
           What's New in NoteWorthy Composer


This file outlines all changes that have been made to
NoteWorthy Composer since its original release in October
1994. The newest changes are listed first, followed by the
new additions made in earlier releases prior to this
latest version.

Features Added for Version 1.21, This Release
---------------------------------------------

1. Undo/Redo Facility 

   The editor now allows you the safety of correcting/undoing
   an operation performed on the staff. Each open editor window 
   can support up to 100 reversable edit actions. You can control
   this number in the Options dialog, available from the Tools
   menu.

2. Expanded Lyric Support

   Each staff can now have up to 8 lines. As with version 
   1.20, each lyric line will automatically be aligned in
   the score.

3. Centering of Whole Rests

   When you print a score, any measures consisting of a whole
   rest will centered in the measure.

4. Dotted Notes in Chords

   Tightly packed chords that contain dotted notes are now
   displayed better. All dots are now visible in the chord.

5. Windows Meta File Support

   The Print Preview Copy feature now supports *.WMF files.
   Once you create the WMF file, make sure that NWC is still
   open when working with the meta file, or the NWC notation 
   font will not be available to other applications on your 
   computer.   

6. Easier Opening of NoteWorthy Composer Scores

   NoteWorthy Composer now allows one or more *.NWC files 
   to be specified on the command line at program startup.
   This means you can also open a file directly from the 
   Windows 3.1 File Manager or the Windows 95 Explorer.


7. Standardized File History

   The file history stored on the File menu now uses a last
   in, first out scheme. This makes it more consistent with
   the way other applications implement this feature. The
   first file in the history is always the last file which
   was closed after an edit session.

8. Integrated Upgrade Support

   The NoteWorthy Updater program is now included in the 
   standard NoteWorthy Composer package. This program provides 
   a standard way of upgraing NoteWorthy Composer without 
   downloading a whole new package.

9. Reduced Download Size

   We have reduced the overall binary footprint of the NWC
   package, while adding more features and sample files into
   the package. Proof that bigger is not always better.


Features Added for Version 1.20
-------------------------------

1. Lyrics

  Support for lyrics has now been added to NoteWorthy
  Composer. Each staff in your score can be assigned up to
  4 lyric lines which will aligned and displayed on the
  lower boundary of the staff. You enter lyrics from
  within the lyric editor tabbed dialog, which you can
  access by pressing Ctrl+L while in the notation editor.


2. Measure Numbers

  You can now enable measure numbers for a score from
  within the Score Builder tool. You can control the
  starting number in the sequence, and how the numbers are
  displayed. Your display choices are the following:
  Plain, Circled, or Boxed. In the editor, all bar lines
  that constitute a measure boundary will display its
  measure number (except the local repeat bar, which
  already as a repeat count which it displays). When
  printing, the front of each system will display the
  current measure number.


3. Goto Measure Command

  You can now jump to a specific measure in the active
  score partition without having to scroll around to find
  specific places. Simply press Ctrl+G and enter the
  measure that you want to locate.


4. Enhanced Slurs

  Slurs have been changed in this version to behave in a
  similar fashion to the outward note tie. You now assign
  an outbound slur attribute to notes, which is then
  extended to the next note in the score. NWC even detects
  if the next note is elsewhere in the score due to a
  repeat or flow direction change. This means you can
  extend a slur into multiple special endings and other
  directional changes. The direction of slurs are now
  determined by the first note of the slur: if the stem of
  the first note is upward, then the slur will be
  underneath the notes. If the stem of the first note is
  downward, then the slur is extended above the notes. If
  the first note is a split direction chord, then these
  rules are reversed.


5. Expressions Marks

  Many new style expressions, including Fermatas, Breath
  Marks, Crescendo, Decrescendo, Accelerando, Legato, and
  many other Italian expressions are now included in NWC.
  Many of these items are recognized and performed during
  MIDI play back. In many cases, you can specify that the
  item not be included in the printout, or that it should
  not reserve any width on the staff when it is placed.
  
  In addition, you can now override MIDI key velocities
  and volume directly from within a dynamic mark. These
  overrides are especially useful when combined with
  dynamic variances like crescendos. Lastly, a new generic
  text expression item has been added which enables you to
  write your own expressions. You are no longer confined
  to conventional Italian expressions or predefined
  expressions created by us. Now you can add your own.
  
  The expressions are generally grouped into three
  categories: dynamics, tempos, and performance styles. In
  general, you have more flexibility over how the
  expression will be placed and formatted into the printed
  score. For example, you can specify that a tempo that
  you insert not be included in the printed score. You can
  also specify that an expression should not reserve any
  width in the printed score so that it does not create a
  large white space in the middle of notation.


6. Edit Selection

  You no longer need to delete old symbols and replace
  them with new ones just to make a small change. You can
  now change existing notation on the staff simply by
  selecting it and pressing Ctrl+E. This is the new Edit
  Selection functionality. You can change previously
  inserted clefs, time and key signatures, and any of the
  performance expressions using this new method.


