Hookpad Release Notes 1.x

These are archival release notes from version 1 of Hookpad (releases between 2014-07-08 and 2017.09.15).

1.8.12 (2017.09.15)

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug that was causing sheet music export to enter in unwanted rests when exported projects were using 3 beats/measure.

1.8.11 (2017.04.20)

Bug Fixes

  • Reformatted MIDI out files to have wider compatibility with DAW MIDI import

1.8.10 (2017.03.28)

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug that was causing lyrics export to crash when there were double quotations (") in the lyrics in some cases.

1.8.9 (2017.01.26)

Bug Fix

  • Fixed a bug that was causing lyrics export to crash when there were numbers in lyrics.

1.8.8 (2017.01.11)

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug where lyrics in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th voices would be shifted with respect to their starting notes if their melody started with rests.

1.8.5, 1.8.6, 1.8.7

What’s New

  • Enabling customization of ExportGui (which export button options show up)
  • Added ability to hide “Tap Tempo” feature of the Tempo tool.

1.8.4 (2016.10.21)

What’s New

  • Added lead sheet export option (requires Hookpad+)

Bug Fixes

  • Tab and Score export now work on projects that do not contain any chords

1.8.3 (2016.10.18)

Bug Fixes

  • Refactored MIDI file meta information into a separate header track to achieve compatibility with some DAWs

1.8.2 (2016.10.04)

What’s New

  • Added options for book II formatting (internal improvements for Hooktheory II book)

1.8.1 (2016.08.29)

Bug Fixes

  • Parallel mode transpositions to minor only borrow V and vii° from major when transposing from major to minor.
  • Secondary dominant chords transposed to minor are no longer borrowed from major.

1.8.0 (2016.08.24)

What’s New

  • Parallel mode transpositions are now supported. Mode transpositions will be parallel by default in both Hookpad and Theorytab. Relative transpositions are still supported and can be selected in Hookpad settings.
  • By default, new notes are placed in the octave that minimizes the distance from the previous note. If you want Hookpad to place new notes in the same octave as the previous note, you can choose that setting in the settings panel.

1.7.2 (2016.06.21)

Bug Fixes

  • Lines containing full melodies but incomplete chord progressions at the beginning of a project no longer cause chord labels to be shifted in sheet music exports. (@DianeAoki)
  • Fixed a bug that was causing shifted lyrics in sheet music export when the number of syllables did not match the number of non-rest notes in a line in some cases. (@DianeAoki)
  • Use of semicolons in lyrics no longer causes sheet music export to crash. (@ GospelBoy123)

1.7.1 (2016.05.09)

Bug Fixes

  • Using any ninth chord borrowed from a supermode with the root degree sharpened no longer crashes Hookpad (Thank you, @HertzDevil )

1.7.0 (2016.05.04)

What’s New

  • Ninth and eleventh chords are now supported.
    • Ninth chords omit the fifth scale degree relative to the bass [they are are 9(no5) chords]
    • Eleventh chords omit the third and fifth scale degrees relative to the bass [they are 11(no3no5) chords]
    • Inversions of ninth and eleventh chords are not supported

1.6.4 (20216.02.22)

Bug Fixes

  • Loading from the cloud now works in Assessment Kit exercise creation.

1.6.3 (20216.02.15)

Bug Fixes

  • Piano chord chart now correctly shows the active chord or note when entering and/or selecting on chords and notes.

##1.6.2 (20216.02.09)

What’s New

  • Small update to label indicating which mode a chord is borrowed from

1.6.1 (20216.02.02)

What’s New

  • Added ability to show label indicating which mode a chord is borrowed from

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed bug in (add9) embellishment labeling in non-major modes

1.6.0 (20216.01.26)

What’s New

  • MIDI inputs can now be muted in the settings panel

1.5.1 (2015.12.01)

What’s New

  • The JavaScript (JS) audio engine now schedules samples in real-time to improve performance on long songs.
  • Recording now works with JS audio
  • WAV export now works with JS audio

1.5.0 (2015.11.13)

What’s New

  • Migrated all audio to Javascript. Loading and processing of sounds is now about 10X faster.

