OpenMPT 1.22 - Release Notes

Not much time has passed since the last official release (version 1.21.01.00), but nevertheless this new major version of OpenMPT has introduced a significant number of noteworthy new features. This document should give a rough overview about the greatest changes in OpenMPT 1.22.

What's new?

General

• Please read: In the options dialog, the "Buffer Length" has been changed into "Latency" (real audio latency) and "Update Interval" (for GUI updates). Old buffer length settings are converted automatically to their new equivalent values. Yes, the new latency value is higher than the previous buffer length value, but that is intended, because previously, the real latency was three times the buffer length. If you are still in doubt, read the FAQ.
• Added support for WASAPI, Kernel Streaming and WaveRT output devices. The latter two are displayed as WDM-KS in the GUI.
• Added a global VU meter with clip indicator in the main toolbar.
• Elapsed time display in the status bar is a lot more accurate now (no more rounding errors that pile up over time).
• S9F (reverse sample) next to a note also works with looped samples now.
• Extra-smooth ramping is now also applied with no and linear interpolation.
• The WAV and MP3 export dialogs> have been combined into a single new export dialog. Support for Opus, OGG Vorbis and FLAC have been added as export options.

Pattern Editor

• It is now possibly to copy multiple patterns at once - simply make an order list selection and copy the orders with all their content!
• The Clipboard Manager can be used to manage a virtually unlimited number of internal pattern clipboards to speed up copy and paste workflow.
• The Chord Editor features a relative base note mode, which enters chords that are relative to a previously entered base note instead of a fixed base note. Chord mode also works without having to select any record channel beforehand now.
• Higher live record precision.
• When using Insert Rows, the selection is not cleared anymore, allowing the user to execute the same command several times in a row.
• It is now possible to ignore specified MIDI CCs when using the MIDI CC to pattern recording functionality.

Tree view

• It is now possible to edit some items (order list, pattern / sequence / sample / instrument names) directly.
• The Tab key can now be used to switch between tree view panels, for fast navigation between folders.
• Optimized preview behaviour: The sound device is not re-opened for every preview, and when the same file multiple times in a row, it is not reloaded every time.
• Soundfont instruments can now also be previewed for other notes than middle-C.

Plugins

• Added an option to the export dialog to render a bit of silence before exporting (e.g. for faulty plugins that don't clear their reverb buffers when they are reset).
• It is now possible to load and save FXB (plugin preset bank) files.
• Plugin presets can now be copied and pasted between several instances of the same plugin.
• Added an option in the plugin editor to route a plugin's MIDI output to the pattern / sample / instrument editor.

Instrument Editor

• The mouse wheel can now be used to navigate in the note map.
• Instrument envelopes are now also evaluated if no sample, but a MIDI channel is assigned to the instrument - great for automating plugins using envelopes and macros by using the volume and panning macro variables.

File Format Support

• Libraries have been updated to support more versions of the LHA and RAR archive formats.
• Support for importing MP3 samples has been added. libmpeg123 is required for this to work, which is not shipped with MP3 due to the patent troubles involved with MP3 technology. The OpenMPT manual explains where to download and where to put libmpg123 to work with OpenMPT.
• Drastically improved support for 15-sample SoundTracker MODs!
• Support for saving IT-compressed samples has been added. Compressed stereo samples won't load in older versions of OpenMPT, and compressed samples will cause trouble when reading extended song or instrument properties in old versions, so be careful if you want to be backwards-compatible. Thus, compressed samples are not enabled by default.
• Improved support for DBM (DigiBooster Pro), DSM (DSIK) and AMS (Velvet Studio) modules.
• Added support for DIGI (DigiBooster) modules.
• Advanced tracker detection: OpenMPT tries to find out which tracker a file was made with and shows this information in the "Last saved with" field in the Song Properties.

There's more...

For a detailed description of what has changed, check History.txt. If you are new to OpenMPT, be sure to read the manual as well.

Known Issues

This list has mostly been copied over from the old OpenMPT 1.17 RC2 release notes, so this not very comprehensive... :-)

• Far from perfect VST support (no buses for audio / MIDI routing, only a few tracker effects are supported, etc...)
• Previewing samples from the treeview's file browser stops the playing module.
• Cannot preview instruments directly from the MIDI Library in the tree view.
• Excessive performance drop when dragging over the graphical parameter editor during playback.
• The Right Alt (or Alt Gr) key is not handled well by the keyboard configuration.
• In Windows 98, the graphical parameter editor and instrument envelope editor grid display are messed up.
• There is no really convenient way to find out what features of the tracker are supported by the original trackers (Impulse Tracker, Fasttracker 2, etc...) when working with those file formats...

Contact

Helpful bug reports, new ideas and brave volunteers to test early development builds or contribute to the code are more than welcome!
Our issue tracker is located at http://bugs.openmpt.org/ and can be used to report bugs and feature requests.
You can also meet us at the ModPlug Central forums: http://forum.openmpt.org/.