XT1 vs XT2

Compared to energyXT 1.x, energyXT2 is a complete rewrite, in a different programming language. This allows for cross-platform support, new features, and a reworked, more streamlined workflow, but some things now work differently and there are features from energyXT 1.4.1 that are not yet in energyXT2.

Below is a comprehensive list of the differences, with workarounds where applicable.

What's new/better in XT2

General

• Cross-platform Support:
  • Linux (i386) version w/Linux VSTs (all mda plugins, freeverb, examples w/source) & jack support (with open-source jack interface)
  • Mac OS X version
  • Windows version also works great in Linux & OS X with wineasio/JackWASIO

• Portability:
  • Can be run completely from a USB flash drive
  • Settings file (energyXT.ini) isn't kept in the Windows folder
  • Windows version has DirectSound audio support (not just ASIO)

• New Components:
  • Synthesizer with sampler capability
  • Arpeggiator (presets in .xta format)
  • Multi Effect: Reverb, Delay, Guitar Amp, Chorus, Phaser, Bit Crusher, Filter, Compressor (.xte presets)
  • Group

• Midi Mapping:
  • MIDI/Parameter learn from Mixer and VST GUI
  • Global MIDI CC mapping from external midi in and internal routing
  • MIDI map programs
  • MIDI control of main tempo

• Visual Improvements:
  • More customizable non-bitmap looks (gradients, etc)
  • Light and Dark color presets
  • Optional frequency analyzer display
  • Program combo boxes with integrated menu and arrows
  • Icon

• Docking:
  • Mouse wheel can switch between docked pages
  • Can dock almost any window (including inserts and sends) by right-clicking its title bar
  • Can re-order docked pages (drag & drop)
  • Can re-dock something to a different page without undocking it first

• Transport:
  • Transport buttons in main toolbar
  • Panic button - pressing stop when already stopped will send CC 123 ("all sounds off") to all VST instruments
  • Metronome button
  • Built-in metronome click sound (don't have to load your own)
  • Shortcut for metronome on/off (c)
  • Shortcut to return to last play start position (5)

• User Interface:
  • New "New…" dialog with different templates
  • Optional Welcome screen
  • Option to start up with default project (or last project, or empty project, or Welcome screen)
  • Breadcrumb navigation in file dialogs
  • Configurable keyboard shortcuts
  • Shortcuts for next program (9) & prior program (8)
  • Global Undo/Redo with toolbar buttons & descriptive text
  • Optional tooltips (with keyboard shortcuts) in the toolbar
  • Main menu acts like a menu
  • Window menu: lists all loaded comps/inserts/sends, plus Browser & Mixer, with "Close All" option
  • "XT" menu with helpful links and "About" box
  • Recent/current project quick load dropdown
  • Size and position of main window is optionally saved in energyXT.ini
  • Ctrl-wheel (& Shift-Ctrl-wheel) to change values, including dropdown lists
  • Right-click routing is more streamlined. Menus with checkboxes stay open if you click the boxes. They close with one click (old behavior) if you click the text.
  • Combined Options/Setup window in main menu, with shortcut (F6)
  • Monitor volume control in main toolbar
  • Option to hide Modular tab
  • Can change value fields by dragging sideways

• Rendering:
  • Render includes components outside of the sequencer
  • Render "All" option
  • Render to AIFF and MP3 as well as WAV
  • Render at 24000Hz
  • Multi-track export uses track names as filenames
  • Export to SoundCloud

• Saving
  • Saving a project with audio folder to new location will make copy of files in audio folder and store it in the new location
  • Saving a project will now use a "temp file" while writing to disk. In case anything goes wrong (crash, freeze, lock-up), the old project file will not be overwritten/corrupted
  • Option to disable save prompt in Setup rather than only in energyXT.ini

• Demo/Registering
  • Installing massiva.key is easier (just put it in the program folder)
  • Demo mode can open files, but not save
  • Registered name or "DEMO" appears in title bar

• Other
  • Official manual
  • Autoupdate
  • Will attempt to recover a project when encountering errors when loading (caused by a plugin or similar)