1.4.0 (2014.10.27)

What’s New

  • Migrated to the YouTube iFrame Player API, based in Javascript, instead of the AS3 YouTube API.

1.3.9 (2015.10.15)

What’s New

  • Bass instruments are now available for melody voices.
  • Four other new samples are available. Harp has been added as a melody instrument; Harp Arpeggio and Piano Arpeggio have been added as harmony instruments; Harp Bass has been added as a bass sample.

Bug Fixes

  • Complete overhaul of the MIDI framework to address MIDI export omitting random notes along with other issues that users were having with their MIDI files. We’re still in the process of testing but so far things look good.

1.3.8 (2015.10.13)

Bug Fixes

  • Long songs can now be exported to WAV without permanently freezing Hookpad. Exporting to WAV may take up to one minute (for loooong songs). While Hookpad creates the WAV file, you may see the beach ball (OS X) or hourglass (Windows).

1.3.7 (2015.09.10)

Bug Fixes

  • Attempting to solve MIDI bug with FL9 studio. (This was unsuccessful. Still working on a resolution)

1.3.6 (2015.09.05)

Bug Fixes

  • Hookpad no longer process MIDI input for non-Plus users

1.3.5 (2015.08.26)

Bug Fixes

  • Hookpad no longer hangs at 87% during loading/processing of sounds. This issue caused some Firefox users to have Hookpad completely freeze when loading saved projects.

1.3.4 (2015.06.24)

Bug Fixes

  • The default sample for new bass tracks in the mixer is now “Piano Bass Dotted” instead of the deprecated “Piano” sample. Thank you @HertzDevil.
  • Loading a new Theorytab now fully unloads the previous YouTube video (if one was loaded) (keyboard shortcut “p” can no longer play the previous video). Thank you, @HertzDevil.
  • When recording, pre-existing notes and chords are audible, as intended.
  • Clicking the record button during recording now correctly stops recording.
  • Notes added during recording are correctly added instead of being silent (several recording bugs were introduced with 1.3.0)

1.3.3 (2015.06.24)

Bug Fixes

  • Playback no longer fails on Theortabs that do not contain notes in voice one of the melody. Thank you, @HertzDevil.

1.3.2 (2015.06.04)

What’s New

  • Note labels can now be displayed using La-based minor solfége (Do-based minor solfége is still avaiailable).

Bug Fixes

  • The save button is now disabled during recording and vice versa.

1.3.1 (2015.06.01)

Bug Fixes

  • Theorytabs with voice 2, 3, or 4 containing more notes than voice 1 no longer fail to load.
  • Undo (keyboard shortcut “z”) for users without Hooktheory Plus no longer shows the “use of multiple voices requires Hooktheroy Plus” overlay.

1.3.0 (2015.05.26)

What’s New

  • Melody now supports four independent voices: Three additional voices have been added to the melody (requires Hooktheory Plus). Each voice has its own lyrics and is configurable in the mix tool with its own instrument(s), octave, and volume. New keyboard shortcuts, specific for voice control, have also been added.
  • Absolute notation (C, dm, em) is now available as the primary label on chords: By default, Roman numerals (for example, I, ii, iii) are the primary label on chords and absolute or “in-key” chord names (for example, C, dm, em) are shown as a secondary, less priminent label below the chord. It is now possible to reverse this convention in Hookpad’s settings panel.
  • Buttons in Hookpad are now consistent with buttons on www.hooktheory.com. This was achieved by a adding bottom shadow to buttons in Hookpad.
  • Updated duration GUI The active duration now uses the primary button color of the rest of the website.

