MSN should get with the program...

Now I remember why I never use MSN.

Tons of ideas but...

I sit at my PC and I have a lot of ideas but I go blank staring at the screen. "Writers block", programmer style?

Delphi 2006 trial version

So Borland have released a trial version of Delphi 2006 - an Architect trial version that lasts 30 days.

Pity they didn't release a personal version that costs $99 instead.

"Alas poor Borland, I knew him well..."

Saw this on the net.

My reaction to this?

"Do not ask for whom the bells toll, they toll for you".

Maybe it's time to hangup my Delphi T-shirts and start wearing C# ones.

Sigh.

Notes stuck on

You hate it when it happens. Your latest sequencer starts generating stuck notes that never turn off. I had this with the MIDI streaming API but managed to figure that one out. Now I'm working with a MIDI sequencer feeding into a VST sample accurate system. ARGH! No longer are things aligned on a nice neat PPQN boundary. They're all over the shop. And my pad notes are getting stuck on.

With a good ol' trace log, I figured out the stuck note always occured at the same point - when the sample position 'wrapped' around bar - a boundary condition error meant this was never seen - switch 'x < y' to 'x <= y' and stuck notes have gone!

Still, it beats working with databases. Now I can start to compose stuff with uSeq. If only saving worked. Groan...

μSeq

I just don't like the name The Chordinator. Too... naff!

So, how's about μSeq, as in micro-sequencer?

More bells and whistles added to Multi Host...

Delphi who?

It has surprised me how a number of apps I use for music are created in Delphi. ImageLine's FL Studio is one example; Rayzoon's JamStix is another.

I first saw Delphi V1 on the front of a magazine. I tried it, loved it, and have been buying it for personal use ever since.

I skipped Delphi 8 as I wasn't that struck on .NET, despite Microsoft trying to make it the future of development. I bought Delphi 2005, but was disappointed by how bad a release it was. Delphi 2006 is much better, but I can't help feeling Delphi 7 was the last best release.

C++ Builder is Borland's answer for C++ instead of Delphi's Object Pascal. It took until V5 before it became reasonable. Even now I wouldn't use it in preference to Visual Studio C++.

Borland's brief flirtation on Linux with Kylix wasn't a great success. It had potential but seemed to have too many problems. It came free with Delphi 7, but the cross platform library (CLX) has disappeared from Delphi 2006.

So I can see why people think Borland is dead. They haven't done much lately except shoot themselves in the foot. Sad really, but I'm reminded how much being technically superior is no guarantee of success.

Sound of much sawing, hammering, cursing and bruised thumbs...

"It's alive! IT'S ALIVE"

Chordinator with MultiHost merged in.

Oh my god, oh-mi-god!

Tune Forge

Just added a transition matrix based "tune forge" to Chordinator. First few generations produced a few interesting tunes...

Multi host

There's MiniHost, a single VSTi host, there's VSTHost etc.

How about a MultiHost? Something that handles multiple VSTi and chaining of VST effects on that instrument...



Well, it works, but needs more... I got the MIDI input going, and the channel filtering. Now I need to make the UI work so I can try it out with Chordinator...

Then take a large spoon and stir Chordinator and MultiHost together...

(cue the electric storm, flashing lights, evil laughter, and "it is ALIVE!"... well, not yet anywhy)

Delphi 2006 is here...

After reading the posts about it, everything seemed ok. So I ordered it on the Friday, it turned up on the Tue afterwards. Rebuilt Chordinator with it, ok no problems so far. Hmmm... then got strange crashes, odd hangs. So far it's been ASIO causing issues, not sure why.

'tis the season to be...

Bah! Humbug! Can't stand xmas!

This year is different... something to do with whatever online community I hang out with. Three years ago I met Jonathan; this year I'm getting pressies from unexpected sources.

ImageLine have released FL Studio 6

H G Fortune sent me details of a 'Fortune Cookie' synth - since I bought a few of his VSTi creations.

Oh, and I've got a cold. sniff. me head hurts.

Editing with the Chordinator

I tried to put one of my songs in Chordinator and immediately hit a problem - it was hard to do as I couldn't see everything at once. So, I'm going to extend the pattern editor to allow multiple tracks and bars.

Delphi 2006

Borland has released Delphi 2006, a Delphi, C++, C# development system (I understand the C++ 'personality' is a pre-release).

I bought Delphi 2005... oh dear, I wish I hadn't. It was unstable, buggy and it's still not fixed, even after three updates. So I've help off buying Delphi 2006 for now (though it has, or will have, C++).

Delphi 7 seems to do everything I want, so I'm staying there. I'm watching in the USENET groups for reviews. I'm hoping Borland release a free version before my discount runs out, but I doubt it.

WindowBlinds

Just trying out WindowBlinds... themes for Windows XP. Nice eye candy. A few rough edges here and there.

There's just too many of them...

Plugins.

Those little pieces of software that you can create music with... my VstPlugins directory has at least 270 of 'em. Oh dear!

Some of the free ones made with SynthEdit are pretty good!

The Chordinator

Still working on my music pattern editor/generator...


(Updated to latest version)

Wusikstation

I've finally bought a copy of Wusikstation and had a lot of fun creating new presets based on Sound Fonts etc. I've got a few products like this already, but with ESC I can properly create the banks for it.

The inspiration for this comes from two sources: SynthMaker, which has taught me a lot about how virtual synths work and M42 Nebula which has an interesting set of pads based on a sound font.

I've also got LinPlug's CronoX3, another sample based synth. There doesn't seem to be a tool to help convert sound fonts for this as yet.

Melody Mine

Here's an application I'm currently working on: Melody Mine. It's unfinished as yet. Lots of details to work through! It has a MIDI editor with a difference - it highlights the scale and chord progression in the bar. I can never remember either of those two. It uses MIDI out of a sound card, so it sounds pretty basic. However, you will be able to export to a MIDI file and load it into your favourite sequencer.

Here's the older version which is pattern based:


I moved on from it as I felt it hindered development rather than enhanced it...