We have been busy at Tensorpunk! Since our last development update a lot has happened. We have been overwhelmed by the response and the traffic to our website. We appreciate all of the feedback, support, suggestions, and patience as we grow. The amount of great suggestions and bug reports we have gotten has been indispensable to us for helping develop MACE and our platform into something even greater.
Updates
There has been many updates since the launch of Early Access. The first few weeks we had an unbelievable amount of Early Access members sign up! This allowed MACE to be properly tested on a very large variety of machines, operating systems, DAWs, and environments. We had a lot of snags with getting our installers right but fortunately are proud to announce things seem to have stabilized and our current installers should run smooth. If you are still having any issues and haven’t open up a ticket, please email us at: [email protected].
Version Scheming
While we were rapidly updating we made an early error in running along with 1.2,1.3,1.4, etc. We decided to switch over to a more specific 1.1.5 at the fifth update. We will continue to use this scheme and apologize for any confusion.
Customer Support
We have trained an onboarded customer support representatives. We have now established a Knowledge Base of common problems and quick solutions. Our current ticket system allows us to address customers quick and easily. We apologize for any delays to tickets during our growth period. If you some how haven’t gotten a response and got caught in our change over please don’t hesitate to reach out.
State of MACE – v 1.1.5
Since the launch we have updated MACE numerous times. Mostly, each version has been a bug fix or a patch for working in certain environments and DAWs. We still are getting some feedback users are having troubles with certain DAWs (primarily Cubase, Bidule, and Bigwig) but are investigating ways to help get MACE running in them smoothly. Please be sure to download the latest installers if you haven’t to get the most stable and bug-less version.
New Features:
- Cell Generations – Clicking this icon in the Header Tool Bar (new icon to the left of “Regenerate” button at the top) will open up a new window. This window will contain the generation history for the cell (up to 64 at a time). These “Generations” can be dragged back into a cell. This is our advanced solution to an undo/history system that was a major request from users.
- End Point – The sample editor now has an adjustable end point and a better UI for editing trim points.
- Loop Mode – Clicking the loop icon in the Header Tool Bar will turn on a loop mode for the cell. This will loop between your set start and end points.
- Sample Playhead – The sample editor now has an animated playhead showing the position of the sample being played.
- Regenerate All Button – The footer section now has a “Regen All” button in which all cell’s will be triggered to regenerate.
- Midi Map for Regenerate Buttons – All three regenerate types (cell, row, all) are all now midi mappable and automatable within your DAW.
Bug Fixes:
- UI Color – Now has persistency when set to a different color upon reload
- Paths – Some of the path’s in the settings were still bugged (mainly the model’s) but should be working now for all users
- Memory – Optimized some memory and file handling issues
- Presets – Fixed some saving/loading bugs
Possible Bugs Introduced & Misc. Notes:
- Presets may still have some bugs
- Start and End not midi mappable / automation enabled but will be in the next update
- Dragging Cell Generations out of MACE will not drop out .wav like the cells. This will be added in the next update
AI Model Expansions / Presets / Training Your Own Samples
Now that we have mostly stabilized our installers (and will continue to do so!) and compatibility with different environments, we are shifting our focus to getting newer expansion packs trained and available for download. Having new models will be exciting and expand your sonic palette within MACE!
New Developments on Expansions:
- Future models will come with an XML file that will have more details related to it. This will contain information such as longer sample length generation, stereo, etc. and will be registered into a database locally on your computer for MACE to be able to process and expand newer AI oriented features.
- .MPF files (MACE Presets) will also have an improved format soon.
- We have gotten a lot of requests about training your own samples. Stay tuned as we are planning on developing a service for users and artists to be able to generate their own model expansions. The current state of the art for training your own samples is a very lengthy and limited process. It requires a high-end GPU, time, large data sets, monitoring and tweaking parameters, and an environment that has Python properly set up. These variables make giving the end-users the ability to train very complicated. However, we have set up a plan and path towards developing a friendly web app on our website that will allow users to utilize cloud services for storage and processing easily to create their own AI models that will be compatible within MACE.
- Model Browser / Store: We plan to integrate an in-app downloader/store for new expansions to make the process even easier for checking on newer packs and installing them quickly within your DAW!
Planned Future Updates
We are already working on features for the next update. Many of these have been prioritized by the amount of requests we have gotten from our Early Access members. We plan to make MACE as creative as a tool as possible.
- Cell / Master FX
- Each cell will have its own FX slots
- There will be a master FX section as well for reverbs, compression, etc.
- Reverb / Distortion is a priority but we will also be adding Bit Crushing, Delays, Stutter FX, Modulation, Frequency Shifting & Ring Mod
- Longer Sample Generation
- Stereo Sample Generation
- Time-Stretching of samples for cells
- More advanced sample editor (waveform zooming, fading start/end points)
- Advanced Model Browser
- Better ADSR Envelope
- Modulation for parameters (LFOs, Envelopes, Random/Jitter Modules, etc.)
- We are considering a mode that allows you to create modules and connect them to any parameter. We think this modular approach will open up MACE to some very interesting patches!
- More detailed description on new updates + bug fixes within the plugin
- Full midi-mapping of all parameters (including triggering cells)
- Change layout of Cells (drum pad mode, etc)
- Choke groups
- QOL improvements (such as one click button to auto map all cells to each 1-16 outputs)
- Shuffle Generate: Generate by selecting a random model in the browser
- Unlimited Cell Generations history
- Cell Generations history within .MPF presets
- Possibly new AI-oriented parameters soon (nudging generation, meta-parameters, etc.)
New Plugins
We have new plugins in the works alongside the development of MACE. Our priority is to focus on what AI can bring to the audio space and any creative tools/solutions that don’t currently exist on the market. Keep your eyes on our mass emails and website for more information.
