Goals for Upcoming 0.9.3 Release
I just wanted to take a quick moment to let everyone know what we are up to with Prism going forward past version 0.9.2 alpha and outline what’s coming next.
As we move towards version 0.9.3 we are hoping to graduate to an official beta release and to begin to open up testing to more beta testers who are interested in Prism.
Portability & Community Sharing
Our goal with Prism is to try and make the core technology as portable as possible which helps develop an ecosystem of resources that can be shared within the emerging community of creators, to aid in learning and session creation.
Import/Export
Version 0.9.2 introduces the Presets Bank Browser which provides a more robust way to create, edit, and manage presets banks for Prism. Using the import and export features of the browser, it is possible to easily share entire presets banks between projects or with other creators, regardless of what DAW they are using.
MIDI
Each DAW has its own proprietary approach to many things, however all DAWs support MIDI in a fairly standard way. Since the sequencing of Prism presets into a session can be achieved via MIDI, the ability to import/export MIDI sequences as files, along with Prism presets bank files (.prism), means that sharing entire sessions between DAWs becomes possible.
Binaural & Isochronic Tones
In the next version of Prism we will be introducing binaural and isochronic tones. Although it is possible to produce these tones outside of Prism, and manually synchronize them to Prism within a DAW, there is currently no universal way to do this, and it may require the installation of additional plug-ins.
The Frequency parameter will drive the beat frequency for both the audible and visual beat waveforms within the plug-in, with no extra effort require to synchronize them. By adding these capabilities directly to Prism, we will reduce the complexity of creating entrainment sessions and increase the ability to share sessions across DAWs and with other creators.
Ramps & Smooth Transitions
One of the biggest use cases for Prism is creating frequency-specific entrainment sessions. Currently, it is possible to create frequency ramps using DAW parameter automation, which is a fairly standard concept in most DAWs. Even though parameter automation of the frequency is a valid solution, we feel we can do even better!
First, let’s look briefly at the pros and cons of using parameter automation:
Pros
- Familiar and well-document workflow for controlling plug-in parameters for those already accustomed to DAWs
- Can be edited directly by hand, or recorded live using MIDI hardware when mapped
Cons
- Each DAW has its own automation workflow and automation edits are not portable between DAWs
- Once a parameter is automated it cannot easily become “unautomated”
- Some DAWs do not provide a way to enter exact values when editing automation points
- Making universal templates and tutorials based on parameter automation is not possible (must be adapted to per DAW)
- An additional concept to learn for those just getting started with DAWs before transitions over time are possible
The Current Behavior
Currently, when switching between presets using MIDI, parameter values immediately snap to the new preset (unless they are automated), which causes a quick jump in values. If a hard jump/cut is what you desire, great! However, this means that smooth ramps or transitions of values (such as frequency) are only possible using parameter automation, which has the drawbacks outlined above.
The New Transition System
The new transition system will allow you to optionally enable a transition time for any preset. When a preset has a transition time specified, switching to it from the current preset will trigger a smooth transition of applicable parameters over the specified time.
Even better, you don’t have to wait for the transition to finish before for transitioning again to a new preset - the system will immediately adapt and transition from whatever its current state is, to the state of the next preset. This means it is possible to smoothly transition between any preset, spontaneously.
Now, instead of using parameter automation, it becomes possible to create smooth ramps and transitions by simply defining the desired values in each preset, and then sequencing them one-by-one. This technique will be portable across all DAWs.
NOTE: Parameter automation will still be possible, if this is your desired workflow.
Content & Documentation
We know that getting up and running can be difficult without examples and references, so we will be continuing to add more content, tutorials, presets banks, and other resources to help make using Prism more accessible.
Thanks
For your interest and support so far. We really appreciate it!