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RapidComposer Changelog

What's new in RapidComposer 5.2.2

Apr 22, 2024
  • New troubleshooting window if you start RapidComposer with CAPS LOCK on.
  • User guide updated
  • Fixed track 'envelope' button which was not working properly
  • Fixed empty chord rules editor
  • [macOS] Fixed crash under latest macOS Sonoma when an alert was displayed
  • [macOS] Stability and compatibility fixes on macOS Sonoma

New in RapidComposer 5.2.1 (Apr 16, 2024)

  • 7-bit CC LSB values can be used from 32 to 63
  • The space between tracks can be bigger, maximum 16 pixels (Settings / User Interface / Track separator height)
  • The maximum frequency in the MIDI CC function generator is 8.0 (cycles per quarter note)
  • Dragging phrases to percussion tracks will not transpose the phrase
  • Fixed occasional black parts when inspectors are opened in separate windows
  • Fixed: empty chord palette

New in RapidComposer 5.2.0 (Apr 10, 2024)

  • 'Song View' implemented that displays the composition line by line, showing the chords and optionally the notes
  • Reworked rhythm processing in the MIDI Mutator: non-destructive options added
  • Melody section added to the MIDI Mutator
  • Fully reworked rhythm processing under the Rhythm tab in the Phrase Inspector: many non-destructive options added in a separate inspector
  • New setting: selection between "conventional notation" and "alternative notation" when showing scale degrees
  • "Modify existing phrase by AI" added to Phrase Editor
  • The folder track optionally shows all notes of the included tracks
  • Chord builder menu added to master track chords
  • Option added to save multiple selected phrases as rhythm into the rhythm browser in the Phrase Inspector
  • Saving phrases/rhythm into the library is many times faster
  • In the chord builder it is possible to select multiple notes by holding down the Shift or Ctrl keys when clicking
  • The 'DAW view' button moved to the editing mode menu
  • Keyboard shortcuts added for forward/rewind
  • Keyboard shortcut added for collecting all scales for the selected chords. The scales are displayed below the master track.
  • Keyboard shortcut added for opening the VST/VST3 editor for the selected track
  • UI improvements when using high DPI
  • Stability improvements

New in RapidComposer 5.1.4 (Mar 13, 2024)

  • Fixed: due to server configuration changes, update checking stopped working

New in RapidComposer 5.1.3 (Feb 26, 2024)

  • Fixed: using VST3/VST instruments for metronome works well
  • Fixed: metronome did not sound during recording in the Phrase Editor
  • New snap and grid settings: 3/32, 3/16, 3/8, 3/4 (existing 3/4 snap fixed)
  • Small UI rendering fix when multiple buttons displayed
  • [macOS] Reverted to old locking mechanism due to rare unexplained crashes

New in RapidComposer 5.1.2 (Feb 1, 2024)

  • Fixed occasional hanging when loading another composition with plug-ins
  • [macOS] Fixed text editing issues

New in RapidComposer 5.1.1 (Jan 25, 2024)

  • Reworked and clarified prompts and a simpler syntax used for phrases when communicating with GPT models
  • Improved interpretation of GPT replies
  • Fixed a bug when longer phrases were used in the Idea Tool ('Add New Part' mode)
  • Minor UI improvements

New in RapidComposer 5.1.0 (Jan 16, 2024)

  • AI suggestions implemented in various places in the program. An OpenAI API key is required to use this functionality. It is possible to get suggestions for chord replacement, chord progressions, chord rules, scales, phrases, tracks, song structure...
  • AI chat window added to ask music composition related questions. RapidComposer will extract and display musical suggestions from the reply, ready for inserting into the composition.
  • "Bend up", "Bend up+reset" and "Bend up+release" presets added to CC browser (and used in GPT guitar solo/licks suggestions)
  • Phrase Editor CC editing menu: "Insert CC browser selection"
  • UI improvements in the Chord Selector, "For Chord Progression" tab
  • New idea track option: "Remove used phrases from list"
  • Fixed: in Digital Performer 11 the RC VST3 plug-in failed validation scan
  • Phrase Editor: fixed rubber-box selection when editing note CC's
  • 'AI Suggestions' chapter added to the user guide
  • Stability improvements

New in RapidComposer 5.0.8 (Dec 27, 2023)

  • Fixed when melody generators were used as ghost copies (track variations were not applied on them)
  • Fixed wrong velocities when editing phrases in the inspector during loop preview
  • Improved searching in the browsers; you need to press Enter to start searching
  • Fixed 'save cc envelope to browser' button in the Phrase Editor
  • [macOS, plug-ins] Fixed rare font size problems on retina screens
  • Reworked low-level locking

New in RapidComposer 5.0.7 (Dec 5, 2023)

  • Chord naming selector inserted in the 'properties' bar
  • New MIDI import option: "Throw away redundant CC events"
  • Fixed 'Save plug-in state in history' when it was turned off
  • Stability improved when loading plug-ins and during undo/redo
  • Fixed crash because of a race condition when selecting an instrument in the menu

New in RapidComposer 5.0.6 (Nov 28, 2023)

  • In the Melody Editor adding a new section will select Motive 'A' by default rather than adding an empty 'rest' section
  • Minor fixes in the Melody Editor
  • [macOS, VST3] Fixed plug-in window resizing in Cubase

New in RapidComposer 5.0.5 (Nov 12, 2023)

  • A VST3 plug-in initialization issue has been fixed when using Synthogy Ivory 3 VST3
  • Crash fixed when saving a track template
  • [macOS, AU] Fixed a 'black window' issue when re-opening the plug-in window in Logic Pro X.

New in RapidComposer 5.0.4 (Nov 9, 2023)

  • Fixes for wrong chords displayed under the 'Scale Degrees' tab in the Chord Selector
  • Fixed: when editing 'Notes To Use', octave/scale/semitone offsets did not update the values on screen

New in RapidComposer 5.0.3 (Oct 30, 2023)

  • Memory usage optimized: loaded phrases reserve considerably less memory with less allocations
  • Fixed soundfont paths when soundfonts were not located in RapidComposerV5/Soundfonts
  • [Plug-ins] RapidComposer plug-in offers playback instrument selection on the MIDI Mutator page

New in RapidComposer 5.0.2 (Oct 23, 2023)

  • A warning and a suggestion is displayed when the operations result in an empty rhythm pattern in the Rhythm Lab
  • Fixed: MIDI CC's in phrase ghost copies were not updated when the CC's were edited in the original phrase

New in RapidComposer 5.0.1 (Oct 19, 2023)

  • [macOS] Fixed display and window resizing issues in the RC AU and VST3 plug-in on retina screens

New in RapidComposer 5.0.0 (Oct 16, 2023)

  • New flexible rhythm generator: 'Rhythm Lab' makes several old rhythm generators obsolete
  • All phrase generators use 'Rhythm Lab' by default. Default settings were revised.
  • New phrase generator: MIDI Transformer (full edition only). Drop a MIDI file to this phrase generator (in the inspector) to create a new phrase of similar style.
  • 'DAW view' added with optimized display for working in the composition globally as in a DAW. Select and move phrases in multiple tracks, use rubberbox selection in multiple tracks, drop multi-track MIDI files, etc.
  • Ghost tracks added, with 'unghost' option. Ghost tracks contain all phrases of the original track, rendered with or without the original track variations
  • VST/VST3 FX plug-ins can be added to instruments. Plug-in handling was reworked internally.
  • Blacklisting implemented for crashed plug-ins during scanning. Scanning options menu added.
  • Variation presets implemented
  • CC envelope browser added. Save and reuse your favourite envelopes
  • Contributed phrases are installed too, and loaded in a few seconds
  • Velocity editor added to 'Manual Editing' and a velocity bar is displayed in notes. Velocity can be directly changed when moving or resizing notes.
  • Reworked/simplified phrase resizing. Shift-drag edge to scale, Ctrl-drag edge to repeat/crop. Dragging the edge means scaling for normal phrases and setting generator length for phrase generators
  • Scales may contain additional notes, so the special "major set", "minor set", "major/minor set" and similar scales are properly represented
  • Lots of UI improvements
  • Separate folders created for each file type under Documents/RapidComposerV5: no more DB folder
  • [Plug-ins] UI rendering and event handling fully reworked in the plug-ins
  • [Plug-ins] It is possible to set up loop in the RC plug-in, independently of the host
  • Lots of internal rework, optimizations and bug fixes

New in RapidComposer 4.7.3 (Jul 20, 2023)

  • [macOS, VST3 plug-in] Fixed a build error when using the latest VST3 SDK, which made the VST3 plug-in unusable on macOS
  • Fixed a deadlock when filling a VST/VST3 track with phrases
  • Fixed crash when generating chords on the master track in some circumstances
  • Fixed track envelopes (lack of linearity between points)

New in RapidComposer 4.7.2 (Jul 6, 2023)

