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SynthFont2 Changelog

What's new in SynthFont2 2.9.0.2

Nov 28, 2023
  • Bug fixes:
  • Version 2.9.0.1 could not read SoundFonts Overrides and got stuck with the splash screen showing
  • The Events list did not scroll to the event playing
  • Recording live MIDI input into a file did not work (go to “Other options”, “Other tools and options”, “Record MIDI” to start this function)
  • Fixed some issues with the font dialogue for Lyrics
  • Since version 2.8.0.1, SynthFont2 has not be able to accept old registration codes.
  • New features:
  • Shortcut for Pause/Continue: Shift+Ctrl+W

New in SynthFont2 2.9.0.1 (Sep 26, 2023)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Since 2.9.0.0, the 64 bit version could not write WMA files
  • Since 2.9.0.0, Karaoke lyrics was not correctly saved in MP3 files
  • A few other minor bugs fixed

New in SynthFont2 2.9.0.0 (Sep 9, 2023)

  • Bug fixes:
  • XG Bank selection makes use of Continuous Controller #32. Since some time back SynthFont2 has not made use of CC32
  • Some VST effects require the use of 4 inputs even if only two (Left/Right) are used (and two left empty). This has not been supported
  • Minimize to tray did not work
  • Fixed a few reported bugs
  • New features:
  • Since many versions back you have been able to save the MIDI data in the Arrangement in order to remove the need for access to the original file. In this version, the option to save MIDI in Arrangement (see “Setup and Options”, page “Options”) is made into a persistent option.
  • Press CTRL button while SynthFont2 starts up for a clean start. The config file SynthFont.ini will be renamed to SynthFont.ini.bak
  • In the tracks list header there is a new button with a down arrow. Press this to show a down arrow for all tracks. Tracks having multiple MIDI program changes already have this button visible in the list.
  • Enhanced support for compressed SFKR files. You can now also use files you have purchased as part of the MidiSoundSynth project
  • More translations (Italian, Spanish, German and French)
  • A cutdown version of Viena SoundFont editor included again
  • You can edit Karaoke lyrics text (only METAEVENTS, not System Exclusive events) in “Midi events”, section “Edit event”
  • You can move Karaoke lyrics events back and forth in time using the “Lyrics sync correction” feature in the “Karaoke lyrics” page. The correction value is saved as the Arrangement
  • In the secondary Karaoke window there is a new button top-right to display playback controls. Useful if the window is maximised.
  • In SoundFont Manager the is a tool to search among SoundFonts for a Preset by name.
  • New option in “Setup and Options”, page “Options”: “Allow multiple instances”. Check if you want each registered file (MIDI and/or Arrangement) you double-click on in Windows Explorer to open into a separate instance of SynthFont2. Default is not checked = files will open in one and the same instance only.
  • New button on the Karaoke page: “Save lyrics as text”
  • The font size for the Karaoke lyrics can be set to resize automatically to make lines fit in the window, See checkbox in the font selection dialog
  • New keyboard shortcuts: CTRL+Up (arrow) to transpose the song up one semitone, and CTRL+Down to transpose the song down one semitone

New in SynthFont2 2.8.0.2 (Dec 7, 2022)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Fixed two more obscure bugs in the new system for handling registrations. Should be working now.
  • Fixed a bug throwing an exception immediately at start-up
  • Fixed a few other minor bugs introduced in version 2.8.0.0
  • The normal set of minor reported bugs fixed.

New in SynthFont2 2.8.0.0 (Dec 1, 2022)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Since a few versions back in time, SynthFont2 could save wrong values for Bank Controllers #0 and #32 when saving a MIDI file
  • The default settings for the internal Reverb and Equalizer did not remain when changing MIDI file
  • The normal set of minor reported bugs fixed.
  • New features
  • There is one major new feature: much improved support for Karaoke, for example:
  • You can have two lyrics windows open, for two separate displays
  • You can choose the font for each window separately
  • You can choose colours and image background for each window
  • You can choose to display lyrics in two ways: with long lines filling up the width of the window, or using line breaks as defined in the MIDI lyrics and more
  • Full support for Creative Lab's SoundBlaster Live! Non Registered Parameter Numbers (NRPNs) for setting Low Pass filter parameters. You can switch this function on/off in Plug & Play, Other options. This feature was introduced in SynthFont(1), version 1.700 released in June, 2022. Read the document for SynthFont(1) to learn more about this feature.
  • More text translated in to Italian, Spanish, German, French

New in SynthFont2 2.7.1.3 (Mar 3, 2022)

  • Version 2.7.0.0 and later crashed when playing to speakers or a file after having used live keyboard/input mode
  • Since 2.5.0.0 Karaoke lyrics has been off sync

New in SynthFont2 2.7.1.2 (Feb 24, 2022)

  • Just fixed a few reported bugs, for example, some strings had gone blank due to the new support for localization.

New in SynthFont2 2.7.1.1 (Feb 9, 2022)

  • Bug fixes:
  • For live mode: ASIO was made inoperable by the introduction of WASAPI in version 2.7.1.0
  • For live mode: WASAPI could not be initialized because the required DLL was missing from the distribution
  • Fixed a bug introduced in 2.7.0.1: SoundFont Preset could not be changed in the tracks list
  • The chosen language was not set for “Setup and Options”
  • A few other minor reported bugs fixed

New in SynthFont2 2.7.1.0 (Feb 8, 2022)

  • Bug fixes:
  • In live mode only the first note was played
  • Since some time back, SynthFont2 has not been able to extract OGG files used by SFZ files
  • A few reported bugs fixed
  • New features:
  • For live mode a low latency audio output driver should be used. SynthFont2 now offers use of Windows’ own WASAPI (Windows Audio Session API), which is Microsoft's recommended method for accessing WDM (Windows Driver Model) audio drivers. WASAPI is a good alternative to ASIO. See Setup and Options:
  • Previously SynthFont2 would optionally display MIDI Program numbers in the range 1..128 instead of the internal standard range 0..127 in connection to the option to display MIDI channel numbers in the range 1..16 (instead of the standard range 0..15). This is no longer supported for Program numbers.
  • Many more strings translated in to Italian, Spanish and German

New in SynthFont2 2.7.0.1 (Feb 1, 2022)

  • Bug fixes:
  • A last minute change made version 2.7.0.0 play VERY silently… Fixed.

New in SynthFont2 2.7.0.0 (Jan 31, 2022)

  • Bug fixes:
  • A few reported bugs fixed
  • New features:
  • Fine-tuned the support for High DPI displays
  • Support for SoundFonts in the new proprietary compressed format – SFKR. Only non-commercial SoundFonts are supported
  • Rudimentary support for three languages in addition to English: Italian, Spanish and German. This is the first instalment. See menu item Language in main menu View for choices.

New in SynthFont2 2.6.0.1 (Dec 7, 2021)

  • A few reported bugs fixed

New in SynthFont2 2.6.0.0 (Nov 10, 2021)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Many reported minor bugs fixed
  • New features:
  • The support for High DPI displays is now nearly perfect.
  • In “Midi events” there is a new button that lets you save either System Exclusive (“SysEx”) or Sequencer Specific (“Seq-Spec”) data to a file. You can choose between a binary file or a hexadecimal file in text format.
  • In “Midi events”, group “Edit event”, there is a button that previously was enabled only for text/lyrics META events. This button is now enabled for a few more META events, for example the binary SysEx and Seq-Spec events. As these are binary, the edit is performed with hexadecimal strings.
  • In “Midi events”, group “Edit event”, the function “Add new event” has been changed. Previously you could only add one single event at a time, now you can add multiple events in on session. Furthermore, you can add both SysEx events and Seq-Spec events either by importing from a file (binary or hexadecimal text), or entering hexadecimal text in the window.

New in SynthFont2 2.5.0.2 (Dec 23, 2020)

  • Since 2.5.0.0 SynthFont2 has persistently insisted on opening the MIDI demo file “33H_R&P” when starting up
  • Missing support for color scheme “Tablet Dark”

New in SynthFont2 2.5.0.1 (Dec 2, 2020)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Due to an unfortunate change (bug?) in the compiler used since version 2.3.2.0, the PianoRoll smooth scrolling mode would break up during playback when placing the mouse pointer above the vertical scrollbar, if a color scheme was applied. Because of this, the scrollbars are now not themed.
  • A change was made in version 2.5.0.0 to better support installation on removable media, resulting in that the program freshly installed in the normal way (i.e. in Windows write protected Program Files folder) did not work.

New in SynthFont2 2.5.0.0 (Nov 27, 2020)

  • BUG FIXES:
  • The “Charcoal Dark Slate” color scheme didn’t look right
  • The Setup program would not let you choose a folder for the installation. Neither was it easy to install on a removable disk medium
  • The button “To Speakers” in box “Start playback” on page “1 Files / Folders” was wired to “To Files”
  • Fixed a number of bugs in relation to retrieving Karaoke Lyrics, for example, SynthFont2 did not correctly handle Lyrics distributed over several tracks. Lyrics can be encoded in two ways and sometimes SynthFont2 did not find the correct one.
  • NEW FEATURES:
  • The Karaoke Lyrics window can now have a colored background - see “Color for window background”
  • New choice in file open dialogue for VST plugins – checkbox at the bottom: “Show only new (unregistered) plugins” - to make it easy to find new plugins to add
  • The SoundFont Override feature (shortcut CTRL+D) has been improved: you can now save Override setups in separate files (with the extension “.sf2ovr”). The choice of file will be remembered between runs and can also be saved in the Arrangement file.

New in SynthFont2 2.4.0.1 (Oct 7, 2020)

  • Bug fixes:
  • The preset selection for the internal reverb effect MVeerb did not change during playback although the user prompted for it (since version 2.2.4.1)
  • MVeerb could occasionally cause sound disruption (since 2.2.1.1)
  • You could not move playback position while in Pause mode
  • Some MIDI Continuous Controller messages could be lost when starting playback from a position after these messages
  • New features:
  • Support for sending MIDI out to a COM port, introduced in version 2.4.0.0, has been further improved. Among other things, this feature made SynthFont2 slower at start-up and when the main window was re-activated.
  • Also improved support for output to standard MIDI port
  • When playing to both an external device through a port (MIDI or COM) and the internal playback engine, you can set the latency for the internal playback engine to correspond to the latency (if any) of the external device to keep playback in sync. See Setup, Options, Playback.

New in SynthFont2 2.4.0.0 (Sep 22, 2020)

  • Bug fixes:
  • The MIDI out (to a port) feature has been quite badly implemented and is much improved in this version.
  • When looping a MIDI file, the Pianoroll playback was not in sync (since version 2.1.0.0)
  • A rather large number of other minor bugs and annoyances fixed
  • New features:
  • MIDI out can now be sent to a serial COM port as well as a standard MIDI out port. This is handy if you have a device connected to the PC through an emulated COM port, for example using a USB to serial converter. Be sure to set the Baud Rate at first. See left image.
  • You can now change the MIDI program for multiple melodic tracks in one go. See right image. The three tracks selected will receive the same MIDI program. Note that the fourth track cannot be included as it is a percussion track.

New in SynthFont2 2.3.2.0 (Jun 30, 2020)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Enter registration details by pasting did not work (copy the contents of the registration email and press the "Paste text" button)
  • Some GIGA files were not correctly handled
  • Fixed some issue when a standard MIDI track has been assigned to a MIDI channel from the extended range
  • Track coded for percussion and assigned a SoundFont lacking any percussion presets was not read back from the arrangement correctly. SoundFont replaced by the default
  • Some other reported bugs fixed
  • New features:
  • Option to stop playback immediately at end mark. Look in "Plug & Play", "Other options" and "Other tools and options" to the far right
  • The Copy/Paste/Move tool has been raised to a top level page
  • New options for program caption in "Setup an Option", page "Options" (See image) If "Show path and file name" selected, the text will be compressed to fit the caption.If "Show path and file name" selected, the text will be compressed to fit the caption.
  • Markers area above Pianoroll graph has changed functionality. To the left is new help button [?]
  • Vertical zoom tool in Pianoroll has changed. New "Fit" button - useful with high res screen

New in SynthFont2 2.3.1.1 (May 10, 2020)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Version 2.3.0.0 introduced a bug: could not read play/mute status from arrangement
  • The new feature introduced in 2.3.0.0 to allow SynthFont2 to start playback when evoked with a file parameter was enabled even if the Option checkbox was unchecked.
  • Some other reported bugs fixed.

