================================================================== reViSiT v0.86.5 Alpha Release (c) Chris Nash, 2005 Important Info Best Viewed: 640x480+, fixed-width font ================================================================== THIS RELEASE IS PROVIDED FOR THE PURPOSES OF TESTING AND FEEDBACK. TO THIS END, ALPHA USERS ARE REQUESTED TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK THROUGH AN ONLINE FORM, WHICH CAN BE VIEWED AT: http://www.nashnet.co.uk/english/revisit/feedback.htm ABOUT reViSiT ==================================================== VSTrack is the ultimate union of sequencing and tracking. reViSiT is a VST Instrument (VSTi) plug-in for VST-hosts (such as sequencers) that provides a tracker interface, based on Impulse Tracker II, to the user. Unlike normal VSTi's which simply take MIDI input, reViSiT's editor window is a tracker interface, which takes on the role of the 'music sequencer' - synthesizing both music and sound. ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT ============================================== This document is best viewed in Notepad, or any text editor using fixed-width fonts, on screens with a resolution 640x480 or higher. Its contents are as follows: ABOUT reViSiT ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT (this section) COPYRIGHT and DISCLAIMER INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS GETTING STARTED GETTING FURTHER SUPPORT UPDATE HISTORY SUPPORTED HOSTS KNOWN ISSUES / WORK IN PROGRESS CONTACT INFO COPYRIGHT and DISCLAIMER ========================================= THESE FILES ARE FOR USE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. ANY MODIFICATION TO, OR RESELLING OF, ANY PART OF THESE FILES IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED WITHOUT EXPLICIT PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. BOTH CHRIS NASH AND NASHNET ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR UNDESIRABLE EFFECTS (SUCH AS DATA LOSS, ETC.) ARISING FROM USE OR MISUSE OF THESE FILES. ALTHOUGH THE CODE HAS BEEN RIGOUROUSLY TESTED, THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED AS IS. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS ======================================== The plug-in is provided in .dll binary format, for Windows*, and must be copied to the user's vstplugins directory, before the VST host is loaded. In the host, reViSiT is listed as one of the VST Instruments (VSTi's). Simply select it to load the plug-in. * Other platforms may be supported in subsequent releases. GETTING STARTED ================================================== reViSiT features an integrated help system*, which can be accessed by pressing F1, inside the program. The pattern editor (F2) is a good place to start - the first of its help pages gives a quick guide to the principles of tracking. * Alpha development has outpaced documentation, so there are many features, shortcuts, and even effects not mentioned in the current help pages. Users are recommended to check the UPDATE HISTORY or the nashNET Forums @ http://forum.nashnet.co.uk for information on how to use new features. UPDATE HISTORY =================================================== v0.86.5 [ADD] Advanced MIDI features. All tracker effects (exc. Oxx) now affect MIDI output. [ADD] MIDI Aftertouch / Control Change Effects [ADD] MIDI Settings dialog to configure instrument MIDI settings, including pitch bend range (and resolution), default MIDI velocity and MIDI Effect assignments. [ADD] Renoise 1.5 now supported (Thanks to Taktik). [ADD] Keymap pitch settings now enabled. [ADD] Keymap effect settings now enabled. Row effects combine with, rather than replace, keymap's. [MOD] Audio Effects Engine re-written. All row effects should now behave exactly as in IT2. New engine supports multiple effects per row (not accesible in interface yet). [MOD] Pitches moved an octave down (to mirror IT2) [MOD] Exx/Fxx now share parameter memory. [MOD] Sample / Instrument audition now operates: key down = note on, key up = note off (as in IT2). [MOD] Cursors now skips channel during selection. [MOD] MIDI Reset no longer transmits "All Sound Off". [MOD] Alt-M (mix clipboard) now initially fills empty rows, then empty fields of each row. [MOD] New font for path boxes and drop lists. [MOD] About 50% performance boost from compiler tweaks. [MOD] Folder dialogs now carry advice. [MOD] Alt-D now begins with selection the size of Minor (was Major) highlight, then doubles each time. [MOD] Sample inherits name from sample filename. [MOD] Special characters/symbols now available in sample and instrument names. [MOD] Pressing shift during transpose (Alt-A/Q) now shifts by octave. [MOD] Input mask now splits effect command & parameter. [MOD] Cursor step now affects cursor key movement. [MOD] Auditioning in keyMap only accesible with '4' key. [MOD] Notes Off now triggers MIDI note off (was that only Note Cut did so). [MOD] Effect of panbrellos and tremolos now shown in Info Page. [FIX] Top droplists no longer usable when dialog active. [FIX] Crashing when reViSiT exited during playback. [FIX] Numpad symbols intefering with main keyboard. [FIX] Auditioning no longer limited to 32 notes. [FIX] MIDI Reset on F8 not always triggering. [FIX] Pattern switching inteferes with selection. [FIX] Errors when insert order list entries. [FIX] Main menu inaccessible from Song Variables page. [FIX] MIDI device list visible through Main Menu. [FIX] Crashing/Errors while loading specific samples. [FIX] Auditioning in Sample list auditioned instruments. [FIX] KeyMap cursor able to leave track to right. [FIX] Left and Right VU meters swapped in Info Page. v0.86.4 [ADD] Default Preferences can now be saved (also saved automatically with module). [MOD] Shift-'-'/'=' (Octave set) no longer needs Shift. [MOD] reViSiT automatically switches to Pattern Editor, when a module is loaded. [MOD] "Pitch" tab in Instr. List renamed "Pitch / MIDI". [FIX] 'Stop' keyboard shortcut incorrectly shown as F6. [FIX] Memory guards added to reduce risk of problems when reViSiT is closed whilst playing. [FIX] "Windows" (Win32) keymode option disabled in Song Variables Keymode list (reViSiT still uses this mode internally, for some hosts). [FIX] Instrument Menu now maps properly to Instr. List. [FIX] Drop lists now accept key input in Hook modes. [FIX] Sample/Instrument auditioning no longer overloads mixing engine. [FIX] Keyboard mode setting no longer saved with module or stored in default settings. [FIX] Crashing upon Save-With-Host when host cannot supply plug-in directory fixed. v0.86.3 [ADD] Save-With-Host feature. reViSiT module is saved (internal) with host document (e.g. Cubase sequence). Can be disabled in Song Variables screen. [ADD] MIDI Program and Bank (LSB & MSB) can now be set. [ADD] User-configured MIDI delay now available (up to 1 second). [ADD] MIDI Reset. Trigger automatically upon stop (F8), or manually, using Ctrl-I. [ADD] Mouse Support added. Most settings adjustable with the mouse. Roughly equivalent to IT mouse support. [ADD] Song Variables page added. Used to configure reViSiT session settings. [ADD] Settings to specify default module, sample and instrument folders. [ADD] Setting to enabled higher graphics priority, for computers (and hosts) suffering graphics lags. [ADD] Keyboard mode switch available in Song Variables. [ADD] Normalise feature in Sample list (Alt-M; Normalise to peak value). [ADD] Instrument Swap feature added. Swap in Instrument List (Alt-E) or both List and Patterns (Alt-S). [ADD] Instrument keyMap implemented. Mapping of sample, volume and panning now possible (effects tba). [ADD] Instrument 'default pan' and 'global volume' settings enabled. [ADD] Transport / Playback bar. Status bar now has buttons, for Play Song, Play Pattern, Play from Cursor and Stop. [ADD] '[' / ']' for pattern skip (for laptop users, without numeric pads). [ADD] Up/Down cursors can now be used to change control focus in Sample/Instrument List. [ADD] reViSiT remembers cursor position in editor pages. [ADD] reViSiT remembers active editor page when window is closed / hidden in host. [MOD] Info Page graphics performance improved. [MOD] Mono panning more accurate (uses sin/cos curves). [MOD] Stereo panning more accurate (similar to above). [MOD] Channel Mute now toggleable in realtime for