Modular Routing Area

• Can select audio & midi devices from I/O comps
• Multiple I/O comps
• Audio in and out comps have midi inputs for automation
• Feedback routing is possible (but it doesn't really work)
• Names are on the side (so they don't get in the way as much)
• When adding multiple plugins by drag & drop, they are staggered rather than placed on top of each other
• MIDI In comp has its own 'editor' window with midi keyboard and option for quantize and velocity sens

VST Hosting

• Auto-bypass idle effects
• Non-GUI VST windows are resizable, and all controls are visible at the default size (see R.Ch in 1.4)
• Can type in values for non-GUI plugins (mapped to whole numbers 0-100)
• Better display updating for automated non-GUI plugins
• Mouse wheel works to scroll non-GUI plugins
• VSTs outside the VST folder can be reloaded in projects (path is saved)
• When opening a project with a missing plugin, you are prompted to edit the list of plugin folders before the project loads

Main Mixer

• It's now a separate, dockable window
• Trim control +/- 12dB
• 4-band parametric EQ with more filter types (Low Shelf, Peaking, High Shelf, Low Pass, High Pass), more gain (+/- 24dB), and a graphical display on all mixer channels
• EQ, Inserts, and Sends are collapsible to save space
• Faders are longer, and in dB
• Fader thumb doesn't move when you click on it
• Fader slides by itself when you click above or below the thumb
• Drag & drop reorder mixer strips
• Drag & drop reorder/move inserts & sends
• Copy inserts & sends with ctrl-drag
• Make an insert into a send, and vice-versa
• Pan is more visually recognizable (maybe)
• Groups (with sends and inserts)
• Inputs, outputs, and sends have channel strips (with inserts, meters, etc.)
• Show/hide channel types (Inputs, Outputs, Sends, Groups, Components)
• Fold/unfold unused mixer channels for plugins with multi-outs
• Mixer presets (programs)
• Pan works for mono to stereo connections
• Glitch-free volume/mute/solo

Browser

• Stuck to the left side of the window
• Integrated search with keyboard shortcut (ctrl-f, but it doesn't work in sequencer because freeze is also ctrl-f by default)
• New sections: Components, Presets, Loops & clips, Samples, Audio Pool
• Ability to refresh lists (per section, or per folder in Disks section)
• There can be multiple Project (etc.) folders
• Add folder as Project/Plugin/Preset/Clip/Sample Folder from Disks section
• Desktop is shown in Disks section
• Category icons
• Horizontal scrollbar
• Volume control

Sampler

• Is also a phase modulation synth
• Has a piano keyboard
• Resizable
• Tabbed interface
• Nice preset browser page
• Small VU meter in the toolbar
• Mapping looks better, with zoomable keyboard
• Choke groups
• Global edit mode

• Sample view:
  • Bigger, with easy to move start/end points

• Modulation:
  • LFO goes up to 50Hz instead of 20Hz
  • Modulation delay

• Effects:
  • Reverb as send
  • Delay has separate L/R control, time can be ms
  • Phaser
  • Chorus

Sequencer

• More integrated with main window
• "Add New Track" button (or right-click empty area) to add tracks, including instrument tracks with VST already attached, and "Guitar Amp" track
• Drum track with integrated drum sampler, including simple default drum kit
• Combined menu bar when docked
• Less cluttered toolbar?
• Mixer channel strip (with gain, drag & drop, better faders, etc.)
• Optional object bar for changing selected object's properties
• Buttons to hide/show channel strip & object bar
• Select multiple tracks, or no tracks
• Shortcuts to move tracks up and down (ctrl-arrows)
• Move multiple tracks to a folder at once
• Global mute/solo buttons
• Option to hide part content
• Envelopes are connected to midi/audio/drum parts
• Controller/envelope overlay mode
• Automation envelopes in popup editor
• Record automation (envelope) from track value box, mixer, and VST GUI
• Edit envelopes with arrow keys
• Duplicate envelope points with ctrl-drag
• Input monitoring options (off-auto-rec-manual) per track type (audio or MIDI)
• View/change track input and output routing in object bar
• Triangle buttons to open/close in-track editor
• Part headers (with name) in in-track editor
• Select events with arrow keys when in-track editing
• Split selected parts at play cursor with keystroke (ctrl-k) or menu item
• Per-track shuffle
• Way cooler track/part color selection (including "Random" option) in object bar
• Optional random track color (enable in setup)
• Clips (.xtc) - Re-usable Audio/MIDI/Drum parts, with embedded VST programs or drum samples
• Alt-click creates a part
• Parts created within the loop area are set to the length of the loop area
• Cut parts/events (ctrl-x)
• "Add Track" dialog for adding multiple tracks at once

