BeepComp / Blog: Recent posts

Dear users,

Thank you for being patient for this one! The Mac version has been in the works, and now it is functioning perfectly. I have created a couple of tracks with it, and I didn't encounter any issues. So this is officially available for anyone using OSX 10.7 Lion or later :)

BeepComp v0.2.2 for Mac

Please do note that your OS might block the program from starting depending on your security setting. If you have trouble starting it, please follow these steps:... read more

Dear users,

One of BeepComp's newest features is ring modulation. You can create really amazing Sci-Fi effects and unique sound textures with this effect, so I hope you experiment with this feature! See the posts in our forum under the thread "Ring Modulation" where you can find interesting source scripts to try. Another new feature for this version is sound shaping for drums. Now you can change noise types, noise mix level, pitches and lengths for the drums through event commands. I have included a tutorial file to introduce you to these commands.
I hope you enjoy these new developments - happy beep-making! :)... read more

Dear users,

The funky, nasally sounds of a pulse waveforms were used everywhere in many old console games so these had to be included in BeepComp's sound arsenal! I also added a simple overdrive effect you can use to "beef up" soft waveforms like sine and triangle waves. You will have fun with these new tools!
I will be creating a few forum posts that walk through these new features... you can start with this one.
I hope you enjoy this evolved version of BeepComp.
Please always feel free to give me feedback, let me know of any bugs, and share songs you make!... read more

Dear users,

I am excited to introduce the new pitch-bend effects! Pitch falls and rises add so much life to melodies. I included a song example where you can see how these bend effects work - play "ys2_palace_of_solomon.txt" and look into the source text... I hope you enjoy these new tools!
For this release, I compiled and uploaded a portable version. If you want a version that can run out of your thumb drive, go to Sourceforge release folder and look for a folder named "portable."
Thank you for using BeepComp. Your feedback and issue reports are always welcome. Beep on!... read more

Dear users,

I hope BeepComp is contributing to your creative endeavors! Thank you for using this software. It has gotten a lot more stable than it once was. There are always many new things for me to learn and improve on, but your kind support and feedback keep me going. Enjoy beep-making! :)

Hiro

What's new in BeepComp version 0.1.9

• The userdata folder location has been migrated to inside user's 'Documents' folder
  (Easier access, plus any users can access directly without going to the mirrored location)
• now using new typefaces that work better (clearer, hopefully!)
• With the new font, the screen fits a couple of more lines in the editor area
• Minor rebalancing of the screen components
• Minor bug-fix: X-ing out the window was not working properly in file dialogs
• Minor bug-fix: made the file type switch work properly when the selected item went off-screen
• A tutorial was added to give you tips on setting a good delay timing
• Made the license notices more appropriate

Dear users,

Exciting news! The Softpedia website's editorial team has given BeepComp a nice 4-star review, and a 100% Free award certification :) I thank you for using BeepComp! Please always let me know about any issues you might find and things I can do to improve the program.

The version 0.1.8 is a maintenance release (addressing the issue with quick-saving was important).

Sincerely,
Hiro

New in BeepComp version 0.1.8:... read more

Dear users,

Boy, we have many exciting new features here! :)
I focused on making the program more robust, and I will continue on this path.
Thank you for using BeepComp.
I'm grateful for the people who got in touch with me about the bugs, too.
Hope you enjoy this!

Hiro

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New features in BeepComp version 0.1.7:

• A new default demo song! :)

• The user's work now gets automatically saved every 5 minutes

• If the audio device drops out, it gets re-initialized automatically
  (automatic check performed every 5 seconds)
• Now you can specify a set number to repeat a phrase, by {n---}
• Minor bug fix: empty tuplet braces [] caused crash
• Minor bug fix: made rests ":" work correctly inside tuplet markings
• Minor bug fix: a problem with fast-forwarding for drum channel was fixed
• PRESET=BEEP sets up for a raw PC beep tone
  (This is great for simulating vintage PC sounds)
• New feature to select waveforms: WAVEFORM=n can specify for each channel
  (0..sine, 1..square(default), 2..saw, 3..triangle, 4&5..hybrid sine)
• DEFAULTTONE sets up for default square tone beep (similar to PRESET=BEEP)
• A couple of new example song files were added
• Better pasting: CTRL + V will paste over selection if a selection is present... read more

I have started my little experiment to build a C++ library to control the BeepComp player engine for game programmers. The idea driving this experiment is to come up with a background audio engine that can load directly and play BeepComp source text files. This way, you won't have to convert your sources to audio files at all! :)

It is far from complete, and what I have put together is minimal. But the basic functionality you can start playing around with is there - like loading, starting, seeking, changeing volume etc. - so if you're a developer and would like to give it a spin, you can read more about it here:... read more

This is mostely a maintenance release - the few minor things I added are:

• Made sure the bug on the previous version was gone for good!
• "Bookmarking" feature placing "%%" (two percent signs) in the source forces the player's start from that point
• [ ALT - V ] brings up the system volume control
• [ ALT - D ] brings up the system audio device control
• [ ALT - I ] initializes the audio device (in case it goes offline)... read more

I am learning just how invaluable it is to catch bugs and shortcomings early on... So if you experience any issues at all, you're always welcome to let me know at the link below :)

http://sourceforge.net/u/smokinhiro/profile/send_message

I found a little bug in the version I just released (v0.1.5).
The bug prevents the program from pasting text at the very top position, and also copying or pasting while moving the cursor outside of the window fast sometimes caused crashes...

So I patched this error and uploaded the new beepcomp.exe file you can overwrite the exiting one with.
You can download it here:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/beepcomp/files/patches/windows/v0.1.5/... read more

It's been rainy in Southern California, haha :)

This time our updates aren't so huge...
But I spotted a few minor bugs for the previous versions so I had to do some patching.

What's new in Version 0.1.5:

• Expanded the documentation file
• Clicking the path name in a file dialog opens the folder in Explorer
• Minor bug fix - seek buttons and progress bar not updating correctly
• Minor bug fix - pasting text when the mouse is moving outside the window sometimes caused crashes... read more

The weather wasn't so good today so I stayed in and worked some more!
(I should really get a big extension reel so I can work in my backyard :))

Anyhow, here's what's fresh in Version 0.1.4:

• Seek/Rewind/Fast-forard
• Progress bar functioning now
• Quick-saving with ALT + S
• Auto-saving upon exiting
• Documentation Button working now
• Minor bug fix: made Select-All work properly
• Minor bug fix: made "~" work after a return character... read more

BeepComp has evolved some more!
The main updates for Version 0.1.3 are user interface elements:

• Logo
• Gain meter
• Knobs and buttons to control with mouse
• Quick help text (press [KEY] button or [F5] key)

But please be patient... I haven't got around to work on the Rewind, Fast-Forward, and Documentation buttons just yet.

I will be working on building the manual first.
Please always feel free to let me know of any features you'd like to enjoy or bugs I'm not aware of! :)... read more

Worked on this a little more!

Default Windows file dialogs were a little sluggish... so I decided to write my own file dialogs. The screenshot shows what it looks like running.

So what's new in Version 0.1.2:

• Faster file dialogs (save/load/export)
• Faster message dialogs

(Originally posted on: 2016-01-26)

Here are what I added in version 0.1.1...

• • Better text editor in general
• Copy/Paste, Multi-level Undo, Text selection and Mouse support
• Import from clipboard - this will come in handy for pasting from webbrowsers etc :)

I'll be adding a few more tutorial examples as well!

(Originally posted on: 2016-01-18)