Big Tick have made a pre-release version of Rhino 2 available for current registered users of v1.x. The pre-release update is free, as will be the final release (scheduled for 1st August).

New in Rhino 2:

• New skin engine.
• Presets library - The first page is now split between the current, 64 presets bank, and the library, and they support drag & drop, so that you can move presets around, or drop fxp/fxb files directly from Windows explorer. The library is a database of all your presets (unlimited in size). You can use it to classify your sounds and easily navigate through presets. Presets can be auditioned directly from the library.
• New Waveforms - Rhino 2 now features 130 built-in waveforms.
• External Waveforms - Rhino can also import your own multi-sample (16 bit mono) .wav files, using a very simple text file.
• DX7 Import improved - While Rhino is not (and never will be) a true DX7 emulator like FM7, imported sounds are now much closer to the original.
• 2 New Filter Types:
  1. The comb filter mixed the signal with a delayed version of itself. The delay time is controlled by the cutoff envelope. This filter type brings lovely ringing tones, and is especially effective on drum loops
  2. The all-pass filter changes the phase of some frequencies in the input signal. This filter type can be used in 2 different ways:
     • If the output signal is mixed with the input, and the filter cutoff is modulated using an envelope, some frequencies are cancelled out as the cutoff is swept by the envelope, leading to a slight phasing effect.
     • If the output signal is played raw, there is no audible difference between the input and the output. This is a convenient way to pan a raw oscillator output: send it through an all-pass type filter, and use the filter output panning curves.
     The resonance control has no effect on the all-pass filter.
• Envelope for filter resonance - Filter resonance can now be controlled using an envelope. This envelope time can be controlled by keyboard position or by velocity.
• Editor for user control assignments - The user control sliders are used to assign up to 16 different parameters to a single slider, with variable direction and range. It is now possible to edit assignments, using right-click on a user slider.
• Global Tuning Scale - In addition to the preset-specific tuning scale of Rhino 1, there is now a global scale, common to all presets of a given bank.
• Global envelopes level - Envelopes now have this small slider. The slider defines the level of the envelope, moving this slider is similar to changing the level of all points of the envelope.
• Keyboard detuning octave - Oscillators have a "detuning" curve available in the keyboard tracking window. This parameter defines a constant detuning frequency, which is added to the base frequency of all notes.
• Copying oscillators & Filters - Drag / drop an oscillator tab to copy all the parameter of the oscillator (envelopes, pitch, waveform, …) to another oscillator. It also works for filters.
• Customizable default preset - When clearing a preset, the default preset is loaded from the default.fxp file.
• Bank name - The current bank name is remembered across sessions.