What's New In Synfire 3.0

Release Information

Major portions of the code base were substantially refactored since version 2 to improve maintainability and future development and enhancements. Many changes are not visible at the surface but have a great impact on the future of Synfire. This list includes visible changes only.

IMPORTANT: Many file formats have changed. Please make sure you have a permanent backup of your version 1 and 2 projects before overwriting them with version 3. Just in case.

New Features

Tracks & Clips

• Arranging, recording and editing similar to the track sheet of a DAW
• Synchronized with the Structure view (both can be visible at the same time)
• Parameter Trace option for all clips
• Choose Figure or Output as the default parameter

Parameter Aliases

• Reference any parameter from anywhere with a symbolic link (Pro)
• Great for experimenting with follower voices

Container Structure

• Auto-Alignment: Move child container to the end, the middle, or spanning all of its parent when the parent is resized (similar to page layout)
• Improved labeling of containers w/instrument names and parameters

New Structuring Commands

• New Container With Selected Clips
• Move Upwards (moves container one level up, keeps global position)
• Consolidate Containers (simplifies the structure)
• Purge Empty Containers
• Clip >> Collect Into Container
• Clip >> Separate From Each Other

Library

• Phrase thumbnails for easier navigation
• Improved window layout with integrated Sounds tab
• New Command: Copy Sound To Track

Snippets

• Single-Snippet Playback Mode
• Eight more memory slots (16 total)
• Increased maximum grid size to 24x24
• Better consolidation of the snippets to arrangement conversion
• Simplified page layout with better editing options
• Added Snippets to the main menubar

Audio Engine 6.0

• Three new insert FX slots per rack module
• Access FX slots, AUX send and audio volume on parameter inspector
• Rack module presets saved including FX slots
• Press "E" to open the current plug-in editor from anywhere

Paste Last Played Chords

• Retroactive recording of any chords you played on the Palette or elsewhere

Interpretation

• Always Look Ahead: Shift Harmony as a whole for individual instruments. Great for adding dissonance and surprising effects. Also works well with pushy rhythms.

Variation

• Transformations now preserve the overal span of a phrase. No more unintended overlapping, messing with rhythm, or intrusion into other containers.

Harmony

• Tritone Substitutions (two variants)
• Minor Third Substitution
• Added more chords to the Catalog (Italian, French, German augmented 6th, 7(#11))
• Chord alignment chain should break where a new Harmony parameter starts
• Improved chord voicing and alignment

Parameter Templates

• Support custom templates for all controllers (Pro)

Experimental Features

These features are not yet complete and fully tested for various reasons but may be worth trying and testing.

• DAWproject Export (VST3 only)
• Parameter Aliases (fully supported but may still have bugs)

Enhancements & Quality Improvements

We revised the user interface to reduce overall friction and improve habitual muscle memory and mouse movement memory.

User Interface

• Unified layouts on all pages, e.g. parameters always on the right
• Option to open structure view, snippets view on most pages
• Double-click on a container or clip to open/close phrase editor
• Double-clicks no longer jump to another page unless it's absolutely intuitive
• Same ordering of items, sections in all menus
• Time ruler stays put when scrolling structure view
• Pan parameter shows a knob on the inspector
• Selection behavior more consistent and intuitive
• Background instrument now remembered per container and instrument
• Clear indication of what you are editing
• Selection highlighting uses a contrasting color where helpful
• Native file dialogs on Windows
• Improved look and readability on Windows
• Improved many graphics details
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Improved editor, HTML export, conflict warnings
• Standalone Palette: Improved layout
• Editing: Shape tool applied more smoothly to numeric parameters
• Editing: Rhythm parameter editable in full detail
• Editing: Tool selection is remembered per parameter type
• Removed the white color themes
• Matrix page is hidden by default (enable in View menu)
• Faders removed from the Matrix page as they wrongly implied audio automation

Others

• Containers: The Pack command has been removed as it's almost identical with New Container With Selected Clips
• Prefer Orchestral Interpretations is now obsolete
• Scheme was renamed to Signature, which is more intuitive for musicians
• Notation Export: Updated default settings for LilyPond/Frescobaldi export
• Preference: Legacy VST2 plug-ins hidden from menus by default
• Preference: Prefer VST3 plug-ins over AudioUnits (for DAWproject export)

Bug Fixes Since 2.0

Obviously a lot of bugs occur during development, which are resolved immediately. These are some known problems with version 2 that have been resolved in version 3.

User Interface

• Windows: Alt-Click expands all nodes of a tree view
• Lots of issues fixed with phrase editing
• Fixed issues with zooming
• Fixed issues with wrong labels in menu items
• Harmonic Look Ahead was not reflected in the color of notes
• Pause parameter display partially incorrect
• Fixed issues with container import
• Fixed issues with help system and related topics
• Files: Saving a file should not clear its undo stack
• Files: Automatic crash backups did not include most recent plug-in states
• Files: Restore crash backup from File menu
• Editing the length of a snippet container was blocked

Library

• Fixed issues with and optimized loading/saving large libraries

Parameters

• Strumming simulation keeps the anchor in place in order to preserve the response to harmony changes.
• Snapshot of interpolated parameters must insert additional data points between containers.
• Variation, Velocity: Randomized templates should fill entire container length
• Articulations: Default latency should be zero
• Articulations: Fixed issues with continuity

Audio

• VST and VST3 plug-ins not currently identified when saved on different platform
• Remember which ports were previously used as input
• Updated to latest AAX SDK for ProTools

Export

• Notation Export: LilyPond chord progression export crashed
• Notation Export: Updated default command line for Frescobaldi editor

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