[LAA] Qtractor 0.5.1 - The Bravo Yankee return!

Rui Nuno Capela rncbc at rncbc.org
Tue Oct 4 22:40:50 UTC 2011


Howdy,

Summer is now long gone, obviously fall has already begun. As winter 
looms on the horizon the year steadily marches into its due end. (oh 
crap!...)

Today marks the day of this second public release while on the TYOQA 
age. It also marks yet another birthday of mine. One more year's gone, 
one less to go. Be happy! I hope you'd like my party as soon you get 
over from yesterday's bitten fruit showtime.

Now's the time...

   Qtractor 0.5.1 (bravo yankee) is out!

Yes, it's "bravo" alright, not "beta" nor anything else. Despite any 
previous existing codename. Now, it's all dumb-down easy to predict any 
next release codenames, a matter of convergence and fact that just 
chalks one less of a burden on me :)

Believe it or not, this is the best and, allegedly, the most stable 
release ever. Ain't them all? ;)

Release highlights:

* Linked (aka. ref-counted) audio/MIDI clips (NEW)
* Aux-Send pseudo-plugin (NEW)
* Direct-access plugin parameter slider (NEW)
* MIDI file player (NEW)
* Automatic time-stretching of audio clips on tempo-map changes (FIX)
* Improved native Linux VST support (FIX)
* Improved JACK-Session support (FIX)
* Improved generic plugin form (FIX)
* MIDI-fx plugin support (NEW)
* Audio bus/ports auto-connect option (NEW)
* First translation call (Czech) (NEW)

Cheers!

Website:

   http://qtractor.sourceforge.net

Project page:

   http://sourceforge.net/projects/qtractor

Downloads:

- source tarball:
   http://downloads.sourceforge.net/qtractor/qtractor-0.5.1.tar.gz

- source package (openSUSE 11.4):

http://downloads.sourceforge.net/qtractor/qtractor-0.5.1-4.rncbc.suse114.src.rpm

- binary packages (openSUSE 11.4):

http://downloads.sourceforge.net/qtractor/qtractor-0.5.1-4.rncbc.suse114.i586.rpm

http://downloads.sourceforge.net/qtractor/qtractor-0.5.1-4.rncbc.suse114.x86_64.rpm

- from the paleolithic shelves: user manual:
   http://downloads.sourceforge.net/qtractor/qtractor-0.3.0-user-manual.pdf

Weblog (upstream support):

   http://www.rncbc.org

License:

   Qtractor is free, open-source software, distributed under the terms 
of the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2 or later.

Change-log:

- More LADISH support: SIGTERM signal is now trapped for graceful 
application close.
- Improved paste-repeat snap precision when dealing with large repeat 
counts.
- Czech (cs) translation added, by Pavel Fric.
- Added a few snap-to-beat divisors (unusual Beat/5, Beat/7, Beat/9 and 
Beat/10) for completeness sake.
- Such a simple change of mind with a visual twist: the "A" track 
automation button/menu has now been
- moved to the right-most, as it belongs ;)
- Auto-connection of dedicated audio outputs is now optional for default 
audio master bus, metronome, player and MIDI instrument plugin dedicated 
audio outputs.
- Finally, after a pitiful large brain-dead period, generic plugin forms 
are now showing all possible controllable plugin parameters featuring a 
paged, tabbed dialog, whenever applicable.
- Special hack/fix for JUCE based native VST plugins, which are the most 
actually found with a GUI editor, skipping explicit shared library 
unloading and thus avoiding some mysterious crashes on session close 
and/or application exit.
- Support for MIDI-fx plugins (native VST and/or LV2) is now implemented 
and functional (intra-chain only).
- Instrument plugin bank/program selection was found broken or dead in 
the water, specially on VSTi, now finally fixed again.
- VST plugin parameter value display on generic form is now back in 
business (were dead regarding value changes).
- All plugin's provided GUI editors are now honored by being popped up 
first, instead of the usual but good old generic plugin form.
- Long overdue implementation of a dedicated MIDI file player is now 
accessible from the MIDI files widget; one can play the whole SMF or 
just a single track or channel.
- Update to a newer VeSTige header, probably fixing an old 32 vs. 64 bit 
mismatch.
- Avoid JACK session filenames/paths to be ever shown; also avoid all 
buses ports (re)connections when JACK sessions are (re)loaded, given the 
fact that session management will take care of just that; more also, 
untitled/default session names are now also picked up to match current 
LADISH project name, obviously given by LADISH_PROJECT_NAME environment 
variable, whenever present (as suggested by Nedko Ardaunov).
- Paste-repeat floating selection has been fixed (was showing only the 
last repeated selection).
- Coherence of tempo changes on audio and MIDI clips, whether automatic 
time-stretching is in effect, has been slightly improved, hopefully fixed.
- Bold attempt to get linked (aka. ref-counted) audio and MIDI clips 
into practice (EXPERIMENTAL).
- Main track view now showing all clips above the grid.
- Added support for both new and older (deprecated URI) lv2_external_ui 
extension (by Nedko Ardaunov).
- Following yet another great idea, and implementation, by Holger 
Dehnhardt, who already brought us the new aux-send insert plugin, thanks 
again, the so-called direct access control option is now featured for 
any plugin parameter right from plugin listings eg. mixer strips.
- General resource consumption and management has been slightly 
improved, due to internal buses allocation optimization.
- Fixed nasty crash-bug that was severely affecting all sessions that 
had at least one insert (pseudo-)plugin on any audio input bus.
- All automation curve nodes are now relocated whenever disparate 
session sample-rate is detected on load.
- New aux-send/insert pseudo-plugin is now introduced, allowing to route 
any track audio output to any other audio output bus besides the nominal 
one -- thanks to an original implementation from Holger Dehnhardt.
- New immediate edit/loop-range settings from current clip extents, 
accessible on the main menu (Clip/Range Set, Loop Set) and from MIDI 
clip editor menu as well (File/Range Set, Loop Set).
- MIDI Names XML files (*.midnam) may now be imported into MIDI 
instrument definitions. (EXPERIMENTAL)
- Avoid cursor reset while editing MIDI events list (fixes bug #3380259, 
reported by Frank Neumann).
- Just some typos fixing (patch #3378382 by c-korn).
- Track view automation curve editing mode has been slightly fixed, now 
allowing for other previously existing point-and-click mouse operations.
- Default automation curve mode is now preserved (following a suggestion 
by Alexandre Prokoudine, thanks).


Enjoy!
-- 
rncbc aka Rui Nuno Capela
rncbc at rncbc.org


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