  • 'Scale step' option added to the Transpose variation, which can be automated
  • Variation parameter envelopes fixes (Delay notes, Transpose, Rests...)
  • Fixed function generator for envelopes to use the right vertical range
  • [VST3] Fixed a bug with pitch wheel messages in the VST3 plug-in

New in RapidComposer 4.7.1 (Jun 21, 2023)

  • New coloring option for "Color chord notes by distance from root": "Yes, all notes"
  • [Plug-ins] Fixed: preview instuments were not saved
  • Minor fix in the Markov generator

New in RapidComposer 4.7.0 (Jun 6, 2023)

  • Markov model implemented in MIDI Mutator to create similar MIDI sequences from a dropped MIDI file
  • Function generator added in the MIDI CC editor (in the context menu and in the Phrase Editor CC editor toolbar)
  • Copying/pasting MIDI CC events is possible: "Select all", "Copy selection", "Paste to current time", "Remove selection" added to the CC menu
  • MIDI CC editor rubberbox selection improvements: hold Shift to extend selection vertically to all values
  • Implemented Ctrl-click and Shift-click in the MIDI CC editor for selecting CC points
  • MIDI CC values can be set for multiple events at once
  • Pivot chord suggestions offered
  • New phrase generator: "Melody Generator v2". This works on the scales specified by the chords rather than the master track scale, and has scale tone usage options. Settings were simplified.
  • Holding Ctrl during resizing notes will set all selected notes to the same length
  • "Preserve Original Accents" options added to Apply Rhythm and Rhythm Mapper variations
  • Enable screensaver setting added (enabled by default)
  • Chord progression can be imported from MusicXML files
  • More subtle colors for shading the background ('shaded' and chord notes). You need to select "Dark" or "Dark with orange" in order to use the new colors, because your existing color settings are preserved.
  • "Darken by 5%" and "Lighten by 5%" menu items added for the color settings
  • Fix in Idea Tool: generator presets had wrong length
  • Idea Tool UI improvements and layout optimizations
  • The text editing field menu can be better seen and clicked with big font sizes
  • [Windows][Plug-ins] Fixed: some text editing fields were not redrawn properly during editing
  • User guide updated
  • Bug fixes and stability improvements

New in RapidComposer 4.6.3 (Apr 6, 2023)

  • MIDI files can be dropped on the chords track in the Melody Editor
  • Quantize variation offers applying the quantize to MIDI CC's
  • When displaying rendered notes, colors can be assigned to different chord notes by their distance from root (which can be set up under Settings / User Interface)
  • New view option for tracks: "Show rendered note labels"
  • New setting: Display chord notes in note labels as...
  • New setting: Display MIDI note in note labels
  • New setting: Display octave offset in note labels
  • [Plug-ins] New experimental feature: "Sync to DAW" in the Phrase Editor
  • Fixed crash when adding the same CC again to a phrase (it should remove the CC instead)

New in RapidComposer 4.6.2 (Feb 24, 2023)

  • Fixed crashing bug when all tracks were removed
  • [Plug-ins] Fixed crashing bug when dropping a phrase/instrument/scale/chord in a closed and re-opened window
  • [Plug-ins] Fixed hanging notes during phrase preview when selecting a phrase

New in RapidComposer 4.6.1 (Feb 20, 2023)

  • MIDI import: imported MIDI is zoomed out when loaded
  • MIDI import: MIDI CC's are displayed as events, not curves
  • MIDI import: LSB of 14-bit controllers are not added to the imported MIDI CC's as a separate CC
  • Fixed: 2/4 grid lines disappeared when zooming when grid was set to 2/4
  • Fixed: VST3 plug-in resizing to a bigger size resulted in black areas
  • Fixed a bug when auto-harmonizing many phrases at once

New in RapidComposer 4.6.0 (Feb 6, 2023)

  • VST3 instrument plug-ins supported
  • Instrument plug-in handling simplified: the 'multi-timbral plug-in' setting was removed, all plug-ins are handled equally. If you select a plug-in from the 'Loaded plug-ins' section, it will use the existing loaded plug-in instance, otherwise choosing from the menu will load a new instance.
  • Searchable lists for plug-ins, settings, keyboard shortcuts, UI colors
  • Smart instrument menu displays instruments based on your usage statistics
  • Drag phrase directly to a DAW from the Phrase Editor
  • MIDI keypresses can be assigned to any functions as shortcuts
  • [Windows][Plug-ins] Using keyboard shortcuts is possible even if the plug-in host does not support that! Select the small keyboard in the upper right corner. Deselect it to allow the host to process keypresses.
  • 'Replace Selection' option added to the Idea Tool to replace the contents of the timeline selection
  • Idea Tool 'generate' button is always displayed after using the Idea Tool
  • Tonnetz visual improvements
  • File menu: "Save composition (selection only)" added with shortcut
  • Track inspector: "Duplicate track with new plug-in instance" added with shortcut
  • Right-click on the structure bar will select the timeline and master track for the line, Shift-right-click will do the same for the part
  • Keyboard focus border is hidden if window looses keyboard focus, and shown if window becomes keyboard focus (this is important for the plug-ins)
  • [macOS] New setting: 'Disable retina screen detection'
  • New setting: 'Enable mouse-wheel over track sliders' (disabled by default)
  • Dozens of chord progressions added with voicing kindly contributed by Robin Bergsohn
  • "Merge composition" menus fixed, and set up automatically when track names match
  • User guide updated

New in RapidComposer 4.5.2 (Jan 22, 2023)

  • New setting: 'Enable mouse-wheel over track sliders' (disabled by default)
  • Timeline range selection added to the Phrase Editor and Melody Editor (Ctrl-drag on the timeline to make a selection). When there is a selection, only the selection is played back.
  • In the MIDI Mutator you need to hold down Ctrl for timeline selection to be consistent with Phrase Editor and Melody Editor
  • Fixed composition templates which used the old V3 file format
  • Fixed scroll bar when using the Idea Tool
  • Fixed a bug in MIDI Mutator when new MIDI was dropped but some operations used the previous state
  • Fixed a bug in the standalone version that caused the program hanging during exiting when VST plug-ins were used

New in RapidComposer 4.5.1 (Dec 14, 2022)

  • Slider improvements and fixes; mouse-wheel can be used over track sliders
  • [macOS][Plug-ins] Fixed window size for re-opened plug-in window on retina screens
  • [macOS] Cursor fixes: eraser cursor was not shown, pencil cursor had wrong color
  • [Plug-ins] Fixed crash when closing and re-opening the window with the note inspector open
  • Fixed: hanging notes when adding pitch bend to a note

New in RapidComposer 4.5.0 (Dec 5, 2022)

  • Reworked MIDI CC and parameter editing with curves (exponential or S-curve) or individual events
  • Reworked MIDI CC processing with improved precision (floating point values). 14-bit MIDI CC's are supported.
  • Add MIDI CC's for phrases and notes (in the Phrase Editor). Controller data are attached to phrases/notes as you move them and can be saved.
  • New LE features: articulations and melody generators were added to the light edition!
  • [Plug-ins] The UI engine was replaced in the plug-ins. As a result retina screens are also supported in the plug-ins on macOS.
  • Dozens of UI changes to improve the UI on Retina (macOS) and HiDPI (Windows) screens
  • Double-clicking on the timeline selection will zoom into the selection
  • Horizontal zoom on the timeline is very smooth now (in Composition, Phrase Editor, Melody Editor, MIDI Mutator)
  • Instrument menu better organized in the track inspector
  • Articulations included for Amadeus Symphonic Orchestra Kontakt library and the four sections of Red Room Audio Palette Kontakt library (contribution by Jose Eulogio Sanguino Payan)
  • Fixed: when using default.rcCOMP for new compositions, it is not overwritten for a 'Save'
  • Fixed crash when dropping a phrase on another one and selecting 'Replace Phrase'
  • Fixed a rare crash during editing a phrase generator
  • Bugs of MIDI recording fixed (crashes and recording offset)
  • User guide updated: a new chapter added explaining MIDI CC editing
  • Many stability improvements

New in RapidComposer 4.4.3 (Jul 18, 2022)

  • New setting: Reset Phrase Editor, MIDI Mutator and Chord Rules Editor for New Composition
  • New setting: Past 'History' states to store
  • Fixed: VST plug-in instance issues when duplicating a track
  • Fixed a 'division by zero' error in the Modern Random Rhythm generator
  • [macOS, plug-ins] Fixed a crash after the plug-in was unloaded

New in RapidComposer 4.4.2 (Jul 5, 2022)

  • [MIDI Mutator] Recalling a MIDI Mutator preset won't disable the 'Apply Changes' button
  • [MIDI Mutator] Notes are updated live when moving the chord edges
  • [MIDI Mutator] Fixed internal inconsistency because of playback (e.g. 'randomize progression' did not work sometimes)
  • Ctrl-up/down transpose selection by semitones in the Phrase Editor
  • Fixed: editing notes during Phrase Editor loop playback are heard immediately
  • Fixed: due to a compiler bug harmonization crashed in the plug-in (but not in the standalone, or on macOS!)