MIDI. [MOD] Numeric entry behaviour changed: cursor steps upon entry; backspace zeroes digit at cursor; delete zeroes digits at and right of cursor. [MOD] Text box behaviour changed: cursor steps on entry. [MOD] Invalid Loop points behave as in IT2 (will turn loop to 'Off'). Warning will appear in status bar. [MOD] Main Menu / Splash now only appears when plug-in is first loaded. [MOD] reViSiT no longer requires any extra .dll's. [MOD] Pressing F8 in the Info Page will stop playback and freeze graphical output. F8 again will clear. [FIX] MIDI Device list numbering fixed. [FIX] MIDI Device list mouse/display problems fixed. [FIX] Clicks no longer occur when samples are triggered. [FIX] Logic sync offset fixed. v0.86 [ADD] Basic MIDI output, via VST Host and direct driver. Supported MIDI messages: initial pitch, inital volume, MIDI channel, note delay (SDx). [ADD] Support for 8/24/32-bit WAV's + all sample rates. [ADD] Info Page. F5 now displays information about currently playing tracks. Quite CPU intensive, but will not interfere with audio playback. [ADD] Loop points now displayed in waveform preview. [ADD] Host Sync accuracy improvements: now sample accurate. [ADD] Support for two methods of syncing with host: ppQ and sample position support. Switched internally, depending on host support. [ADD] Return key now sets current row to current instr. [ADD] Stereo sample playback and panning. Note: panning behaviour might alter slightly in next version. [ADD] Ctrl-'+'/'-' keys for instrument selection. [ADD] Playback cursor in Order list. [ADD] Cursor increment in Order list. [ADD] Variable cursor increment in Pattern Editor. [ADD] Alt-F1...F8 channel mute keyboard shortcuts. [ADD] Page Up/Down instrument inc/dec in F3/F4 pages. [ADD] Drop down lists for current instrument and octave. [ADD] Backspace key will delete previous row and move cursor up (unlike IT, which only moved cursor up). [ADD] New file system, including long and short XML tags (e.g. "module" and "mo", respectively). Backwards compatible to v0.85.x - NOTE: v0.85.x backwards compatibility will be dropped in v0.9. [ADD] Parameter Noise filter: abrupt panning and volume changes no longer produce clicks. [ADD] Shift-'-'/'=' (+/-) now affect the current octave (for laptop users, without numeric pads). [MOD] "Current Instrument" now refers to instruments, not samples. [MOD] Missing order entry no longer stops playback. [MOD] Mute / Solo channel status now saved with module. [FIX] WAV's with extra info now load in reViSiT. [FIX] Logic file crashes/problems. [FIX] Loop Begin/End now reset correctly for newly loaded samples. [FIX] D0F and DF0 now behave as in IT2. [FIX] Graphics update after sample/module loading. [FIX] Graphics updates on muted channels. [FIX] Graphics updates on selections. [FIX] AudioMulch playback crash problem fixed. [FIX] Crash bug when reViSiT deleted without displaying. [FIX] Cursor now longer increments off the bottom of the Pattern Editor. [FIX] Conflict between Alt-J and Main Menu Esc usage. v0.85.5 [ADD] 'Auto' Keyboard Mode reinstated as default for unknown VST hosts (use Ctrl-Alt-K, or the key icon to switch to 'Manual' mode) [ADD] Main Menu / Welcome Screen(Esc) added, with mouse support. [ADD] Mouse code added (not yet finished). [MOD] "K-key" icon now automatically sets the keyboard mode to 'Manual' (for guaranteed keyboard input). [ADD] Magix products (Samplitude, Sequoia) now have keyboard support (but still have some issues with playback). [ADD] Support for Audiomulch and EnergyXT. v0.85.4 [ADD] New and improved sync support for VST hosts, including FL Studio, Cakewalk SONAR, DirectiXer, Tracktion, among others. [ADD] New Keyboard Mode: "Win32". Essentially Host mode, but processed inside the plug-in. Works with several hosts, including Tracktion, Orion, Aero Studio and Buzz. [ADD] Mouse support for enabling/disabling keyboard. Use 'K' key icon in bottom-right of reViSiT screen. [MOD] Appropriate keyboard mode now selected auto- matically at startup, depending on host. [MOD] Ctrl-Alt-Shift-K "Auto" switch removed. [MOD] Ctrl-Alt-K now turns keyboard support on or off (where applicable). Essentially switches