Hello,

First of all congratulations, this is a real nice application you've coded, and a great thesis you've written, I liked it a lot - could't quite follow the technical stuff about programming, but enjoyed the other parts very much. I've only gotten my first computer half a year ago -yes, me caveman- so i've never been 'tracking' before, but was very interested in this oldskool method of doing things back in the early days of computing. I like the interface approach very much, I'm already  a great keyboard shortcut fan. I had installed modplugtracker before but thought it too much hassle getting into, cause it wouldn't be really up to date and especially not compatible with any other applications I mainly use (Cubase and Bidule), so reViSiT is a great option. I'm only just getting started but it feels already quite easy, fast and practical. Loading samples, adding tracks, choosing the sample for the track, entering notes, ordering sequences into song, all very smooth..

I've a few questions though. First of all, I have a 'azerty'-keyboard. In the ImpulseTracker manual it mentions that this is internally remapped, maybe in reViSit as well and I haven't yet discovered how, otherwise this is a request..  Also I use a laptop and don't have a NumPad (there's a keycombination that changes a part of the keyboard  in the NumPad, but it's not very practical since I've to switch back and forth), but the "/" shortcut, for moving to the next pattern, supposedly implemented in v0.8.7.2 doesn't seem to be working. The ctrl + '-'  and '+' for changing octaves, added at the same time, are working fine.

I don't know if this is known but in all the hosts I tried it in I had to switch to manual input mode (the stealing thing), in Bidule for getting the arrows to work and generally for inputting after touching a key that is also used by Bidule, in Cubase for everything and for bypassing it's native shortcuts. In MiniHost as well, and there the play pattern or song kept looping the first 16 rows. This is not such a problem for me but maybe a bit of a shame, since MiniHost is more or less the equivalent of a standalone version for a plugin.

Now what amazed and struck me, but I've no idea so don't mind me, was: where's the filters? Are there any? It can't be possible that all these trackers for all these years made loads of computer composed music without filters? Surely that should be the first effect? But maybe I'm biased by all of today's softsynths with their ultra squeekable filters. Scanning the ImpulseTracker Manual gave zero hits for the word 'filter'. Sad though. Is there something as great as filters in the effects that I don't yet know about? I must confess I haven't checked out the effects section yet.

Well, great program anyway.

Greets and cheers

Hi there,

Thanks for your very kind words! It's always a great vindication of my work to know it's making a difference for musicians out there. Let me try to answer your questions:

Re: Keyboard maps. Currently, reViSiT has only one map built-in - a UK layout that also supports some US nuances. Other layouts are planned, but first I need to make a few changes to the architecture to support them. I'll tackle them at Beta stage (0.90+)

Re: Laptop keyboards. The '/' key only refers to the '/' on the numeric pad - and that's for octave change. When a numeric pad isn't available, the pattern changing keys are '[' and ']' - use on their own to change patterns normally, or with the control to move to the next/previous pattern in the order list.

Re: Manual keyboard mode. Some hosts may still require this mode, as you discovered. However, these hosts should be in the minority. Make sure you select the reViSIT Window, rather than the reViSiT toolbar, as the toolbar does not have any keyboard support. Cubase should work - it does for me - but you might need to toggle "Always On Top" for the plug-in. In any case, this shouldn't slow you down - I've had people saying that the Manual keyboard mode is the best way of working anyway - since you can be using the mouse with the host whilst using the keyboard with reViSiT.

Re: Standalone usage. I mucked around with Minihost myself, but you're right: the keyboard support is at the mercy of the host. You might try VSTHost or SAVIHost as an alternative.

Re: Filters. Amazing, but true. Filters took a long time to appear on the tracking scene - but you are gravely mistaken if you think that held the tracking populous back! IT2 eventually introduced filters with one of the 2.1x updates (I forget which) and the MMX drivers (IT relied on hardware to do the filtering). Check the peripheral documentation, it's not in the manual. reViSiT will definitely support filters eventually - hence the yet-to-be-enabled "Filter" tab in the instrument list. There's a few things to do first, however.

Hope this helps!

All the best,
Chris

Thanks,

keep up the good work.

Cheers.

Hello,

Sorry to keep bugging you but my question now is: how exactly do I toggle between pannning and volume in the 3rd column?  I can't seem to work it out: '  or  ` don't seem to work on my laptop. And how do I know if I succesfully toggled, is there some visual feedback to let me know if I'm entering volume or pan values?

Greets and thanks. 

In Volume mode, the third column appears in white, whereas in Panning mode it appears in grey. Unlike in IT2, the colour change is visible even when no panning data has been entered (since, also unlike IT2, it is possible in reViSiT for a note to have both a panning and volume entry). A message will also appear in the status bar whenever the mode is changed.

Using an AZERTY keyboard, I assume you are either French (in which case, my Scottish friends send their regards , or from one of the Benelux countries, in which case you might try the [ ² ] key. In England the key is [ ` ] and in the US it is [ ' ], but in nearly all cases it is the key directly to the left of the [ 1 ] key, above the TAB key. So, if, on the other hand, you are using an Arabic AZERTY keyboard, the [ > ] key is a good bet.

Good luck!
Chris

Hello,

thanks, I'll go try those buttons..

I'm from Belgium, but say hi to your Scottish friends anyway.

Greetings

By the way, not as a complaint but rather as a contribution to bugfixing I must say that I haven't been able to use reViSiT in SaviHost nor VSTHost (both the latest versions). The first problem is that it's apparently unpossible to load samples by hitting enter in the f3 page. The second (after loading a preset/song) is that it refuses to play... But don't actually worry about that, it works fine in Cubase and Bidule -as a plugin, like it's creational intention- besides, it's a bit useless to insist on  a VSTplugin tracker working as a standalone, since there are plenty (i guess) standalone trackers and the neat feature of this tracker is exactly that it's a VST plugin. It's just that the 'no current host problems'-line somewhere on the FAQ seems a bit overly optimistic. But who could hold optimism against someone? Keep on trucking.

Okay, there does seem to be a problem with the file dialog not appearing in VSTHost/SAVIHost, but this host has been previously tested and worked fine (including the file dialog). I'll look into it.

As for the playback failure, the FAQ only states that it has been tested successfully with VSTHost v1.14 and SAVIHost v1.06, and this still holds. The newer versions, such as VSTHost v1.37 and SAVIHost v1.25, are where the problems occur - so this suggests some change in the host is causing the problem.

Similarly, the 16-row repeat problem in Minihost is a problem with the sync information received from the host - there's no way I can fix it on the plug-in side; Tobybear has to tackle it on the host side.

And I don't think it was "overly optimistic" to say that no problems had been reported with current hosts... when none had. The FAQ also says that, since v0.87.3 there have been changes that might (but shouldn't) affect host compatibility.

Chris

Hello,

My apologies. You're absolutely right. The encountered problems are completely due to flaws in minihost, savihost and VSThost . I've tried out VirSyn's Cantor - which also has an internal sequencer and thus also relies on host sync information to play - and it failed to work in all three mentioned hosts. I guess they're not designed for much else than playing VSTsynths or processing audio through VSTeffects, for which sending sync info to plugins is not really an issue.

Greets