7. Clefs with Octave Higher/Lower Indicator

  You can now specify octave up or down marks on all
  clefs. This is most common with the treble clef, where
  an 8 appears either above or below the staff. This
  indicates that the performance should be played higher
  or lower in pitch by an octave.


8. Note Stem Direction Controls

  A note's stem direction is now just another attribute
  that you can assign, just like an accidental or dotted
  duration. You can set up note entry such that notes use
  their default note stem direction, or you force them in
  either an upward or downward stem direction. A new audit
  is also introduced which will assist in cleaning up a
  staff after it has been transposed and has note stems
  going in directions inconsistent with the new note
  positions.


9. Enhanced Chords

  You can now combine a note with a previously placed rest
  into a chord. The rest must be of a smaller duration
  than the note that you are adding to it.  You can also
  combine notes of the same duration but with differing
  stem directions to achieve a split stem look for the
  chord. Please be aware, however, that NWC continues to
  only recognize a single, dominant voice when formatting
  a staff. In other words, only the smaller duration in a
  chord is utilized when aligning a staff  in the editor
  and when printing. Completely dual, independent staff
  voicings are not supported by NWC, but notation which
  has the appearance of dual voicings can often times be
  obtained by using the new chord functionality added in
  this release.


10. File Type Change

  NoteWorthy Composer now uses the file type of *.NWC,
  rather than the original *.NTW type used in earlier
  versions. You can continue to open and save your
  existing *.NTW files, but we recommend making the change
  over to the new extension. The easiest way to do this is
  to use the File Manager's File Search function to locate
  all of your existing *.NTW files. You can then rename
  them to *.NWC files as a collective group, and never be
  bothered again by this change.


11. Conversion of Notation Fonts to True-Type Technology

  We have upgraded the notation technology used by
  NoteWorthy Composer to include True-type capability for
  all elements of the displayed score. In previous
  versions, we relied on a static library of bitmapped
  images for most notational elements, which created
  difficulties for some high-resolution printers and
  postscript devices. It also forced you into a few
  discreet print sizes when printing out your score. You
  now specify the score font by defining the point size
  for the italic font used in the printout. NWC then
  decides on the sizes for all other elements in the score
  based on this sizing.  As a consequence, your notation
  size selection, as well as any custom margin settings,
  are retained after each of your NWC sessions, and between
  different printer device selections. These metrics were
  formerly reset after selecting a new printer or exiting
  the application.


12. Spin Buttons for Numeric Fields

  All numeric fields in NWC now include a corresponding
  spin control so that you can change their values with
  the mouse. You can now also enter negative numbers
  directly, as the minus sign is no longer overridden to
  decrement the value in the control.


13. Retention of Edit Position When Zooming In and Out

  You can now increase or decrease the font size in the
  editor and your edit position is retained. The editor no
  longer resets back to the beginning of the partition as
  was done in earlier releases.
  
  You also can access the font size selector tool when in
  the editor by using the backslash (" \ ") key. Pressing
  this key will change the input focus to this tool.


14. Note Entry Enhancements

  By default, the dotted note parameter is now reset after
  each note or rest is placed onto the staff. This makes
  the dotted note attribute behavior similar to that of
  the accidentals. It eliminates the need to explicitly
  turn off the dotted parameter after a note is placed.
  You can disable this function from the Options command
  in the Tools menu.
  
  You can now combine additional note combinations are
  into triplets. In previous releases, some valid note
  combinations were not permitted to be grouped into a
  single triplet. This is now enhanced to support any note
  grouping which has a total non-triplet duration which is
  a multiple of 64th notes.
  
  You can now control whether the right mouse button
  changes the position of the insertion point. This is
  done from the Options command of the Tools menu.


15. Fixes and General Maintenance

  The following General Protection Faults have been
  corrected:
  - clicking to the far left of an inactive staff
  - assigning a print page range with the "from" value
    larger than the "to"
  
  The Gravis Ultrasound (GUS) card, and any other cards
  which require patch caching, are now supported. Patch
  and drum caches are automatically set-up and loaded
  prior to playing a score.
  
  If a device fails to open when starting NWC, the error
  should now be reported correctly, without causing an
  unusual initialization behavior within NWC.
  
  A bug in MIDI import triggered by a series of whole
  measure rests contained in a staff has now been
  corrected.
  
  A staff containing triplets will no longer cause a bar
  line audit to disengage unless the triplet grouping
  crosses directly over a place where a bar line should be
  assigned.
  
  The default note velocity for a staff is now louder, so
  songs which do not include dynamic marks will probably
  sound louder.
  
  The print logic now detects when the score title is too
  large for the printer page, and it reports this prior to
  printing.
  
  The author text for a song is now expanded to allow more
  words, so you can include phrases such as "Words and
  Music by ..." or other text of your choice.
  
  The score is no longer audited when saving a score to a
  file. It is done when loading a file. You also can
  access the staff and score audits easier through Ctrl+F9
  and F9 accelerator keys, respectively.
  
