HourGlass 1.0.0 beta 4 (updated to beta 5)

I am not superstitious but let’s still hope this release date isn’t going to be unfortunate… 😉

(Of course there were bugs, so updated to beta 5)

Changes :

-Beta 5 : fixes a possible crash after removing sound sources as well as hopefully fixes the sound source probabilities being corrupted.

-Sound sources can be swapped from the sound sources editor right-click menu (ie, sources already in the internal list can be reordered)

-Fragment script automatic compilation can be toggled (useful for example if the script is going to do something dangerous when in unfinished state.)

-When changing fragment panning mode, show the new mode as a descriptive text instead of a number

-New fragment script read-only variable “numsounds” which gives the number of loaded sound sources. New fragment script factory preset “Round robin sound sources” illustrates usage.

-Minipeaks in sound sources editor are hidden when the width of the cell becomes enough small

-Drawing optimizations in the time distribution view and the sources editor

-Source sound snapshot list is cleared when creating new workspace

-Removed notification display for sound source marker changes

Download from :

http://vesanorilo.com/xenakios/HourGlass_1.0.0beta5.zip

Older changes in 1.0.0 :

Beta 3 :

-Sound sources editor shows scrollbars when the snapshots don’t fit vertically into the current size

-Better error messages for fragment scripts. (Note however that the error that attempts to show the beginning of the line with the error isn’t always right. This is a limitation of the eel2 library and IIRC also behaves similarly with Cockos’s JesuSonic.)

-Removed the “Presets” entry from the View-menu

-Source morph envelope is reset when calling the “New workspace” action

-Some parameters appear (again) more logically grouped in the main parameters GUI

Beta 2 :

-Fix for crash when drag and dropping audio files into HourGlass and using the sound sources actions after that

-Remove now useless second “Sound sources” entry from View menu

-Potential speed-ups for GUI drawing (this wasn’t really benchmarked yet if it made any difference but the changes don’t seem to cause any harm either…)

Beta 1 :

-Sound sources editor has been overhauled and the old lists based one removed

-Envelope points can be automatically generated within the envelope time selection by using the white handle in the time selection’s bottom left corner. Right-click on the handle to switch between ramp up, triangle and random generation. (This system will be expanded and improved later, but is now provided as is in the hopes it is useful.)

-A custom time distribution pattern can be designed for the fragment time positions. This can allow at slow fragment rates shuffle/swing-type time patterns and at high fragment rates, comb filtering/thickening/accent type effects.

-Some parameters are now allowed to have a greater range of values than before. Accessible from the parameter’s A button menu via the “Set parameter range” action.

-Instead of wasting space with a separate panel, the main parameter presets are handled directly in the main parameters panel using much less screen space than what the list based old presets panel required.

-Envelope editor values grid (Y-axis) can now more easily and interactively be set to equidistant intervals and also a custom grid can be created via a new grid editing mode in the envelope editor. (Accessible from the … button right to the “steps” text)

-Envelope segments can directly be dragged up/down (so as to move the points  that the segment is connected to).

-In Classic fragment engine mode, a rotated view of the active sound source waveform is drawn for the Source position envelope in order to help designing the envelope curve to follow the source sound

-Mixer insert slots now have a button to remove the DSP module/plugin in the slot

-Fragment properties scripting system has been improved and contains some example presets. There are now some code completion facilities available. Once you type 3 letters of a known symbol (internal variable or function name), a list of suggestions appears. The full list of suggestions can also be invoked by pressing Control+Space. The suggestion list contains variables handed over to the script from HourGlass as the first entries, and then the available built-in function names from the eel2 language.

-Added a new DSP module, BitMapper, that allows to turn individual bits on/off in the sound, as well as combine them with 3 different modes. Note that if you go beyond turning the individual bits on/off, it is quite unpredictable what will happen if you combine the bits and so on. This is strictly a process to destroy sound, not to make subtle adjustments.

-Various attempts to allow the window to be resized smaller. These include that the statusbar that used to be in the bottom of the window has been removed and instead a notification overlay is displayed (over the bottom of the window) for various operations and failures.