0.9b14 Release Notes
19/10/2003 AudioMulch 0.9b14 Release Notes (updated 27/10/2003 for patch 1)
AudioMulch version 0.9b14 is now available from the download page. This version will expire on January 23rd, 2004. (Patch 1 expires January 27th 2004)
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you downloaded AudioMulch 0.9b14 prior to the 27th of October 2004, you should update to the new "0.9b14 patch 1" version. The original 0.9b14 release contains a serious bug which will prevent MIDI parameter modulation information from being saved or loaded correctly. A small updater may be downloaded from the download page. See the sections titled "Bugs Fixed in 0.9b14 patch 1" and "Repairing Documents Corrupted by the Original 0.9b14 Release" for further information.
AudioMulch version 0.9b14 adds support for all common real-time sample rates up to 192kHz (previously hardwired to 44.1k). Included are a number of usability enhancements such as new patcher right-click menu items for Replacing, Inserting and Bypassing contraptions without having to connect and disconnect patch-cords, and the ability to define a "default" document used as the basis for all newly created documents. These and other new additions are described in more detail below.
A new FrequencyShifter (not PitchShifter) contraption has been added to the Beta category (see help file for details). Mute [m] and Solo [s] buttons have been added to the channels of all of the mixers. You can toggle the mutes and solos by clicking on them. If you hold down the control (ctrl) key while clicking on a solo button, all other channels will be unsoloed.
It is now possible to automate integer parameters such as MaxGrains. Some minor alterations have been made to the way some contraption parameters are controlled. For example, SDelay LeftDelay and RightDelay and LoopPlayer BarCount and Phase may now include a fractional part, and may also be automated. The scale on the sliders for RissetFilters.Rate and RissetTones.Rate have been altered to allow finer control at low frequencies.
Bugs that have been fixed for this release are listed below.
- Fixed bug where wrong patcher popup menu appeared sometimes after undo which could lead to a crash
- Fixed bug in SParaEQ where setting the sweepable Mid2's gain to non-zero would cause a distorted signal
- Fixed bug where SDelay delay time was not accurate (would cause drifts if attempting to do tempo-synced delays with long feedback)
- Fixed bug in 5Combs - changing frequency without changing decay time caused actual decay time to be incorrect
- Fixed bugs which could cause some VST plugins to crash when loading or unloading
- Altered behavior so that VST DLLs are unloaded whenever there are no plugin instances present in the patcher (this should make it easier for developers to unload and reload plugins for testing)
- Removed 32 input / 32 output limit for VST plugins
- Fixed bug which would cause MIDI clock sync to take longer than necessary to lock
- Fixed bug where registered users with Windows XP "limited access" could not access registered version
- Fixed problem with TestGen value not fitting in display field
- Fixed faulty redraw of status bar (menu text appeared in status bar sometimes)
Selectable real-time Sample Rate
Previously AudioMulch only operated at the CD sampling rate of 44.1kHz. This meant that it was not possible to use sound cards and drivers which didn't support 44.1kHz, or to record sound files at other sample rates. This limitation has now been removed - it is now possible select different sample rates for real-time audio. This selection can be made from the Sample Rate sub-menu in the Edit menu. Higher sample rates can be used for increased audio fidelity. Lower rates may be useful when you want to trade off audio quality for CPU usage, since a higher sample rate leads to a higher CPU load. Note that SoundOut record and Export to Sound File will record at the currently selected sample rate. Be sure to select a sample rate which is supported by your sound card, or an error message will be displayed when you try to activate real-time audio.
NOTE:If you are using a soundcard with an external converter interface such as an ADAT lightpipe to analogue interface, be sure to either set your soundcard to Clock Master, or or to make sure that your converter interface (external clock source) is set to the same sample rate as you have selected in AudioMulch. If your soundcard is slaved to an external clock, and the external clock rate is not the same as the rate selected in AudioMulch, AudioMulch will play at the wrong speed and pitch.
Patcher right-click Replace, Substitute, Insert Before, Insert After, Insert, Swap and Bypass
New commands have been added to the menu that appears when you right-click on a contraption or connection in the patcher. The commands are Replace, Substitute, Insert Before, Insert After, Insert, Swap and Bypass. They can be used to add, move and remove contraptions in the patch without needing to connect and disconnect patch cords. Replace and Substitute can be used to create a new contraption in the place of an existing one with or without deleting the existing contraption. Insert Before and Insert After can be used to create a new contraption before or after the one you clicked on. When one or more patch cords are selected, the Insert command creates a new contraption connected along the patch cords. When two contraptions are selected, the Swap command can swap their positions in the patch. Bypass disconnects a contraption (but doesn't delete it) and joins together the patch cords at its inputs and outputs.
Default.amh
If you save an AudioMulch document named "Default.amh" in the application directory it's contents will be automatically inserted whenever you create a new document or open AudioMulch. You can save whatever you like in the Default.amh file. This version of AudioMulch ships with a version of Default.amh which contains a SoundOut contraption.
CannonLooper and LiveLooper contraptions - Use at your own risk
The CannonLooper and LiveLooper contraptions which appear in the Beta category were included by accident in the previous (0.9b13) release. These contraptions are still under development and may change before they are finished. This is why there is no documentation. They have been included for users who have started using them, however it is important that you do not depend on their behavior as they will certainly change in the future.
Thanks to Helen Thomson who sponsored the development of these contraptions and contributed significantly to their design.
Bugs Fixed in 0.9b14 patch 1
Following the release of AudioMulch 0.9b14 a bug was discovered which would prevent documents containing MIDI parameter modulation information from being loaded. The same bug would cause documents containing MIDI parameter modulation information to be corrupted when saved with version 0.9b14. This bug, along with two others listed below have been fixed in the 0.9b14 patch 1 release.
- MIDI parameter modulation would not be loaded correctly from older documents, and saving MIDI parameter modulation would corrupt the document.
- Maping range fields in the Parameter Modulation dialog would not be enabled after using the "Use next received message" buttons.
- Some VST plugins would operate in mono or produce no sound due to non-standard reporting of which inlets and outlets are connected. All inlets and outlets are now reported as connected all the time. (Note to plugin authors: plugins which depend on the old, non standard behavior can call hostCanDo() with "AudioMulch.dynamicAudioMasterPinConnected=true" to enable the old behavior).
Repairing Documents Corrupted by the Original 0.9b14 Release
In many cases it is possible to repair documents containing MIDI parameter modulation which were saved with AudioMulch 0.9b14. If you have documents which need to be repaired please contact Ross Bencina rossb@audiomulch.com for further information.
Reporting Bugs
Significant changes have been made to the AudioMulch code base in order to support sample rate switching. As a result, new bugs may have been introduced. Although this version has been tested extensively it may contain new or as yet undetected bugs. If AudioMulch crashes please report it as a bug to rossb@audiomulch.com Further details about reporting bugs are contained in the Beta.txt file which is included with the AudioMulch installation.
Previous Release Notes
You can review the release notes for the previous version (0.9b13) here. All previous release notes are archived here.
Thanks
Many thanks to everyone who reported bugs and assisted with testing leading up to this release. Thanks also to those who have kindly purchased a registration, your support is greatly appreciated.
AudioMulch software, documentation and web site copyright ©1997-2006 Ross Bencina,
All Rights Reserved. AudioMulch is a registered trademark.