New in RapidComposer 4.4.1 (Jun 30, 2022)

  • Fixed: VST plug-ins are properly instatiated when a composition is reloaded

New in RapidComposer 4.4.0 (Jun 30, 2022)

  • MIDI Mutator tab added for manipulating MIDI files (change rhythm, timing, accents, chords, voicings, pitches of loaded MIDI files)
  • Auto-regeneration options added for phrase generators: change the rhythm and/or notes at the end of loop or on stopping playback.
  • New rhythm generator: 'Modern Irregular Rhythm' suitable for modern genres
  • New chord suggestion that looks up chords with the same bass note: Bass pedal tone chords
  • New chord suggestion that looks up chords with the specified melody note: Melody pedal tone chords
  • 'Scale Degrees' received a note filter where you can filter the displayed chords by notes (e.g. when using a melody pedal tone)
  • Optimized phrase rendering and MIDI import (chord detection is many times faster)
  • Smoother horizontal zooming
  • Splash screen shown during initialization
  • UI option to use color buttons (can be customized or turned off entirely)
  • Small UI cleanup in Quick Suggestions

New in RapidComposer 4.3.4 (Apr 26, 2022)

  • [macOS] New setting: Invert scrolling direction
  • New setting: Load 'default.rcCOMP' for 'New Composition'.
  • The piano keyboard can be removed from the tracks ('Show Keyboard' in the menu)
  • 'Remove Unused Motives' added to the Melody Editor context menu
  • Fixed: dragging MIDI from the plug-in to DAW during playback sometimes included wrong notes
  • Fixed a crashing race condition bug
  • Fixed: pop-up help stopped working after opening a pop-up menu
  • [macOS] Fixed mouse coordinates when RC window dragged from retina to non-retina screen
  • [macOS] Too fast scrolling on Apple Trackpad or Magic Mouse improved

New in RapidComposer 4.3.3 (Feb 14, 2022)

  • 'Reload all articulations' menu item added to Controller menu in the track inspector
  • Fixed crash when dragging a folder track
  • Fixed crash during editing Strum Pattern Generator
  • [macOS] Fixed UI layout issues in the demo version on retina displays
  • [Plug-ins] Fixed crashing bug when using soundfonts in the plug-ins
  • Various stability fixes

New in RapidComposer 4.3.2 (Jan 10, 2022)

  • Scrolling settings (speed, acceleration, deceleration) added under Settings / User Interface
  • Arpeggiator has a 'generate' button, improved 'Random' setting
  • [macOS] Fixed visual issues on retina, UI optimizations for high-DPI screens
  • [macOS] Fixed too fast scrolling
  • [macOS] Redo is command-shift-Z by default
  • Removed pop-up menu unnecessary title in Melody Editor
  • Fixed: inspector windows when opened outside the main window, were always-on-top regardless of the settings
  • Fixed using negative octave offset in the phrase inspector (in the allowed notes)
  • Fixed a note editing bug when editing Motive Generator (wrong scale used as a reference)
  • [macOS, AU] Fixed: when opening RC in a separate window, resizing the window did not work

New in RapidComposer 4.3.1 (Jan 10, 2022)

  • [macOS] UI fixes and improvements on retina resolutions
  • Redesigned scrollbars, scrollbar width setting is reset to 'Auto'
  • Fixed redraw and window size issues in Chord Selector
  • Fixed dragging from the Chord Selector
  • [macOS] Fixed mouse cursor (it was always an arrow)
  • [macOS] Fixed crash when opening menus
  • Other small fixes for issues appeared in v4.3

New in RapidComposer 4.3.0 (Dec 13, 2021)

  • New UI engine with hardware acceleration, retina display support and smooth scrolling
  • [macOS] Apple M1 is natively supported
  • [macOS] AU synth plug-in supports 128 MIDI channels!
  • Dragging and dropping selected chords on the master track is possible
  • Reworked chord rules editor toolbar
  • New MIDI import setting: Import MIDI markers as chords
  • New variation: Insert Connecting Notes
  • New variation: Insert Connection To Next Phrase
  • 'Learn' functionality in Markov Melody generator: drop a monophonic MIDI file or a phrase on the Learn button!
  • Cosmetic changes on the Markov Melody UI, a missing option added
  • Tolerance option added to Join Notes
  • Phrase variations: 'Remove Note' variation improvements: specify number of notes/events for 'Random notes' and 'Random times'
  • [Plug-ins] New playback option: 'Sync playback to host'
  • Shortcuts Ctrl-Z/Cmd-Z and Ctrl-Y/Cmd-Y work in the Phrase Editor
  • Chord rules are looked up for church modes and chromatic scale (when unlocked), not just for major and minor scales
  • Last edited rules are saved and restored between sessions
  • Lower case is used for labels
  • [Plug-ins] Fixed silent or swallowed notes at the beginning of a loop for local playback: usage of 'all notes off' removed
  • [macOS][Plug-ins] Crash fixed when right clicking on a phrase magnet
  • [Windows] Installer updated

New in RapidComposer 4.2.3 (Sep 29, 2021)

  • Ctrl-Drag Master Track chords as MIDI file (timeline selection, or all when there is no selection). Use Ctrl-Shift-drag for voice leading.
  • Phrase variations: 'Remove' and 'Remove All' work for all selected phrases
  • Phrase variations: setting a parameter works for all selected phrases
  • Shortcut added for showing/hiding the browser (unassigned by default)
  • [Melody Editor] Playback option added to play the chords track together with the melody
  • [Melody Editor] Chords track length issues fixes (when adding/removing motives)
  • [Melody Editor] Crashing issue when resizing the last chord fixed
  • Fixed chord rule selection from menu when magnet was 'off'
  • Fixed bug when applying Mirror Vertically on a Chord Generator

New in RapidComposer 4.2.2 (Jul 19, 2021)

  • It is possible to regenerate the shape only or the rhythm only for phrase generators
  • Markov Melody Generator UI reworked
  • Phrases had incorrect length when dragging from the browser (wrong signature was used)
  • Fix disappearing graphics when dragging over a zoomable scroll bar
  • Instrument selection in the Percussion Generator did not update the editor (bug introduced in v4.2.0)
  • Stability fixes for various undo/inspector crashes
  • Fix for a crash when editing the Percussion Generator in the Idea Tool
  • Enable Drawing 'Line' And 'Freehand' Phrases is among experimental settings
  • [Windows] Fix for a crash during text editing (e.g. when saving a progression)
  • Other bug fixes

New in RapidComposer 4.2.1 (Jun 22, 2021)

  • Keyboard left-right arrows move notes and phrases by 'snap' setting
  • Preview implemented when moving notes with the arrow keys (note editing mode)
  • Fixed: Alt/Option-click to split or join notes did not work in note editing
  • States are stored for 'undo' during note editing
  • New MIDI Export setting: Embed 'Program Change' events in exported MIDI
  • New chord suggestion: secondary dominant for the next 'I' chord
  • Fixed: VSTi instruments unloaded for 'undo' if 'Save VSTi State In History' was turned off
  • Fixed: invalid control number inserted to exported MIDI for some soundfonts
  • [Plug-ins] Fixed: first note of the loop sometimes did not play back in some hosts
  • [Plug-ins] Fixed rare crash when right-clicking on a phrase to open the inspector during playback

New in RapidComposer 4.2.0 (Jun 22, 2021)

  • Undo/redo arrows added to main composition, History tab removed
  • Past 'undo' states can be stored in RAM or on disk. The default is in RAM.
  • Chord rules lock have been added to all chord rules settings. When unlocked, the rule automatically changes based on the scale (default).
  • Sending MIDI Machine Control events is implemented (enable under Settings / MIDI)
  • New menu added when right-clicking on a master track scale/tempo/signature where scale/tempo/signature can be reviewed and edited for all levels (composition, part, line, local)
  • 'Create Tone Row' setting for chromatic progression generation (experimental setting, which must be enabled under Settings / Miscellaneous)
  • Double-clicking on horizontal or vertical scrollbars zooms out the view, another double-click restores the previous view
  • Vertical scrollbar has magnifiers to allow zooming
  • New Idea Tool track option: 'Select Phrases From List In Random Order'
  • Melody Generator UI improvements: '2nd Last Note' menu added, Tonic, Step Above Tonic, Step Below Tonic added to 'Last Note' options
  • 'Render Motive With Variations' added to Melody Editor menu
  • 'Change Chords According To New Scale' option added to master track scale menu (Scale Inheritance) and other places
  • Editing in Percussion Generator was reworked, it is snappier and more reliable
  • 'Preserve Phrase Order' option added to Phrase Container, moving phrases up/down is possible
  • Improved bar position editing is used in the Timeline Inspector, and in Loop Options
  • Track vertical zoom is saved with the track
  • [Plug-ins] RC VST3 plug-in displays input and output channel menu in Studio One
  • [Plug-ins] RC VST3 plug-in offers 128 output channels (some DAWs may not handle all 128 channels)
  • [Plug-ins] Fixed preview (incoming notes sent to plug-in host)
  • Memory footprint reduced, memory and resource allocations optimized (lots of changes under the hood)
  • Stability improvements

