v1.3.5 Preset Browser Upgrade!

v1.3.5 Has some minor updates to stability, but the main news is the new preset browser and format!

• Polyfilter update now works on additive, sampler, and granular sources
• Tilt filter was rewritten to have less crashes/bugs
• VCF Filter instability was fixed with some more safety and balancing changes

Now onto the main news, PRESET BROWSER installation!

Actuate now has a default bank that you can see above.
This is the "Default.zip" in the repository (or downloadable below).

Here is how you install

Actuate will look for presets and banks here, where is your username on your system:

|Platform | Location                             | System value                          |
| ------- | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------- |
| Linux   | /home/<user>/Documents/ActuateDB/    | `XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR`    + /ActuateDB/  |
| macOS   | /Users/<user>/Documents/ActuateDB/   | `$HOME`/Documents      + /ActuateDB/  |
| Windows | C:\Users\<user>\Documents\ActuateDB\ | `{FOLDERID_Documents}` + /ActuateDB/  |

This means the default bank is at:

|Platform | Location                                     |
| ------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| Linux   | /home/<user>/Documents/ActuateDB/Default/    |
| macOS   | /Users/<user>/Documents/ActuateDB/Default/   |
| Windows | C:\Users\<user>\Documents\ActuateDB\Default\ |

You can create your own banks by making a folder in "ActuateDB" and then it will show up in the preset browser!

Note there is no more .actuatebank format, going forward all presets will just be .actuate and a "bank" is just a folder of those! This will make them much more easier to maintain and update going forward. You can even open them up and edit the JSON if you're daring (imp emoji here)

Enjoy and happy producing!

v1.3.4 Polyphonic Filter and more!

This was a huge upgrade on the back end of Actuate so I hope you enjoy.

First - the bad news:

Presets and Banks from before this version are not compatible

Now the good news:

• Unison voices and voice handling has been rewritten! Performance boost here from more efficient code.
• Actuate now allows a filter per-voice! Rather than one filter per entire sound output.
• Fixed filter envelope to be more accurate to what is chosen
• Preset/bank handling is somewhat reworked in this version and will be much more reliable in future
• Studio One users should have compatibility with most internal windows now
• Dropdown menus are rewritten to standardize preset loading and saving! (huge)
• File Dialogs made better by persisting the selected value after it's clicked
• Unison renamed to Multiply for clarity
• .actuate and .actuatebank is now clearer JSON format and is editable in text if needed!

For the future:

• Preset and bank management will be overhauled once more to make managing and using banks and presets less of a hassle.
• From here onward I'll keep presets and banks backwards compatible once more. The change in formats was just too drastic here sorry!

If you want to help?

• Make presets for this version! Put them here #50 and I'll see about including them in the default banks.

Thanks for trying my synth, happy producing!

Minor Compatibility + QOL Updates

The main issue fixed in this build is Studio One compatibility! Some of the buttons weren't working so I reworked them and now they work!

Some quality of life updates!

• Initial gain of audio modules is reduced
• Safety Clipper is added to the top bar which is independent of presets/banks etc. It is a global clipper you can turn on or off to save your ears (or your speakers) since certain actions like distortion or the attack curves can blow up really loud really fast.

v1.3.2 GUI Updates, and some envelope changes

Hi everyone!

This update addresses the following things:

• Generator type and routing knobs are a dropdown menu

• Cancel renamed to close in preset browser
• Generator panes aligned with Generators
• Attack curve button graphic flipped
• GUI updates to save space
• Filter envelope incorrect behavior fixed
• All ADSR now have a longer possible value for evolving sounds
• Any user presets and my banks should be forward/backward compatible!

I have a few things to work on in scrollscope first, then I'll most likely look at finally making the filters per-voice instead of monophonic - but I'm not sure the CPU load that could entail :| we'll see!

Thanks to the bug reporters and everyone trying out Actuate, happy producing!

v1.3.1 Additive Oscillators and a few Filters!

Additive + Filters Update!