New in SynthFont2 2.3.1.0 (May 6, 2020)

  • Bug fixes:
  • After inserting new MIDI events into a track with the MIDI channel set to the extended range 16..31 (starting at 0), saving the file would cause the file to be corrupted.
  • Did not read tracks layers from an arrangement (since version 2.2.4.0)
  • File output separate channels to files did not work (since version 2.3.0.0)
  • Some other reported bugs fixed.
  • New features:
  • The number of internal MIDI channels has been increased to 64 from 32 (as in SynthFont1, version 1.740). Channels in the range 32..63 (starting at 0) are reserved for track layers. The range 16..31 can still be freely assigned to any standard MIDI track.
  • Edit track name has a new feature - you can revert the name back to the one saved in the MIDI file (as in SynthFont1, version 1.740)
  • MIDI Registered Parameter messages comprise a group of four MIDI events, RP Fine, RP Coarse, Data Fine and Data Coarse. These events can now be in random order. Registered Parameter is used to defined Pitch Wheel Factor and Master Fine/Coarse Tuning

New in SynthFont2 2.3.0.0 (Mar 2, 2020)

  • Bug fixes:
  • The metronome did not work when using a sound in a SoundFont
  • Using long file names when writing audio tracks for the separate MIDI channels didn't always work
  • A few more random bugs fixed.
  • New features:
  • A search button in most file open or save dialog boxes (not in Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7 versions) to search for files in the current folder and sub-folders (see image 1)
  • You can now pan the metronome left/right (image 2)
  • VST plugins are now allowed to resize the editor window, using the dispatch method audioMasterSizeWindow
  • SynthFont2 32 bit version can handle most 64 bit VST plugins and vice versa through bridging However, the recommendation is to use the same architecture plugin as the host. The menu window for assigning a plugin now contains checkboxes to select which architectures you want to see listed to choose from (image 3)
  • New option: have SynthFont2 start playing immediately, upon startup, when a MIDI or an arrangement file is passed to it as a parameter from within Windows. You can pass a file using "Open with..." in Explorer or drag a file onto the SynthFont2 executable file or a shortcut (e.g. on the desktop). See Setup | Options | General for a switch (image 4).
  • User interface:
  • SynthFont2 is now almost 100% compatible with displays having higher resolution (DPI) than the standard 96 - for example 4K and UHD. Some UI controls have changed because of this; for example, some buttons have been replaced by checkboxes.

New in SynthFont2 2.2.4.0 (Sep 12, 2019)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Just a few random bugs fixed.
  • New features:
  • The tracks list has been redesigned. Instead of a checkbox to switch playback on/off for a track, there is now a button labeled "M", for "Mute". Next to it there is another new button, labeled "S", for "Solo".

New in SynthFont2 2.2.3.1 (Jun 14, 2019)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Didn't work in 2.2.3.0: Getting the output folder for playing a playlist to files.
  • A few other minor bugs

New in SynthFont2 2.2.3.0 (May 20, 2019)

  • Bug fixes:
  • The Wet/Dry mix for VST effects in the VST editor window didn’t work correctly.
  • A few other reported bugs fixed.
  • New features:
  • Improved support for Windows XP - new file open/save dialogs.
  • Other:
  • Page “2 Pianoroll”; the graphical Continuous Controller editor has been slightly changed: for CC events that are ON/OFF in nature - for example #64 Hold Pedal - you must now set the ON/OFF status (see image) before inserting an event into the graph. You can now also erase these events by using the “Erase” tool from the Draw drop-down list of tools.

New in SynthFont2 2.2.2.0 (Apr 13, 2019)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Quite a few reported bugs fixed!
  • Improved support for VST instruments, especially improved support for "bridging", i.e. using 32 bit VSTs in the 64 bit program version, and vice versa.
  • Both the 32 bit and the 64 bit versions now support extraction of SoundFonts from sfArk files
  • Changing the playback position by clicking in the mini Pianoroll didn't always work correctly
  • Play to channel files when a VST instrument was set for a channel caused a crash
  • New features:
  • Introduced a scripting or macro language feature. Please read separate document for more information.
  • Much improved support for using VST instruments as SoundFont overrides. NOTE: VST instruments may be wired to accept MIDI events on certain MIDI channels only (typically the first channel). Either you change the settings in the VST to "omni" mode, or you switch on the "Force to MIDI channel 0" in the VST edit window.
  • Other:
  • When playing from a list the priority was by default set to low (slow) - good if you want to do other stuff on the PC at the same time, but not so good when creating hundreds of audio files. There is a new checkbox for this option; "Play in the background (slow)". NOTE: This option is always turned off when playing to the speakers in order to avoid sound "hiccups".

New in SynthFont2 2.2.1.0 (Jan 16, 2019)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Since 2.1.0.0, MP3 files did not contain tags
  • Since 2.1.0.0, “Fade Out” in “Other options” did not work
  • Since 2.1.0.0, OGG files where not extracted for SFZ files
  • Since 2.1.0.0, playback of SFZ files not always working
  • Fixed a bug in the function for moving notes in time (Pianoroll)
  • Playback buffer size was too small for speaker output, which could cause random stuttering in the audio (for speakers only). The buffer size shown in Options was wrong (too large).
  • User interface:
  • Selection of notes in the Pianoroll graph by drawing a rectangle has been made smoother and with better scrolling.
  • A few other UI glitches has been fixed.

New in SynthFont2 2.2.0.0 (Oct 16, 2018)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Normalizing audio files to max peak level did not work in 2.1.0.0
  • VST plugins lacking an inbuilt editor did not show anything in the edit window of the 64 bit version
  • The choice to play VST effects in mix (50%/50%) mode did not work. A new improved mix mode has been created (see below)
  • The inbuilt reverb - called Reveerb - had an unfortunate bug making it sound weird (since 2.1.0.0)
  • The inbuilt SoundFont editor “Viena” crashed on start-up. Also fixed a few other “Viena” related bugs on par with ones fixed in the stand-alone version of Viena.
  • ASIO was not well supported in version 2.1.0.0
  • Pitch Wheel broken since 2.1.0.0
  • Many other minor bugs have been cleared.
  • New features:
  • You can now choose to have two controller views side by side. See image below.
  • New mix mode for VST effects. See image below.
  • Three new visual themes: “Charcoal Dark Slate”, “Cobalt XEMedia” and “Onyx Blue”
  • One alternative model for the inbuilt reverb. It is called MVeerb and is based on MVerb by Martin Eastwood. It sounds better than the original Reveerb model which is fast (less CPU hungry) but has a somewhat metallic sound. See image below.
  • Other:
  • The Continuous Controller # 123, “All Notes Off” used to turn of all notes, for all MIDI channels. The new behaviour is to turn off all notes only for the selected channel.

New in SynthFont2 2.1.0.0 (Jun 28, 2018)

  • Bug fixes:
  • The usual range of minor bugs eliminated.
  • New features:
  • SynthFont2 now comes in two flavours: a 32 bit version (the “old” SynthFont2) and a 64 bit version (the new SynthFont2x64). Both versions are able to use VST plugins of any architecture. The 64 bit version can use 64 bit plugins natively and 32 bit plugins through the included VST Bridge (SFVST32TO64). The 32 bit version can use 32 bit plugins natively and 64 bit plugins through another VST Bridge (SFVST64TO32).

New in SynthFont2 2.0.7.0 (Nov 29, 2017)

  • Bug fixes:
  • The usual range of suspects lined up and killed.
  • New features:
  • There is a new tool for editing MIDI files. It is called "Advanced Copy/Paste". This tool lets you copy, paste, move delete blocks of MIDI events between tracks. You can display this tool by pressing the button Copy/Paste to the right of the toolbar above the tracks on page Plug & Play: on the this web site you can find a PDF file with instructions on how to use this tool. Click here to read it.
  • You can now assign a VST instrument as a SoundFont Override (CTRL+D), like this:
  • You can now include folders as items in a Favorites playlist:
  • The Scale Tuning function (Plug & Play | Other options) now supports the use of SCALA files for any odd microtonal scale (see e.g. this web site: http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/)
  • In Pianoroll | Batch edit there is a new button "Snap / Quantize notes". Use it to move notes to certain bounderies ("Snap") and /or change the length to closest standard length.
  • Full support for the MIDI event polyphonic key pressure (aka Key Aftertouch).Key Aftertouch may be sent by your keyboard on a key-by-key basis as you change the pressure on individual keys. You can now insert Key Aftertouch events either using the "Add new event" button on page Midi events, or by drawing lines in the Controllers graph in Pianoroll.
  • New button "Edit text" on page Midi events. You can use it for example to edit Karaoke Lyrics.
  • Improved handling of maximum voice count (polyphony).
  • Custom values for mixer Volume, Pan, Dynamics, Transpose and Low Pass Filter amount through new buttons: one button in the Standard Mixer header and five buttons on the Plug & Play | Track edit page.

New in SynthFont2 2.0.6.2 (Jun 1, 2017)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Version 2.0.6.1 introduced a really silly bug: note velocities were not used
  • Version 2.0.6.1 introduced another really silly bug: Pitch Wheel value was not used for new notes
  • The Search and Replace feature on the “Midi events” has been broken for some time

New in SynthFont2 2.0.6.1 (May 22, 2017)

  • Since version 2.0.5.4 SynthFont2 playback has been “sluggish” and randomly causing very short brakes in the speaker output (file output has not been compromised). This version tries to correct this annoying issue,
  • The Karaoke Lyrics feature introduced in 2.0.6.0 has not been perfect. This version makes an attempt to remedy the issues found.
  • The list of markers in the Pianoroll has also had some problems since 2.0.6.0. Fixed now.
  • In live input mode from a MIDI port, adding or removing VST effects during playback had no impact.
  • In Pianoroll, hitting a key on the virtual keyboard would sometimes prevent you from drawing new notes.
  • Some other minor report bugs fixed as well.

New in SynthFont2 2.0.6.0 (Apr 11, 2017)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Since version 2.0.4.0, the program could not play an arrangement containing an audio (wav-file) track.
  • As always - the usual range of minor bugs and annoyances removed.
  • New features:
  • The Karaoke Lyrics window now has support for chords, encoded in the MIDI file using Yamaha's proprietary FX encoding system.
  • SynthFont2 makes an attempt to determine the key signature of the MIDI file when loaded. The key signature may also be encoded as a META event in the file, but the signature determined by the software may not be the same. The key signature is only shown at the bottom of the Pianoroll page. NOTE: the signature is for your information only; it is not used anywhere in SynthFont2.
  • The list of Markers to the left on the Pianoroll page has some new features: 1) in Setup and Options you can tell SynthFont2 to always sort them automatically in increasing time order. If you do not switch this function on, you have the option to manually move markers you have created using drag and drop. 2) Double-click on a marker to edit the name and the time.
  • You can now let SynthFont2 set the range of notes shown in the “mini Pianoroll” windows on both the Pianoroll page and the Plug & Play page. Use the right mouse button for an option menu.
  • On the Plug & Play page, you can now resize the “mini Pianoroll” by dragging the new divider bar below the graph.
  • Tentative new feature: The Advanced Playlist, found in Files & Folders. Use this script-based feature to automatically create a range of audio files for one or more MIDI files. For example, a choir manager can create audio files for various combination of voice volume levels; “solo” = all voices (=tracks) muted except one, “half-solo” = all voices set at half volume level (or any other) except one, “missing” = all voices sounding at defined volume level except one, which remains silent. See the include file "AdvancedPlaylistExample.txt" for more information.

New in SynthFont2 2.0.5.4 (Apr 10, 2017)

  • Most bugs introduced in 2.0.5.0 are now removed.

New in SynthFont2 2.0.5.3 (Jan 30, 2017)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Version 2.0.5.2 might become unresponsive after playing to a file.