New in RapidComposer 4.1.4 (Jun 22, 2021)

  • Fixed: entering a melody formula crashed in the Melody Editor 'generation settings' when the chords track was not enabled
  • Fixed: pop-up help did not work in Melody Editor 'generation settings'
  • Fixed: wrong font sizes were used for vertical sliders on Melody Editor 'generation settings'
  • Fixed occasional issues with exported MIDI length
  • [macOS] Fixed crashes when opening pop-up menus

New in RapidComposer 4.1.3 (Jun 22, 2021)

  • Keyboard shortcuts added: 'Mute/Unmute Selected Track', 'Solo/Unsolo Selected Track' (unassigned)
  • 'Undo' and 'Redo' keyboard shortcuts added to Melody Editor
  • Chord help is displayed multiple times on the master track
  • Fixed: split phrases at bar boundaries did not work
  • Fixed MIDI import issues when 'auto-detect phrases' was not enabled
  • Fixed: Track Templates browser did not display folders initially

New in RapidComposer 4.1.2 (Jun 22, 2021)

  • New size entry for phrase generators in the phrase inspector
  • Improved length display for phrases and rhythm patterns in the phrase inspector
  • Fixed badly working "Preview Rhythm" button in the phrase inspector
  • Fixed: preview in chord selector was always turned on
  • Fixed: 'lock' should never be enabled for percussion phrases
  • Fixed: in a percussion track the 'lock' button should not be displayed

New in RapidComposer 4.1.1 (Jun 22, 2021)

  • Fixed: adding notes to a transposed phrase added the wrong notes in Note Editing mode
  • Fixed: composition loaded in Note Editing mode sometimes did not display notes
  • Fixes for adding notes/phrases in the composite track
  • Fixed crash when 'unghosting' a phrase during playback
  • Fixed phrase preview in inspector when preview with other tracks
  • Fixed importing MIDI files with multiple 'note off' events for a 'note on' event
  • [macOS] Fixed hanging when using the AU plug-in in Logic Pro X 10.6

New in RapidComposer 4.1 (Jun 22, 2021)

  • Chords track added to Melody Editor
  • 'Tonnetz' added to Chord Selector and master track chord options
  • 'Parallels' tab added in the Chord Selector that lists all modes and chords
  • Chord rules and chord progressions are included for Dorian, Lydian, Myxolydian, Phrygian, Aeolian modes, kindly contributed by Tomás San Miguel (not available in the demo version)
  • MIDI files and folders can be dropped on the progression browser to save the chord progressions from the files
  • Improved detecting and importing 'chords only' MIDI files
  • New variation: Rhythm Mapper
  • New option in Idea Tool track menu: Use Rhythms For 'Rhythm Mapper'
  • Chords can be on 'beat' boundaries by default which is the denominator of the signature
  • 'Lightning' button added to folder tracks in the Idea Tool which regenerates all tracks in the folder
  • Improved 'Collect Scales For Selected Chords'
  • Vector graphics is used for the buttons in the track header
  • Idea Tool UI layout improved when used with big font sizes
  • Using sliders in the track header updates the same slider in the track inspector
  • Variations display help when the mouse is hovered on the name
  • Fixed crash in Chord Selector when using bigger font sizes
  • [Plug-ins] Fixed: settings were saved in the RapidComposer folder instead of RapidComposerV4

New in RapidComposer 4.03 (Jun 22, 2021)

  • [macOS] AU MFX plug-in included
  • 'Open User Guide' button added which opens the updated v4 user guide (the wiki is deprecated)
  • Fixed importing MIDI CC's in MIDI files and other MIDI import fixes

New in RapidComposer 4.02 (Jun 22, 2021)

  • Fixed inserting bars into the composition in the timeline inspector
  • Fixed loading compositions when a VST instrument was set as preview instrument
  • Small fixes in the phrase and rhythm drop targets
  • Double-clicking on a 'Motive Generator' will set the instrument in the Melody Editor
  • When using the 'Repeat' option in the Idea Tool, regenerating individual tracks or the master track will do the repetition
  • Fixed crash when clicking on the phrase preview in Apply Shape and Apply Melody variations
  • [macOS] Fixed crash on Cmd+Q on macOS Catalina

New in RapidComposer 4.01 (Jun 22, 2021)

  • Phrase inspector shows timeline and note lengths for percussion phrases
  • Idea Tool 'Replace Composition' mode sets composition scale, tempo and signature, instead of setting the same in the added part
  • [Plug-ins] Fixed playback issues in the Melody Editor when soundfont was used
  • Fixed playback in the phrase inspector when previewing phrase generators dropped in percussion tracks
  • Fixed Idea Tool crashing randomly
  • Fixed crash when clicking on the 'Phrase Container'

New in RapidComposer 4.0 (Jun 22, 2021)

  • Redesigned user interface
  • Browsers are docked on the right side, file browser added
  • Melody Editor tab added for motive development, melody generation and editing
  • All rhythm and phrase generators were revamped
  • New rewritten VST2, VST3 and AU plugins. The plug-ins are self contained, so they do not use the main application. You can use soundfonts in the plug-in.
  • The installer is improved, including installing plug-ins. The Windows installer includes 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
  • Folder tracks
  • Peak meters and Audio Gain slider displayed for SF2, VSTi and audio tracks
  • Settings / VSTi page reworked and simplified
  • New structure inspector with extended functionality
  • Diatonic and chromatic mediant chords are in the Chords Suggestions
  • The initial 'enter license key' screen redesigned with the possibility to start the demo version
  • New variation: 'Apply Shape'. It is similar to Apply Melody but uses the new rhythm mapping
  • Add selected chords to a progression rule (from the master track, the progression editor, and the browser)
  • Additional bigger font sizes offered, suitable for 4K resolution
  • At the first usage font size is automatically set based on the screen resolution
  • Supporting special characters in directory names (cyrillic, kanji, etc)
  • Color themes updated and cleaned up. New color themes: 'Dark With Orange', 'Katalin Dark'
  • Dozens of other improvements and bug fixes that are impossible to list

New in RapidComposer 3.51 (Aug 31, 2018)

  • New MIDI Export option: Set 'Note Off' Velocity To Zero
  • Shortcut added for saving selected phrases
  • Fixed an issue in undo history handling: when removing all earlier versions, not all files were deleted
  • Fixed: duplicating a line or part did not duplicate the phrases in note editing mode
  • Fixed: it is possible to use Undo after dropping a chord progression on the master track
  • Fixed two issues with phrase generator preview
  • Fixed: sometimes notes jumped to C-1 during editing
  • Fixed bug when converting slash chords from/to universal notation

New in RapidComposer 3.5 (Aug 31, 2018)

  • Percussion phrase generator (full edition only)
  • Timeline and playback position added to phrase preview
  • Loop option added to phrase preview
  • Browser buttons cleaned up. Remove unused buttons to reduce the clutter.
  • Forward and backward transport controls added
  • New options when changing the time signature: 'Resize Chords For The New Time Signature' and 'Keep Line Lengths'
  • You can add chord tensions to voicings. This way you can use a 7th note in a phrase even if the chord is a simple triad
  • Fixed 'Rootless 9th' voicing which now works as you expect. New voicing added: 'Always Root-3rd-5th-7th' which adds a 7th to triads and removes 9th/11th/13th from more complex chords.
  • Setting line length is possible directly in the master track inspector
  • MIDI drag and drop improvement: dragging MIDI from Reaper works now (non-existent file in drag data properly handled)
  • Dragging single phrases as MIDI: Ctrl-Alt-Shift-drag phrases (multiple phrases work too!)
  • Dropping a MIDI file over the track header will replace the track contents
  • Chord note parameters in the editor have been renamed to Root, 3rd, 5th, etc.
  • 'Export Chords As Text' added
  • An option was added to disable transposition for absolute notes in the note editor (e.g. for key-switch notes)
  • Voicing menu reworked: all options shown
  • Use maximum 8 phrases in the Idea Tool
  • 'Maximum Note Height In Editor' can be further increased
  • Font sizes extended, bigger fonts can be selected for 4K displays
  • Transport button size increased when using bigger fonts, and lots of small cosmetic changes when using big font sizes
  • Optimizations in the UI layout engine under the hood
  • Minor fixes in using chord lengths
  • Bug fixes and stability improvements

New in RapidComposer 3.3 (Sep 8, 2017)