1.2.2 (2015.03.24)

Bug Fixes

  • Saving to the cloud now works when there are non-standard characters in the lyrics. Before this fix, projects with special characters in the lyrics were saved as empty on our servers, despite Hookpad displaying a successful save message. Thank you @HertzDevil for helping us debug this issue.
  • NOTE: Saving to disk (.hkt file) with special characters in the lyrics still causes Hookpad to crash when the .hkt file is re-loaded. We are still working on this fix. Until it is released, please use only A-z and 0-9 in the lyrics if you plan to save to disk.

1.2.1 (2015.03.15)

Bug Fixes

  • Keyboard shortcut “m” (for the mix tool) is now disabled when typing lyrics.
  • Keyboard shortcut “o” (for the open tool) is now disabled when typing lyrics.
  • Keyboard shortcut “m”, now closes the mix tool when it is open (“esc” also works).
  • Keyboard shortcut “o”, now closes the open tool when it is open (“esc” also works).
  • Rapidly pressing “m” no longer opens multiple mix tools.
  • Rapidly pressing “o” no longer opens multiple open tools.
  • “Transfer” button no longer shows up when no YouTube has been added. (This was a bug. Transferring to TheoryTab requires a YouTube video)
  • Save --> “replace” button changed to match the new color theme

1.2.0 (2015.03.05)

What’s New

  • Customized instruments and mix: Customize the collection of instruments that play your song. Want an EDM bass? A synth pad? A violin section? They are all just a click away. It has never been easier to transform the sound and style of your music.
  • Improved MIDI export: Hookpad’s MIDI export now has a track for every instrument in the mix. With intelligent harmony fills and the ability to independently shift the tonal center of each track, MIDI export can significantly enhance your productivity as a songwriter or producer.
  • Save (load) to (from) your computer: Save and load Hookpad projects directly to/from your computer. This can be useful for many reasons, i.e., emailing the file to a friend for collaboration, having your own backup, etc.
  • WAV file export: Create a WAV file of your Hookpad project for easy sharing and distribution.
  • Improved song loading: It is now faster easier to switch between songs with the new loading interface.
  • Improved title bar: The new title bar now makes it easier to change the privacy of a projet, embed it, and get its public URL.
  • New Voicing algorithm: Hookpad has a new voicing algorithm to improve playback sound and performance. Melody octave and chord voicing range can now be adjusted (using the mix tool). Sample waveforms are now shaped to provide smoother transitions between notes. Sounds are loaded using mp3s instead of WAVs to speed up load times.
  • m now opens the Mix panel (‘m’ previously added a magic chord)
  • o now opens the Open file panel (‘o’ previously toggled “out-of-key” chord options)
  • 8 now adds a magic chord (it was ‘m’ before this update)
  • Removed borders from buttons: The borders of the GUI buttons have been removed.
  • New button groupings: The buttons at the top of the GUI have been grouped based on function

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug causing voicing algorithm to double notes during some syncopated rhythms
  • Fixed a bug causing MIDI export to sometimes drop notes when the harmony track was voiced too high.

1.1.3 (2014.11.21)

What’s New

  • Added support for “blank lyrics,” i.e., the ability to skip notes when placing lyrics. Use a single underscore “_” and Hookpad will skip a note when adding lyrics.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed crash caused by single character “s” in lyrics.

1.1.2 (2014.10.08)

Bug Fixes

  • Removed the ability to save corrupt theory tabs (tabs with notes of negative duration).

1.1.1 (2014.07.30)

Bug Fixes

  • In popular style, applied chords now correctly place accidentals on the applied target chord rather than the primary chord.
  • Magic chord carousel now properly shows chords in the common practice style.
  • Certain key or mode changes no longer transpose melody notes by an octave. This bug affected tabs where the target or origin key had a ♭ in the name.