  The help file no longer forces a background color of
  light gray. The file now uses the default color
  specified by Windows.


16. Changes in Version 1.20.1:
   Slurs extending through time and key signatures, as
   well as other notational elements, is now displayed
   better. A slur is now only interrupted when extending
   backwards into a special ending which is not a first
   ending.


Features Added for Version 1.10
-------------------------------

1. New Notation Display Capabilities

A number of new notational display symbols have been added
in this release. They include:

- Alto and Tenor clefs
- Common Time and alla breve time signatures
- Tempo marks based on eighth, quarter, and
  half note and dotted note beats

In addition, many enhancements to the notational display
capabilities have been made. These include:

- Better looking time signatures through the use of
  True-Type fonts
- Key signatures now include the naturalization of the
  previous key in the staff
- Better looking sustain pedal markings in all sizes
- Better looking dotted notes in some of the notation
  sizes
- Better looking slurs


2. Print Enhancements

The following improvements have been made when printing
the active score:

- Staff labels optionally attached to staves

The name of each staff can now be inserted in front of
each staff in a system. This can be turned on and off, as
well as controlling whether it should be done only on the
first system on the title page, the first system on each
page, or on every system in the print job.

- Formatting Logic Improvements

The formatting logic for printing contained several
problem areas where the print operation could cause the
application to abort, or freeze up and not return control
to the user.  These have been corrected. As a result, some
score print jobs may be formatted better in this version.

- The last system in a score print is not justified to
  fill the page

The formatting logic for printing automatically justifies
all score systems so that the left and right sides of each
successive system is aligned evenly on the page. The last
system in a score print out is no longer right justified,
to prevent spreading out just a few measures over a large
amount of space.

- New approximated fonts, providing more large notation
  sizes

You can now select several new font sizes which are
enlargements of existing font sizes. These new
approximated fonts are distinguished by the first letter
in their name: they all start with an "A" instead of an
"X" (A = Approximate, X = Exact).


3. New Menu Structure

The menu system has been completely revised to provide
more ease-of-use features. These include:

- New file management capabilities, including:
>> 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, which is divided
  into:
>> high runner items (such as notes, rests, and bar lines)
>> notational symbols (such as clefs and key signatures)
>> and midi controls (specifically the multi-controller
   and patch changes)

- The Score menu has been removed, and a new Score Builder
tool replaces it

- A new Tools menu provides access to many new utilities,
including:
>> 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 of the active staff, aligning all bars
   at measure boundaries
>> Score builder tool

- Notes menu now includes Staccato and Accent commands

- Window menu now used for visibility control of the tool
  and status bars

- Editor speed menus now include Note, Rest, Chord and Bar
  line commands


4. Tool and Status Bar Enhancements

The following enhancements have been made to the tool and
status bars:

- All tool buttons now include mouse fly-over hints within
  the status bar

- New tool button access to important functions:
>> 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 bar indicator of current play buffer when active
   score is playing

- Notation editing straight from the note tool bar:
>> Change note accidentals by selecting notes and pressing
   a button
>> Add or remove a note tie by selecting a note and
   pressing the tie button
>> Add or remove dots, staccato, or accent marks from the
   corresponding button
>> Get immediate visual feedback on the availability of a
   particular button
>> Get immediate visual feedback on whether a button will
   add or remove an attribute

- Right mouse support in the note tool bar for changing
  its orientation


5. MIDI Play Back Enhancements

The following improvements have been made for playing back
the active score:

- Configurable starting point for play to begin

Play back can now be configured to start either from the
beginning of the score, or from a configurable number of
measures behind the insertion point. All imbedded patch,
volume, tempo, and pitch bend information is properly
tracked for the point where play back begins.

- Staff mute no longer disables tempo and other controller
  changes

You can now mute a staff in the Score Builder tool and its
global performance parameters will still be included in
the play back, even though its note events will not.

- Very short staccato notes should now still be heard on
  your equipment

When notes smaller than an eighth note were made staccato,
they would no longer be audible with some sound gear in
situations where they should have. Staccato notes are now
handled better by MIDI play back.


6. Score Editor Enhancements

The following improvements have been made in the editing
of score data:

- Dynamic changing of selected note's attributes

As mentioned in the tool bar enhancements, many more note
attributes can be added and removed to a group of selected
notes simply by selecting the notes, and pressing the
appropriate tool button.

- Double-click editing of midi data controllers (patch and
  multi-point)

The multi-point controller and patch data inserted into a
staff can now be changed by double clicking on its symbol.
The symbol looks like a target (several circular rings).

- Right mouse button changes

The right mouse button now repositions the insertion point
prior to presenting the speed menu. The speed menu now
allows for adding notes, rests, chords, and bar lines,
thus allowing efficient mouse-based note entry (without
ever having to hit the Enter key).

- Cut, copy, and paste fixes

In some situations, key signatures could be displayed
improperly when they were added to the staff via the
NoteWorthy Composer clipboard. This has now been
corrected. Also, the Audit Staff tool automatically
determines if an audit may be required after cut or paste
operations.