• Timeline/Snapping:
  • Playback cursor goes all the way down
  • Set playback cursor position with middle click
  • Shortcut for autoscroll (j)
  • Shortcuts for next beat (6) & prior beat (4)
  • Set loop area by dragging in timeline
  • Drag edges of loop to adjust
  • Insert bars / remove bars (shift-i / shift-r)
  • Dotted snap
  • Snap to dotted bar and bar-triplet
  • "1" and "32" as time signature denominators

• Markers:
  • Markers are triggerable by mouse click, qwerty keyboard, and MIDI notes
  • "Remix" live marker playing to new arrangement
  • Keyboard shortcuts for marker navigation

• Midi tracks:
  • Option to auto-quantize input
  • Built-in Arpeggiator per track
  • Notes snap to original position even when snap is off (good/annoying?)
  • Inline midi editing is better (with object bar, and selecting notes with arrow keys)
  • Vertical scrolling within midi editor with mouse wheel over keyboard display
  • Automation with envelopes is much more convenient
  • Multiple CC/automation lanes in in-track editor
  • Line tool for velocity/CCs (ctrl-drag)
  • Selection of velocity/CCs (shift-drag)
  • Poly Aftertouch & Channel Pressure editing
  • Range selection in event list (shift-click)
  • Can open VSTs from track headers
  • VST program selector in object bar
  • M.Ch setting transforms input (not just track output)
  • When note names are hidden, they still show when you click on the notes
  • MIDI input velocity sensitivity per track
  • MIDI export between loop points when looping is enabled
  • Legato and fixed length
  • Slice MIDI notes (cut into equal sized parts)
  • Reverse MIDI
  • Half/double tempo
  • Keyboard shortcut for vertical zoom

• Audio tracks:
  • Fade in/out per sample (not limited to 50ms) with graphical display
  • Rudimentary crossfading (shift-x)
  • Beatslice (slices part at grid interval)
  • Autoslice (detects transients)
  • Destructive audio editing by selected region: fade in/out, reverse, normalize, trim, delete, cut/copy/paste
  • Open samples in external editors
  • Option for mono/stereo recording per track (in object bar)
  • Audio output is indicated on track header
  • Resample/Stretch/Pitch shift audio parts
  • Better resolution for selected audio part display
  • Audio pool is in the browser (shared, instead of a separate pool per sequencer)
  • Drag & drop from audio pool
  • Replace samples in audio pool
  • Deleting unused recorded files from the pool also deletes from disk
  • Remove all unused samples
  • Audio folder is automatically created when recording to a saved project
  • Quantize works in popup audio part editor
  • Reverse samples
  • REX2 import
  • MP3 import
  • AIFF import
  • Splitting a single-sample part leaves the whole sample intact, so you can drag the edges out to get it all back
  • Convert to mono

VST Version

• Easier parameter to CC mapping
• Syncs to host by default

What's missing from XT2

These features are in XT 1.4 but aren't yet in XT2.

General

• CPU meter
• Middle click & ctrl-click for MIDI learn
• CC mapping without using learn (right click > add just makes a blank box in the controller map)
• CC Map per comp (The global one can get huge. I suggest a menu to filter the list by component.)
• Load files from command line (energyXT "%1")
• Favorites in Open/Save dialogs
• Replace VSTs (comps page, sequencer, inserts/sends)
• Dropdown menu for tabs with multiple docked windows
• Option to turn off plugin delay compensation (and see its current value in samples)
• Multi-core CPU support
• Synchronizer (the main transport kind of does this job, but there's nothing to synchronize yet)
• Registering (out of demo mode) without closing XT2
• "(Modified)" notice in main toolbar instead of only on modular area background
• Cosmetic stuff:
  • Skinning support (bitmaps)
  • Maximized window larger than the screen (window border off-screen)
  • Transparent menus

