AudioTheory Piano Keys News

It's almost been two months since the launch of AudioTheory Piano Keys and a new update is now ready! Version 1.4.0 adds in support for multiple keyboard sizes all the way up to a full size 88 key piano.



[h3]88 Keys[/h3]
By default AudioTheory Piano Keys still starts out with the 37 key view. This can then be adjusted form the options popup, where you can select between 37, 49, 61, 76 and 88 keyboard size options.




Depending on the keyboard size, you will notice that in order to fit the wider length keyboards, parts of the interface will be automatically hidden. These can be brought back to overlay on top of the keyboard as required by using the icons that sit in their place.



[h3]Additional changes[/h3]
The majority of other changes making their way into this update are here to support the new range of keyboard sizes:

Toggles for UI elements. The scale highlighting config. (middle right), the mode selector (bottom right) and the note selector (bottom left) can all now be toggled independently . For the smaller keyboard sizes this gives better flexibility on what information you're seeing on screen, and for the larger sizes it's a requirement to allow the full length of the keyboard to display.

Additional sounds (for the lower and higher notes). Again, this is predominantly for 88 key support, but it means that new notes are available in other contexts too. It also accounts for the increased file size of this update.

MIDI support for out of range notes. For example, if you connect an 88 key MIDI controller but are using the 37 key view, you will still get audio feedback from the notes not on screen.

Extended output octave range. This covers the extended range of available notes, and can now be set between between -2 and +2.



You might also notice that the application logo is now a slightly different shade of blue. Long story short, the intention has always been for the AudioTheory applications to be variations on the same logo; the same shape but with some form of notable difference.

However, the variation for AudioTheory Piano Keys was achieved by using a different background, rather than the fill colour inside the logo itself (with the darker logo 'popping out' from the lighter background). What this means was in contexts where the logo was used without the background (typically as just an icon) it ended up looking the same as the AudioTheory Guitars logo. This change ensures a visible difference in all situations!

That's all for today, thanks for reading.

Update 3 arrives today for AudioTheory Piano Keys. This combines a set of performance optimisations to make the application run more efficiently. It's also the last (well, last currently planned) 'under the hood' update, meaning that the groundwork for future updates is now complete, with the intention being for these to be mostly focused on adding in new features.



Also, a quick side note, tomorrow it will be exactly one month since AudioTheory Piano Keys launched. That went fast! Thanks for taking the time to check it out.

[h3]Variable Render Rate[/h3]

Ah, the solution to all of life's problems. This week I've made a fair few optimisations in the name of performance, but the most noticeable is a new variable render rate that means the display doesn't update when it doesn't need to.

This works well because there are many scenarios where you may find the software idling, it is after all reference material so it makes sense to leave it open up on screen. The software now looks out for these moments and greatly reduces the CPU overhead when possible, before seamlessly resuming to business as usual when any sort of input (or any action that results in a visible change on screen) is detected.



[h3]Run out of focus[/h3]

I have also changed the default behaviour of the application so that it pauses running if the window is not in focus. This makes it a lot more practical to leave open in the background.

Originally this was not set because I imagined scenarios where it would be useful to poll for MIDI input when using the application alongside a DAW or other piece of software (e.g. you could be working in Logic on one screen and have AudioTheory running in the background on a second monitor). This may still be the case, so if your requirements do in fact mean that it's desirable for the application to run out of focus, then you can turn this back on in the settings.

That's all for today. Thanks for reading, and keep practicing.

Fraser

Update #2 for AudioTheory Piano Keys is here and this one makes some pretty big 'under the hood' changes. Following on from a similar update for AudioTheory Guitars last week, version 1.2.0 of AudioTheory Piano Keys adds support for the ASIO4ALL audio driver, designed to give lightning fast response times and improve the latency of the application.

[h3]AudioTheory Piano Keys and the ASIO4ALL driver[/h3]

ASIO4ALL is a freeware audio driver designed for low latency playback. Most DAWs require the use of an ASIO driver, and whilst it is optional for AudioTheory Piano Keys, it's highly recommended. It's very easy to install and you are guaranteed to get better performance than the built-in Windows driver.

