What's New in NoteWorthy Composer

NoteWorthy Composer was first released in October of 1994. There have been many additions since the initial release. The following list is an overview summary of the major changes and additions, from the most recent update back to the original relase of the product.

Note: If you want to quickly learn how to use the newest features of NoteWorthy Composer, check out this FAQ answer in the FAQ section.

Version 1.75b (features since version 1.75 was released on CD):

• New: Allow Layering command on the View menu for fast on/off control of layering
• New: Print Preview automatically advances to the page that includes your current editor location
• New: Beams can be extended across one or more rests
• New: Triplets do not automatically set stem direction
• New: Improved clef/key signature handling at start of printed systems
• New: Improved horizontal scrolling in the editor (there should now be less need to do a manual View|Refresh)
• New: Modernized/latest NWC file compression algorithm
• New: Improved handling of hidden notes within a beam
• New: Lyric events are imported when opening MIDI files
• New: Lyric text is imported from KAR files
• New: Lyrics saved into type 0 and type 1 MIDI files
• New: Vertical staff sizing controls when configuring lyrics

Version 1.75 (features since version 1.70 was released on CD):

• New: Find command on the Edit menu
• New: Lines property in Visual Staff Properties
• New: Muted property for Notes
• New: No Leger Lines property for Notes
• New: Key signatures with no accidentals now shows the F Natural as a hidden item in the editor
• New: Select All command on the Edit menu
  
• New: Transpose now preserves note intervals, so relative chord and note positioning are preserved
• New: Transpose now includes user control over new key signatures in ambiguous cases
• New: A new Audit Enharmonic Spelling command enables you to re-spell the notes in a staff, much like how the Transpose with 0 semi-tones used to work
• New: Staff, lyric, and note vertical positioning now support an extended range
• New: Bar lines properties can now be changed for an entire selection, making removal of system breaks much easier
• New: Standardized lyric syllable alignment is now an option from the Lyric Configuration tab
• New: Spacing of notes is now consistent, regardless of whether or not the note is adjacent to an invisible item
• New: A staff can now be moved up or down to a new position in the system using Ctrl+Shift+Page Up/Down
• New: Beams between a note in the staff and another note extending well above or below the staff now include a slant for improved appearance
• New: Hidden accidental display in editor for notes with incoming ties
• New: Printing now sends the song filename rather than song title to the print spooler
• New: Total song play back time is now displayed in addition to the current elapsed time during play back.
• New: When MIDI Port Usage is set to While Playing, a 4 second delay is now taken prior to stopping play back at the end of the song. This allows software synthesizers time to complete play back of the song.
• New: Crash protection has been added to the 32-bit edition of the program. The program now attempts to recover from events that used to cause a crash of the program, such as floating point and other math errors. This will often give the user an additional opportunity to salvage unsaved work prior to closing the program.
• New: The folder browsing mechanism in Tools | Options | Folders has been enhanced in the 32-bit edition of the program.
• New: The editor's scroll bars are now active and available, even while the song is playing.
• New: The editor's note chase that follows notes as they play can now be disabled. When disabled, you can continue to edit your song while it plays.

Version 1.70 (features since 1.55):

• Color highlighting and printing
• User specified system breaks
• Improved handling for back-to-back sections
• Improved print preview
• Additional styles for the final bar line in each staff
• User control over slur and tie direction
• Staff layering for true multi-voice support
• New hide options for more printing flexibility
• Beam over grace notes, text expressions, and more
• Full control over which notes attach to lyric syllables
• Additional controllers/effects supported by Multi-point Controller
• Preserve Width option support for all expressions
• New left, right, and center justification of expressions
• New alignment and placement options for expressions
• User defined text in tempo expressions
• Two additional user defined text fonts
• Longer text expressions
• Fast insert toolbar for quickly inserting dynamics, fermatas, and some other symbols
• Smart properties insert option allows for faster and more consistent item entry
• A smart "Save As" command that automatically uses the appropriate file extension for the selected file type
• More parts can be shown in the editor at one time
• Improved keyboard navigation in property/tab dialogs
• Ctrl+Shift+Up/Down now works on selected expressions

Version 1.55 (features since 1.52):

• Compressed NWC files (for Internet publishing)
• Control over vertical rest placement (experimental)
• Added control over note and accidental placement (experimental)
• A repeat sign for the final bar in a staff
• Zoom level down to 2 pixels
• Improved slur handling
• Lyric font always used for lyric editor text
• Large note counts on screen no longer cause a crash
• Tie direction now consistent for notes on center line

Version 1.52 (features since 1.51):

• Whole note chords at same pitch drawn as two notes rather than one
• Triplet not drawn in a note beam now appears outside of staff lines
• ESC key used for play stops
• Chord with half note and a smaller note at same pitch now shows both note heads
• If two adjacent ending local repeats exist (with no intervening start of a repeat), the second repeat should be aborted at the prior repeat ending
• Print preview window now starts in a maximized window
• Placeable metafiles now supported in 32-bit Print Preview Copy

