ForumsNews ← Update all the things!

A few months of quiet work on the foundations of things is wrapping up, and I'm feeling certain enough about it to give you a preview. I'll be releasing a revision of each of the Madrona Labs plugins within a few weeks. Aalto, Kaivo and Virta all share a common core library, and I've updated it for improvements in compatibility and stability.

Text handling has gotten an overhaul to allow for use of Unicode in patch names and registrations. If your name is Фёдор, Zoë or 郎, or you want to name your patch, say, デトロイトテクノ, we've got you covered.

The code that turns messages from the host DAW into stable clock got a big overhaul: a new software PLL implementation. In case you missed it, here's a demo:

Aalto PLL test from Madrona Labs on Vimeo.

In order to stay compatible with upcoming versions of MacOS, the license code has been reworked. When I first started making plugins, I thought it would be the most convenient for everyone to download uniquely watermarked software right from the website, because just one install and no registration steps are required. So that's how we've been doing it. This was a neat idea, but it is a very inconvenient idea if I want to codesign the binaries to make Gatekeeper and its Windows equivalent happy. With every plugin being different, a dedicated code signing server would be needed to sign each copy, and that’s not practical for me to maintain.

I'm moving to a system where instead of downloading the whole binary, you just download a license code and paste it into the plugin to turn the demo version into a licensed one. (Yeah, like 99% of the plugins in the world.) All the other license terms will stay the same—installation on multiple computers is still fine, for example. I've worked to make the registration experience, from website to plugin, as smooth as possible. It may even be better than my old system, because you can turn the demo into a licensed version while it's running.

Timing problems affecting Reaper and a problem I introduced with Virta 1.0.2 are also getting fixed.

Because of the need to change the website, all the plugins are switching over to the new license code at once. Probably within a few weeks. It's a big change that should make deploying new versions easier for me, and should also make life easier for all users of the software. I'll keep you posted!

tight! cheers randy

has the Soundplane software been getting any love?

also will the above changes fix the long standing bug (All ML plugins) that MPE/OSC are modes are not activated until the UI is shown?

anyway, good news to hearing the license changes have been done, no real change for musicians, but hopefully means its less administration/hassle for you, so updates can be more frequent.

Hi Mark,

That OSC / MPE bug is fixed.

The library code will make its way into the Soundplane app. This should not produce any major changes in the Soundplane app however. I am excited to work on the new touch code after this release.

That OSC / MPE bug is fixed.

that is awesome news, its a small thing, but has been bugging me :)

could you do a test, which I think was related...

save a preset (i.e. using ableton option) as an FXP in Ableton with MPE (or OSC) mode selected, and then load it, and check MPE (or OSC) is enabled/working.

I use this a lot, as the ML presets do not store the midi/osc mode, so I use this to workaround in Ableton... i.e. load a preset with OSC set, then use program change to switch between my patches.

(id also be happy to do the test for you, if you want to send me a beta or something)

The library code will make its way into the Soundplane app. This should not produce any major changes in the Soundplane app however. I am excited to work on the new touch code after this release.

cool, yeah, its good to keep these things in step, makes things easier.
Im keen to see your ideas for the touch code :)

anyway, great to hear you have had some time to work on the foundation - I find that kind of work quite satisfying :)

if this is not working in the next update, there can be another soon after. The new license situation will make it much easier for me to get updates out. I might send out a demo-only beta you can test with in just a bit here too.

any news on these updates? cheers

A reasonable question, given that a few weeks turned into a few months. I guess you heard I had to move the Labs, somewhat unexpectedly. I'm just now getting settled into the new space and back to working full time. A few issues remain on the Windows side of things but hopefully I'll be done very soon.

it has been a while, yea :)

thanks for the update

Good luck on reprogramming & updating.

I hope you will implement Midi Learn functions for all suitable parameters to make Aalto, Kaivo and Virta excellent and flexible live tools...

season's greetings

+1 on MIDI learn. It would make life so much easier for all of us who like using some kind of MIDI controller besides just a keyboard.

Yup, got the message re: MIDI learn and will add it soonish.