New in SynthFont2 2.0.5.2 (Jan 26, 2017)

  • Bug fixes:
  • With the introduction of the inbuilt SoundFont editor (a version of Viena) a large number of minor and major bugs were introduced as well. (Sorry about that!!) Most of them have been removed now
  • Additionally, some bugs of older nature has been cleared

New in SynthFont2 2.0.5.1 (Jan 17, 2017)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Broken SoundFont Presets menu!

New in SynthFont2 2.0.5.0 (Jan 16, 2017)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Play to file: playing to a audio in WAV format with "Normalize audio: max peak" switched on did not work.
  • A large number of memory leaks has been removed.
  • The Bank Manager (who also handles SoundFont Overrides) would sometimes replace the default SoundFont with one from the Overrides set.
  • When playing MIDI files in a folder to audio files you could choose to skip files already converted to audio - this has not worked in the latest versions.
  • Found ONE MORE MIDI file that wasn't correctly read by SynthFont2.
  • In some cases, when the MIDI file contained multiple time signatures, the move events function in Pianoroll / "Edit track" did not work correctly.
  • The usual range of minor bugs eliminated.
  • New features:
  • SynthFont2 now contains a first test version of an inbuilt SoundFont editor (a version of Viena).
  • You can now choose the overall pitch level - that is, the frequency of standard A (normally 440 Hz). See "Plug & Play" / "Other options". (The obsolete "Velocity to low pass filter" has been removed.)
  • The "Paste copied events" function (see "Copy / Paste" in Pianoroll) now lets you paste multiple copies of the events.

New in SynthFont2 2.0.4.0 (Jan 10, 2017)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Since version 2.0.3.0 the Extended Mixer page did not show anything useful. Fixed:
  • Changing the volume level in the Mixer during playback might cause the volume level of notes playing to increase more than intended
  • Hitting SPACEBAR to start/stop playing would also toggle the state of a checkbox if it had the input focus (for example, the Play/Mute checkbox in the tracks list)
  • Version 2.0.3.3 might not always identify the correct track as the Lyrics track for Karaoke
  • Solved an issue with pasting copied events at a time earlier than the original position
  • In Pianoroll, moving events towards the start might cause the program to become unstable
  • The usual range of suspects lined up and killed.
  • New features:
  • In Pianoroll: You can now insert whole chords in one single click. Shortcut keys: Ins=insert chord, Del/ESC=cancel, You can use the numeric keypad keys Left, Right, Up and Down to move the chord around.
  • In Pianoroll: You can now delete notes in the selected track or all tracks using the same criteria as for moving notes around.
  • In Pianoroll: Copy / Paste, there are two new buttons: one to delete all selected events and one to select all events in the track. You also have more choices over which events to copy. NOTE: only the selection method based on drawing around notes will also mark all other than note events in that time frame.
  • In Setup, page Files and Folders, there has for a long time been an entry called "Folder for converted audio files”. However, this value has never been used anywhere for anything. Now you have the option to ”Use as default Audio Folder ….” which means that the first time you write MIDI to an audio (any format) this folder will be offered for output in the Save Audio file dialog.
  • You can now remove selected items from the SoundFont history list ("Clean up").

New in SynthFont2 2.0.3.2 Beta (Jun 24, 2016)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Version 2.0.3.0 introduced bug: the two generators "fineTune" (pitch adjustment) and "sampleMode" (sample loop mode) were not used if defined in the Global split only.
  • Version 2.0.3.0 introduced bug: loop in Playback Range did not work correctly: there was no sound after the first round. Additionally, the playback cursors were not correctly tracking playback position.
  • Version 2.0.3.0 introduced bug: the Continuous Controller Modulation Wheel was totally out of control.
  • Version 2.0.3.0 introduced a new SoundFont Presets dialog with a virtual keyboard. At the same time some minor flaws were introduced, for example, a SoundFont Preset as saved in an arrangement might get replaced by another Preset.
  • Using the inbuilt Viena editor through the dynamic library “VienaLib.dll” could cause a crash if the Preset used by a track was deleted in VienaLib.
  • Other:
  • The old Preset dialog is now completely replaced by the new one.

New in SynthFont2 2.0.3.1 Beta (Jun 7, 2016)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Version 2.0.3.0 couldn't play files without lyrics!

New in SynthFont2 2.0.3.0 Beta (Jun 7, 2016)

  • Improved features:
  • SynthFont2 has now a much improved support for SoundFont Modulators
  • In "Midi events" you can now choose to display only Tempo meta events
  • The "SF2 Preset" button in the tracks list header (Plug & Play) now shows a dialog box with a virtual keyboard for quick auditioning of presets
  • In Pianoroll, you can now choose to show a black border around notes for all tracks (and not only the selected track). See the right mouse button popup menu
  • The Karaoke lyrics is now displayed in the Karaoke Lyrics window immediately when a MIDI file containing lyrics is opened
  • Bug fixes:
  • The "Change note velocity" - "Change to" function in "Batch edit" in Pianoroll now works correctly for all selected notes
  • A number of reported bugs fixed

New in SynthFont2 2.0.2.7 Beta (Jan 26, 2016)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Versions 2.0.2.5 and 2.0.2.6 had a serious flaw in the function used for downloading updates and could not perform the update.
  • Some other reported bugs fixed.

New in SynthFont2 2.0.2.6 Beta (Jan 18, 2016)

  • Bug fixes:
  • MIDI files with non-standard System Exclusive messages were not always correctly handled
  • Some time you could not replace a VST instrument by a SoundFont for a track
  • Some MIDI program bank information was incorrectly relayed to external MIDI devices
  • With some SoundFonts, Sustain Pedal (CC#64) could leave notes playing for an indefinite time
  • New features:
  • Support for your own System Exclusive messages when playing to an external device. To be able to send these to your device every time a song is being played you need to do a few things. At first, you need to prepare a file called "SysEx.txt". This here is a sample file made for the Roland SD50 synthsizer. You are urged to define a group for each of your SysEx messages although this is for internal use only. Mandatory items are send and data
  • Toe see these and change the "send" state you may display this dialog box. To find it, go to Setup and click the button "Set GM and SysEx mode". If you need more information then please ask
  • This version is the first attempt to offer better (eventually perfect) integration between SynthFont2 and Viena. For SynthFont2 to be able to work with Viena you need the latest version of Viena (at least 0.979). The Viena package contains the stand alone normal Viena executable and additionally a DLL version of it, to be used by SynthFont2. The DLL should be placed in Viena's folder
  • You can now record the MIDI data received during a “Live Input Mode session” for inclusion into tracks. To start a recording “Live Input Mode session”, press the button “Record MIDI” in group “Other tools” on page “Other options” (and not the main toolbar button “Turn Midi Input ON”). When done press the same button again (or the main toolbar button). A dialog box with a number of options will be displayed for what to do with the MIDI data

New in SynthFont2 2.0.2.5 Beta (Nov 19, 2015)

  • Bug fixes:
  • The column with check boxes in the tracks list in Plug & Play were not always aligned with the corresponding tracks
  • The first time you used a file dialog to open a file, the selected folder was wrong (since 2.0.2.3)
  • The first track of a MIDI file mostly contains important META EVENTS like Tempo. These were not applied of the track was muted
  • Search and Replace on the MIDI Events page did not handle Pitch Wheel events correctly
  • In Pianoroll, “Edit track”, there is a box called “Change time (position) of events“. This function had a flaw which has been fixed. See below for a new feature in relation to this
  • If you made the Pianoroll page into a floating window while playing, the playback cursor lost phase
  • Gravis Ultrasound patches did not play.
  • New features:
  • Some VST instruments (like KONTAKT) may require a lot of time (even up to 60 seconds) to load all the samples after a program change. Normally SynthFont2 will load the program stored in the Arrangement each time the Arrangement is loaded, which makes playing a batch of Arrangements in a play list impossible as the first up to 60 seconds of the song might be silent. There is a switch by which you can tell SynthFont2 to load the program data only from the first Arrangement. You find this in the editor Window for the VST (in menu “Arrangement ...”). NOTE: this is NOT an Arrangement feature but is valid for use of that particular VST in ANY Arrangement.
  • The main toolbar buttons can now be set to resize horizontally as the width of the window is changed. See main menu View to control this behaviour.
  • Version 2.0.2.4 introduced a vertical scrollbar for the main window. You can now decided if you want to have it or not. See main menu View to control this behaviour.
  • In Pianoroll, “Edit track” (“Change time (position) of events“): As the region you are moving events into may already contain other events (“old”). You must now decide what to do with these old events and the new incoming events: Merge old and new or Replace old with new (old are thus deleted)
  • In Pianoroll, “Edit track”, there is a button for saving the settings and another one for loading
  • When playback is stopped the playback cursor now remains at the position where it was (does not return to the start)

New in SynthFont2 1.721 (Nov 15, 2015)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Fixed some User Interface related bugs introduced in version 1.720 (when moved to a newer development environment)
  • Most reported bugs fixed

New in SynthFont2 2.0.2.4 Beta (Oct 17, 2015)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Version 2.0.2.3 got stuck when using VST instruments

New in SynthFont2 2.0.2.3 Beta (Oct 9, 2015)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Scroll to event while playing” in page Midi events did not work
  • When a Color Style was selected, the program would never start up maximized
  • When using the file open dialogue to assign a SoundFont to a track, the Presets list to the right in the dialogue did not show the Bank:Preset used in the track but defaulted to 000:000-Grand Piano, which was then chosen for the track instead of the correct one.
  • Notes of zero length in the MIDI file were discarded (not shown, not played)
  • Since version 2.0.2.0 you have not bee able to use Copy and Paste from the context sensitive menu for files in the file explorer window in “Files / Folders”
  • The main window's horizontal scrollbar was not visible when a Color Style was used
  • After using the Live Input mode, SynthFont2 (since 2.0.2.0) did not release the MIDI in port so you could not initiate a new session without exiting
  • Pianoroll:
  • The program would crash when erasing notes in the Pianoroll
  • Having “When playing, scroll to:” set to “Nothing” had the effect that there was no playback cursor visible in any window
  • Deleting a marker in the list of markers did not work as expected
  • The markers in the list of markers would some times have the wrong track colors
  • Dragging the region box in the mini Pianoroll below the large Pianoroll to the end did not take you to the complete end of the song
  • Making the Pianoroll window horizontally larger when scrolled at the end would cause the box in the mini Pianoroll to become temporarily stiff
  • Zooming horizontally using “Horiz. Zoom (pixels/quarter)” might cause abnormal behavior
  • New features:
  • If you have multiple VST instruments, and a PC with multiple CPU cores, you can now process the VST instruments in parallel for increased speed . See “Setup and Options”, page “Options 2”
  • The three main pages “Files / Folders”, “Pianoroll” and “Midi events” can now be lifted out and shown as floating windows
  • If you delete a track from a MIDI file (or add a track) with an arrangement, the arrangement ought to be saved when the MIDI file is saved or soon after. A warning message is issued.
  • You can now choose to reopen a MIDI having an arrangement so that the arrangement is not opened at the same time. See item in main menu “File”
  • The main window is now equipped with both horizontal and vertical scrollbars to make it easier to use the program on screens with low resolution

New in SynthFont2 1.720 (Sep 17, 2015)

  • User interface:
  • This version has been converted from the outdated Delphi XE development environment to the newer Delphi XE7 - same as used for SynthFont2. This has had a large effect on the GUI, as many GUI components used before were not compatible with XE7. For example, all file open and save dialogs have been replaced by their SynthFont2 counterpart.
  • Bug fixes:
  • Most reported bugs fixed