  • Redesigned chord palette, Chord Builder and Circle of Fifths added
  • New, improved progression editor built into the Chord Selector, "Progression Editor" tab was removed
  • The chord progression generator can use borrowed chords for more interesting progressions
  • New configurable 'Quick Suggestions' pop-up that offers chord suggestions, borrowed chords, chord substitutions, displays chords on scale and chord builder
  • Improved workflow when editing master track chords. It is easy to enter chords from computer or MIDI keyboard
  • 'Circle OF Fifths' available for master track chords
  • Built-in Quick Start Tutorial
  • Improved audio file support: 16/24/32 bit signed/unsigned PCM or single precision floating point (mono or stereo) WAV/AIFF files can be loaded without limitation for the sampling rate
  • Double-click on an audio track will let you quickly import an audio file
  • MIDI file drag and drop improvements: drop files on master track, hold Ctrl to insert chord-relative phrases, trimming empty bars
  • One-click phrase preview can be activated at the top of the phrase browser ('play' icon)
  • Assign colors to parts and lines in the structure inspector
  • Chords displayed in the structure inspector
  • Structure inspector workflow improvements: add/remove/duplicate buttons are shown after adding or removing, no need to click again
  • Merge Compositions
  • Notes may have two articulations assigned
  • New variation: "Make Monophonic" that removes polyphonic notes and shortens notes to avoid overlapping
  • New option for "Convert To Relative Form": "Set Notes To Nearest Scale/Chord Note"
  • New setting: "Send VST Editor Keystrokes To RapidComposer"
  • New setting: "Make VST Editors Always On Top"
  • The preferred MIDI controllers and variations are added to imported MIDI tracks
  • 'Transpose' can be added to newly created tracks with optional slider in track header
  • New 'Octave Transpose' slider in 'Transpose'
  • 'Swing' improvements: negative values are possible, offset is specified in percent instead of an absolute duration
  • Settings / Preview offers chord preview octave and 'note on' velocity settings
  • Option to invert the piano roll vertical scroll direction in Settings
  • 'Split Notes On Grid' and 'Split Notes On Playback Position' added to Phrase Editor
  • Many other small improvements and bug fixes

New in RapidComposer 3.22 (Apr 4, 2017)

  • Improvements and fixes for drum phrase editing
  • The preferred MIDI controllers and variations are added to imported MIDI tracks
  • Fixed MIDI import bug when type 0 files without a track name created too many tracks
  • Fixed rhythm selection for phrase generators in the idea tool
  • [OS X] Fixes for audio device issues. From now all devices should work reliably.
  • [OS X] Fixed hanging when trying to load a VSTi plug-in
  • [OS X] "Rescan MIDI Devices" works again after changes in OS X

New in RapidComposer 3.21 (Mar 21, 2017)

  • Fixed phrase length when phrases added to the Idea Tool
  • Idea Tool phrase and rhythm list workflow improvements when adding/dropping/removing items
  • Selecting multiple items is possible in the Phrase Container list
  • Fixed a rare crash in Random Melody Generator
  • Fixed transposition of scale-note-only phrases
  • Note repetition can be set to 0-100% in Melody Generator
  • Fix for a file saving bug when clicking on "Save Composition" for a new composition.

New in RapidComposer 3.2 (Mar 14, 2017)

  • Drum maps can be used for percussion tracks
  • Font size settings: it is possible to change the font size for the UI
  • Phrase Editor improvements (scrollable, zoomable editor with playback position)
  • New phrase generator: "Random Melody Generator"
  • New rhythm generator: "Smooth Rhythm"
  • "Count In" added (found in Timeline Inspector). Setting 1 bar or 2 bars count is possible
  • New phrase action: "Repeat Phrase Until The End Of Line/Part/Composition" with ghost option and shortcut
  • New phrase action: "Insert 'Phrase Container' With Browser Selection" with shortcut possibility
  • New phrase action: "Duplicate Phrases To Unmuted Tracks" (shortcut 'D')
  • New master track action: "Paste Chords (Overwrite)": paste master track chords but do not add space to the composition.
  • New master track action: "Swap Chords" (with shortcut possibility)
  • New timeline action : "Paste (Overwrite)" : paste timeline section in overwrite mode, do not add space to the composition.
  • New file export option: "Export Tracks To Individual MIDI Files"
  • New setting: "Auto-Zoom During Phrase Dragging" (disabled by default)
  • New setting: "Highlight Middle C Note"
  • New VST playback setting: "Start Playback From The Current Position Instead Of The Host Position"
  • Moving the selected region on the timeline during loop playback works as expected
  • Chords as MIDI markers saved in the exported MIDI file in a different way to be more compatible with DAWs
  • Soundfonts with 24-bit samples can be loaded
  • 2 new UI themes in the style of Windows 10 and Mac OS X
  • Shift+double-clicking or Alt+Shift-clicking on the master track for splitting/joining chords will use the following chord for the new chord
  • [OS X][VST] fix for a crashing bug
  • Many bug fixes

New in RapidComposer 3.13 (Dec 20, 2016)

  • Fixed: "Active Track (Chord+Bass)" could not be chosen from the chord preview menu
  • Fixed: Changing chord naming for the master track does not transpose phrases
  • Fixed: The downloaded extra phrases were not sorted into subdirectories as in earlier versions
  • [VST] Chord preview did not work without a track selection, and other issues
  • [VST] Problems with Local Sequencer fixed
  • [VST] Fixes for non-sounding notes at the beginning when host provides strange sample offsets
  • [OS X] Fixed crash when initiating dragging
  • [OS X] Shift key did not work with shortcuts

New in RapidComposer 3.11 (Nov 8, 2016)

  • MIDI Import: chord detection improved
  • MIDI Import: errors in MIDI files (overlapped and zero-length notes) handled gracefully during import
  • Fixed crash that occurred during startup under some circumstances
  • Fixed regression (rendering problems when using 'Join Notes' in a track)

New in RapidComposer 3.1 (Nov 2, 2016)

  • MIDI Import: display detected scale, live chords preview, file and selected tracks info, 'Trim Silence' option
  • MIDI Import: Channel 10 handling option (join, split), better instrument selection, redesigned UI
  • MIDI Import: phrase detection: the midi events are automatically grouped in phrases. Similar and same note groups are recognized.
  • MIDI Import: improved "Import MIDI Into Current Composition".
  • Track templates added. Save complete tracks and restore them from the Track browser.
  • Track mute/solo logic changed, allowing you to select multiple tracks as solo. Solo and mute states are independent (solo overriding mute)
  • [Windows] WASAPI audio support (shared and exclusive mode)
  • Added "Convert To Phrase Generator" in the phrase inspector
  • Master track chords can be transposed by semitones (found in the master track inspector)
  • New phrase generator: 'Rest' to be used in the Idea Tool
  • New variation: "Rotate Notes"
  • New variation: "Remove Short Notes"
  • 'Sustain Notes' option added in 'Apply Rhythm' variation
  • 'Truncate Phrase' option added to 'Delay Notes'
  • 'Fill' and 'Velocity For Filled Notes' options added to 'Arpeggiator'
  • 'Mute Original Notes' option added in 'Add Interval' variation
  • Group entry has a menu with recent groups
  • New shortcut: "Preview Edited Phrase With Unmuted Tracks"
  • New shortcut: "Stop Playback/Jump To Playback Start Position" (Shift+Enter by default)
  • Default track view options can be set in the preferences
  • Midi file name is displayed for dropped midi file instead of "midi"
  • "Rescan Midi Devices" button added under Settings / MIDI
  • 9 new phrase arrangements added in Idea Tool (for 3 and 4 used phrases)
  • 48 new interesting "5 in 16 pulses" clave patterns in the Rhythm browser
  • Improved 'Join Notes' when applied on a phrase; it works as expected
  • New setting to use UTF-8 sharp and flat characters (enabled by default)
  • New setting: "Export Chords As MIDI Markers" (when exporting MIDI files)
  • You are asked to save or discard the edited phrase, if you set "Always Confirm Discarding Edited Phrase" (disabled by default)
  • Ctrl+Shift+click can be used on the Master track to select a chord box even if clicked on the chord name
  • It is possible to open composition files (.rcCOMP) by doubleclicking on them (both on OS X and Windows)
  • The "GeneralUser GS" soundfont is distributed with RapidComposer.
  • [Windows] RapidComposerV3 folder is moved to /Users//Documents.
  • [VST] When enabling 'Use Host Tempo' the RC VST plug-in will follow the host tempo changes
  • Lots of bug fixes and stability improvements

New in RapidComposer 3.04 (Jun 27, 2016)

  • Fixed the issue when EZkeys/EZdrummer had no sound when the composition was reloaded.

