The OrchPlay team is extremely proud to announce the release of OrchPlay 3 for Mac.
This new version of OrchPlay is the culmination of many years of work and we wish to express our profound gratitude to everyone involved.

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New features and improvements in OrchPlay 3

Content for teachers and students

New OrchPlay Music Library Files Exclusively for Academic Institutions

Nearly 1000 new OrchPlay downloads containing public-domain scores synchronized with stereo Naxos Music Library recordings are now available (Beta feature).
‍(Requires both OrchPlay and Naxos Music Library Institutional Subscriptions).

The OrchPlay Music Library currently offers nearly 1200 files:

• ‍‍121 multichannel files produced by our team, available to all Pro and Teacher users
• 1052 streaming or stereo packages, the majority of which are exclusive to academic institutions.

Some of Orchplay's features for music pedagogy:

• Create your own Bookmark Lists from over 10,000 downloadable OrchPlay Bookmarks.
• Create Score Markings immediately with pre-formated Score Matrices.
• Start the playback instantly from any measure with pre-synchronized scores for all OrchPlay files.
• Zoom compatibility (as a teacher, always have your material ready for online classes)

New Pedagogical Content

• New integrated Orchestration Techniques and Modes of Play color palette for all OrchPlay Files.
• New integrated Piece Bookmark content for OrchPlay Files.
• New Teaching and Learning Resources, Exercices and Examples Bookmark Lists as well as an Orchestration Techniques and Mode of Play Taxonomy guide.

New Partner Institution

• University of Calgary

Current Partner Institutions

Europe

• Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon
• Université lumière Lyon 2
• Norwegian Academy of Music

America

• Concordia University of Edmonton
• Université de Montréal
• McGill University

About OrchPlay for Institutions

OrchPlay is 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 (features also available to all pro and teacher subscribers)

• 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.

Features 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 streaming recordings.‍
• Teachers and Students may now download nearly 1000 OrchPlay files synchronized with Naxos Music Library recordings (requires an Institutional Naxos Music Library subscription)
• Exclusives bookmarks for music pedagogy

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

Email us at academic@orchplaymusic.com to get started.

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New software features and improvements for all users

Home

• New Featured page to showcase and download (or directly open) OrchPlay content (software updates, videos, bookmark lists, multichannel releases, etc.)
• New Teaching and Learning Resources page giving students and teachers access to a growing amount of information and downloadable content
• Access News page within the application
• Integrated User Manual

Music Library

• New Download status overlay; Keep track of your current downloads while doing other tasks in OrchPlay.
• New Update button for OrchPlay Multichannel files; Automatically updates your scores, audio files, pedagogical material and piece bookmarks provided by OrchPlay while keeping your own.
• All metadata and pictures for composers, conductors, artist and albums are now imported automatically when adding a OPL file to the library. This enables easier file sharing between users.
• New library filters (web and local) for OrchPlay Music Library, Naxos Music Library and stereo recordings.
• New Source and Format metadata columns.
• Metadata columns can be scrolled horizontally (holding Shift with the mouse scroll-wheel)
• General improvements in the order files are listed
• You may now export your Metadata as CSV

Bookmarks

• Download Bookmark Lists directly from the Teaching and Learning Resources section
• Bookmarks are now included with hundreds of OrchPlay files (Bookmark menu: Piece Bookmarks / OrchPlay /)‍
• Bookmarks now save the state of displayed or hidden colored markings as well as their playback settings. The color palette as well as all markings are now saved in bookmarks.
• Open Bookmarks and Bookmark List files in OrchPlay from any location on your Mac. Use OrchPlay Bookmarks (or shortcuts) in Powerpoint presentation, PDF file or any document format that supports links to local files.
• The currently loaded Bookmark is now highlighted in the Bookmark Menu.
• Added shortcuts for all functions
• Bookmarks for pieces that have not been downloaded are now greyed-out (they were previously invisible). Clicking on a greyed-out bookmark will immediately start the download of the corresponding piece.
• OrchPlay now verifies path/filename-integrity of OrchPlay files on launch to ensure the continuing functionality of piece Bookmarks copied to a different location.
• Added a function to Unload Bookmark Lists

Bookmark Navigator

• New Bookmark Navigator; use the arrow buttons to navigate to the previous or next Bookmark. Double-click on a Bookmark name to rename it.
• Closing the Bookmark Navigator will display markings as they were prior to opening and navigating bookmarks (saved in memory)

Playback

• Shift-clicking in a score will start the playback from the nearest measure
• Added micro-tuning of locator selection and playback cursor position when holding the mouse button and pressing shift
• Added an option to set the locator position to the place where the mouse is clicked in the Score: Right-click > Set Left/Right Locator
• Smoother fade-in and fade-out

Score Display

• Improved XMLS score display resolution by 200%
• Added an option to display piano reductions below the score for OrchPlay multichannel files. Note: The playback for these staves must be activated in the mixer interface.
• Added an option to display measure numbers independently from the Score Matrix.
• Added a smooth Zoom function for mouses scroll-wheel (holding Alt).

Score Markings

• It is now possible to show or hide score markings (independently from their playback state).
• The state of activated/deactivated and shown/hidden markings is now saved within bookmarks.
• Your entire color palette is now saved within bookmarks.
• It is now possible to reorder markings in the color palette.
• New integrated Orchestration Techniques and Modes of Play color palettes for all OrchPlay Files.
• Added a warning when deleting a color from the Markings palette.
• The Text Tool font size is now fixed and is identical when the score is exported as a PDF
• Added an option to set the locator position to the beginning or end of a Color Marking: Right-click > Set Left/Right Locator
• OrchPlay will remember the state of your displayed and hidden Markings when closing the application and reloading the file

Score Matrix

• When manually entering a timestamp, OrchPlay will now automatically suggest the playback cursor's current position

Share and Export

• Added a function to Save the score and displayed Markings as PDF
• Added a function to Bounce as audio the current Bookmark
• Added a beta function to Export a Bookmark List as Medias (Audio and PDF files). The process is long, so it is recommended to test it first on small bookmark lists (containing less than 10 bookmarks).

Embedded Documents

• Added a shortcut to your OrchPlay **Download Folder** in the Embedded Document window (folder where Bookmark Lists, Documents and new software versions are downloaded)
• OrchPlay documents may now be organized in subfolders
• The Embedded Documents window can be resized and remains opened

Mixing Desk

• The Mixing Desk may now be detached and resized

Concert Stage View

• The Concert Stage may now be detached and resized

Settings

• Added an option to change the PDF score resolution

Menu

• Added top menu items and shortcuts for many functions
• Added shortcuts for most functions

Coming Soon

• Bookmark Filters: Quickly find any bookmark in large bookmark lists

Future Windows version

We have many future versions and incredible features planned for OrchPlay. However, before getting there, we wish to make OrchPlay available to everyone.

Our next priority is the development of the Windows version.
Your support will make this possible: Please inform your friends and colleagues about OrchPlay.

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On the behalf of the OrchPlay team I wish you a great Autumn 2023.

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Félix Frédéric Baril
Cofounder - Director of R&D at OrchPlay