We've been hard at work improving the beat detection and chord recognition algorithms for this release. We had also planned on including improvements to the section determining algorithm as well, but it still needs some more work. So instead of delaying this release any further, we've decided to release things without the improvements to the section algorithms--we'll release a free update when we are satisfied with the results.
The new beat detection algorithm is more accurate, better across genre and instrumentation (i.e. with and without drums), and better able to adapt to changes in tempo.
The Improved chord recognition algorithm is not only better but can recognize 420 chords! The improvements come at a cost of more compute power so we also provide a reduced chord recognition algorithm that is faster but less accurate. You can select between the two algorithms by using the dropdown on the Analyzers Tab's Chord panel.
Chord types supported: 1, 5, maj, min, aug, dim, sus4, sus2, 7, maj7, min7, maj6, dim7, hdim7, maj9, min9, 9, b9, #9, minmaj7, min11, 11, #11, maj13, min13, 13, b13, plus several inversions are specialized.
We've also added an option to intelligently Tidy Chord start times with the beat grid whenever the chords are automatically computed. You will usually want to check this since it will result in a cleaner chord track. However, if a song has frequent chord changes, un-checking this option will give a better indication of when the chord was initially played. For example, a lot of songs have chords played an eighth-note before the bar; checking this box will adjust the start time to the start of the bar.
Song Master does its best to determine the time signature a song is in, however, its difficult to do accurately given the large number of styles and genres. You've always been able to modify the current time signature using the Time Signature track (useful if a song has multiple time signatures) however, we made it quicker to edit by clicking on the Time Signature displayed in the Control Bar to bring up the Time Signature Editor.
This is a FREE update for all Song Master owners.
To view a complete list of updates, please see our release notes.