New in RapidComposer 3.03 (Jun 27, 2016)

  • [OS X] VST editor window size was not correct for NI Massive. Dynamic sizing of the VST editor window by the plug-in works well.
  • Fixed division by zero crash when there was no valid audio interface set
  • Better error handling when setting up audio. Alert windows appear over the application window rather than behind it...
  • Text editing issue fixed which appeared in v3.01. Second Enter press was ignored.
  • Fixed: pop-up help did not appear after some time

New in RapidComposer 3.02 (Jun 7, 2016)

  • "Deactivate License" button added under Support
  • All issues with the timeline resize handle were fixed. Better visibility when scrolling to the rightmost position.
  • Sometimes chords with an octave '5' appeared in generated progressions. This is fixed.
  • Possible crash in melody generator fixed
  • [OS X] Rare crash fixed when clicking with the mouse
  • [OS X] Text editing box remained on screen when editing the timecode or song position

New in RapidComposer 3.01 (Jun 7, 2016)

  • Ctrl-Alt-O (Windows) or command-option-O (OS X) or Alt/option+click on "Open Composition..." will skip loading the VST plug-ins
  • Added 'group' entry in the Save Phrase dialog
  • 'Expression' can be used for velocity scaling. Its value goes from 0 to 200% which means the velocity values can be multiplied by 2
  • Fixed hanging during dropping a rhythm pattern to 'Apply Rhythm'
  • Fixed a bug when saving custom phrases
  • [OS X] Fixed crash during chord entry in Chord Rules Editor

New in RapidComposer 3.0 (May 12, 2016)

  • The whole user interface was reworked
  • Standard cut/copy/paste/delete/duplicate... operations work on the 4 keyboard focus areas (track list, composition, timeline, master track)
  • Customizing all colors is possible, import/export UI themes
  • Customizing keyboard shortcuts, import/export shortcuts, export them as html, or open in browser
  • The newly rewritten Idea Tool is more flexible, logical and easier to use than before and is part of the main composition workspace
  • Standard cut/copy/paste/delete operations work in the phrase editor
  • Various note transformations through shortcuts and more note coloring options in the phrase editor
  • More note coloring options
  • New rhythm browser
  • Rhythm can be dragged from one phrase to the other, or from the rhythm browser to phrases
  • Improved rhythm editing, add rests, alter note lengths
  • New variation: "Apply Rhythm". You can slice notes of an existing phrase using a rhythm pattern.
  • New rhythm generator: "Euclidean Rhythm"
  • New phrase generator: "Arpeggiator"
  • Improved stability
  • Dozens of other improvements

New in RapidComposer 2.91 (Jun 19, 2015)

  • Fix for a hanging bug when clicking on pop-up menus (e.g. when selecting a VST plug-in in the track inspector)

New in RapidComposer 2.9 (Jun 17, 2015)

  • Harmonization of melody using two different algorithms.
  • Brand new VST plug-in which communicates with the application through a bridge
  • The new note inspector lets you conveniently edit the properties of multiple notes, with several transformations on selected notes
  • Improved rhythm editing
  • New variation: 'Simplify Phrase' to make the rhythm simpler of any phrase
  • New variation: 'Adjust Note Lengths v2' for fine control of note lengths, even with envelopes
  • New variation: 'Add Chord Notes' which is similar to 'Add Interval' but adds only chord notes
  • New variation: 'Extract Rhythm'
  • Ghost copies can be moved to other tracks. This opens new possibilities in the program.
  • It is possible to specify the length of the rhythm to allow rhythmic repetitions for longer phrases.
  • 'Join Notes' has a new option to inhibit joining notes at chord boundaries
  • 'Add Interval' offers interval of 'second'
  • New note mappings: 'Bass note+semitones' and 'Bass note+scale steps'
  • The application can send certain keystrokes to the VST host in VST bridge mode (see Settings / Miscellaneous)
  • It is possible to use 'Render Phrase With Variations' on absolute phrases.
  • Octave is not shown in chord names on the master track when using roman numeral notation
  • Chord inversion is displayed on the master track using less space to improve readability
  • New phrase generator preview button to play back all other tracks with the phrase
  • 'Apply' button is enabled when you edit a phrase from the phrase inspector
  • 'Add To Clipboard' button added in the phrase editor
  • Dragging the piano keyboard vertically and zooming (Ctrl-drag) works in the Phrase Editor and Phrase Inspector
  • The master track inspector opens when you right-click on the master track header
  • Pressing Shift during moving or resizing notes will ignore the snap setting
  • The Idea Tool has a new setting to leave existing track configuration untouched.\tThis means the instruments, variations and MIDI controllers will not be overwritten by the Idea Tool.
  • Note lengths are not expressed in beats anymore. Quarter note (1/4) is used as a 'beat'.
  • [VST] fix a crashing bug during MIDI import
  • Bug fix: the state of some VST plug-ins were not saved in the history (program change was not always detected)
  • Bug fix: a MIDI file importing problem when tracks with the same name and channel were treated as one track fixed
  • Bug fix: sometimes the window became very wide when the application started
  • Other fixes and increased stability

New in RapidComposer 2.84 (Mar 2, 2015)

  • Faster application startup: custom phrases are loaded asynchronously
  • Sending and receiving MIDI Start/Stop/Continue and Song Position Pointer can be enabled separately
  • Fixed crash when using the 'Auto' scale
  • Fixed occasional crash during phrase preview
  • [OS X] crash at the beginning of drag operation fixed
  • [OS X] stack overflow on 10.10 and other crashing bugs in the OS X version fixed
  • Various minor bug fixes

New in RapidComposer 2.83 (Feb 4, 2015)

  • MIDI rendering bug fixed during loop playback
  • MIDI export handles overlapping notes correctly when beginning at the same time
  • .rcUI extension is added automatically when saving UI themes
  • When filling a track with phrases, the default length for generators is used
  • It is not possible to fill a track with Phrase Morpher anymore
  • Fixed wrong colors when 'Color: By Common Notes' was used in palette
  • New color scheme for 'Color: By Common Notes'
  • Bug fix for the chord buttons displaying '...' in the phrase preview

New in RapidComposer 2.82 (Jan 26, 2015)

  • Faster Undo/Redo when VST plug-ins used; VST states are not restored unnecessarily
  • 'Collapse All' button added in the Variations browser
  • New setting: Remember browser positions and sizes (disabled by default)
  • Import MIDI continuous controllers from MIDI files
  • 'Loading composition...' is displayed during loading a composition and loading VST plug-ins, which may take seconds
  • MIDI controllers are reset when playback is starting (Reset All Controllers + reset pan and volume)
  • Browser filter button colors can be set in the preferences and are part of the UI theme
  • Fixed timeline selection by Shift-dragging which selected beats beyond the end of line
  • Fixed 'Remove First Beat' and 'Insert One Beat Before First' in phrase editor
  • Bug fix: when a chord progression was dropped on the timeline sometimes the previously selected progression was used
  • Bug fix: Undo sometimes created unwanted VSTi plug-in instances
  • Bug fix: compositions containing 'Line' generator were not loaded
  • Bug fix: loading an idea preset made phrases and variations appear multiple times
  • Bug fix: note velocity values were reset sometimes during loop playback
  • Various other optimizations and bug fixes

New in RapidComposer 2.8 (Jan 5, 2015)

  • Brand new redesigned phrase/instrument/scale/chord/chord progression browsers with advanced searching, filtering, tagging, grouping, sorting, displaying capabilities, using conditional expressions when needed. Use the 'right click' to preview or add tags.
  • It is possible to arrange custom phrases in hierarchical directories.
  • Removing a phrase is non-destructive (a dot is inserted in front of the filename which will be ignored)
  • Assign tags to multiple instruments, phrases. It is also possible to display and filter by tags.
  • Very precise MIDI sequencer used automatically when all tracks are MIDI
  • MIDI only usage is possible without setting an audio interface
  • [VST] An internal sequencer is added. It is possible to choose between local transport or host transport.
  • [VST] The internal logic was reworked. As a result the plug-in will work better (especially looping) in some hosts.
  • Each track has its own midi output device, allowing virtually unlimited number of midi outputs
  • MIDI drag-and-drop is possible directly on a track or in the phrase editor
  • Holding down the Ctrl key when dropping a phrase from the browser over a phrase in the composition will extract the rhythm from the source phrase which is then applied to the target phrase
  • It is possible to specify key-switch velocity for articulations
  • New note shape preference offers note graphical rendering with narrowing end
  • 16th note triplet added to the available snap and grid options
  • 'Collapse All' button is added to browsers
  • Exporting tracks as individual WAV/AIFF files
  • 'Split Phrases At Bar Boundaries' added to Timeline inspector
  • New scale type: Auto (scale is assigned automatically based on the chord)
  • Fixed note articulations
  • Other bug fixes

New in RapidComposer 2.73 (Sep 16, 2014)

  • Melody Generator handles scale changes inside the phrase
  • New option in melody generator to use scale+chord notes (even if chord has notes that are outside the scale)
  • New preference: "Allow transposition in guitar tracks"
  • New preference: "Open VST plug-in editor window after it was loaded"
  • Fix a bug when the phrases were not recalculated when the chord changed in the chord suggestion pop-up
  • Bass Generator fixed (connecting notes were transposed unnecessarily)
  • Chord suggestion popup does not close for an inside click, only closed when you click outside
  • MIDI program change is not inserted into MIDI clips for VST/SF2 tracks, and for MIDI tracks using the 'No Patch Change' preset
  • Issues with gluing phrases in a guitar track fixed
  • [OS X][VST] due to a software build issue logging was enabled, making the plug-in irresponsive

New in RapidComposer 2.72 (Sep 3, 2014)

  • New variation: Delay Notes. You can apply +/- delay to tracks by using it.
  • 'All Notes Off' is not sent to VST plug-ins or MIDI instruments anymore. Instead individual 'Note Off' messages are sent to avoid hanging notes.
  • Bug fix: the last composition was not loaded when it should have to
  • [VST] fix for looping issues in the VST plug-in
  • 'Add Interval' used the wrong interval when added to a track
  • Fix crash in Idea Tool when using 8-bar long phrases in a smaller composition
  • The soundfont playback is forced to use the same sample rate as the audio device
  • Bug fix: Ghost phrases should not display and handle 'phrase local history'
  • [VST] Bug fix: double clicking on "VST Output" on the instruments page crashed the host

New in RapidComposer 2.71 (Aug 14, 2014)

  • [VST] bug fix: crash when unloading the VST plug-in fixed. This also occurred when some DAWs scanned the VST folder to read information from plug-ins.