between selected keyboard mode (on) and Host mode (off). [FIX] Support for 16-bit graphics modes. [FIX] Alt-D now selects correct number of rows. [MOD] Alt-B/Alt-E behaviour now mirrors that in IT. [MOD] Alt-J (Volume Amp.) now defaults to last setting. [ADD] Ctrk-J (Default Volume Amp.) added. v0.85.3 [FIX] Fixed bug when Host uses samplerate != 44.1kHz [MOD] 'Auto' Keyboard Mode now default. [ADD] Alt-B/Alt-E/Alt-D IT selection shortcuts added. [ADD] Instrument keymap control now fully-editable with selection and clipboard support [ADD] Alt-V/Alt-W IT Volume shortcuts added. [ADD] Alt-S IT Instrument shortcut added. [ADD] Dedicated sample audition (and, in future, MIDI In) audio channels added (32 live channels + 64 tracked channels = 96 channels of STEREO audio) [FIX] Fixed graphics bug with muting channels. [FIX] Miscellaneous fixes of keyboard issues, including comma / decimal point discepency. v0.85.2 [MOD] Interface code overhauled. [ADD] Interfaces for Instrument List added (instrument mode not yet available). [FIX] Shift-key issue on some hosts fixed. [ADD] Initial stereo support added (loading & saving, but patterns only use left channel) [FIX] Selection graphics update issue fixed. [MOD] Audition a row will no longer interrupt playback. v0.85.1 [ADD] The number of channels has been doubled (32->64). [MOD] Keyboard Input now operates in 3 user-selectable modes (indicated on left of the status bar): [1] Host Mode. reViSiT relies on the VST host to pass key input to reViSiT (default - not supported by all hosts). [2] Auto Mode. reViSiT intercepts all key input to the host and tries to determine which is meant for reViSiT, passing the rest to the host (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+'K' - problematic in some hosts). [3] Manual Mode. When active, reViSiT intercepts all key input to the host with- out passing on. Can be enabled / disabled whenever keyboard input is needed. (Ctrl+Alt+'K' to toggle). [ADD] Added playback counter for row, pattern and song position (also indicates if Order List is empty when Song Playback fails). [ADD] Support for Aero Studio (use above Manual Mode). [MOD] Alt-L now reverts back to track select from pattern select. [FIX] Auditioning notes (e.g. in Sample Editor) will no longer interrupt song or pattern playback. [ADD] Added support for END key in Pattern Editor. [MOD] HOME / END keys now behave as in IT2 - e.g. left of column > left of pattern > top of pattern. [ADD] '8' key now auditions pattern row. [MOD] '4'/'8' keys now advance through pattern. v0.85 [ADD] Support added for Logic 5, Cubase VST and several other VST hosts. Keyboard issues fixed. [ADD] Native support for .ZIP archives. Module patterns and samples now automatically zipped to single file (compatible with WinXP, WinZip, etc.). [MOD] Extensive User Interface (UI) redesign, including streamlining and enlargement. [FIX] Numerous additional performance improvements. This version now up to 400% faster than v0.84. [FIX] Muting/Soloing now takes effect during playback. [DEL] Prototype Song Variables screen disabled. v0.84.2 [FIX] Misc. performance improvements [not released]. v0.84.1 [FIX] Sample loading bug resolved. v0.84 Initial Alpha Release for Cubase SX. GETTING FURTHER SUPPORT ========================================== Before seeking further help, please review the contents of this readme.txt (the release notes) - many frequently asked questions (FAQ) are answered here (see KNOWN ISSUES / WORK IN PROGRESS section). Failing that, there should be a number of knowledgable people (including myself) on the nashNET Forums (http://forum.nashnet.co.uk) who may be able to help you with your problem. If all else fails, users can contact me at vst@nashnet.co.uk, and I will endeavour to answer your queries. SUPPORTED HOSTS ================================================== Details of supported VST Hosts can now be found at: http://www.nashnet.co.uk/english/revisit/faq.htm#hosts KNOWN ISSUES / WORK IN PROGRESS ================================== Go to http://www.nashnet.co.uk/english/revisit/faq.htm for more questions and answers. The following issues are known in the current version: * "How