Waveform 13.5.3 Public Beta Available

[edrickblade]

Remember, this is a beta release not intended for pro audio yet, is for testing and review purposes only.

You can find it at: https://www.tracktion.com/account/downloads/beta
 
What's New

13.5.3
- Clip effects: Fixed a crash adding clip effects to a clip
- Automation: Fixed clip automation being removed if plugin order changes

[Jan Meyer]

Midi Editor
* Detached window mode: Sometimes the window has maximum size and clicking on "default size" icon of the window header changes the size of the main window, too.

My system: Windows 11 24H2, AMD Ryzen 7 5800U

[dayvyg]

Any chance the "Auto update on note resize" toggle for midi is going to be fixed in this release? Note auto update note size regardless of whether this is enabled or note. Someone mentioned it on the 13.5 wishlist a while back and I submitted a bug report for it. I never heard anything back.

[dePUNDIT]

Are the samplers in Waveform finally going to get the legato/portamento function in the next release? Please, please and please, tell me that the samplers are finally getting this. I often need this for my 808 bass. This is the main reason at the moment why I haven't fully moved over to using Tracktion Waveform.

[dePUNDIT]

After careful testing, I have discovered that Waveform is the most CPU hungry DAW on my computer. Where REAPER only takes up around 3.5% CPU for a 24 track session, Waveform consumed around 56% of my CPU for the exact same 24 track session. All the plugging and samples are exactly the same between both DAW projects.
I've come to the realisation that Waveform's lagy and glitchy display isn't because of any graphic or display driver problems. It's simply a failure of the audio engine to keep up with the work load put on it. It consumed more CPU than even FL Studio and Reason. Tracktion needs to do better.
I also just realised that Waveform doesn't have any "smart disable inactive Plugin" feature.

[Puddy]

Clip effects still having issues.
Click Fx>>>select plugin>>>blank dropdown or unexpected clip waveform.
Confidence waning!
Win11, WF13.5.3 demo

[pough]

Clip effects still having issues.
Click Fx>>>select plugin>>>blank dropdown or unexpected clip waveform.
Confidence waning!
Win11, WF13.5.3 demo

I'm not able to replicate this on Windows 10, although when I re-load the Edit with a ClipFX on an audio clip it tells me that the Edit includes references to a plugin that is not installed on my computer. That's not true. I even checked the XML of the Edit. I'll do some more testing.

It may have something to do with your settings regarding how Waveform lists plugins. Mine is set to Tag Menu.

[Puddy]

Clip effects still having issues.
Click Fx>>>select plugin>>>blank dropdown or unexpected clip waveform.
Confidence waning!
Win11, WF13.5.3 demo

I'm not able to replicate this on Windows 10, although when I re-load the Edit with a ClipFX on an audio clip it tells me that the Edit includes references to a plugin that is not installed on my computer. That's not true. I even checked the XML of the Edit. I'll do some more testing.

It may have something to do with your settings regarding how Waveform lists plugins. Mine is set to Tag Menu.

Hi, That is what it does this side... 44 and 48k also, software and direct2d renderer

[pough]

Hi, That is what it does this side... 44 and 48k also, software and direct2d renderer

I don't really know what you're referring to with words like "that" and "it."

Do you think that it's a graphics issue? Does the menu work in other parts of the program?

I'm not having any graphics issues, so I probably can't help you. I am coming up with some issues* to do with clip effect but they are not remotely similar.

Dragging a plugin onto the clip works fine. The two methods have some differences, but I rarely use either of them. If all you're doing is using a plugin as a clip effect, maybe use that method.

* 1) Sometimes Waveform tells me about a missing plugin even though nothing is missing. 2) Adding a plugin as a clip effect sometimes shortens the duration of the audio within the clip, seeming to star the audio at the wrong point and have empty space at the end. 3) None of the built-in Tracktion plugins seem to work.

[dePUNDIT]

Clip effects still having issues.
Click Fx>>>select plugin>>>blank dropdown or unexpected clip waveform.
Confidence waning!
Win11, WF13.5.3 demo

I was able to reproduce this. After adding a plugin as a clip FX via the FX button on the clip, setting it up and closing the window, clicking the FX button again in order to add another Plugin while the project is playing returns a blank pop-up Plugin list. It sort of looks like you have no Plugins installed. But if the project is not playing, most times, the pop-up Plugin list is populated as it should.

2) Adding a plugin as a clip effect sometimes shortens the duration of the audio within the clip, seeming to star the audio at the wrong point and have empty space at the end.

If you turn off auto-tempo, this goes away.

[pough]

...clicking the FX button again in order to add another Plugin while the project is playing returns a blank pop-up Plugin list.

I'm not seeing this. The plugin list shows up here even after one plugin has already been added and the project is playing. I guess there is some other condition necessary.

If you go to [Settings -> Plugins -> Plugin selector] and change those values, does it affect whether or not plugins show up? I tried them all and only when it was set to Browser did the plugins not show up. All the other settings allowed me to see and select a plugin.

Popup menu OK
Popup tree OK
Custom popup menu OK
Custum popup tree OK
Tag menu OK
Browser EMPTY

If you turn off auto-tempo, this goes away.

I'm seeing it happen even when the audio clip doesn't have Auto-Tempo on. Besides, clip effects should work on loops.

[pough]

I tried WF12 to see if it works differently. Using the Browser menu selector also gave me an empty list. Re-opening the Edit also told me that plugins included in the Edit aren't installed. However, it doesn't do the weird time shift.

I started a new Edit in WF13 and loaded the same WAV file on two tracks. The sample is loopable, but it doesn't have any ACID data so it's not automatically Auto-Tempo. I added clip effects to the second one and the time shifted in it. An image that shows what happens is included here. It's shifting the time by about 0.1 seconds.

[dePUNDIT]

After careful testing, I have discovered that Waveform is the most CPU hungry DAW on my computer. Where REAPER only takes up around 3.5% CPU for a 24 track session, Waveform consumed around 56% of my CPU for the exact same 24 track session. All the plugging and samples are exactly the same between both DAW projects.
I've come to the realisation that Waveform's lagy and glitchy display isn't because of any graphic or display driver problems. It's simply a failure of the audio engine to keep up with the work load put on it. It consumed more CPU than even FL Studio and Reason. Tracktion needs to do better.
I also just realised that Waveform doesn't have any "smart disable inactive Plugin" feature.

Update:
I have just realised that the Multi-out Rack is the main CPU hog in Waveform.
Using Waveform's own Drum Sampler, loading the stock 808 presets and playing a drum pattern, my CPU consumption reached between 3%-4% usage. However, once I switch it into a Multi-out Rack, CPU usage skyrocket to between 12%-16% sometimes spiking at 18%. The more pads you actually use, the more CPU it uses. Same thing happened when I tried it with Multi Sampler.
Doing the same test with Addictive Drums 2, CPU usage normally ranged between 10%-16%. When switched to Multi-out Rack, but CPU usage ranged from 18%-20%.
Doing this same test in FL Studio using Addictive Drums 2, the CPU usage stayed constant in both scenarios using up between 11%-12%.
In REAPER, using Addictive Drums 2, CPU usage ranged from 2.6%-5% in both scenarios.
I believe that if the cpu usage of the Plugin Rack in Waveform is optimised and also, a feature to Smart Disable Inactive Plugins (meaning, when a plugin is not processing any sound, it's automatically removed from the processing thread and once it's needed to process sound it comes back automatically) is added, Waveform's CPU usage will be almost as low as REAPER.