JummBox 2.6 Patch Notes

Back Under Ctrl




1. Overview


JummBox 2.6 makes the move to jummb.us!
It also finally brings us up to date with BeepBox v4.2, makes some much-needed bugfixes, and adds some new usability features. Potentially most transformative among them is the ability to hold Ctrl while moving a slider or filter point to automatically record modulators.


I will not re-tread over the BeepBox 4.0 to 4.2 changes here, so if you want to learn what changed that JummBox has now ported over, check these:
[ v4.1 | v4.2 ]


Regarding the port to jummb.us, it should happen automatically when you try to open any old JummBox URL. If, for whatever reason, you need to update a URL manually, all you need to do is change the jummbus.bitbucket.io part of the URL to jummb.us.


This version should sound the same as v2.5, but just in case it is still available at jummb.us/2_5.


Special thanks to shaktool as always, and to Devious and TheGubbys for some in depth bug-testing!


2. Patch Notes


Click a header below to expand the section and learn more.



The original elevator pitch for modulators was "have you ever moved a slider while the song was playing, and liked how it sounded?". Of course, you still had to go in and set all the modulators to really achieve the same sound as what you got while messing with sliders - and this could be a pretty taxing workflow, especially for filters. But now, this feature helps bring the workflow much closer to that original simple concept!


Let's start with the basics. While the song is playing, hold down Ctrl while moving a slider to record values into the modulators related to that slider. (Shift works just the same, and in FireFox)

In the example, the song tempo is being changed in real time by manipulating the slider. Also, you may have noticed that there was no song tempo slot set up yet in the modulator channel - when you try to record, this feature will also do its best to automatically find open patterns and slots in your mod channels, and set new modulators appropriately.

In this instance, the tempo was recorded while also viewing the mod channel, so you could see it updating in real-time. But most of the time you won't be able to see the recordings happening since you'll be looking at another channel/instrument. So long as you see the modulator dot following your mouse cursor like in the below image, you will be recording.


This feature will also adhere to your current rhythm setting when placing down recorded notes. It's recommended to use ÷4 or ÷8 when recording.

This setting works for Dot X/Y modulators for filters as well - it even works on morphed filters. Hold down Ctrl while over the filter editor to see its active modulators, then click a dot while it's morphing to start controlling it. To support this, X/Y mods have been changed to always take precedence over morphing. Once the X/Y mods stop the morph will take over again though, so it's recommended to do some manual tweaks after you record to get it sounding right.




The best way to learn more about this feature is... experimentation!



In the Note Recording prompt, a new option has been added to record simultaneous lead/bass! By setting the "Bass Offset" box to "before" or "after", some notes will be played and recorded into the channel before or after the one you've selected.




When you turn on the bass offset, the keyboard preview will darken some keys to indicate them as bass notes. This bass divide will also be used for any MIDI piano you have hooked up. The two channels will be recorded completely separately, so you can play overlapping notes with no issue.




Your octave view settings and scroll bar will determine just where the bass divide is, so be sure to fiddle a bit if it's not in the right spot (In general, the bass divide tries to be on a tonic around the middle of your octave view, so zooming in/out can affect it too). The bass channel's octave scrollbar will also change the relative pitch of recorded bass notes.



You now have the ability to control envelope speeds for each instrument. As you might have come to expect, it's accessible via a tiny triangle dropdown next to the envelope settings.





Inside is the envelope speed slider, which can be modulated (and recorded!), and a "Discrete" tick box. The envelope speed scale applies to all envelopes for the instrument, but you can play with various envelope types along with the speed slider to achieve the desired sounds.


Regarding the "Discrete" tick box, it causes the envelope settings to be kept the same every synth run instead of interpolated. This will not sound very different for most envelopes, but it can come in handy with the new blip 1/2/3 envelopes. These are simply "on" for a brief duration, and then "off".


With "Discrete" ticked the blip will be truly instant, otherwise there will be a brief but audible slide from "on" to "off". Either could be desirable given the circumstances. Try combining blip envelopes with pitch shift for an easy octave jump effect!




About


These are patch notes for the online song creation tool JummBox. Click the link to learn more.


Created by jummbus. The source code is here. MIT license.


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