New in SynthFont2 2.0.2.2 Beta (Jul 17, 2015)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Many of these bugs were introduced in version 2.0.2.0
  • Version 2.0.2.1 introduced a serious bug that might prevent the program from starting
  • The virtual keyboard kept playing in the background after closing the open SoundFont file dialogue
  • Moving the region in the mini Pianoroll window by dragging it did not work as expected
  • Normalize channel files now works
  • The use of "cut not short" for handling of overlapping notes could cause random noise in notes cut short
  • In "Midi events" page: changing Pan value (range 0..127) now updates value in range -64-+64 as well
  • In "Midi events" page: the list did not show the correct key for the META event Key Signature in case of a Minor scale (Note: SynthFont2 does NOT try to determine the key based on the notes in the tune, but only displays the values set in the META event)
  • Changing the MIDI channel for a track in either the "Midi events" page or in the "Plug & Play" tracks list would not always cause the Events list data to be updated
  • In "Files / Folders", the files list at the bottom: double-clicking on the "Libraries" item (under Desktop) would cause a jump to My Computer instead (clicking on Libraries in the tree list to the left did work, though)
  • In "Files / Folders", play preview did not work when clicking on a file in the files list
  • In "Files / Folders", pressing Enter key or double-clicking on a file in the files list might cause the registered application to open for the file. This is no longer allowed.
  • All three items above are also valid for the file save and open dialogues. Additionally in the dialogue file list, selecting a folder would display the folder name in the "File name" edit box
  • MIDI files stored on a network location – and some other MIDI files – might cause the message "The MIDI file cannot be found!"
  • Creating a new MIDI track by copying events from another track would erroneously assign the same MIDI channel to the new track
  • Some functions that were supposed to be disabled while playing were still enabled. Using them could cause the program to freeze or crash
  • Some MIDI files with unfortunate combinations of Time Signature and Tempo changes were not correctly analysed for absolute time of events. This had no impact on the playback speed or sound but the playback range might be inaccurate.
  • SFZ files have not been correctly imported since version 2.0.2.0. Neither has the note velocity value been used for tracks with SFZ files
  • Some issues related to handling of VST plugins fixed
  • New features:
  • Voice "Cutter" checkbox next to the Voices limit list. Cutter cuts note-off events for which the decay level has fallen below a certain threshold which level depends on the voice count. This is the default behaviour in SynthFont1 and SynthFont2 up to version 2.0.2.0. Use to keep the voice count down.
  • In Pianoroll, the vertical zoom list has been augmented with items for 4 and 5 pixels

New in SynthFont2 2.0.2.1 Beta (Jul 11, 2015)

  • Fixed a bug that would cause an exception when adjusting the right output volume slider during playback

New in SynthFont2 2.0.2.0 Beta (Jul 11, 2015)

  • New features:
  • Version 2.0.2.0 can handle most "black" MIDI files, at least those with less than 256 tracks. Playback of these files may take a very long time due to the sheer number of notes (and voices) that may play at the same time. Handling large number of voices may cause interrupt in the sound sent to the audio output. In order to hear something of it in real time you need to set the "Voice limit" to a small number and not leave it at "No limit". Please realize that the number of voices may be many times larger than the number of notes. For example, stereophonic SoundFonts always create at least two voices per note. A long note off (release) decay tail may also cause an unexpected build-up of voices.
  • As part of the process to support black MIDI files a large number of improvements have been made:
  • Major revamp to MIDI file loading routine
  • Performance and memory optimizations to rendering engine
  • No Voice Limit is now almost truly unlimited, only restricted by the amount of memory. This version can access up to 4 GB of memory (all previous versions could access only 2 GB, like most 32 bit programs).
  • For easy access, the "Voice limit" option has been moved from "Other Options" to "Plug & Play".
  • In order to decrease an unexpected build-up of voices due to long note off decays, you may change the "Note release decay slope" curve in Setup, Options 2. There are three decay curves to choose from.
  • Note and voice counts are now digit grouped for readability
  • In Setup, Options 2, there is now an option to set the length of the playback buffer. A long buffer lets SynthFont2 work more on sections with high voice counts without interrupts in the sound sent to the audio output. However, if you want to use real time editing while playing - like changing the playback speed or setting the volume level - you could try a shorter buffer for faster response.
  • In Setup, Options 1, there is now an option to set what SynthFont2 should do with MIDI files that have tracks with events for multiple MIDI channels. The best option is usually to let SynthFont2 split these tracks into multiple tracks, one for each MIDI channel. By doing so you can assure to have full control over which SoundFonts and Presets (or VST Instruments or MIDI OUT ports) are used by each MIDI channel.
  • In Setup, IO Ports: the lists are updated at least always when the Setup window is displayed. In earlier versions it was updated only on creation at start-up. So, if you know or believe you have changed any ports, you are advised to display Setup window to verify the changes and let SynthFont2 know which ports to use.
  • In the Synth rack, the playback progress indicator is now replaced by a "trackbar". During playback you can cue back and forth by pulling the thumb.
  • Several message dialogues have been augmented with a Cancel button.
  • The MIDI events list has a new and better means for selecting the active track. The original track bar has been changed to a drop-down menu with track names.
  • In this version of SynthFont2, the NOTE-OFF MIDI events are "virtual". Hence, they will have an order number in the list equal to the number of the corresponding NOTE-ON event with a plus sign added. You cannot display only the NOTE-OFF events.
  • The folder list in "Files / Folders" and in all open and save file dialogues now also shows your Favorites items.
  • When writing audio files, there are two new options in the "save audio" dialogue: the first option lets you prevent clipping. SynthFont2 will initially create a raw version (with data in floating point format) of the audio file, and then after playback convert it into the final version while scaling the data to 95% of the maximum level. This is useful when creating audio files of black MIDI files as this process can take several hours if you have the voice limit set to "No limit". The second option lets you create audio using the voice limit setting "No limit", independently of what you have selected for audible playback in "Plug & Play".
  • Ability to collapse the track list Mixer from view. Pull the handle to resize it, click the handle to toggle visibility.
  • When in MIDI IN mode (”Turn MIDI Input on”), a button called "All Note Off" becomes visible
  • Added GUI Latency to compensate for and match playback buffer latency
  • The virtual keyboard is now muted for muted tracks
  • Normally you can hit spacebar to start and stop playback, but during rendering to file the spacebar does not stop the rendering process
  • Plus and Minus buttons added to the ”Output sample rate” option in ”Other options” for adding or deleting sample rates
  • Added a button to the Pianoroll to toggle showing muted tracks as well
  • Bug fixes:
  • The most serious bug, “SynthFont2 may stall at start-up”, has been fixed
  • Thread and process priorities are no longer raised above normal - fixes some multitasking stability issues
  • Compiled in a newer Delphi environment - fixes a few known bugs
  • Most reported exception bugs cleared
  • The number of other minor bug fixes is large and will not be listed here.

New in SynthFont2 2.0.1.1 Beta (Dec 4, 2014)

  • New features:
  • Reading of MIDI files now somewhat faster. The procedure for analysing Note-on and Note-off events to connect them with each other is faster now
  • When playing files in a playlist, eternal loops are not enabled.
  • Bug fixes:
  • If the Arrangement file contained MIDI data, the data was lost when the Arrangement was saved under a new name (”Save As...”)
  • When playing to an external MIDI port, pressing Pause, go forward and backward might leave some notes hanging on the device
  • Introduced in 2.0.1.0: The delete track operation did now work as it should
  • Introduced in 2.0.1.0: Some VST instruments/effects would not let you interact with the edit controls
  • Introduced in 2.0.1.0: Some midi files with non-standard System Exclusive messages were not correctly read or saved
  • Introduced in 2.0.1.0: You could to use an old color scheme, but the selection was not saved
  • Introduced in 2.0.1.0: Handling of VST instruments and effects in Setup had a number of issues
  • Additionally, a number of miscellaneous minor bugs were removed.

New in SynthFont2 2.0.1.0 Beta (Nov 14, 2014)

  • New features:
  • Introduced color schemes
  • A search and replace function on the Events page
  • Checkboxes in the VU meters page to toggle channel specific Reverb and Equalizer on/off
  • The volume sliders in the MIXER used to respond in a logarithmic fashion (-24dB to +24dB). This has now been replaced by a linear response (0..16)
  • In the tracks lost header there is a new button: "Pan". Use it to change the Midi Pan value.
  • You can now select which sound in a SoundFont should be used for the Metronome ("Other Options")
  • In SoundBlaster Live!, the initial frequency for the Low Pass Filter is set to 8500 Hz if not defined and if it becomes modified by the Modulation Envelope or the LFO while the note plays. In "Other Options" there is a switch box to toggle this behavior.
  • Bug fixes:
  • Killed a number of minor bugs.

New in SynthFont2 2.0.0.13 Beta (Sep 13, 2014)

  • More Meta tags for compressed files, for example ISRC
  • The Meta tag editor could not be accessed from the Save Audio dialog
  • Support for MIDI Portamento (CC#5 Portamento Time. CC#65 ON/OFF, and CC#84 Portamento Control)
  • The combined Bank Manager and SoundFont override feature has been completely redesigned. You can now assigned files to user banks in the SynthFont1 manner.
  • In the Pianoroll, Controllers graph, drawing events that are of boolean nature (ON/OFF) will let SynthFont2 display a dialog to choose ON or OFF.
  • The Pianoroll is now correctly drawn also with the display in portrait mode
  • A few minor GUI changes. For example, in the tracks list, the check boxes for muting/playing tracks have been moved to the left into a separate column with a button for more functions
  • Changing the BPM factor during playback might cause the playback cursor in the Pianoroll to lag behind or run in front of the correct position (at a constant amount)
  • A function to create new sets of track colors. The button labeled "Color" activates a popup menu with two choices
  • Some SoundFonts contain multiple copies of one particular instrument in multiple layers. Mostly these are redundant as they have exactly the same parameters. As each of them cause an increase in the number of voices and hence CPU usage, they are now removed. Instead the volume level of the single remaining copy is increased in proportion
  • Version 2.0.012 could not read some very small MIDI files
  • You are no longer allowed to play "loop forever" into an audio file
  • SynthFont2 did not automatically split tracks with events for multiple MIDI channels into multiple tracks
  • There is a vertical splitter bar between the tracks list and the Mixer to let you increase the size of the mixer scroll bars
  • In the Pianoroll, there is a splitter above the Controllers frame to let you change the size of the frame. You can also use the context sensitive right mouse button menu to set the frame to predefines heights.
  • In the Pianoroll, you can hide the lowest frame ("Key Signatures and Melodic Scale") using the small button to the left in the caption bar
  • Fixed a flaw in the Explorer: the tree did not resize itself. The file list now lists both files and subfolders
  • Snap to grid” in the Pianoroll did not work as expected
  • Some other minor bugs fixed.

New in SynthFont2 1.713 (Sep 13, 2014)

  • Bug fixes:
  • There were still some MIDI files that SynthFont could not correctly read
  • The MIDI message Channel Pressure was not saved in the MIDI file
  • Some SFZ files were not correctly interpreted
  • Sometimes dropping a VST effect from a VST bus did not work
  • Most other reported bugs fixed.

