 16 levels of brightness give you valuable feedback. Use the toggle/hold feature to build chords and create your own step sequencer or arpeggiator with LED feedback."

Like Symphonix Evolution, the QuNexus is designed to be a great tool for beginners to learn music, while at the same time being a powerful and useful addition to the professional musician's toolkit.


You can access the QuNexus settings from the Profiles option on the Advanced Settings MIDI Controller screen.

Press the blue arrow button next to the Profile displayed at the top of the panel and you will see a drop-down list.  Choose "QuNexus" from the list:

Now you'll see that various controllers are automatically set up for the QuNexus so you can use it right away to make great music!

We're really excited about the new QuNexus controller and have been eagerly following its progress through KickStarter and the recent NAMM show.  We wish Keith McMillen Instruments all the best as they launch this fantastic new product!

Symphonix Evolution 2.0 is coming

It's been a long time coming, but we're finally approaching the next release of Symphonix Evolution!  Development of version 2.0 took a lot longer than usual because we have made a number of architectural changes that lay the foundation for future updates.  I'll try to describe these as I go through some of the more notable new features.

Audiobus

We're proud to officially announce that support for Audiobus is coming!

Symphonix Evolution 2.0 will work as an Audiobus input and can route its virtual MIDI synth output to any Audiobus compatible receiver.  This is extremely powerful, especially when combined with the existing Virtual MIDI capabilities of the app.  For example, it's possible to set up an external app to send MIDI commands to Symphonix Evolution that can be used to control playback and then have the digital sound routed back to the first app.  (Note that for best results you'll need to increase the Audiobus frame buffer to 512 samples, which you can do inside the Audiobus app settings).

Full Undo/Redo Support

The lack of a true Undo/Redo capability has been one of the most common issues raised in user feedback so we've spent considerable time in this release on building a new document engine that can provide this feature.

Symphonix Evolution 2.0 allows you to undo the last 50 actions, and it's even possible to Undo a real-time recording made to a track.

We've also moved the Undo button back to the main screen so it's easier to find, and you will also find both Undo and Redo in the slide out Action panel.

Lyric Arranger

The Lyric Arranger makes it easy to add Lyrics to a song.  It also updates while the song is playing so you can use it as a prompter.

The Lyric Arranger in Action (Click to Enlarge)

With the Lyric Arranger you can import a text file, export lyrics in a song back out to a file, enter new lyrics, and then link the lyrics to notes in the song.  There's a whole set of functions dedicated to lyric entry, and it's also possible to view the Lyric Arranger in Full Screen mode.

Use two-finger zoom to make the Lyrics larger or smaller.

You'll also notice that Symphonix Evolution now supports Unicode lyrics so it's possible to enter words in languages other than english.

Guitar

With Version 2.0, Symphonix Evolution now has two new views dedicated to guitar:  Introducing Tablature View and Fret View!

Tablature View can display Guitar Tablature Notation for the currently selected track, with the tab lined up under the music notation symbols in the top part of the screen.  When the song is played, the tablature scrolls along with the music making it possible to see the notes in real time.

Guitar Tablature view (click to enlarge)

One of the challenges for any MIDI-to-guitar tool is that the same notes can be voiced in many different places on the fret.  Symphonix Evolution tries to find the "best fit" based on the notes being used.

This initial release is currently limited to displaying the fret numbers only, and for standard tuning (EADBGE) but we're planning many more enhancements to this in future releases.

Fret View (click to enlarge)

The second new screen is Fret View.  Fret View displays a graphical view of the guitar fret and is great for learning how to play songs, since the fret updates as the music is playing.  You can also use the fret as a note entry tool by pressing the notes at the desired fret position, which works in step-time and real-time record. 

As the song is playing, Fret View also tries to detect chords and will display them above the guitar.  We also have many planned future enhancements for this screen.  Although it's a basic display now, in the future we're planning support for alternate tunings, 4-string bass, capo position, bends and slides, and many more to come.

Markers

Markers are a new feature that allows you to label different places in the song, then instantly jump to them in both edit mode and during playback!

For example, the song might be structured as Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus, Verse 3.  With Markers you can label each of these points in the song.  The new Marker View allows you to see a list of the markers, and pressing on any Marker will jump directly to that position.

Make Your Own Controller Panels

Last year we added the Synth Panel for easy access to RPN/NRPN parameters.  Version 2.0 extends this by allowing you to make your own panels and connecting faders, knobs and buttons to MIDI continuous controllers.

When you create a panel you can place controls wherever you like.  Symphonix Evolution also monitors incoming MIDI events and updates the controllers in real time as data is received.

Digital Audio Tracks

In addition to the 16 MIDI tracks, Symphonix Evolution 2.0 adds a further 8 Digital Audio tracks.  These allow vocals or other non-MIDI instruments to be recorded and played back in time with the MIDI tracks.  We see a lot of future potential for this feature.  For example in this release the tracks are really just accompanying the MIDI but in the future you can expect to see new options for "bouncing down" MIDI tracks into audio, freeing up MIDI and significantly extending the complexity of the tracks you can make in the app.

Other Changes

In addition to the above major features you'll also find a number of enhancements to existing functions, including:

• Better track summary display
• Ability to create custom time signatures
• Ability to record from a position anywhere in the song
• Improved Selection user interface
• New options when creating a new song for auto setup of common arrangements
• The ability to setup multiple profiles for external MIDI controllers
• Various bugfixes thanks to feedback we get from our support mailbox

Symphonix Evolution 2.0 will be released in mid-March 2013.

Our Symphonix Evolution Forum is now live!

Late last year we announced that we were putting together a Forum to allow our app users to get together and discuss all things relating to Symphonix Evolution.

I'm pleased to announce that the forum is now up and running at http://www.vinclaro.com.au/forum/

It's a place where we can all talk about features we like (or don't like) and share tips about things that we've learnt while using the app.

It's only just gone online so you won't find too much to look at yet, so feel free to register as a member and start posting!

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.