Additive Oscillators are in the Generator section

• Up to 16 harmonics can be added, with similar controls to the regular subtractive Oscs
• Additive Oscs works with the FM controls so they make great modulators as well as Oscs themselves
• Shift + scroll to scroll horizontally in the window!

New Filters (Lowpass only)

These new filters I added while playing around with other filter code trying to make something new...the result was something new - see if you like them!

• V4 - A filter idea I had from studying some Novation filter ideas

• A4I - Another filter idea based off a different approach but same underlying idea of averages and integrators like V4

Don't forget!

• The Stereo Algorithm Control was added last release and can make a big difference! Check the Misc Tab in bottom right section.
• Chorus FX was added in the last release too!

v1.3.0 Stereo Algorithms and Chorus (Chorus Ensemble)

Actuate now has a Chorus in the effects! (I ported Airwindows ChorusEnsemble https://www.airwindows.com/chorusensemble/ to Rust)!

I've also added a few different stereo spreading algorithms for sound designing!

The new algorithms are as follows:

• CubeSpread - bases the stereo angles on the cubed base angle then scaling
• ExpSpread - bases the stereo angles on an exponential transformation (WIDE)

As always, enjoy and happy producing!

v1.2.8 NATIVE TEXT INPUT!

It's finally here! Native text input works (where I have tested) so now there are not external/system windows needed!
I have also fixed a bug in the sampler/granulizer where loading multiple samples overwrote other oscs which plagued me.

For the new text input here are the things I have noted on Windows. I will need some nice people to let me know if you run into issues on Linux and Mac builds. There's some screenshots and more info in the main readme now for #troubleshooting:

• FL Studio No issues on windows
• Ardour No issues on windows
• Bitwig Spacebar gets stolen by the DAW in CLAP and VST3 unless you do SHIFT+Spacebar when you want spacebar to go to the plugin
• Reaper VST3 text input only works if you use "send all keyboard input to plugin"
• Reaper CLAP spacebar gets stolen by the DAW unless you do SHIFT+Spacebar when you want spacebar to go to the plugin
• Ableton text input does not work out of box, but if you add "-_EnsureKeyMessagesForPlugins" to Options.txt in preferences it works without issues

2024-05-22_09-43-05.mp4

Enjoy, and happy producing! I'll have another preset bank out in the coming week as well most likely.

v1.2.7 New file browser, Sampler unison, and more

• Updated file manager in-plugin instead of system dialog - This is for compatibility with different daws on linux doing things weird! But it works for everyone :)
  
• Dependencies changed/updated
• Files reorganized for easier bug and development work - The gui is now its own file whew
  
• Sampler now has unison and different handling on envelopes - very cool 👍
  
• Slight stereo blending happens to even out panning on stacked left/right happenings
• Extra commented out sections removed from code
• New reverb "Simple Space" added
• Preset bank size expanded to 128
• Small bug fixes

Actuate v1.2.6 - FM is here!

Latest changes:

• Frequency Modulation controls are in Actuate!
  

• ABass algorithm has been updated to match Subhoofer's latest algorithm

• Presets and older banks should still work on this version - if you resave them Actuate should update them to the latest format.

One of my main inspirations has been the Novation X-Station and V-Station, so that style of FM modulation controls has made it into Actuate.
I've expanded it by allowing more modulations between Oscs and it uses the same envelope with curves structures.
*Note this FM also works if you feed Actuate a sample or waveform or use the granulizer!!!

Happy producing!

I've attached a few presets here to give you some examples of how to use this new feature.

v1.2.5 Preset Browser and new Reverb

Hi All,

Work on the preset browser is in a good spot for now, it works! and it filters patches properly :)

Additionally I have ported Airwindows' Galactic Reverb (https://www.airwindows.com/galactic/) to Rust for use in Actuate since I really liked the sound of it. I've also updated the way presets and banks are loaded so it shouldn't break in future when actuate changes versions.

You can hear the Reverb here!

Happy producing everyone