New in SynthFont2 2.0.0.12 Beta (Jun 24, 2014)

  • Bug fixes:
  • If you wanted to play files in your playlist only and currently had no MIDI file open in SynthFont, you were asked to open one
  • An exception might occur if the configuration file “SynthFont.ini” was open in a text editor that prevented access to the file
  • Handling of overlapping notes has been changed to correspond to the methods in SynthFont2
  • Moving notes up/down (=transpose) in Pianoroll used to move also percussion notes, which probably was not a good idea
  • Moving notes towards the beginning of the tune (e.g. to remove the initial bars) using “Change time (position) of events” in Pianoroll/Edit track would position notes that would be moved to a negative time at time 0 instead – these notes are now deleted
  • Some MIDI files were not correctly read
  • Fixed some other bugs reported by crash reports

New in SynthFont2 2.0.0.11 Beta (Jun 13, 2014)

  • This version is only about fixing bugs! Too many to lost here
  • This version is the first to be developed in the very new Embarcadero Delphi XE6 environmet

New in SynthFont2 2.0.0.10 Beta (Mar 10, 2014)

  • The new file open/save dialogs introduced in 2.0.0.9 did not work if Windows was configured to hide extensions of know file types
  • SynthFont2 might get stuck in an infinite loop when reading an SFZ file
  • Fixed a few other reported bugs

New in SynthFont2 2.0.0.9 Beta (Mar 7, 2014)

  • Bug fixes:
  • SynthFont2 would not save program data for some VST effects/instruments. There are still a few that will not let SynthFont2 save; for example Edirol Orchestra
  • If you wanted to play files in your playlist only and currently had no MIDI file open in SynthFont2, you were asked to open one
  • VST effects in the Synth Rack window would not always show the correct program name
  • Fixed some other bugs reported by crash reports
  • Other items:
  • All file open/save dialog boxes have been updated to “modern” style (introduced in Windows Vista). These dialogs offer for example the use of breadcrumbs for easy navigation between folders
  • You can hide the “mini Pianoroll” above of the tracks list in “Plug & Play” (see button in toolbar below)
  • Changed the algorithm for creating the colors for the tracks. You can create a new set by pressing the “Color” button in the tracks list header

New in SynthFont2 1.712 (Mar 4, 2014)

  • Bug fixes:
  • If you wanted to play files in your playlist only and currently had no MIDI file open in SynthFont, you were asked to open one
  • An exception might occur if the configuration file “SynthFont.ini” was open in a text editor that prevented access to the file
  • Handling of overlapping notes has been changed to correspond to the methods in SynthFont2
  • Moving notes up/down (=transpose) in Pianoroll used to move also percussion notes, which probably was not a good idea
  • Moving notes towards the beginning of the tune (e.g. to remove the initial bars) using “Change time (position) of events” in Pianoroll/Edit track would position notes that would be moved to a negative time at time 0 instead – these notes are now deleted
  • Some MIDI files were not correctly read
  • Fixed some other bugs reported by crash reports

New in SynthFont2 2.0.0.8 Beta (Feb 21, 2014)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Version 2.0.0.7 introduced this bug: looping didn't work with Stop set to “End” in the playback range
  • Likewise: when playing to a file (write) the file save dialog box was shown only the first time
  • Likewise: VST effects might remain in memory and show up in the wrong place after being removed from a VST Fx bus
  • Additionally:
  • The VST effects/instruments editor window has a new button for changing the name of a program. Additionally, as SynthFont2 has never saved VST program data for global use in the configuration file SynthFont.ini, this version does not read old VST program settings from the file either. Use FXP files to export/share program instead.

New in SynthFont2 2.0.0.7 Beta (Feb 11, 2014)

  • Bug fixes:
  • The “Open Midi or Arrangement” menu did not always list the files in the expected order
  • An exception might occur if the configuration file “SynthFont.ini” was open in a text editor that prevented access to the file
  • Running SynthFont2 without a MIDI file (in MIDI Port input mode) would cause Synthfont2 not to read some default configuration settings
  • Layer tracks would not always have the correct value for VOL displayed in the tracks list
  • The editor for VST effects and instruments might initially display the wrong program and not the one stored in the Arrangement
  • Version 2.0.0.6 could be very slow to start up
  • When assigning a SoundFonts to a tracks with bank > 0 (the default) and the desired bank/preset combination was not found, you would be asked to assign a Preset from the default bank, but not told the reason
  • Handling of overlapping notes has been slightly changed and some bugs fixed
  • Playing in loop mode and having chosen “Continue to the end after loop” would not make the playback cursor in the Pianoroll to continue to the end
  • Moving notes up/down (=transpose) in Pianoroll used to move also percussion notes, which probably was not a good idea
  • Moving notes towards the beginning of the tune (e.g. to remove the initial bars) using “Change time (position) of events” in Pianoroll/Edit track would position notes that would be moved to a negative time at time 0 instead – these notes are now deleted
  • Some MIDI files were not correctly read
  • SynthFont2 would not let you save a MIDI files in Mode 0 (one single track for all channels) using the “Save As...” function
  • New features:
  • The “Plug & Play” page has a “splitter” bar above the tracks list which you can drag up to increase the size of the list to see more tracks. Click the splitter bar to toggle maximum/minimum display
  • Additionally:
  • The SoundFont file open dialog used to have three radio buttons at the bottom for selecting which MIDI programs to assign the SoundFont to (only pertinent for tracks with multiple program changes). These were confusing at times and have been removed. A dialog box will be displayed instead when required

New in SynthFont2 2.0.0.6 Beta (Feb 11, 2014)

  • Bug fixes:
  • SynthFont2 could not download the setup file for update (file was missing but Windows might suggest that the file is not compatible with Window)
  • Overlapping notes and handling of overlapping notes set to "Replace by one single long note" did not work in loop mode
  • When playing to a file in loop mode the playback time was incorrectly calculated (=accumulated time, which is kind of correct, but not what was intended)
  • SynthFont2's Explorer would not locate and arrangement file in the same folder as the midi file
  • The 'Search for lost Midi files' function did not work with SynthFont2 arrangements (*.s2arr)
  • A few other reported bugs fixed
  • Additionally:
  • In the Open arrangements menu, SynthFont2 arrangements (*.s2arr) are always listed first.

New in SynthFont2 2.0.0.5 Beta (Feb 11, 2014)

  • In case of multiple MIDI program changes in one track within a short time, some changes could have been lost
  • SFZ files were not correctly handled
  • The setup file did not create a shortcut to the executable in the programs menu
  • Fixed some bugs in the Group file editor
  • and some other minor glitches and flaws

New in SynthFont2 2.0.0.4 Beta (Feb 11, 2014)

  • Version 2.0.0.2 introduced a serious bug that would make some midi files unplayable
  • The same bug could also cause an exception (thanks for all those log files!)
  • Settings for VST Instruments and Effects were not always correctly saved in the Arrangement
  • Fixed a few other minor bugs, e.g. changing the default SoundFont did not update the SoundFont Overrides and Banks Manager

New in SynthFont2 2.0.0.2 Beta (Feb 11, 2014)

  • Version 2.0.0.0 did not apply SoundFont Overrides (these are only applied to the default SoundFont or when a particular Bank:Preset combination is not found)
  • Fixed a bug in the MIDI file reading routine that could cause some tracks to be muted by default

New in SynthFont2 2.0.0.1 Beta (Feb 11, 2014)

  • Fixed the first set of bugs based on the first set of crash reports!
  • DLL required for creating MP4 files were not included in the distribution for 2.0.0.0

New in SynthFont2 1.711 (Nov 23, 2013)

  • In case a percussion kit was not found in the SoundFont or Overrides, a melodic preset was assigned instead
  • Fixed some other bugs reported by crash reports

New in SynthFont2 2.0.0.0 Beta (Oct 31, 2013)

  • support for multiple time signatures
  • smooth playback scrolling of the Pianoroll
  • support for creating one more compressed audio format: M4A, based on the free AAC format
  • support for creating compressed audio files using Variable Bit Rate
  • support for multiple CPU cores
  • support for some Windows 7/8 enhancements
  • a new combined SoundFont Override and Bank Manager: you can give SynthFont a number of SoundFonts and folders in which to search for banks missing in the default SoundFont
  • VU meters for the MIDI channels
  • more MIDI editing features
  • function to quickly determine the maximum loudness of a song
  • MIDI data can be saved in the Arrangement file
  • plus a very large number of minor improvements and new features

New in SynthFont2 1.710 (Oct 30, 2013)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Since version 1.700 SynthFont would display the nag screen every time you loaded a midi file (if running as unregistered user)
  • Since version 1.700 SynthFont would not apply SoundFont Overrides (nor read them from the configuration file)
  • Since version 1.701 you could not erase data by drawing a line with the eraser in the Continuous Controller window at the bottom of the Pianoroll
  • Since a few versions back, if you assigned a VSTFx bus to a track, the bus was not shown in the tracks list as assigned to all other tracks with the same MIDI channel number (as it actually was in the playback engine)
  • Since a few versions back you could not create a new empty midi file
  • During playback, if a track was muted when a note on that track was active then the corresponding note-off event would never be processed and the note would hold until playback was stopped
  • After externally changing a midi file SynthFont asks to reload the file. If the arrangement contains a track with an audio (wav) file, SynthFont would start recording and overwrite the audio file during playback.
  • Fixed some other bugs reported by crash reports.
  • Other items:
  • In the Plug & Play tab: Selecting a track (without holding Shift or Ctrl) and hitting a checkbox on another non-selected track would mute both the selected track and the track the checkbox is on, which might not be what you wanted or expected. Now you must hold Shift or Ctrl down to change multiple tracks.
  • When removing "Surplus" events in Midi events tab you can press the new “All” button in the "Remember to save the midi file" Message Box to stop showing this box. The number of events removed will always be shown in the status bar.

New in SynthFont2 1.701 (Oct 17, 2013)

  • Bug fixes:
  • In version 1.700 you might get stuck in playlist mode and the only way to get out of it would be to restart SynthFont
  • In loop mode, some notes would play with a longer decay time after the first round
  • Large MIDI files could take a very long time to load
  • Since a few versions back you could not draw a curve in the Continuous Controller window at the bottom of the Pianoroll
  • Less questions asked to interrupt playback while in playlist mode
  • At startup, SynthFont 1.700 would without reason try to access your floppy disk drives (A:/ and B:/) if they were found
  • Fixed some other bugs reported by crash reports.

New in SynthFont2 1.700 (Sep 23, 2013)

  • Bug fixes:
  • GigaSampler files (“*.GIG”) having several dimensions were not always correctly interpreted. SynthFont now also displays the dimensions used for each instrument split in the Splits table (see side note)
  • The CPU monitor routine did not work reliably on Windows 98.
  • Drawing Pitch Wheel controllers in Pianoroll did result in incorrect data
  • Fixed some other Pitch Wheel related problems
  • If no default SoundFont is found, and no arrangement exists, then the “GM.DLS” file found in the Windows distribution will be used
  • User banks were not used with arrangements since version 1.634 - restored
  • Live Input mode has been improved; you can better change the arrangement (some annoying bugs also removed)
  • Saving a midi file using a new name could lead to problems, now fixed
  • Some “New MIDI track” bugs fixed
  • Add the default Grand Piano to tracks with no MIDI program defined
  • Fixed a problem related to editing a SoundFont (link to instrument was lost)
  • Fixed a bug related to dropping a VST effect from a bus
  • Since version 1.552, some MIDI CC events were not sent to VST instruments or to MIDI out ports while playing
  • Fixed some bugs related to the new low pass filter introduced in version 1.640. For example: the default modulator velocity-to-threshold now works again (i.e. the threshold level decreases with decreasing velocity)
  • In 1.640 the Modulation envelope level might become negative at key up resulting in odd effects, e.g. sudden pitch change
  • Playback to a MIDI out port could have a latency of up to a few hundred milliseconds, depending on the hardware - improved
  • Fixed a problem related to restoring saved settings for VST effects
  • User interface:
  • In “Files / Folders” the playlist control has changed. The radio-button selection “What to play” does not contain the choice “file currently open in SynthFont” any more as this is now ALWAYS the default for the three “Play…” buttons in the main toolbar. You can no longer play a playlist by using any of these three “Play…” buttons, but you must use the two “Output” buttons on this page instead.
  • New features - For registered users only:
  • In the Mixer drop down menu there is a new function: “Apply to the MIDI file” which lets you move SOME mixer values into corresponding MIDI data, as far as possible. Use with care.
  • You can enable some of the new GigaSampler dimensions
  • The “Leardini system” - a tool for blind people to learn to play an instrument

New in SynthFont2 1.640 (Mar 26, 2013)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Sometimes when you opened a MIDI file A and saved an Arrangement for the previous MIDI file B, the Arrangement would point to A instead of B
  • Pianoroll playback was not in synch when using loops
  • SynthFont could not read MIDI files containing a sequence definition chunk
  • A few other minor bugs also cleared
  • Other:
  • Changed the Low Pass Filter algorithm. The new one is faster and closer to Creative lab? SoundBlaster implementation. This filter has only one slope, so the slope parameter has been removed
  • The shape of the Modulation Envelope Attack phase has changed: instead of linear it is now concave with a very steep initial rise. This is close to the SoundBlaster implementation. Also some other Modulation Envelope features have been tuned
  • The SoundFont history list now only displays the SoundFont file name and not the whole path

New in SynthFont2 1.633 (Dec 21, 2012)

  • Sometimes you could not select a track in the tracks list as another one “got stuck” (since 1.630)
  • The presets list in the SoundFont file open dialog did not show percussions (since 1.630)
  • A few other minor bugs also cleared

New in SynthFont2 1.632 (Dec 14, 2012)

  • On some systems version 1.631 caused an exception at first startup

New in SynthFont2 1.631 (Dec 11, 2012)

  • Version 1.630 could not read Arrangement files with a defined playback region

New in SynthFont2 1.630 (Dec 11, 2012)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Program settings for VST instruments and effects were not always saved
  • A large number of reported bugs fixed.
  • Other:
  • Program settings for VST instruments and effects are now stored directly in the Arrangement file and not as separate files.