Oh and yes, to confirm this is a Windows specific feature. Mac and Linux come with audio drivers that can handle very low latencies out-of-the-box. More on how the settings have changed on these platforms in a bit.



[h3]Changes to the Windows version of AudioTheory Piano Keys[/h3]

There are a few things now in place designed to help swap you over to the ASIO driver. If you load up the application without this installed you will see a one-time notification directing you to the ASIO4ALL website.

Once installed, the application will automatically swap to use the ASIO driver when its next loaded. You can see which driver is currently in use from the settings popup. Here can also swap driver using the dropdown, meaning you can revert back to the built-in driver if required. Please note that any driver changes here require the application to be restarted before they take effect. Oh, and if you swap to ASIO here but the driver isn't installed then it's not going to work. In this scenario the application will prompt you to install it on your machine.



If the ASIO driver is in use, you will also see a 'config.' button that lets you open up the ASIO4ALL settings. Here is where you configure your output device as well as the DSP buffer size. If you are not receiving any audio, the likely cause is that the correct output has not been selected here.



[h3]Changes to the Mac and Linux versions of AudioTheory Piano Keys[/h3]

These still use the DSP latency settings that were previously in place. As above, the built-in drivers are able to support low latency without the need for an external driver. However I have swapped over the selector to a new dropdown which makes it a bit quicker and easier to select the value you're after.



[h3]Velocity playback[/h3]

Oh, another change along the same lines. MIDI input playback now registered the note press velocity, meaning the playback volume is controlled by how hard you are pressing the notes. This helps better simulate the effect of a real instrument.



That's all for today. The same update will be arriving soon for AudioTheory Grids, there are a few extra changes I need to make it work here first however.

That's all for today. Thanks for reading.

AudioTheory Piano Keys has been out for just over one week, and today our first update arrives. This sorts out a few bugs and includes a series of 'under the hood' changes that optimise how the application handles input and audio playback.



[h3]A large change[/h3]

This update is bigger in filesize than a typical update from me. A typical patch normally comes in under 10mb in file size, but sadly that's not the case today. I've reviewed how the application stores and accesses audio data and the size of this update reflects the changes made here.

This new version of AudioTheory Piano Keys includes uncompressed files that were previously compressed (hence the overall app size previously being smaller). This data had to be decompressed as required, meaning there was a performance trade off. So the application file size is now bigger, but I am confident that the new balance is much better, and based on my plans for updating the app further in the future, this is a required foundation.

I have also replaced the input system, although the end result is fairly similar the method by which the application now handles MIDI input has been completely reworked. Again, this is predominantly me ensuring that the app has a solid foundation for the road ahead.



[h3]And the bug fixes...[/h3]

The following bug fixes and tweaks have also made their way into this update:

• The scale wheel now plays using the selected instrument preset
  
• A loaded preset name hides on the wheel-only view
  
• Fixed a scenario where note names would not update on application load
  
• Fix for Real-time Scale Highlighting 'auto' mode not correctly refreshing when chords were not being automatically loaded with a scale preset
  
• Adjusted the scale highlighting process to resolve a slight flicker if rapid note changes were made
  
• Fixed a couple of issues with the diminished scales
  
• Scale library now correctly refreshes for all tab combinations
  
• Link to User Guide added to application settings
  
• Quit button added to application settings
  
• Engine upgrade
  
• Fix for text overlap when the options cog was open during certain points in the Ear Training exercises
  

And that's all for today. Please look forward to more AudioTheory Piano Keys updates in the future.

Fraser

AudioTheroy Piano Keys launches on Steam today. I'm super excited to finally share this software with you. There is also a new trailer, which showcases the additional features, ear training exercises, and user interface changes that have made their way into the release since the initial reveal announcement:

https://youtu.be/Nkbd5x7dRkE

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

In other news, working on AudioTheory Piano Keys has meant rethinking and reworking elements of the existing AudioTheory software library released to date. As such, new updates are also launching today for both AudioTheory Guitars and AudioTheory Grids. In particular all three pieces of software use the new and improved highlighting options initially developed for AudioTheory Piano Keys.

Thanks for reading, and please do check out AudioTheory Piano Keys. It's helped with my own practicing, I hope it will help with yours too.

Fraser