I consider version 3.8.0 a release to wrap up loose ends and add some of the most requested features for version 3. I consider this to be the last feature update for version 3 and will start working on version 4 once this version is running rock solid.

Here are the most important changes. A complete list is at the end of this post.

Multitrack improvements

I have added 2 more tracks for multitrack songs so that each song can have up to 8 tracks. I have also enabled pitch and tempo changes on multitrack songs. The oldest iPad able to run ST3 is a iPad Air 2. On my iPad 2 I can even crossfade between two 8 track songs where both are using pitch and speed changes. So I am happy to announce that even though I doubted it is possible, you can use this feature on any supported device without fear of glitches in audio playback.

Additionally I completely changed the audio routing. Instead of using output busses, you can just assign each track to a stereo or mono output. The mono option is no longer available (and needed). Instead just select a mono output and a stereo track will be summed on this output. This way you can use up to 9 different stereo outputs (1 dedicated to stereo songs and up to 8 for multitrack songs). Of course you can also route everything to a single stereo output or even a single mono output.

I have also improved track synchronization for songs using a different samplerate than the internal sample rate of ST3. I think you can now mix songs with different sample rates without any more issues. Although I will keep the warning about mismatched sample rates until I am sure that it really works for every user.

App settings syncing via iCloud

If you are using iCloud to sync multiple devices, most of the app settings are now also synced via iCloud. Only settings specific to a device (like for example the audio routing) are not synced.

Visual Metronome

For each track you can enable a visual metronome. It can be visible while ST3 is stopped, while it is playing, or always when you select a song. Each song can have a different metronome setting.

How to take part in testing

Anyone can participate in the beta. The beta version is installed as a separate app so that you can use the stable version in parallel. If you already participated in previous beta tests, you will get a notification about the new version in Testflight. New testers can use this link on an iOS device or a Mac to participate:

https://testflight.apple.com/join/pq4xbzSq

In app purchases will not bill your account. They are only test purchases, so don't be shy activating the full version.

The user manual is not adapted to the new version yet, so please feel free to ask here if you have any questions regarding the new features. I will explain some of the most important ones in this posting.

Complete Changelog

Added

Added a visual metronome option that can be configured song specific
Stage Traxx is now able to play up to 8 stereo tracks in multitrack songs
Each track in a multitrack song can be routed to a seperate output
It is now possible to change speed and pitch of multitrack songs
User preferences are now synchronized through iCloud if you have iCloud sync enabled
Stage Traxx can read Logic audio markers within AIF and WAV files and set audio regions automatically
Lyrics can be highlighted using brightness instead of colors to keep the original lyrics coloring
It is possible to share lyrics as rendered PDF files
Audio region start and stop times can now be edited as text
New option to keep playing until the end of an audio region when you press the stop button
Added a setting that allows you to change track mutes during playback without them being stored
The history can be exported as text file
New color option "white" added to pdf editor
New option to define how many seconds to skip with the seek remote command and assignable buttons
New remote commands to only scroll the external screen
Added tipping options to in app purchases

Changed

Player will show the lyrics of the next song at the start of a crossfade
Adding an audio region when cursor is within another region will add the new region after the current region
When import stsa files, Stage Traxx will ask what to do with existing songs (keep, overwrite, overwrite only audio files)
Searching in the song list will ignore the current filter selections
The regular lyrics color can be selected in Settings > User Interface > Colors
Replaygain tags will be used to set track volume when importing multitrack files
Importing an audio file with the bpm tag set, will set the tempo of the song to that value
Improved multitrack synchonisation so that even playing back files with different sample rates should work (this is still experimental so the warning about mismatched sample rates is still displayed)
Unusual chords like E# or B# can now be transposed
NC and N.C. are now recognized as chords

Fixed

Fixed a crash on macOS Catalina when unlocking full version purchase
Fixed scrolling override not applied when scrolling via remote actions
Fixed remote commands selection up/down not working after song details have been opened