New in SynthFont2 1.621 (Sep 19, 2012)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Version 1.620 could not send exception reports
  • Changes in the MIDI programs of a track were not reflected in the track’s layers
  • Some odd MIDI files where not read, leaving SynthFont in an eternal loop
  • Since version 1.620 the last notes in some MIDI files might be cut short at the end when playing
  • Could not assign a VST bus to track 1
  • Also fixed some other basic bugs, flaws and annoyances.
  • New features:
  • You are now again allowed to save the Arrangement for a MIDI file that has been edited even if you do not save the file.
  • Some new shortcut keys for track play states: F7 = solo (toggle), F8 = mute (toggle) and F9 = inactivate (toggle)
  • Registered users have a new option in the Save As… dialogue for MIDI files: you can choose to save the file in MIDI format 0 (one single track) or 1 (multiple tracks). NOTE – this option is enabled only if the original file was in MIDI format 0. The default is to save in MIDI format 1
  • When you have saved the MIDI file using Save As.. (new name) and has an Arrangement for the original MIDI file open, you are being offered a dialogue box with three choices (radio buttons):
  • Link the existing Arrangement to the new file
  • Leave the link to the old original file (no change) [default]
  • Create a new Arrangement for the new file
  • Other:
  • In the Pianoroll, using the “Start playing at current marker” button with Loop activated, the playback will start from the beginning if the “Before loop - start from beginning” checkbox is checked. This box will now become unchecked

New in SynthFont2 1.620 (Aug 22, 2012)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Some midi files were not correctly read (too many MIDI program changes, non-standard Karaoke Lyrics, embedded System Exclusive messages, etc.)
  • Since version 1.552 some VST instruments would become silent under certain occasions
  • Fixed most other reported exception bugs and user interface glitches.
  • New features:
  • When creating a new track, you can copy the MIDI date from the currently selected track.
  • More surplus events will now be marked as such (see the “Midi events” page, and below)
  • On the “Midi events” page, in group “Edit event”, there is a new checkbox called “Surplus”!. Toggle this to mark an event as surplus (displayed in Fuchsia color) or not. Surplus events can be deleted at once using the “Remove surplus events” button
  • Every track that contains multiple MIDI program changes will now have its own button in the tracks list
  • New checkbox "One for All" in “Handling of overlapping notes”: NOTE-ON and NOTE-OFF active for ALL note events of a certain value
  • Layers in the tracks list are now placed immediately beneath the parent track
  • Removed the “Soft” button in “Plug & Play”, “Playback volume” as this simple limiter introduced additional noise. Use a VST effects limiter instead
  • In the dropdown menu (right mouse button) for the “Open Midi or Arrangement” button in the main toolbar, there are a few new items: “Most recent” and “Use Alpha-submenus”. “Most recent” will list the most recently used files, Check “Use Alpha-submenus” to create submenus based on the first letter of the file. Additionally, you can now have sub-folders in your Arrangement folders. The files will be listed in sub-menus (independently on state of “Use Alpha-submenus”)
  • There is a new option to define if double-clicking on track in the tracks list mutes/unmutes the track (original function) or makes the tracks solo/removes solo (alternative)
  • The files list in the Explorer has a new column: “Arrangement”. This will display the name of the corresponding Arrangement file (the first found) for the MIDI files
  • More output sample rate alternatives in Synth options
  • In the VST editor windows there is a new button next to the presets dropdown list: “Name”. Press to change the name of the preset.
  • Saving of VST presets in either the Arrangement or the common configuration file is now more intuitive
  • When you delete an Arrangement file, all VST effect preset file define for the arrangement are also deleted

New in SynthFont2 1.613 (May 3, 2012)

  • Bug fixes:
  • When using “Relative to disk” paths for folders (in Options, Files and Folder), SynthFont would not always find the correct path
  • The Mixer sliders went missing for some MIDI files
  • When two or more controller values for the same controller coincided, SynthFont would make proper use of the first one only
  • Fixed most other reported exception bugs

New in SynthFont2 1.612 (Feb 6, 2012)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Since version 1.610 an exception occurred when activating Live Midi Input a second time if you did not have an arrangement loaded
  • Since a few versions back, SynthFont would incorrectly attach the file extensions ‘.mid’ instead of ‘.wav’ to output files when writing a playlist to files and not using any compression mode; thus possibly overwriting the original midi file
  • Version 1.611 introduced support for reading Unicode text from midi files. Writing of Unicode as ANSI did not succeed, however. Thus the text was lost.

New in SynthFont2 1.610 (Jan 19, 2012)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Since version 1.600, changing the language using the Language menu item in the main toolbar did not change the language permanently
  • SFZ file support was still lacking
  • SynthFont Version "1" does not support multiple time signatures. From now on the last time signature defined before any notes will be used instead of the very last one defined in the file (which may be in the last bar...)
  • Plus a number of other minor flaws.
  • Interface:
  • Changed keyboard shortcut: Shift+Ctrl+H is now "Show keyboard shortcuts" while Ctrl+H is still "Set default SoundFont file"
  • Fetaures:
  • You can now change SoundFonts while playing (and not only Presets)
  • The Live MIDI Input playback mode has been enhanced: you can now assign VST Instruments and Effects and change SoundFonts and Presets, while active. Additionally the settings are retained while switching Input ON/OFF. You can furthermore save a special arrangement which can be used for this mode only, as it does not require a MIDI file. See main menu “File” item “Save Arrangement for MIDI Input mode...”.
  • The SoundFont Presets dialog has a new option “Lock when playing live from MIDI input”. Check this to prevent MIDI program events from changing the Preset in Live MIDI Input playback mode
  • The VST instruments dropdown menu (“VSTI” button in tracks header) has a new item: “Remove instrument from track” to quickly remove the VST instrument assigned to the track and restore the SoundFont previously used.
  • In the VST editor window, the button “Lock” has a dropdown item: “Lock to MIDI channel 0”. Use this if the VST instrument accepts midi channel 0 data only (like Clavia Lab).
  • In the VST editor window, there is a new button “Reset”, most useful for VST instruments. Use it to switch off the instrument of it continues to play notes even after the tune has ended
  • SynthFont now keeps in memory VST Instruments and Effects when another Arrangement is loaded - if they are used in the other Arrangement - to speed up the loading of these
  • Previously notes were ended abruptly when the note release envelope reached a lower limit. In most cases this was acceptable, but not if the number of notes playing was small. SynthFont now adds a short damping tail to the end to make it smoother.
  • When playing to external MIDI devices through MIDI ports, SynthFont sends MIDI reset commands before, and after, playing.
  • When using SFZ files, SynthFont can now automatically extract the required WAV files from OGG files (provided that the OggVorbis libraries OGG.DLL and VorbisFile.DLL are present). You can delete the OGG files when extracted.

New in SynthFont2 1.605 (Jan 19, 2012)

  • In version 1.604, the SoundFont Presets list displayed when pressing the “SF2 Presets” button above the tracks did display the MIDI Programs and not the SoundFont Presets
  • Since version 1.603, when playing, the song length was sometimes incorrectly calculated - twice as long - making SynthFont stall when reaching 50%

New in SynthFont2 1.604 (Jan 19, 2012)

  • Bug fixes:
  • The SoundFont Presets list displayed when pressing the “SF2 Presets” button above the tracks was screwed up
  • File dialog boxes did not display correctly

New in SynthFont2 1.603 (Jan 19, 2012)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Volume and BPM Automations did not work since some time back.
  • The Automations were not always saved to the arrangement file.
  • When you deleted the last track layer, the last midi track was also deleted.
  • For a layer track with multiple MIDI program changes, you could not select each program separately to change SoundFont and/or Preset
  • You could not change the midi channel of a layer track (now you can use Slot 2)
  • Some Dynamic Data Exchange functions did not work after update to Unicode support
  • Using Delete button to delete a note in the Pianoroll could cause an exception
  • When calculating the length of the tune initially, the extra decay time was not taken into account
  • It was impossible to locate new VST folders to be added
  • Many edit boxes with Up/Down buttons did not work well
  • Many other minor bugs, flaws, shortcomings, annoyances and gotchas fixed.
  • New features:
  • You can now define in Setup / “Files and Folders “ which Configuration file you want to use.
  • Other:
  • The “MIDI Program” button in “Pug & Play” now again displays the available MIDI programs as a menu instead of as dialog window with a list.
  • Improved looping of the tune when the stop position was not defined

New in SynthFont2 1.602 (Jan 19, 2012)

  • In version 1.601, layer tracks were not correctly read from the Arrangement (due to the fix for Audio file tracks)

New in SynthFont2 1.601 (Jan 19, 2012)

  • The standard Delphi 2010 TUpDown controller has a bug making it virtually useless. This is now replaced by another UpDown controller
  • Audio file tracks were not correctly read from the Arrangement
  • The Unicode support introduced with Delphi 2010 caused the Dynamic Data Exchange functions not to work
  • Some other minor bugs, flaws and irregularities fixed

New in SynthFont2 1.600 (Oct 7, 2011)

  • Bug fixes:
  • A large number of reported bugs, flaws and irregularities fixed.
  • Other:
  • All versions since 1.558 may have caused the anti-virus software Avast to think that SynthFont was potentially dangerous and suggested to run it in a sandbox. This was due to the new version of the Eurekalog exception report system introduced. This system has now been replaced with the JEDI debug system
  • Added “.rmi” to the list of known MIDI file extensions
  • Version 1.600 is compiled with Delphi version 2010, which has full support for Unicode

New in SynthFont2 1.561 (Jul 9, 2011)

  • Bug fixes:
  • When a VST instrument was assigned to a track - any track - it was also assigned to the first track -the tempo track - causing SynthFont to send tempo changes to the VST instrument and not using them internally.
  • Since version 1.553 track names were not always correctly read from a midi file
  • Some VST instrument problems introduced by the Delphi 11(2007) compiler has been fixed
  • Pressing the go forward button (for bar movement) repeatedly quickly could make SynthFont jump to the beginning of the song (also see below).
  • New features:
  • You can keep the go forward or backward buttons down to repeatedly go forward/backward one (or ten bars, with CTRL key pressed)
  • When SynthFont detects bad notes (note ON event with missing note OFF event) it will now give you more options for what to do with the note.

New in SynthFont2 1.560 (May 10, 2011)

  • In the process of moving from the Delphi 7(2002) compiler to Delphi 11(2007) a few odd things happened, for instance, some string lists very emptied. For example the Small Buffer size list in Setup, which is used to set the buffer size when playing live and not using ASIO, was nullified, with adverse side effects, of course. Version 1.560 tries to fix all these (minor) issues.

New in SynthFont2 1.559 (May 6, 2011)

  • Some VST effects and instruments were not accepted by Version 1.558

New in SynthFont2 1.558 (May 5, 2011)

  • Bug fixes:
  • SynthFont did occasionally not send Midi Program Change messages on to a VST instrument as it might have been flagged as “Locked” (i.e. not General Midi compatible), although the “Locked” button in the VST instrument editor was not pressed
  • When assigning a VST instrument to several tracks at once, SynthFont did (since version 1.500) assign different instances to each track. Before version 1.500 the same single instance was assigned
  • The Delete key did not delete selected notes in the Pianoroll
  • Some GIGA and DLS files were not correctly interpreted
  • Other:
  • Replaced unmodified shortcut keys with modified ones, mostly using Shift+Ctrl as modifier (see file ShortKeys.txt)
  • SynthFont had problems with midi files in which there were Midi Program Change messages for a particular channel spread over many tracks. SynthFont now moves all Program Changes to the track with the corresponding notes.

