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Sub-session name is on the left, it's program number on the right. As can be seen in the screen shot, I've also added ability to sort the sub-session list by either name or program number.

The list of sub-sessions is now saved with the session file, though they don't actually store anything except the name and program number.

That completes most of the UI for sub-sessions, tomorrow I'll start on actually making them do something.

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Anyway, in an attempt to combat this I've culled the rather lengthy list of ideas down to a more cohesive and reachable target.

This is what's left to do:

• Sub-sessions (see previous post)
• Enhance Quick Sessions to allow specifying a session and a sub-session for each entry.
• Ability to send MIDI clock (receive is done, send is not)
• MIDI Note Assignments - ability to assign MIDI notes similarly to how controllers can currently be assigned.
• Ability to solo/mute and unload media players.
• Anything else ever hinted to, thought about, promised or whatever is not going to make it. I've just got to draw the line.

Then there's the unfinished bits:

• Disabling synchronisation of audio files to external clock (it's a problem bigger than I want to solve right now).
• Possibly removing the offline renderer - it mostly works but doesn't really belong in Cantabile.
• Re-writing the entire help (can't wait to do that - NOT)
• Updating the purchase ordering pages/website, license key generation etc... and,
• lots of testing...

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I've mentioned sub-sessions in previous posts, but here's a more complete picture:

• Sub-sessions are named states within a session.
• Each state stores the bypass/mute/solo/loaded states of all plugins, racks and media files.
• Each plugin can be configured to have it's entire bank, selected program or nothing saved in the sub-session. (eg: switching sub-sessions can reload the whole plugin, or completely skip it)
• Each sub-session can have an optional program number associated with it that can be used to select it by program changes.
• The current metronome settings are saved with each sub-session.
• Possibly some other settings will be saved with the sub-session (that will depend on testing/feedback/usability).

Note that sub-sessions don't store different sets of plugins. If you add a plugin it gets added to all sub-sessions and similarly for removing a plugin. ie: sub-sessions just make adjustments to things in the session.

So I've just started coding this, but so far there a new "sub-session" drop down menu on the home tab. I'm not sure about that icon - I just threw it together, but sort of like it. Note too the return of the Quick Sessions.



The commands are fairly self explanatory:

• New - prompts for the name and program number for a new sub-session and saves the current state to that sub-session.
• Update - updates the last loaded sub-session with the current state
• Revert - reloads the last loaded sub-session.
• Auto Save Mode - automatically saves each sub-session when switching to another one.
• Enable Program Changes - enable/disable loading sub-session by program change.
• Show Sub-Session List - show the list of sub-session

The sub-session list, appears as a dock panel to the left of the main window and will contain a list of all sub-sessions and their program numbers.



Most of what I've described here isn't implemented but it is started...]]> http://www.toptensoftware.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080717-064038
When unloaded, a plugin behaves the same as being bypassed but is completely unloaded from memory - except for it's state which is kept.

Loading and unloading of plugins is done through the plugin slot's context menu:



When unloaded, its bypass button is checked and the slot becomes disabled and displays "unloaded":



Reloading a plugin restores the plugin to the same state as before it was unloaded. The state of unloaded plugins is also saved with the session so on re-opening a session with unloaded plugins they can be reloaded and returned to their original state.

A nice side effect of supporting unloaded plugins is that it makes Cantabile's handling of plugins that fail to load so much better. Now when Cantabile can't reload a plugin from a saved session (say the plugin is no longer installed), that plugin will automatically be treated as an unloaded plugin except it will display "Failed" instead of "Unloaded". If the session is then saved again, the state of the plugin is maintained even though the plugin is not available. Also, the user can re-install the plugin, right click and choose reload to fix it up without needing to reload the whole session.

The purpose of this functionality is primarily intended for when I add support for sub-sessions which will be named states within a session. The loaded/unloaded state of plugins will be included in that sub-session state making it possible to build complex arrangements of plugins that can be switched between quickly.]]> http://www.toptensoftware.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080710-160325


There's also a new option to specify which MIDI input device MIDI clock should be read from.


]]> http://www.toptensoftware.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080705-155608
I’ve added two new options to each rack slot:

• Input Connect - which connects the rack to audio input. In previous versions this happened automatically when a rack wasn’t routed to by another rack. Now it’s an explicit option that must be manually enabled and allows connection even when the rack is routed to.
• Rack Bypass – completely bypasses the rack, as opposed to muting it.

(the icon is supposed to look like a little microphone)

Also I’ve re-written all the soft ramp functionality. When muting/unmuting a rack, bypassing a plugin or rack or enabling input connect on a rack, these operations are soft ramped to avoid clicks and glitches. It’s also used when re-ordering plugins, deleting or inserting plugins or racks and on undo operations too.

Pretty much anything that could cause a glitch due to re-wiring or enabling/disabling should now be soft ramped. The one exception is changing the target routing of a rack. I’ll probably revisit that at some point but it’s a bit of a tricky one to implement properly.
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• Ability to load multiple media files (either MIDI or audio)
• Each gets a "slot" similar to a rack slot that can be expanded to show the microscore/audio peak view.
• Moved the media players to above the plugin and rack slots (conceptually makes more sense as in audio/MIDI flows down the screen, from players to plugins)
• Full support for drag/drop, clipboard, undo/redo etc for working with media players.
• New icons for insert/replace plugin commands.
• New commands for insert/replace media file.
• Quick session commands removed and will probably reappear elsewhere at a later date.

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Changes include:

• The rack and plugin slots are now contained in their own expander panel "Racks and Plugins"
• The file player is now contained in "Media Files" expander. This panel will soon be able to hold multiple media file clips.
• There is a resize splitter between these two expanders.
• The file player has an expand button (like the rack slots) to hide/show the microscore.
• Increased the spacing around all the expander panels and darkened the background color to add more definition between these panels.
• Added a bypass button to the rack slot (immediately to the left of the mute button). This is not functional yet.
• Added mute and solo buttons to the file player. This it not yet functional either.
• Changed the icon on plugin slot mute button to the bypass icon to more correctly describe it's function.

Next is to put heading labels in the media files panel (this is more difficult than you'd think as it needs to resize correctly with the buttons they head). Then I'll add the ability to load multiple media files at once.

I realise that the changes I've been making lately are bit all over the place but there is method to the madness (hopefully). I've got a list of features that I'm trying to pull together and while I'm concentrating on the more difficult parts first I've got bits of UI and overall design that need to be done along the way.

The other problem I'm facing is a serious case of "feature creep". I was hoping to be well into beta testing by now, but by re-focusing my efforts on live performance I'm adding quite a few new features that I hadn't originally counted on. I'm also planning and designing for features that will be added in versions beyond this one.

I'm sure it will all come together in the end.
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So now the first time Cantabile is run, the user gets a much easier set of options, enough just to get them running:



Also, this dialog gets displayed:

• On restarting after a crash and the user chooses not to reload their previous settings.
• If Cantabile is started while holding Ctrl+Alt+Shift
• If Cantabile is started with /clean on the command line.

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Previously, assignments to global items (eg: master volume) could only be saved globally - not per session. There's a new setting now labelled "Context" that lets you specify if the settings should be saved for the current session or globally:



Also, cleaned up the dialog a little, disabling controls rather than hiding them and changed the formatting of some of the text in the Assign To combo.]]>