Hi Everyone,

Another step closer to beta; reViSIT v0.89.3, as scheduled, features ...

• FastTracker (XM) file support
  XM file format documentation is surprisingly thin on the ground (and somewhat incomplete), so I've done my best to code XM import for reViSiT. It's at a stage where all the files I have load and play as expected, but some connoisseurs might notice some anomalies - feel free to report them, the more details, the better.
• "Host Keys" and other interface refinements
  A problem reViSiT faces is that it's a separate window, program and manufacturer from the host, so using them together can have issues. I've added "Host Keys" in this release - Shift+F1-F12 - which reViSiT will not process itself, but instead actively pass the key on to the host for processing. There, you can hopefully assign the keys to appropriate host features, and thus have them accessible from reViSiT. For example, in Cubase you could map Shift-F5 and Shift-F8 to control the host commands play and stop, respectively - and thus control host playback from reViSiT. I am hoping to extend this feature in future version to support the sending of specific host shortcuts directly from reViSiT and have options such as automatically switch to the host screen (to allow Shift-F3, for example, to go from reViSiT to Cubase's mixer). This version of reViSiT also includes several interfaces changes to make general working easier.
• Other bug fixes and minor changes
  A couple of people reported a severe memory leak during playback, which has now been plugged. Also fixed are a number of other minor issues (related to the new file format support).

Check the readme.txt or release notes, for details of all the changes and please do report back with any comments, queries or problems you might have.

If you have already applied to the Alpha programme, you will have an email containing the details of the download. If you haven't applied, go to http://www.nashnet.co.uk/english/revisit/download.htm and sign up for the download.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to pose them on the forum - or to me directly by email, via revisit@nashnet.co.uk. For more information, see the reViSiT website @ http://revisit.nashnet.co.uk.

Enjoy!

All the best,
Chris

Hi Anon,

Can you provide a little more information about your MIDI out problem? I've done a couple of tests and can't see any immediate problems. However, in the past, setting the MIDI Delay to 0 (in Preferences, F12), has cured some MIDI-related problems.

• You mention EnergyXT "Sequencer" - do you mean the standalone program, the plug-in version, or perhaps even the "Sequencer" object inside EnergyXT?
• Which version of EnergyXT are you using?
• Does it appear to cull notes at random, or is there some pattern?
• Can you describe how you are using EnergyXT/reViSiT (e.g. involved objects, routing, VSTi's)?

If you can find out some of this info, I hope to be able to help.

All the best,
Chris

PS: Is anyone else having any similar MIDI output problems?

Anon1 (re: MIDI/EnergyXT/Virus):

I'm afraid you're right - I wouldn't be able to debug a problem specific to Powercores without one. Anyone who wants to send me one... :p However, I would guess that since it only occurs with Powercores and nothing else then it could be a Powercore problem (or possibly EnergyXT), and not something in reViSiT. If anyone has similar problems with other plug-ins, let me know.

Anon2 (re: Pattern Length):

Use the Pattern Editor Options, currently Ctrl-F2. This will change in the next release to just F2 like in IT2 (note: you'll have to be in the pattern editor).

All the best,
Chris

Most of these don't sound like bugs...

There is no way that activating the "rev-toolbar" will solve your 'problem'. Any keyboard going through this toolbar window is handled by the host - the Cubase Preference "Plug-ins receive key commands" determines whether keys are passed from the host, via this window, to the plug-in. Because Cubase is badly written, some keys are also processed by Cubase when you do this. Hence, this is not the correct way to use reViSiT.

The reViSiT Editor Window is entirely separate from this chain. Keyboard input entered in this window is passed directly to the plug-in - the host is not involved at all, and therefore cannot interfere. So, you should still get reViSiT keyboard support even with Cubase Preferences "Plug-ins receive key commands" disabled, as long as you click (and thus focus) the reViSiT Editor Window (i.e. the window with the pattern editor) - the window with the Windows task bar entry, not the reViSIT toolbar! You can bring this window to the foreground (and thus guarantee proper keyboard workings) by pressing Ctrl-Alt-R.

There was a mouse problem noticed in Tracktion that might appear in Cubase too - some buttons seem to respond to mouse clicks intermittently. This is a different problem and nothing to do with key commands. It will be solved in the next release.

Chris

Re: Freeze.
Could be related to the instrument<->sample sync introduced in .3. For example, when you select a sample (in F3), it chooses an appropriate instrument and vice verse. I've made a couple of fixes in .4 (coming presently) that solve some problems with this.

Isn't there some panic button or cpu-clean button in cubase somewhere, something that kills these cpu hogs?

No. Terminating such processes abruptly could make the system even more unstable.

It might also be Halion orso, I've 10 of them running in this particular case.

Then why don't you try a single Halion instance and see how the CPU load is affected?

Re: MIDI Note-Offs.

Automatic note-offs are still far from good, ctrl-i for revisit-'panic' does nothing. I can press F8 what I want, I see its note-off midi peak in cubase, but still some instruments go on.. luckily they're unlooped, because I can't quite see a panic button in Halion yet..

There has been a couple of changes to MIDI processing in .4. Let me know if your problems are still there. If they are, can you clarify whether you're getting too many Note-Offs or too few?

And finally: are the number of channels in the pattern editor and the amount of instruments in the instrumentlist constants?

Of course they are, but they are well chosen. They suit and exceed most people's current requirements.

And would arising those constants simply give more channels and instruments? Please? The program will only get better, not worse. :P

Increasing track count increases sequencing overhead. Increasing sample and instrument count will increase memory usage (when fully used). If the user's computer is not up to it, problems might be encountered. You talk about it as though it's just a case of changing a couple of constants - and even if it were, there would still be hours of testing to see if the new limits could be maintained safely. I have other priorities. Hence, no changes will be made before v1.0.

I dunno how many samplelibs you know, but it's not uncommon for today's libs to have over 40 articulations, effects, things, variations, whatever. Multiply with the amount of instruments you want to use, and you can easily guess that '100' dwarfs any musical intentions..

You'd make a great politician, abusing statistics like that! Yes, sample libs may have up to 40 articulations for an instrument, but more common is between 1 and 10 - and even then you're unlikely to use all of them in one piece. I have also outlined how you can use a single reViSiT instrument to control multiple articulations (CC messages) - giving you 100 different instruments with up to 127 articulations each. Factor in ensemble voices and you actually control even more 'real' instruments. There is also nothing to stop you placing some parts in the host itself - in some cases, the sequencer's interface is more suited to orchestral arrangement than a tracker's.

Chris