New in SynthFont2 1.557 (Apr 15, 2011)

  • Since version 1.552 some notes have tended to remain playing after note-off although they were mostly silent already and did not contribute anything. This caused the polyphony to rise and the system to slow down
  • Master Fine and Coarse Tuning did not always work
  • The two latest versions have often experienced a not fatal exception at start-up
  • Exclusive Class for percussions did not work when short-cutting of overlapping notes was switched off
  • A large number of other minor bugs fixed

New in SynthFont2 1.556 (Mar 22, 2011)

  • Bug fixes
  • Versions 1.554 and 1.555 had a bug causing it to draw the Pianoroll badly when the Grid Size was set to more than 1. Additionally the “Show Scale” checkbox in “Key Signature and Melodic Scale” did not work (notes were not grayed)
  • Some midi files were not correctly read
  • Keys used as shortcuts could not be used to navigate to files in the Explorer list
  • After editing and saving a SoundFont group file in use by a track, the track presets were not updated
  • The playback position in the Pianoroll did not respond to a user change of the BPM factor (in “Plug & Play”)
  • Other:
  • The shortcut key for pause/resume playback used to be “W” or “Pause/Break”. It is now only “Pause/Break”

New in SynthFont2 1.555 (Mar 7, 2011)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Version 1.554 had a nasty bug causing it to throw an exception at start-up when the Setup dialog was initially displayed. Function has been removed.
  • The Scale Tuning feature for various temperaments has been broken since a few versions back.

New in SynthFont2 1.554 (Mar 2, 2011)

  • If SynthFont cannot save the update file in the folder chosen for temporary files, SynthFont now tries to use another folder
  • SynthFont could not read midi files created from Tyros style files
  • SynthFont could not restore a VST instrument in an Arrangement file if the path contained parenthesis symbols “(” and/or “)”
  • Since version 1.530 SynthFont may have decided to assign the SPDIF audio output as the default although not originally set so, resulting in no sound output
  • Since version 1.540, you could not assign a SoundFont to a track in Live Midi Input mode
  • Pitch Wheel range was not always correctly set from the Continuous Controllers
  • Fixed a number of other reported bugs

New in SynthFont2 1.553 (Feb 23, 2011)

  • Fixed a minor but annoying bug that could prevent some midi type 0 files to be correctly read

New in SynthFont2 1.552 (Feb 23, 2011)

  • In version 1.520 (November 2010) an attempt was made to make the note release decay curve match the decay curve of my Creative Live! audio card. The curve became too steep. It is now correct. Sorry
  • Fixed a number of other reported bugs, for example problems with Pitch Wheel range settings and loops
  • Slightly improved SFZ file support
  • CPU load meter did not work on Windows 2000 (since version 1.522)
  • In the virtual keyboard, the option to define the key velocity by using the mouse wheel did not always work

New in SynthFont2 1.551 (Feb 8, 2011)

  • Bug fixes
  • The new Explorer control did not always behave as expected
  • Some shortcut keys, like space bar for playing, were inactivated
  • Exception reports never reached the SynthFont bug report server
  • Plus a number of minor flaws and annoyances fixed
  • When minimizing to the Notification Area, the tread priority was set too low
  • New features:
  • In the virtual keyboard you now have the option to define the key velocity either by the vertical position of the mouse pointer (default) or by using the mouse wheel. To select method, use the right mouse button to pop up a menu with a new item called "Options".
  • In the toolbar of the Explorer files list there is a new button with traffic lights. Check to have SynthFont play the tune immediately after loading it (you must double-click to load it).
  • Also see the Autoplay checkbox in the “Play options” box at the top-right corner Files/Folders window.

New in SynthFont2 1.550 (Feb 1, 2011)

  • Bug fixes:
  • When selecting the German language, some additional File Open or Save dialog options where not visible (for instance settings for writing compressed audio files)
  • A number of bugs fixed … again
  • New features:
  • When playing to various compressed file formats (MP3, OGG, FLAC, APE; WMA), SynthFont now writes the compressed files directly, avoiding the initial creation of uncompressed WAV files. Additionally, also 24 bit and 32 bit files are allowed when using FLAC or APE.
  • The Explorer in “Files / Folders” is now Windows 7 compatible (supports Libraries)
  • New localization language: Italian, thanks to Andrea Bevilacqua.
  • A new checkbox in the “Default SoundFont Override” dialog: “Disable all overrides”. Check to temporarily disable all overrides (NOTE: state is not saved between sessions). Additionally, when importing a set of overrides from a file, all existing overrides are removed at first.
  • The behavior of the solo play button in the Pianoroll has been extended so that you can change state also while playing

New in SynthFont2 1.540 (Jan 5, 2011)

  • Bug fixes
  • The Live Midi Input Mode was broken in version 1.530
  • Fixed some issues related to the Default SoundFont Override functionality
  • Fixed some other minor bugs and irregularities
  • New features:
  • Added the midi file extension “.midi” to the list of known files (as an alternative to the old “.mid” extension)
  • Added a function to display which notes belong to a certain scale in Pianoroll. Fully available to registered users only

New in SynthFont2 1.530 (Dec 21, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Since version 1.500, the loudness level has been twice as high as before. Fixed.
  • Since version 1.520, SynthFont 1.520 could not exit if closed while playing
  • SynthFont might cause an exception when closing after playing on the virtual keyboard
  • In Plug&Play, the VST effect “Bypass All” button worked the wrong way around
  • The Sound File Manager would not scan sub-folders initially when adding a new folder to the list
  • Fixed the routine for reading GIGA files
  • New features:
  • In Pianoroll you can now copy notes to Windows Clipboard, in text format. The data can be pasted into e.g. Notepad, edited, copied to the Clipboard and pasted back to SynthFont at a later time.
  • The virtual keyboard: in most cases where the virtual keyboard is displayed (e.g. in the Sound File Manager) you can use keys A,W,S,E,D,F,T,G,Y,H,U,J,K,O,L,P on the PC’s keyboard to play notes, and keys 1-9 to switch octave. Use right mouse button for a popup menu.
  • New implementation of Legato. While Legato is switched ON, a note will be coupled to the next note of the same value if closer than the length of a 1/32 note. Unlike Pedal Hold, Legato will have no effect on the length of one single note or notes separated by more than 1/32. Between Legato coupled notes, no interruption will be heard, even if “Cut Notes Short” for handling of overlapping notes in Setup is turned on.
  • Some more items in the context sensitive menu (right click) for the Pianoroll.
  • Limited support for SFZ-files (“SoundFez” files). NOTE: OggVorbis samples are not supported but must at first be converted to WAV samples. The SFZ-file itself does not need to be changed.
  • Support for MIDI Format 2 files. These files have several independent sequences in as many tracks. SynthFont expands each sequence into as many tracks as there are midi channels and loads the sequences in sequential order with appropriate location markers.

New in SynthFont2 1.521 (Nov 30, 2010)

  • Bug fixes
  • SynthFont 1.520 might hang at the end of a song when playing with VST instruments.
  • For DLS-files, the Envelope Sustain level was not always correctly interpreted.
  • The Controllers graph did not always update correctly in version 1.520
  • For a track layer, the SoundFont was not always display in the tracks list (showed “N/A”)
  • Fixed a number of other minor bugs
  • New features:
  • In the Pianoroll, when using the eraser to eras note you previous had to move over the note, now it is enough to click on it.
  • In the Pianoroll, under the list with tracks, there is a new Solo button. Press to play the selected track only when playing.
  • When creating a new midi file you were previously asked to save it at the same time. This no longer happens.

New in SynthFont2 1.520 (Nov 23, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • In Pianoroll, “Edit track”, “Change time (position) of events”, the limits were wrong when using “Move events BELOW the limit” or “Move events ABOVE the limit”
  • Setting the velocity to 0 for a note actually deletes the note. Now you can not set it to lower than 1.
  • The velocity of a note when using the virtual keyboard to play, is determined by the vertical position of the mouse pointer on the key. This value was incorrectly computed for black keys.
  • Fixed a larger number of crash report bugs!
  • New feature:
  • In Pianoroll, when moving over the lines, a hint window will display the key number and note. Use the context menu (right mouse button) to hide/show this message.

New in SynthFont2 1.510 (Oct 28, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • SynthFont lost the path to it's program folder (where for instance all encoder libraries are)
  • Fixed a larger number of bugs!
  • New features:
  • Sound File Manager - scan through all of your folders with SoundFonts (or *.GIG, *.DLS, *.PAT files) and listen to and compare Presets. Use Ctrl+W or the new button in the tracks list header or a menu item to display this tool.
  • In the Extended mixer the behavior of the up/down spin button has changed. Normal spin is no with larger increments. Hold CTRL key down to spin in smaller steps.

New in SynthFont2 1.500 (Oct 15, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • A SoundFont Override was not correctly defined when preset was different from default
  • SynthFont did not send Program Changed message to a midi out port
  • SynthFont did not automatically save VST Effects program changes when saving the Arrangement
  • Moving VST effects up/down while playing didn't work correctly
  • Plus a multitude of minor issues … to many to list here
  • New features:
  • Much improved support for screen readers like JAWS from Freedom Scientific and the free NVDA
  • Replaced some of Delphi's native StringGrids with Microsoft's ListViews and a number of Delphi's native SpeedButtons with normal buttons for better screen reader support
  • You can now define a Default Scale Tuning (when no Arrangement is found)
  • New Mixer, with two alternatives Standard - similar to as before and Extended (available to registered users only) with four parameters available
  • Press Ctrl+H to see a large number of new (and old) keyboard shortcuts. (This list is in the file “ShortKeys.txt”)

New in SynthFont2 1.425 (Jul 17, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • SynthFont could not create MP3 files
  • The stop marker in Playback range could not be reset to the end of the song after changing it once
  • Fixed a few other reported bugs

New in SynthFont2 1.424 (Jul 9, 2010)

  • A VST instrument with a single instance used on several tracks would not close gracefully when playback was interrupted
  • An exception could occur when closing SynthFont
  • A few other reported minor bugs fixed

New in SynthFont2 1.423 (Jul 9, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • The displayed volume levels were twice too large
  • SynthFont could not handle extremely long notes
  • SynthFont did not correctly read midi files with a certain coding error (error handling)
  • Fixed an issue with Pedal Hold on last note
  • A few other minor bugs
  • Features:
  • Pianoroll, "Draw note", a new checkbox #1: "Insert new note when moving notes and clicking on an empty space". Uncheck if you find this function awkward
  • Pianoroll, "Draw note", a new checkbox #2: "Snap end to grid (and not length)". When changing note length, toggle to snap to standard lengths or the grid
  • Since version 1.411 SynthFont removed notes shorter than 3. This no longer happens. All notes are retained, to be seen and edited.

