Brainspawn releases Forte 4.5

Brainspawn has announced the release of Forte 4.5 as a free update to all Forte 4 users.

Forte 4.5 contains new features and numerous bug fixes:

• Plugin Replacer – easily replace or update plugins in rack files.
• High DPI User Interface – scale the user interface for high resolution monitors.
• New features in Trim Rack to optimize your rack files.

Plugin Replacement Tool:

• The Tools menu now has a new menu item "Replace Plugins in this Rack File..." that guides you through the process of replacing a plugin in your rack file. This is done by saving and reloading your rack file in a new mode that asks if you wish to replace each plugin. If you say "Yes" it will ask you to select the plugin to use instead. After testing and updating scenes you can re-save the rack file to make the changes permanent. This is useful for replacing plugins that are upgrades from existing plugins and that you expect to read the same configuration data.
• This new function also works when loading a rack file that refers to missing plugins. This guides you through selecting replacement plugins. Forte will remember your choices for all remaining plugins instances of the same time during the rack load operation.

Added plugin effects to instrument plugin tree:

• You can now select non-instrument (i.e. effect) plugins in the instrument menu. This is a convenience that creates a new audio input module with the selected effect in the insert effect bin.

DPI Awareness option in Settings:

• This enables or disables the applications' knowledge of DPI awareness, enabling you to customize the size of the user interface for high DPI displays.

Trim Rack Enhancements:

• Added Trim Rack checkbox option to preserve existing plugin configuration data. When this option is checked the scenes are updated but the plugin data for each plugin is preserved. This only removes unused information and updates MIDI and other scene information.
• Added Trim Rack checkbox option to remove plugin data for muted instruments and bypassed inserts. When this option is checked the scenes are updated but the plugin data for any plugin that is in a muted instrument modules, or is bypassed (for audio effects) is discarded. If your working style involves muting or bypassing plugins and these settings do not change in performance, this can reduce rack size.

Other Enhancements:

• Read/Write JSON formatted plugin cache files (plugins.json and plugins64.json). Add VST diagnostic information to each VST plugin in JSON cache file.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed scene browse cancel – don't allow select to work if canceled.
• Fix Waveshell plugin naming where plugin menu would show the generic Waveshell DLL name.
• Fix Arturia plugins compatibility fix.
• Z3TA+ 2 compatibility fix.
• Fixed a bug when modifying a scene or song used more than once in a rack. Note Forte used to append " Mod" to the song or scene but now appends "*" (#2074).
• Fixed a problem where, if a song is in a Set List twice in a row, the "move to song in set" feature gets out of sync with the set.
• Fixed disabled quick scene remove button in the Scene Manager (#2222).
• Fixed grayed out plugins when you have >1000 VSTs (mix of instruments and effects).
• Fixed crash on close (#2946).
• Force Blue Cat's Remote Control 64 plugin to be seen as an instrument.
• Other miscellaneous fixes.

Miscellaneous:

• Remove Readme at end of installer.
• Fixed tray icons.
• Hide JBridge options in plug-in manager if not installed.
• Removed tip of the day from help menu.
• Set Browser UI update.
• Rack Manager UI style improvements.
• Automatically enable VST trace load mode when in safe mode. This prompts the user to load each plugin configuration data blob when applying a scene. The dialog is instanced with Yes to All and No to All choices to make troubleshooting faster.