New in RapidComposer 2.7 (Aug 11, 2014)

  • Chord suggestions (left click on a chord)
  • It is easier to input chords using the MIDI keyboard or by entering text
  • Phrase local history implemented: save and recall previous states of phrase generation
  • The scale, tempo and signature properties are displayed on the master track and editable with a single click\tRight/secondary click on the master track allows you to add or remove scale/tempo/signature.
  • Chord progression rules editing
  • Chord progression generation based on probability rules
  • About 260 new chord progressions for major and minor scales used in pop music (registered version only)
  • It is possible to set the initial length of the inserted phrase generators
  • New phrase variation: 'Spread Out Chord Notes' to make a fuller sound from any phrase
  • 4 new schemes are added to the Chord Generator to spread out chord notes in octaves
  • Chord names fixed in traditional notation
  • Fixes in chord palette to remember window size
  • Bug fix: crashing issues when enabling "Start With Empty Master Track" fixed
  • Bug fix: freezing when saving composition for the first time eliminated
  • Bug fix: MIDI export and MIDI drag and drop from the VST plug-in to the host did not work well
  • Bug fix: chord preview did not work well in the VST plug-in
  • Other bug fixes

New in RapidComposer 2.64 (May 16, 2014)

  • Strumming variation reworked to offer more options
  • New variation: 'Add Interval' with polyphony option
  • 'Join Notes' has an option for not joining notes at line boundaries
  • Probabilistic Rhythm offers more divisions: 2,3,4,6,8 beats
  • Fix Phrase Morpher that sometimes created very high notes
  • Grid is displayed for MIDI controllers and other continuous parameters
  • Soundfont memory handling optimized
  • 'Auto Save&Open Last Edited Composition' became two separate settings
  • Bug fix: browser and inspector colour preferences were not saved and restored
  • Bug fix: possible crash during quitting the program eliminated
  • Bug fix: MIDI files without tempo were not imported at all
  • Bug fix: occasional hanging when changing instrument in the track inspector eliminated
  • [VST][OS X] crash fixed when the VST plug-in did not populate the ~/Documents/RapidComposerV2 folder when the standalone version was not run before
  • [VST] Bug fix: soundfont preview could have incorrect pitch because of sample rate mismatch between RC and the DAW
  • [VST] Bug fix: preview works again
  • [VST] Bug fix: when the plug-in instance was deleted and instantiated again, clicking on the chord palette crashed

New in RapidComposer 2.63 (Apr 28, 2014)

  • [VST] Serious bug when restoring the VST plug-in state fixed
  • Bug fix for selecting a timeline range

New in RapidComposer 2.62 (Apr 17, 2014)

  • [OS X] Fix MIDI drag-and-drop on Studio One
  • Fix for a crashing bug when renaming parts or lines in the structure inspector

New in RapidComposer 2.6 (Apr 9, 2014)

  • [OS X] 64-bit VST plug-in and standalone is included
  • Idea Tool is usable in the VST plug-in (in full edition)
  • New phrase generator: Strings Staccato Generator with Density setting
  • New phrase generator: Piano Run Generator with several techniques
  • New phrase generator: Dyads Run
  • New variation: Mirror Vertically (melodic inversion)
  • Two new phrase properties added: 'Mask Beginning' and 'Time Offset'
  • Dragging the left edge of a phrase masks notes at the beginning
  • Shift-dragging a phrase changes the time offset of the phrase events
  • Sending and receiving MIDI Start/Stop/Continue and sending MIDI Clock messages implemented
  • 'Velocity' added to variations so that you have full control over note on velocities
  • Unghost phrases
  • Timeline range selection changed: use Shift-drag and Shift-click for selection/deselection
  • Fill track with phrases can use the timeline range
  • [OS X] Virtual MIDI Output created that you can select as source in your DAW
  • During note editing the note name is displayed next to the mouse pointer
  • 'Persist Name' and 'Auto Increment' added to the phrase editor to improve workflow
  • An optional name field is added to 'Save Selected Phrases' which is auto-incremented if it contains a number.
  • Progress information is displayed when saving phrases, loading and analysing MIDI files
  • MIDI drag-and-drop improvements: drag selected range on the timeline or active part/line only
  • UI improvements on the VST settings page, "Scan For Plug-ins" implemented
  • 'Triplet' and 'Eighth Note Triplet' snap and grid is available in rhythm 'Manual Editing'
  • 'Split Phrases At Chord Boundaries' in timeline inspector (Keyboard shortcut: '|')
  • Batch conversion of MIDI files to phrases
  • Adjustable Popup Help Delay in the preferences
  • 'New composition' default settings can be specified in the preferences
  • It is possible to disable soundfont rendering in the RC VST plug-in
  • [OS X] UI rendering improvements to decrease processor usage during playback
  • [OS X] Foundation classes and VST plug-in handling reworked to increase stability
  • New keyboard shortcut for 'Select All Phrases In Current Track': Ctrl-A
  • New keyboard shortcut for 'Regenerate All Selected Generators' : Ctrl-G
  • New keyboard shortcut for 'Select Nth Track' : Alt-1..9
  • Fix for a bug when splitting phrases that had 'scale' as the resizing mode
  • Fix window resizing issue when in full screen mode
  • Built-in sequencer was made very precise
  • Latency issues with loop playback were fixed
  • Occasional muted notes during playback of a humanized track fixed
  • Chord palette does not reset its settings and window size when new chord selected
  • Empty beats are not removed when saving a phrase in the Phrase Editor
  • General MIDI Controller set was not added to imported MIDI tracks when set in the preferences.
  • MIDI controllers are named from the controller set when a composition is loaded
  • Fix for a possible chord progression library corruption in the Idea Tool
  • Fix for various problems during MIDI import
  • [OS X] Fix for a crashing menu handling bug

New in RapidComposer 2.55 (Jan 21, 2014)

  • It is possible to resize phrases by dragging the left edge
  • Group name can be specified when saving phrases from the inspector
  • Zoom tracks vertically by Ctrl-drag or click-and-hold in the track header
  • Settings like loop/region/zoom/scrollbar positions saved with the composition
  • Besides double-click you can also use Alt-click to split/join chords
  • Browsers and inspectors can be placed on top when clicked inside
  • Loading custom MIDI instruments/presets is possible
  • Phrase preview shows note accents/velocities by shading the notes
  • Ghost phrases did not render the expressions properly
  • Fix for the KORG M1 VSTi plug-in crash
  • Fix Schillinger's Interference: 'No Event' did not work well
  • [VST] Looping fixed when using Sonar
  • [OS X] Several fixes to improve stability
  • Under the hood: program initialization reworked

New in RapidComposer 2.54 (Dec 27, 2013)

  • MIDI Import fixes and improvements
  • Bug fix: rearranging lines and parts using drag-and-drop in the structure inspector did not move the phrases
  • [OS X] 'Browse' button did not work and may caused the program to freeze on the Settings / Directories page
  • [OS X] Tilde '~' can be used when entering a path manually on the Settings / Directories page
  • [VST] New setting to make the VST window 'always on top'. On Windows it is also possible to embed the user interface in the host window.
  • [VST] The previous composition is never loaded during startup, only the state that the host stored
  • [VST] Sending All Notes Off to the host was revamped which fixes hanging notes and other issues
  • Pressing STOP the second time will not jump vertically to the first track
  • Bug fix: fixed an issue when copying-pasting multiple phrases including ghost phrases
  • Bug fix: 'muted' state was not saved properly for variations

New in RapidComposer 2.53 (Dec 6, 2013)