Version 1.51 (features since 1.50):

• Enhanced toolbars for better mouse navigation
• A default selection now available for all tabs in the File New dialog
• Reduced initial printed staff size on a new score

Version 1.50 (features since 1.31):

• Grace notes
• User selectable text fonts
• High performance native 32-bit playback on Windows 95
• Toolbar Customization
• Automatic save/recovery mechanism in the editor
• Print preview directly from Page Setup
• Zoom in or out in Print Preview
• Standardized print mechanism
• Split stem chord on same note
• Lyrics aligned to top of staff

Version 1.31 (features since 1.30):

• New song templates
  • Several templates included out of the box
  • Ability to add your own templates
• Featured play back of individual staff
• Record feature for MIDI keyboard users
• Note input via MIDI keyboard
• MIDI echo so external keyboards can use your computer's soundcard
• New import wizard for enhanced midi import capabilities
  • Track splits
  • SMF type 0 detection
  • Dedicated tempo track
• Creating either SMF type 0 or type 1 files
• On/off control over padding of notes based on duration
• Copy Special feature for copying notation graphics
• Add, remove, and edit a staff straight from the editor
• New mute button in the file tool bar
• New fast mute list tool
• Enhanced tab dialog interface
• Improved performance of score audits
• Staff transpose logic enhanced (for interacting with non-standard special endings)
• A menu item now allows chord member removal using the Edit menu

Version 1.30 (features since 1.21):

• Dock-able tool bars, with tool tips
• Advanced MIDI port sharing (allowing other such "cooperative apps" to also be running and using the MIDI ports)
• Double dots
• Double sharps
• Double flats
• Tenuto mark
• Flatter menus for easier navigation
• Optional .BAK files
• Long filenames when run on Windows 95
• Notation font is now installed directly into the system
• Add patch # to score at {patch}
• Choice of centimeters or inches for page margin settings
• Optional control of last system extending out to right margin

Version 1.21 (features since 1.20):

• Configurable Undo/Redo of up to last 100 edit actions
• Lyrics expanded to support 8 lines per staff
• Whole measure rests are now centered
• Tightly packed chords with dotted note attribute are displayed better
• Print Preview Copy now supports clipboard
• NWC files can be opened directly from the File Manager, the Windows 95 Explorer, or the Windows 95 Start menu
• File History mechanism has been standardized (now uses the Last In/First Out scheme)
• Setup detection of Windows 95

Version 1.20 (features since 1.10):

• Lyrics (up to 4 lyric lines per staff)
• Measure numbers, and a "Goto Measure" command
• Flexible Slurs (across bar lines, rests, repeats, etc.)
• Many new style expressions, including Fermata, Breath Mark, Cresc, Decresc., Accel, Legato, etc. (many of which are supported by play back)
• Control of both MIDI key velocity and volume from the Dynamics marks, and support for both of these in Cresc.and Decresc. marks
• Select and edit any single notation or expression mark on a staff (notes continue to use the tool bar as opposed to a dialog box)
• Note stem direction control
• A chord composed of a note, or notes, and a smaller duration rest
• A generic Text Expression item where you can add your own expressions
• All notation symbols now use True Type fonts, so you have much more control over the size of a score

Version 1.10 (features since 1.0):

• Alto and Tenor clefs
• Common Time and alla breve time signatures
• Tempo marks using eighth, quarter, half and dotted note beats
• Staff labels optionally attached to staves
• The last system in a score print is no longer justified to the right
• Automatic save recovery through use of BAK files on replaces
• Revert to saved version of the active score
• Import/Export of MIDI files
• History tracking of the last 10 songs used
• Symbols are added via the Insert menu
• Automatic beaming function for the active staff
• Transpose function for the active staff
• Tools to assist in changing the key signature within the active staff
• Audit tools for the active staff and the whole score
• Bar line audit which aligns all bars at measure boundaries
• Score builder tool
• Notes menu now includes Staccato and Accent commands
• Editor speed menus now include Note, Rest, Chord and Bar line commands
• All tool buttons now include mouse fly-over hints in the status bar
• Tool button access to the Score Builder tool
• Tool button access and display for the Audit Staff tool
• Change editor font sizes straight from the tool bar
• Change the active score partition straight from the tool bar
• See when the active staff needs auditing straight from the tool bar
• Status indicator of current play buffer when active score is playing
• Change note accidentals by selecting notes and pressing a button
• Add/remove a note tie by selecting a note and pressing the tie button
• Add/remove dots, staccato, or accent marks using tool buttons
• Get immediate visual feedback on button availability
• Get visual feedback on whether a button will add/remove an attribute
• Right mouse support in the note tool bar for changing its orientation
• Configurable starting point for play to begin
• Staff mute no longer disables tempo and other controller changes
• Very short staccato notes should now still be heard on your equipment
• Dynamic changing of selected notes attributes
• Double-click editing of midi data controllers (patch and multi-point)
• Right mouse button changes