Willow Software Anvil Studio

Willow Software has updated the free version of Anvil Studio to version 2012.03.01.

Changes in version 2012.03.01:

• Added Duplets and Septuplets to the staff editor.

• Fixed bug with Playlist files.

• Fixed bug where playing songs that included audio samples was not working right.

• Fixed bug where VST-Instruments would not echo entered notes after song playback.

• Updated

Previous Updates: Willow Software has updated the free version of Anvil Studio, version 2012.01.01, to act as a host for VST-Instruments. Previously, the only software synthesizer available with the free version was the Windows-supplied GS Wavetable Synthesizer. With an external MIDI keyboard, Anvil Studio can now be used for multi-track sound-on-sound recording, and real-time performance with no delays due to GS Wavetable Synthesizer's high latency.

Changes in version 2012.01.01:

• The free version of Anvil Studio now includes access to a single VST-Instrument. This provides a wealth of new sounds and overcomes latency problems with the Microsoft GS Wavetable synthesizer.

• With the Pro-Mix accessory a song can play to several VST-Instruments and MIDI Out ports at the same time.

• The free version supports audio sample rates up to 48,000 samples per second.

• With Multi-Audio 1/8 accessory, it supports sample rates as high as your soundcard supports, up to 192,000 samples per second.

• View / Options / General can now assign Ctrl+V to shortcuts, e.g. Edit / Paste Insert, Edit / Paste Over, Edit / Paste Mix, Edit / Paste Special, etc.

• The menus Edit / Insert Rests into All Tracks and Edit / Delete Selection from All Tracks are now also enabled when editing Audio tracks. When used, they ask if change is to apply to all Audio and/or all MIDI tracks. It lets you select units from Measures, quarter notes, ... Audio Samples, Milliseconds.

• When the Multi-Audio 8/16 is installed, you can record to MIDI and Audio tracks simultaneously.

• When multiple display monitors are available, Anvil Studio starts up in the same monitor it was in when it last closed. In previous versions, it always started up in the primary display monitor.

• The new version works with more VST-Instruments including DSK_SF2. Works better with 32-bit int ASIO drivers.

• If you have a VST-Instrument or DirectX effect that doesn't work with Anvil Studio.

• please let [email protected] know, and we'll address it.

• A problem with the Piano Roll / Rhythm editor's Snap-to-grid control was fixed.

Anvil Studio is a free Windows 7 / Vista / XP program for editing multi-track MIDI files. The free version can:

• Host a VST-Instrument using Core Audio, DirectX or WDM.

• Create songs with unlimited MIDI tracks and 2 audio tracks up to one minute long.

With the optional Anvil Studio Pro-Mix accessory, it can load any number of VST-Effects and VST-Instruments, and ReWire instruments under ASIO, Core Audio, DirectX, or WDM, and it can record, edit, and playback VST parameter automation.

With the optional Anvil Studio Multi-Audio accessory, it can record and mix up to 8 Audio tracks of unlimited length.

With the optional Anvil Studio Print-Sheet accessory, you can annotate and print sheet music for standard MIDI files with standard music notation including: slur, crescendo, decrescendo, fermata, trill, repeat, D.C., D.S., Segno, Coda, Prima Volta, Seconda Volta, pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, and more.

• Editors: Staff, Lyrics, Piano Roll, Percussions, Loops, Audio, Events.

• File formats: standard .MID and .WAV files.

• Includes extensive integrated help.

• Piano Roll / Rhythm editor with:

  • Multi-level loops.

  • Loops can refer to notes, other loops, samples, or Riffs.

  • Import, record and edit audio samples and play them like drums.

  • Any note duration down to 1/128th notes.

  • Dynamic editing while the song is playing, making it easier to experiment with rhythms.

  • Duplet, quintuplet, and septuplet notes.

• Enter notes from external MIDI device, on-screen guitar fret board, on-screen piano keyboard, or by dragging notes to the staff.

• Lyrics, track names, and comments can be in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and other languages.

• Percussion editor employs standard percussion notation.

• Edit note properties individually or as a group: Pitch, duration, volume, stem direction, staccato, tie-to-next-note, and delete note.

• Copy and paste between 2 song files by starting two copies of Anvil Studio with different songs loaded.

• Align notes with beats and measures.

• Stretch / compress notes over time.

• Compensation for MIDI and Audio device latency and working with low-latency ASIO and Virtual Instruments.

   

• Per-track On/Mute/Solo, device, instrument, channel, fader, pan, and effects controls.

• Shows up to 25 tracks of information displayed at the same time.

• Zoomed-out view of notes and wave data for all tracks at the same time.

• Option to play notes as mouse moves over them, making it easier to quickly locate a spot in the song.

• Dynamically change track volumes, mutes, instruments, and effects properties while a song continues to play.

• Fast loading and scrolling of large MIDI files.

• Time and Duration fields display time in Minute:Second:Frame(SMPTE), or Measure:Beat:Ticks, or sample format.

• Metronome includes tempo, lead-in, and accent beat attributes.

• Add Cue points for quickly positioning to a desired spot in the song.

• Play list for playing hours of different song files.

• File/Truncate menu to shorten the duration of .MID files.

• File/Merge Song menu for copying tracks between .MID files.

• User-defined keyboard shortcuts.

• Control Record/Play/Stop functions remotely using any MIDI controllers such as a Foot Switch, Modulation wheel.

• Free version has built-in patch-library support for SoundFont -compatible sound cards.

• Supports the Tascam US-428 External Mixing console.

   

Audio

• Free version allows you to record and edit a single, stereo or mono, one minute audio track.

• Mix audio files with different formats (bits per sample, samples per second).

• Controls for sound-card configuration.

• Mix all tracks down to a single .WAV file.

• Set record and play start and end times to control which range get recorded for Punch-in to re-record over mistakes.

• Record audio tracks from any sound card's Mono, Left, Right or Stereo channels, from any soundcard source including Microphone, Line-In, CD-Audio, etc.

• Audio effects: native reverb, native EQ, third-party DirectX effects.

• Audio filters: zero-range, pitch change, volume change, pan, filtering, reverse, normalize (to maximize a track's head-room), low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and band-stop.

• VU meters.

• Zoom in to the sample level.

• Per-sample Volume, Pan and Reverb controls.

• Record an Audio device's Left or Right channel to a track by itself.

• Mix stereo and mono Audio tracks in the same song to a stereo or mono mix.

• Split a stereo audio track into two mono tracks.

• Change audio tracks between Mono and Stereo.

• Paste Stereo to Mono and Mono to Stereo.

• Import .WAV files to audio tracks or sampled rhythms.

• When moving the mouse over notes on the staff, the equivalent keys on the piano keyboard are highlighted.

• Record from an external MIDI keyboard.

• Enter notes from Computer keyboard while real-time recording or manually composing.

• Select, Copy, Edit, Paste notes.

• Right-mouse popup menu control of individual note properties including:

• Staff style control to display 1 or 2 treble, bass, or other clefs.

• Quantize.

• Transpose diatonic or chromatic.

• Auto-harmonize.

• Triplets, quintuplets.

• Automatic layout of bars and staves.

• MIDI Master and Slave Synchronization modes for synchronizing with MIDI drum machines and sequencers.

• Repair Song menu fixes problems in badly-formatted MIDI files.