1.1.0 (2014.07.29)

What’s New

  • Magic chord: Magic Chord lets you ask Hookpad what it thinks is the best chord to use in a given situation. Hookpad will analyze the chords you’ve already written and then look for examples of songs in the TheoryTab database that have used chords similarly to get clues as to what chord might work best next. Then it provides suggestions for you to pick from. Find the right chord in any situation!
  • Recording: Tackle tough rhythms with record mode. Just click the record button and start playing your melody in time with the beat. It’s a great way to get your rhythms just the way you want, without having to enter them by hand.
  • Lyrics: As you type, we’ll place each syllable on the note it corresponds to. Use a hyphen for custom syllable separation.
  • MIDI input: Connect a MIDI instrument and use it to enter notes/chords. When you play a note on your instrument, Hookpad figures out what scale degree/chord to add to your song based on the key you are currently in. When used with the recording feature, you can populate Hookpad in real time with your MIDI instrument.
  • MIDI export: Export MIDI to your favorite Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) (GarageBand, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Ableton, etc.) to begin production and recording 1
  • Sheet music & guitar tab export: Export your TheoryTab to beautifully engraved sheet music and guitar tab 2.
  • Looping: Click loop, and click play. This is great for practicing a TheoryTab on your instrument, or for providing a backing track for jamming, singing a melody, or practicing a solo.

For more details about Hooktheory Plus, including pricing information and screenshots of the new features, visit the Hooktheory Plus webpage.

(1) This feature will remain free for any user that created an account before 2014/07/29.
(2) This feature will remain free for any user that created an account before 2014/07/29.

  • "Expanded" view option for melody track: You can now expand the melody track to show both in-scale and out-of-scale melody notes. Below you can see the difference between the default “In-scale” view and the new “Expanded” view for major and minor modes. Default view options can be configured in user settings.

“In-scale”

“Expanded”

  • "Popular" style notation: There is now an option to show Roman numerals and scale degrees in Hookpad and the TheoryTab database using the “Popular” style notation. In this notation, both chord Roman numerals and scale degrees are labelled with accidentals (#s and ♭s) when they are altered from their Major-scale equivalents. For example, in the minor scale, the 3rd, 6th, and 7th scale degrees are flat with respect to the 3rd, 6th and 7th major scale degrees. The popular style notation emphasizes this difference by labeling these scale degrees ♭3, ♭6, and ♭7, as well as naming the “three,” “six,” and “seven” chords ♭III, ♭VI, and ♭VII. The default notation style, known as “Common practice” style labels these same chords III, VI, and VII.

1.0.2 (2014-07-15)

Bug Fixes

  • Rest notes no longer can be modified by up/down arrow keys (@HertzDevil)
  • Using the << and >> buttons for fine adjustment of the YouTube sync markers no longer can make the start marker go beyond the end marker and vice versa. (@HertzDevil)
  • Fixed note duplication and double move issues with Select All keyboard shortcut. (thanks @HertzDevil again!)

1.0.1 (2014-07-08)

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug that caused melody to be transposed up or down an octave when changing between certain relative modes. (@HertzDevil)
  • Enharmonic chords are now voiced in the same register regardless of mode. (@HertzDevil)
  • Altered stable scale degrees of borrowed chords that are enharmonically equivalent to diatonic scale degrees now properly show up on the staff on chord-mouseover as well as when “stable” mode is on. (@HertzDevil)
  • Fixed a bug causing the coloring of certain chords to be wrong when the root of the chord was an altered scale degree that was enharmonically equivalent to a diatonic scale degree.
  • Lilypond no longer places a natural before an accidental when scoring a measure that contains two notes on the same stave line or space containing distinct accidentals. (@HertzDevil)
  • Fixed a bug causing ghost notes to appear when using “select all.”
    (@HertzDevil)
  • Fixed a bug where selecting a rest chord in the chord region caused the viio chord to highlight in the chord gui. (@HertzDevil)
  • Fixed a bug that would sometimes link the scrubber to erroneous time values. (@HertzDevil)