do I...?" --> The help system is somewhat out of date in the current version of reViSiT, and thus does not describe all (most) of reViSiT's features and there workings. The documentation will be improved nearer to v1.0, but for the time being there is two things to do: check the Update History (above) for mention of features and their shortcuts; check the Impulse Tracker 2 documentation - reViSiT tries to mirror the functionality and control methods of this older tracker. * "The mouse doesn't work." --> The current version of reViSiT has 90% of mouse support for controls - about the same level of support as (if not better than Impulse Tracker 2. v1.0 features yet to be implemented include pattern block selection and list support (sample, instrument and order lists). All program functions, however, should still be accessible using the keyboard. * "How do I load samples?" --> Simply go to the sample list, choose a sample slot and hit ENTER. Select a .WAV file and click OK. * "reViSiT doesn't work on ." --> Details of supported VST Hosts can now be found at: http://www.nashnet.co.uk/english/revisit/faq.htm#hosts * "The first row sometimes doesn't play, when playing from the VST host's transport bar." --> This is not a problem with reViSiT. Some VST Hosts, upon rewind, do not return to absolute zero themselves. Methods of working around the problem will be investigated for future versions of reViSiT. Currently, the best solution is to offset your whole song by a bar or so. * "The help system does not work." --> The current version of reViSiT only boasts basic help content, such as rudimentary pattern editor (F2) support. Beta and release versions will comprise a more comprehensive help system. See the FAQ for a list of undocumented keyboard shortcuts. * "Switching between samples within a track can produce clips." --> This is because the playing sample is abruptly cut off. When reViSiT's instrument model is complete, there will be a number of methods to avoid this (using New Note Actions, or NNA's). * "IT Import doesn't load samples or instruments." --> Some features of Impulse Tracker 2 are not supported in the current version of reViSiT - notably, instruments. reViSiT will support both IT samples and instruments, in future versions. * "The sound begins to break up when number of channels are playing simultaneously." --> Most modern computers should be able to acheive the full 32/64 channels of polyphony using the current version of reViSiT. However, performance ultimately depends on the processing power of the host computer. An ASIO driver for your soundcard is highly recommend. See www.asio4all.de for details on how to obtain a generic low-latency ASIO driver that will work with most consumer soundcards. THIS *ALPHA* RELEASE IS NOT PROVIDED IN ANY CAPACITY AS A BENCKMARK OF PERFORMANCE FOR FUTURE RELEASE VERSIONS. * "How do I load my reViSiT v0.84.x files in reViSiT v0.85+?" --> reViSiT's file architecture stores all logical data in XML format ("Module.xml"), and then all sample file data in separate WAVE-compatible files ("Sample X.wav", where 'X' represents the sample number). reViSiT v0.85 automatically compresses all the files into a single ZIP-compatible archive. The result is a flexible, portable, extensible, efficient and accessible format. For example: all files can be unzipped and independently edited by appropriate editors. To convert your old (v0.84.x) to the new format, you can rename the old ".vstr" file as "Module.xml", and rename the old ".smpX" samples as "Sample X.wav" and then use WinZIP (or WinXP, or a zip-compatible compression utility) to zip them into a single file. This file should load directly in reViSiT v0.85+. CONTACT INFO ===================================================== All questions, comments, criticisms (constructive) and bug reports are welcome. Users are recommended to use the feedback URL, or forums (http://www.nashnet.co.uk) stated at the outset, for matters relating to reViSiT. nashNET Website: http://www.nashnet.co.uk reViSiT Website: http://revisit.nashnet.co.uk email: revisit@nashnet.co.uk ==================================================================