Presenting OrchPlay 2 for Mac

LISTEN TO THE INSTRUMENTS OF YOUR CHOICE.
SYNCHRONIZE YOUR SCORES & YOUR RECORDINGS.

Hi everyone,
Today we are launching the new OrchPlay exclusively for Mac. Download the application directly from our home page.

The new OrchPlay application is a complete reimagining of the software. This has been a four-years effort by our small team. There are still many new features we wish to implement and a few rough edges we hope to soften. Even so, we are extremely proud of this release. The progress that has been made is considerable by our standards and wish to thank all the OrchPlay users for their support and comments over the years.

The new OrchPlay includes everything you need to get started. It is worth mentioning that the Free version, like the Pro and Teacher versions, does not include any advertisements or third-party code. The same goes for our websites and this will not change.

Please note that while the Free version has a limit on the amount of score you can synchronize with your imported recordings, all synchronized scores in your music library made with a Pro or Teacher licence will keep working once your license reverts to a Free license.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions.

Sincerely,

Félix Frédéric Baril - R&D Director
Denys Bouliane - General Director

OrchPlay Website: orchestraplayer.com

Summary of changes in OrchPlay 2

Opening Remarks

OrchPlay is the culmination of years of development by dedicated musicians.
With this new software iteration, our primary aim has been to modernize the listening experience, the discovery of music and the sharing of musical knowledge. We wish to offer solutions for both teachers and students, as remote teaching is rapidly becoming a new option.

Whether you are a music enthusiast, composer, teacher or musicologist : OrchPlay has been tailored for you.
We hope those new tools can prove helpful!

OrchPlay for Institutions

OrchPlay is now free to all students and teachers of our partner institutions. The software offers optimal management of recordings synchronized with the music score for any music class (orchestration, musical literature, analysis, history, theory, composition, etc.). Institutions gain the benefit of institution-wide licenses (ex: entire university), exclusive features and an integrated login menu (with their corresponding logo displayed).

We offer semester-long free trials for institutions. These includes Pro and Teacher licenses for all students and teachers.

Summary of features for institutional partners

• Synchronize any stereo or multitrack recording with an imported score.
• Save as a bookmark the current score page, the bar number and the time stamp.
• Group your bookmarks into bookmark lists, by course, subject, genre, era, etc.
• Export & share your bookmarks with colleagues and students.
• Include with your recordings and scores any type of documents for classroom presentations, analyzes, exercises and assignments of all kinds.
• Download more than 120 symphonic works in OrchPlay multichannel format. You can select any instrument or combination of instruments directly from the score and control the relative balance.

Exclusive to institutions:
Access the Naxos Music Library through OrchPlay (beta)

• Teachers and students can now create OrchPlay files with embedded Naxos Music Library links (requires an Institutional Naxos Music Library subscription). This unlocks the possibilities of OrchPlay for thousands of recordings.

Please note that the creation of OrchPlay content for the Naxos Music Library is a beta function intended to demonstrate the potential of OrchPlay.

Please visit our web page for institutions or contact us to get started.

General Interface

1. The OrchPlay interface has been entirely redesigned to work in Fullscreen mode.
2. A new Home button lets you rapidly go back from your currently loaded piece to your library.
3. The User Manual - now in HTML - is easily accessible within the application without interrupting your workflow or the audio playback.
4. The News are now accessible within OrchPlay, they can be sorted by Announcements, Multichannel Releases, Software Updates and Videos.

Music Library

1. Your music library can now be sorted by Composers, Conductors, Artists and Albums. A List view is also available for users who prefer a more traditional interface without thumbnails.
2. A File Information menu has been implemented with a new Metadata system. While this system is inspired from the standard ID3 format, additional information fields have been added (ex: Instrumentation, musical form, period, etc.) as well as the possibility to add pictures for composers, artists and albums. New entries are stored in lists so that you do not have to re-enter manually the same information twice. It is the groundwork for a system that will open many possibilities in the future. We wish to improve its flexibility and data-importation in the future.
3. You may now Search your library. For example typing "sonata" in the search box will remove from your view all pieces that aren't sonatas or have been labelled as sonata forms. Your entire library will be searched, including custom tags, comments and descriptions.
4. You may import your files with a simple drag and drop.

Scores

1. All OrchPlay multichannel files now include Synchronized Scores.
2. OrchPlay scores are now in a custom XMLS package format which allows to display the score in concert or transposed pitch as well as in separated staves (1 staff per instrument) or combined staves (ex: 2 flutes on the same staff). The PDF scores are still provided with OrchPlay files.
3. Play from any measure by clicking directly in the score.
4. You may now create Markings of any color in the score.
5. It is possible to enable or disable the playback of markings and listen to only the highlighted instruments and bars.
6. Imported PDF scores can now be synchronized with your stereo recordings.
7. During the playback of your imported stereo files OrchPlay will automatically adjust the zoom to the music systems on your PDF scores, even if there are multiple systems per page.
8. An Optical Recognition Algorithm will analyse your imported PDF scores and detect most barlines and staves (it works best with orchestral scores). This is a feature we wish to improve in the future.
9. The Score Matrix interface makes it possible to adjust mistakes made by the optical recognition algorithm (move, add or delete systems, staves & barlines)
10. Detected barlines are automatically numbered.

Concert Stage

• Previously known as the "Orchestra View" the new Concert Stage has a new realistic backdrop in 8k resolution. We did not have the opportunity yet to replace the instrument icons and playback animations but it is something that will happen eventually. While the functionalities have not changed (you may still click on instruments to hear them solo or soli), it has been designed with the intention of allowing the user to zoom-in on the orchestra and have the instrumental balance change dynamically in correspondance to the instrument in view. In the future we hope to provide tools for the user to move instruments on the stage and create their own orchestra.

Mixer

1. The Mixing Desk faders are now vertical.
2. It is now possible to be accurate when moving the Faders thanks to a dB indicator above the faders and dB level lines left of the Meter.

In a future update the Mixing Desk will be a flexible detachable window that can remain opened. We also will add plugin support later this year.

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