  • Variations can be muted
  • 'Collapsed' state preserved in the variation list when adding or deleting variations
  • Rests variation uses 1/8th beat increments
  • Chord Magnet can be applied for lines, parts or the whole composition
  • Pressing 'W' closes all open browser and inspector windows
  • Save Composition (or pressing 'S') provides visual feedback about the success of the save operation
  • Confirmation window opened when deleting phrases
  • New Master Track inspector button: 'Open Chords in Progression Editor'
  • Bug Fix: importing MIDI files that began with a 'note off' or 'note on with 0 velocity' crashed the program
  • Bug Fix: various issues with VSTi plug-ins used in the Idea Tool fixed
  • Bug Fix: possible crash when saving a long chord progression fixed (using 'Save Selected Chords As Progression')
  • Bug Fix: due to an internal reference issue composition sometimes could not be loaded
  • Bug Fix: the preview instrument menu in the phrase and progression browser is updated when new tracks added
  • Bug Fix: history was not saved sometimes

New in RapidComposer 2.52 (Nov 28, 2013)

  • Bug fix: [OS X] VST plug-ins could not be added and used

New in RapidComposer 2.51 (Nov 28, 2013)

  • New variations: 'Rests' and 'Adjust Note Lengths'
  • Snap allows until 1/256 beat
  • Click&hold zoom implemented on the timeline: hold the mouse button for a short time without moving the mouse to zoom
  • Bug Fix: playback played the previous timeline region even when it was turned off
  • Bug Fix: 'Regenerate All Selected Generators' crashed when using ghosts
  • Bug Fix: visual anomalies when new item added in browser windows fixed
  • Bug Fix: [Win] ASIO compatibility with some soundcards improved
  • Bug Fix: [OS X] regenerating phrase generators in the idea tool caused sluggish behaviour
  • Bug Fix: [OS X] resizing browser windows work now

New in RapidComposer 2.5 (Nov 21, 2013)

  • New phrase generator specialized for making melodies: Melody Generator (not found in LE version)
  • New rhythm generator: Bass Rhythm to create interesting rhythm patterns for bass
  • Custom phrases are saved in separate files. A phrase is written to file immediately when added to the browser.
  • Directory can be specified to store custom phrases in (Settings/Directories tab)
  • Chord palette reworked, bugs fixed, flats and sharps correctly displayed
  • Metronome added and redesigned UI in phrase editor
  • UI improvements on the MIDI Import panel
  • Composition templates supported, several templates provided
  • Note editing: 'Move Notes To New Phrase' in context pop-up menu
  • Add composition to history with comments (shortcut: K). It is easy to look up an earlier state.
  • [VST] stability improvements (Reaper does not crash at exit)
  • New keyboard shortcuts added for filling tracks with phrases and some shortcuts changed
  • Various fixes and improvements in the structure editor. Rearrange parts and lines by drag and drop.
  • Snap/Grid: Bar option
  • New phrase transpose mode: Octave
  • Shortcuts '1' to '9' to start editing lines 1 to 9, Ctrl-'1' to Ctrl-'9' edits parts 1 to 9
  • Shortcut 'Insert' inserts one beat at the timeline position, Ctrl-'Insert' inserts one bar
  • Shortcut '\' splits selected phrases at the timeline position
  • Resizing the generator phrases (dragging the right edge) works again
  • Specifying manual rhythm works in the idea tool
  • Exported MIDI sometimes included the metronome track. This is fixed.
  • The rhythm was not saved in the phrase browser for custom phrases that used "Manual Editing"
  • Scale preview fixed in the scale browser
  • Possible crash at MIDI import fixed (for corrupted MIDI files, or files containing unexpected data). MIDI import stability improved.
  • New editing setting to reset transposition when phrase is added by doubleclicking
  • Small size soundfonts added
  • Chord progression preview will use the right scale for major and minor scale formulas (in progression browser and progression editor)
  • Dozens of other smaller improvements and fixes

New in RapidComposer 2.21 (Aug 27, 2013)

  • User interface rendering optimized
  • Automatic update checking implemented
  • It is possible to add bank select messages to MIDI instruments (by manually editing an .rcINST file)
  • Fixed the crash when using 'Add Imported Tracks To Current Composition'
  • Fixed an issue with MIDI import that could cause the program to hang or crash
  • Fixed the crash when the MIDI keyboard sent a message to the chord palette which was opened in the phrase editor.
  • [VSTi] Window sizing problems with VST plug-in fixed
  • [OS X] Standalone version properly terminates when the window is closed
  • [OS X] Several bugs fixed in the VST plug-in (especially using with DP8)
  • Other bug fixes

New in RapidComposer 2.2 (Jun 25, 2013)

  • [OS X]: VSTi plug-in version released
  • It is possible to cut and join notes simply with a doubleclick inside the note
  • [OS X]: scrolling is smoother and in the right direction
  • [VSTi] race condition eliminated which fixes crashes with Nexus and results better stability with plug-ins
  • Editing ghost copies is disabled in note editing mode
  • Modal alert windows removed during start-up
  • Various fixes to increase stability

New in RapidComposer 2.1 (Jun 3, 2013)

  • Global and per-track phrase envelopes which phrases may automatically follow
  • 4 algorithms offered for absolute-to-relative note conversion. Now you can work with scale-relative notes only, without depending on chord notes in the phrase.
  • AI improvements in chord detection when importing MIDI files
  • New master track option: magnet. Chords are automatically transposed and inverted for better voice leading
  • Magnet option is implemented for phrases. When enabled the phrase will be automatically transposed to minimize note distance between the previous and current phrase or from the phrase envelope (choose from 2 algorithms)
  • The Idea Tool is prepared to use the new voice leading improvements to produce musically more useful results
  • 'Recents' menu added for opening compositions and importing MIDI files
  • Absoluterelative conversion is easier than ever by pressing keys '0' to '4'
  • 3 new view options for the piano roll
  • Inspectors and browser panels can be resized by dragging the right bottom corner
  • Mouse wheel works over the workspace to scroll and zoom
  • New 'Support' panel
  • Cosmetic UI changes
  • Bug fix for highlighting the wrong buttons in the chord palette
  • Additional bug fixes

New in RapidComposer 2.06 (Apr 15, 2013)

  • it is possible to resize the timeline (add/remove beats to the line being edited) by dragging the right edge of the timeline
  • you can change the key of an existing composition (e.g. from C major to D minor) with chord harmonization if you check 'Harmonize Chords to Match Scale' in the master track inspector
  • fixed a bug which inhibited loading an idea in the Idea Tool
  • [Win] ASIO improvements
  • Lots of minor fixes and extra checks to increase stability especially on OS X

New in RapidComposer 2.05 (Mar 20, 2013)

  • 'Regenerate all selected generators' button added in phrase inspector
  • Fixed problems with 'Remove Region'
  • 'Divide Phrase' issue fixed when a resized phrase was divided

New in RapidComposer 2.04 (Mar 16, 2013)

  • importing audio is possible and more convenient in the phrase inspector than in the track inspector
  • inspector fade in/out time can be set in the settings
  • new option in Idea Tool: selection of chord progression for the specified scale
  • fixed scale note shading on the piano roll
  • fixed an issue when after phrase editing the phrase was not updated in the composition
  • Ableton Live! called the VST plug-in 'close' function without calling 'open' first. This is handled gracefully now.
  • [Win64] windows x64 version will download the x64 update instead of the x86 file
  • [OS X] a problem was fixed when importing MIDI files that could cause crash or hanging
  • [OS X] an endianness bug was fixed when importing/exporting audio files
  • note parameters are fixed in sample phrases #9,#10,#11
  • other stability fixes

New in RapidComposer 2.03 (Mar 5, 2013)

  • [OS X] fixed crash when using the Bass Generator
  • fixed possible crash for an operation after an undo
  • a bug with 'Render Phrase With Variations' fixed
  • rendering problem on the mixer panel fixed
  • other fixes to improve stability e.g. when phrase or tracks deleted

New in RapidComposer 2.02 (Mar 4, 2013)

  • Fixes for user interface stability issues.

New in RapidComposer 2.01 (Feb 28, 2013)

  • Fixed a bug in MIDI Import where chords were not detected properly
  • [OS X] the default audio output device is selected when the application is first run

New in RapidComposer 2.0 (Feb 26, 2013)

  • redesigned user interface
  • improved workflow
  • chords and progressions can be based on scale degrees, several chord notations offered
  • cut/copy/paste works for phrases
  • simpler structure editor
  • MIDI drag and drop tracks or composition to DAWs
  • improved Idea Tool: generate a new composition for pressing a key
  • better reliability - the new recovery feature will recover your composition if the program or a plug-in crashes
  • lots of other minor features

New in RapidComposer 1.93 (Jul 4, 2012)

  • x64 version of Windows standalone and VST plug-in
  • Snap and grid: Triplet added
  • Quantize added in Phrase Editor
  • Save phrase to database directly from context popup
  • SPACE starts/stops playback, Enter jumps back to start
  • [OS X] no annoying beep sound for key presses
  • Fixed possible crash in Idea Tool when the Edit button was clicked
  • Fixed bugs with 'Render Phrase With Variations' (note on velocity and editing in Phrase Editor)
  • Various bug fixes to increase stability (e.g. for unassigned chords, editing Line Generator)