Software Update

By now OPL Studio software v2.2.2 has been released and together with v2.2.1 it contains many improvements to fix bugs and annoyances. Only a few small new features were added, these being the biggest two:

OPL3 Bank Editor Instruments

In this version of the software OPL Studio's Patch Editor got support for the *.OPLI single instrument format used by the OPL3 Bank Editor. This format is one of the more flexible as it can store 2-OP, 4-OP and pseudo 4-OP patches. Full instrument bank support will be added in a future release.

Improvements to the Live Sequencer

The Live Sequencer got a few bugs fixed and it received two new buttons to copy all sequences from one bank to the other with a single click.

Manual Update

Something that I didn't pay enough attention to while working on the software of OPL Studio was keeping the manual up to date. The manual was still showing the 1.something software and in some places some very outdated information. This has now been rectified with the updated OPL Studio Manual that targets the v2.2.2 software. This has taken me much longer than I had hoped for and now I finally updated it I will try to do a better job keeping it up to date.

Drum Sequencer 2

The next big thing will be the update of the drum sequencer. This part of the UI has been left untouched almost since the first release of OPL Studio and it shows if you compare it to the rest of the UI. 

For the new drum sequencer the biggest change will be that there is going to be a piano roll style editor, like the melody sequencer. The big improvement here is that you can see all drum tracks in one view instead of having to switch between the different tracks. Editing will be more streamlined in that you will be able to draw notes by dragging the stylus.

Also the sequence editors, patch editor and the live sequencer need to play nicer with each other. Currently the interection is a bit lacking if you're trying to edit patches or sequences while the live sequencer is playing, or the navigation overall to switch between the different app modules needs to be improved.

Currently development is well underway and the new drum sequencer is taking shape!

OPL Studio Facelift

Although calling it a facelift may be too big of a statement, there will be an update to the front panel of OPL Studio soon. Nothing too big, just going to make it look more interesting. This will be something for the next log when I have the new front panels available.