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PDTracker v4.55b beta release
20th January 1997
© Simon Hatliff 1997
Licence conditions
------------------
This is a beta-release version of PDTracker, and the normal licence
conditions do not apply.
This copy of PDTracker may be passed freely amongst private individuals,
but please only pass it on to those who will provide useful feedback. It
may NOT be distributed by any PD libraries, FTP sites, bulletin boards or
similar. The only public source of this copy shall be the author's WWW
pages.
Once this beta-release has been tested, and bugs fixed, edges tidies up,
etc. a full release will be made with the usual licence conditions. This
should be happening within a few days, if all goes well.
What's included here
--------------------
This package contains a (hopefully!) working copy of PDTracker, with NO
DOCUMENTATION other than this file and the interactive help messages. It
is assumed that the user has a copy of PDTracker v4.52, which contains a
StrongHelp 2 format manual. I have not yet completed the updates to this
manual for the new features etc.
Please keep a safe working copy of v4.52 in case anything goes wrong with
this version.
Please note, you shouldn't keep your old Choices file, as it's
incompatible. One day I will alter my choices library so that it easily
supports previous versions, but because I have renumbered some windows it
won't work this time.
What's new since v4.52?
-----------------------
v4.53b (29th July 1996)
New features:
• Auto-scanning for CD on startup and on new disc insertion.
• Self-repeating track detection.
• "Jump to" is now "Goto sequence", and "Goto" is now "Goto track".
• New internal type 98, which will open autodetect window. PC and Data
filetypes are now mapped to 98, so dragging S3Ms with these types will
produce the window.
• Xenakis 8 *and* 16-bit support added.
• Mini bar is now togglable into a vertical position.
• Info box changed to show all filetypes supported (I had to rearrange it
since there are now so many types supported!). Corresponding new look
"Welcome" box.
• CD volume control implemented for those drives which support it.
Bug fixes:
• "Jump to" field wasn't cleared after use.
• Now seems to work with BAX's patched BASIC module. [doesn't]
• Clash with Archivist Pro's DSym module sorted out.
• SkipB in continue mode now lights previous light as well as playing it.
• A couple of Messages bugs corrected.
v4.54b (22 Dec 1996)
• Maximum StrongARM compatibility: Coco, QTM, matrix all now work. Only
DTT fails on SA.
• Bug fixed which stopped Trackers loading on RO3.5+.
v4.55b (06 Jan 1997)
Bug fixes:
• "SWI not known" bug fixed on RPCs with CD volume support.
• Sometimes the last track on a scanned CD would have its light off.
• S3M2MTRX converter now supplied as a BASIC file, which will run on SA.
It appears that v4.52 clashed with the patched BASIC module produced by
DoggySoft's BAX program, and with Oregan's Archivist Pro database. The
clash with Archivist Pro is sorted, but the clash with BAX is not. A
temporary fix is provided for BAX users.
I have added an option (in the "Fading" group) which will stop tracks
repeating themselves. This is particularly useful for converted S3Ms,
since these always loop.
Auto-scanning for CDs is implemented, with a new choices group to control
this. You can ask PDTracker to scan on start-up, or all the time when
PDTracker isn't playing anything. This means you can set PDTracker to play
an audio CD as soon as one is inserted, providing it's not playing anything
else at the time. There's also an option to detect a playing CD on start-
up, and scan and display the information for this (for example you may have
started a CD playing by clicking on the CD's icon bar icon, then you load
PDTracker and it'll tell you what's playing).
Xenakis playing is finally implemented, both 8 and 16-bit files are
supported, although obviously you'll need a machine with 16-bit sound
hardware for the latter. I got fed up of waiting for De×edream to add
support for other memory areas (so I could use Dynamic ones) so every
Xenakis track will just be loaded into RMA, no matter what the setting of
the memory choices. The Xenakis file format is the same as Coconizer, so
the auto-detect routine will tell you that Xenakis tracks (both types) are
Coconizers, but this shouldn't be a problem since Xenakis has it's own
filetype (&31b).
The mini bar can now be toggled between horizontal/vertical, using the
small double-headed arrow icon. There is a new choice in the "Display"
group so you can set the bars to start up in the vertical position if you
want.
matrixTRK support
-----------------
In the next release the S3M to matrixTRK converter will be a proper desktop
program, which I am writing the "front end" for. This will become the
official S3M2MTRX converter, and will also be released by matrix with their
full matrixTRK package. Expect to see this finally released in the not-too-
distand future!
The future
----------
After a few bug reports and some tidying up by me, a full release of
PDTracker will be made to PD libraries, FTP sites etc. and of course my web
pages. Anyone on the original mailing list will be informed of this as
soon as it happens. If you're not on the list and would like to be added,
just email me and let me know.
I'm keen to develop PDTracker, and I have a *little* more time this term,
so hopefully you'll see some progress for a change. Coming soon will be
MIDI support (for those with MIDI cards).
Thanks
------
Thanks to all the player module authors: Thomas Alber & Eduard Pfarr,
Christophe Thivend & Jason Tribbeck, BASS, Phoenix/QUANTUM, Mercier,
Fiennes & Farrow, De×edream and Marko Lukat and Michael Pohle of matrix.
Many thanks also to anyone who has sent me feedback or bug reports. I
don't have all your names here but you know who you are.
Thanks to Stefan Wiesner and Stanislas Renan for the German and French
translations of PDTracker, and to Pasi Juppo for the forthcoming Finnish
translation.
Sending feedback
----------------
Once you've played about with this beta-release, you'll find bugs and
you'll have comments, so please pass them on to me by email, or at:
Simon Hatliff
4 Elmlands Grove
York
YO3 0EE
ENGLAND
© Simon Hatliff 1997
--
Simon Hatliff <S.Hatliff@ed.ac.uk>
Homepage http://www.ed.ac.uk/~simh/