New in SynthFont2 1.422 (Jul 9, 2010)

  • Version 1.421 had CPU usage monitoring problems on some Vista systems
  • Bank selection did not work
  • A few other minor bugs

New in SynthFont2 1.421 (Jun 29, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Version 1.420 crashed quite often – randomly, for reasons still unknown
  • When assigning a VST instrument to a track for midi channel X, the same instrument is now assigned to ALL tracks for midi channel X
  • A number of other minor bugs and annoying inconsistencies fixed
  • Others:
  • Localization function does not work on Windows 98
  • A read-only midi file can no longer be saved to

New in SynthFont2 1.420 (Jun 11, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Version 1.412 did not save the Left and Right volume levels correctly in the arrangement
  • Version 1.412 would reset the SoundFont choice to default when editing the midi file
  • Pan Spread Defaults function didn't work (problem with Balance vs. Pan)
  • Velocity Dynamics has been wrongly displayed with velocity response slopes in the range 1 through 6 while the correct range should have been 0 through 5, where 0 - 1 means a velocity response less than unity
  • Since version 1.410, the Mixer Track Volume could be reset to 1.0 on some occasions
  • In the SoundFont Group editor, the last melodic program was always blank
  • Since some time back, double-clicking on a note in the Pianoroll did NOT make the note's track active
  • Fixed a problem with SONiVOX VST instruments
  • When playing from a Marker in Pianoroll, SynthFont would reset the Stop Marker to the end of the file
  • Others:
  • Bank change to a User Bank now works also in live mode (use the new command "Reset all bank assignments (live mode)" in BANK menu, Plug&Play track list header, to reset banks)
  • Pianoroll, "Draw note", a new checkbox: "Insert new note when moving notes and clicking on an empty space". Uncheck if you find this function awkward
  • Still improved handling of overlapping notes together with missing note-off events
  • Changed the Playback volume levels display; the display leaves a track of the peak level
  • For playing live, without ASIO, you can now select to use up to 10 buffers to avoid stuttering (but get increased latency instead...)
  • The Volume Offset in SoundFont Overrides no longer changes the Mixer Track Volume but has its own parameter
  • The Bank Manager no longer lets you select "Either fine or coarse" bank selection controller. You must select "Bank Coarse (CC 0)" or "Bank Fine (CC 32)"

New in SynthFont2 1.412 (May 20, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Version 1.411 caused an exception with Activate Midi Input
  • Fixed a number of other minor bugs and inconsistencies at the same time

New in SynthFont2 1.411 (May 20, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Version 1.410 sometimes showed an exception when playing stopped
  • Version 1.410 did not always correctly set the volume levels
  • Version 1.410 could not correctly use banks-within-banks defined in the Bank Manager
  • Version 1.410 did not correctly render separated channel files
  • Features:
  • You can now also define a relative Midi Editor path (Setup)
  • Others
  • Better handling of overlapping notes together with missing NOTE-OFF events

New in SynthFont2 1.410 (May 12, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Since version 1.400, the events list has not been able to show note-on/note-off pairs in bold
  • Play-buttons were not initially enabled when starting up without loading a midi file but ready to play from a playlist
  • Deleting files from the playlist didn't always work as expected
  • Copy/paste notes between two midi files didn't work as expected if the PPQN-values were different
  • In piano player the "less" button was always "less". Now it reads "Tracks" to show the list of tracks and "Hide" to hide it
  • The Playback volume sliders now lock into even values (like 148%, 150%) and not odd values (like 149%, 151%)
  • The Playback volume indicators were slow and choppy, often lagging behind - improved
  • It is now easier to have a local copy of SynthFont on a flash drive, with a local copy of the configurations file "SynthFont.ini" and relative arrangement and data folders
  • The first VST effect in the Default list was never included when opening a midi file
  • Some other reported bugs fixed
  • Others:
  • The User Bank Manager has finally been updated to include "banks-within-banks" as it was originally designed, before introduction of the "SoundFont Override" feature.
  • A third View mode introduced: "Midi Guru" - hides all three SoundFont editing panes

New in SynthFont2 1.403 (Apr 13, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • BMP factor range was limited to 0.9 to 1.1 - fixed
  • The “Default SoundFont Override” parameter "Volume Offset dB" was not used. It is now linked to the Volume level in the Mixer (if not already set in the arrangement).
  • Some other reported bugs fixed
  • Others:
  • The User Bank Manager has been unavailable since version 1.400. Now it is back - in a simplified form.

New in SynthFont2 1.402 (Mar 27, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Fixed a number of reported bugs
  • Others:
  • Final German translation - thanks to Simon Tristan Papel
  • The User Bank Manager feature is still (temporarily) turned off

New in SynthFont2 1.401 (Mar 5, 2010)

  • Fixed a bug in the localization function

New in SynthFont2 1.400 (Mar 4, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Sorting of Arrangements in date order didn't work so well
  • VST instruments would not finish off notes in the middle when stopping before reaching the end
  • Saving of VST program data didn't always work and a major change in the method has been implemented
  • The Hold Pedal was broken again!
  • A couple of minor bugs fixed as well
  • New features:
  • Support for local languages - currently only Dutch(Belgium), thanks to Eli Dirkx. The technology is there so other languages can easily be added in the future. Some GUI changes had to be made in order to incorporate the somewhat longer Dutch texts.
  • You can now set how long SynthFont will wait for the song to end. There is a new button with small, yellow squares in "Plug & Play", "Playback range". The setting is stored in the arrangement.
  • Others:
  • The user interface has gone through some changes
  • The User Bank Manager feature has temporarily been turned off

New in SynthFont2 1.345 (Feb 1, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • SynthFont always created a new empty arrangement when you pressed a "Play to..." button
  • A couple of minor bugs fixed as well

New in SynthFont2 1.344 (Jan 29, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • When the midi file in the arrangement was missing, SynthFont did not ask you to look for it
  • You could not play track layers or assign SoundFonts to track layers
  • In Pianoroll, Controllers, draw "Erase" did not actually erase everything
  • In Pianoroll, grid size was not restored correctly when opening SynthFont
  • When playing to a file from a defined position within the file the playback transport did not start from the position
  • New features:
  • You can now also assign a VST instrument as a “Default SoundFont Override”
  • Others:
  • Previously SynthFont would not allow to assign non-percussion midi channel numbers (others than 10 or 26) to layers for percussion tracks
  • Setup Tuning Scales default was the first in the list and not “Equal Temperament”
  • In Plug & Play, "Playback range", if bar/beat was activated one could increase the stop position to "infinity"
  • The Wenc2.ocx library is no longer required for converting to Windows Media Audio.

New in SynthFont2 1.343 (Jan 22, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Some VST instruments, like 2 from Steinberg, were silent
  • Removed some other minor bugs and annoyances

New in SynthFont2 1.342 (Jan 4, 2010)

  • Bug fixes:
  • 1.341 lost the ability to restore the selected SoundFont from the Arrangement file
  • In the Pianoroll, "Edit note", "Standard length" was often wrong
  • TransposeAll values not displayed when reading back from the Arrangement file
  • Removed some other minor bugs in "Midi Events"
  • New features:
  • You can select notes in the Pianoroll by right-clicking in the virtual keyboard. Now you can unselect all notes as well with a second click
  • Others:
  • "Delete notes" button in Pianoroll Batch Edit deletes all notes when no were selected. Warning message now displayed

New in SynthFont2 1.341 (Dec 30, 2009)

  • Bug fixes:
  • The new Vista/Win7 compatible program icons were lost
  • Track layers were silent
  • Vol & Pan initially not displayed in tracks list
  • Default SoundFont Override did not work for tracks with multiple program changes
  • New features:
  • New button in Pianoroll: Select/Unselect all notes in track
  • It is now an option to store an altered track order in the Midi file (and not in the Arrangement) when saving the Midi file
  • Others:
  • Previously SynthFont always stored a METAEVENT for the track name in the midi file for all tracks when saving the file. Now it is only stored if a) previously stored or b) if the track name has been changed in the tracks list

New in SynthFont2 1.330 (Nov 29, 2009)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Often you couldn't play a midi file directly after saving it
  • Problem when shifting selected notes up/down in the Pianoroll
  • The track order arrangement feature didn't work very well
  • Problem with Pitch Band in midi files created with GuitarPro
  • The buttons in the track list header would not always be correctly aligned
  • Sometimes it took too much time and CPU resources to update the tracks list
  • Improved emptying of VST effects and instruments when playing has stopped
  • Improved GIGA file support (some GIGA files had additional noise). Maestro_concert_grand_v2 also works now!
  • In some cases the song length calculated before playing was incorrect
  • Exception when restoring from minimized to the notification area
  • Plus the normal bug fixes, as found in all those exception reports (thanks!)
  • And finally, fixed a large number of minor bugs and inconsistencies
  • New features:
  • Two new checkboxes in "Files & Folders": "Keep visible" – check to keep Files & Folders visible when double-clicking to open a file; and
  • "Autoplay" – check to start playing immediately after double-clicking to open a file
  • Splitting a track with events for more than one midi channel is now optional the first time you open the midi file
  • One new color scheme: “Even greener”. This is equal to SynthFont's original Green scheme. Also the other schemes have been slightly changed.
  • New icons!

New in SynthFont2 1.326 (Nov 3, 2009)

  • The normal bug fixes
  • You can now define where to save VST effects settings: in the Arrangement or in the SynthFont.ini Configuration Settings file (for common use)
  • Lots of other minor improvements
  • This version has been tested on Windows 7

New in SynthFont2 1.325 (Oct 15, 2009)

  • The normal bug fixes
  • In version 1.322 a not so good change was made: tempo changes in all other tracks but track 1 were ignored. In this version all tempo changes are moved to track 1 instead.

New in SynthFont2 1.324 (Oct 4, 2009)

  • Bug fixes:
  • A silly bug introduced in version 1.323 made Live Input Mode inoperable

New in SynthFont2 1.323 (Oct 4, 2009)

  • Bug fixes:
  • A silly bug introduced in version 1.321 made program changes sometimes come too late
  • Fixed a large number of other bugs
  • The Karaoke Lyrics form was made useless in version 1.316
  • In Pianoroll, Batch edit, Change note length section: when selecting a “Standard lengths” value, the value “Change to” was not always correct
  • New feature:
  • Introduced the first Custom Feature supported by Viena: "Always play sample to end". When checked, note off events will not have any effect, the sample will play to end. Loops are not supported!

New in SynthFont2 1.322 (Sep 4, 2009)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Fixed a bug causing an exception when closing Live Input mode
  • Other issues:
  • By default track 1 is the Tempo track. SynthFont has up to now also accepted tempo changes in all other tracks. This has been changed.

New in SynthFont2 1.321 (Sep 3, 2009)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Some bugs related to the Live Input mode, for example, you can now change both SoundFont and Preset for a temporary track
  • A few other reported bugs fixed
  • New feature:
  • When drawing in the Controllers window in Pianoroll, the first mouse click will "snap to the grid" if the "Snap to grid" button is checked

New in SynthFont2 1.320 (Aug 19, 2009)

  • Bug fixes:
  • Tried to fix a few bugs related to the Bank Manager for SoundFont Banks and the SoundFont Pool
  • A few other reported exceptions fixed

New in SynthFont2 1.316 (Jun 25, 2009)

  • Bug fixes:
  • The Tuning Scale offsets in Setup could not be edited correctly
  • Changed the behavior of CC Pedal Hold to avoid piling up notes
  • Recording to an audio track fixed
  • Tried to fix a few more reported exception bugs

New in SynthFont2 1.124 (Dec 3, 2008)

  • Tried to fixed an obscure bug that made SynthFont unable to convert WAV to MP3 on some Vista computers
  • In version 1.123 the virtual keyboard button in the tracks toolbar on Plug and Play screen did not work
  • In version 1.123 the Metronome button on Plug and Play screen - once pressed in it stayed there
  • The song length was calculated wrongly while playing
  • The Bar/Beat Stop position couldn't be set to the last beat in a measure
  • The Volume Automation was not saved for the right channel
  • In some cases the Pianoroll would initially not point to any existing track. Adding notes would result in an exception
  • Track layers were not read back from the Arrangement file
  • The SoundFont generators ModEnvToPitch and ModEnvToFilterFc did not always work as expected
  • When Windows was set to hide known file extensions, the preset list in the file open dialog would be empty

New in SynthFont2 1.04 (May 23, 2006)

  • Fixed most bugs reported by Eurekalog
  • The live Input mode (from an external midi port) did not work
  • The rendering engine has been slowed down in all versions after 1.020
  • Changed the Velocity CC interpretation back to versions prior to 1.020
  • On some sound cards there were still problems with the playback synchronization, resulting in some kind of random "fast forward"
  • Some midi files were read extremely slowly
  • Fixed drawing of Breath Controller in the Pianoroll/Controllers graph
  • ... plus an odd number of user interface glitches fixed.
  • Support for reading midi files named as Karaoke files ("kar" files)
  • A "Transpose All" command in the Mixer to change Song key
  • When rendering a playlist to files, you can select the output folder a) same as midi files b) same as arrangement files or c) specified folder.
  • New button in transport for Fast Backward 1 or 10 bars (with left Ctrl key down)
  • Changed the old Backwards button to jump to start position (defined marker or beat)