Modular Routing Area

• "Inputs and Outputs" to split stereo plugs to mono, etc. (workaround: use (un)link vst (Windows only))
• Live recording of Master Out (workaround: use a recording VST)
• Audio Part, MIDI Part, & Envelope comps
• energyXT 1.x-style Arpeggiator & Chords comps (workaround: use XT 1.4.1 VST)
• MIDI Patcher comp (workaround: use mGUI midiXbar vst (Windows only))
• MIDI chs comp (workaround: use midiChs_noGUI vst)
• Mixer comp
• Scroll modular area with right-click-drag
• Select comps with arrow keys
• Move comps with ctrl + arrow keys
• Duplicate comps from right-click menu (use ctrl-d or ctrl-drag)
• Press menu-key to open main menu
• Press m to open menu of selected comp
• Disconnect inputs from right-click menu
• Visual feedback when clicking connections
• Option to hide scrollbars (cosmetic)
• Anti-aliased lines (cosmetic)

VST Hosting

• Preset generator
• 128 values of resolution (vs. only 101 values in XT2) for parameters when using host GUI
• Power/bypass button
• "Grab Icon"
• Names of VST output pins shown in routing menus
• Adding inputs/outputs to energyXT 1.x VST when hosted in XT2

Main Mixer

• Panning law setting (-6/-3/-0dB). XT2's pan law seems to be -3.5dB.
• Pre-fader sends (workaround: route the channel to a group, but use the send from the original channel)
• Unlimited EQ bands
• Display VST parameters in main mixer (workaround: in the sequencer, use automation lanes)
• VST program selector for insert effects integrated into mixer
• "Selected" and "Auto" viewing modes (Selected would be like a floating mixer strip; Auto would require minimizable mixer channels)
• Minimize mixer channels
• Option to (not) send MIDI to inserts (workaround: set M.Ch on inserts to the "wrong" channel)

Browser

• Recent plugins
• Search plugins only
• Audio pool: display of number of sample instances ("#" column in 1.4), display of file path

Sampler

• Multitimbral mode
• Multiple outputs
• Layers
• Slicer mode
• Envelope Sustain on/off switch
• Envelope Hold
• Sample view:
  • Zoom in/out
  • Backward/Alternating loop modes
  • Start/end position numerical readout
• Modulation:
  • Drawable LFO/Envelope (loop/1-shot)
  • Gate modulator
  • Add modulators
  • Rename modulators
  • Mod router
  • Negative modulation amount
• Effects:
  • Unison
  • Adding VSTs as sends
  • Filter blend
  • Filter drive

Sequencer

• Multi mode / variations
• Live mode
• Shortcut for minimizing tracks (h)
• Duplicate track (with track content)
• Duplicate program (workaround: select all, copy, add program, paste)
• Copy/paste parts between sequencers
• Track delay (+/- x samples, ms, ticks)
• Shift-drag to stretch parts
• Load plugins inside the sequencer (hidden from the comps view)
• Midi out to audio in "feedback" routing, to record the output of a VSTi (workaround: record to a second sequencer, then drag from the audio pool to the first sequencer)
• Separate transport buttons/loop per sequencer

• Freeze/Render:
  • Freeze/bounce use temp audio folder if project isn't saved
  • Freeze bit depth setting
  • "No FX" Freeze mode (per VST or audio track)
  • Dotted outline at location of frozen parts
  • Un-freeze all
  • Rendering options (replace/overwrite tracks, add tail)
  • Purposely exclude effects (outside the sequencer) from rendering

• Timeline/tempo/meter/snapping:
  • External sync optional in standalone mode
  • Independent tempo per sequencer when not using external sync
  • Loading other metronome sounds
  • Tempo track (workaround: use a midi loopback device)
  • Adjustable tempo range for midi mapping
  • CC mapping of "play from start" and "left locator"
  • Snap parts to original position (useful for moving them to other tracks)
  • Shortcut to toggle absolute/relative snap (d)
  • Shortcut to toggle triplets (t)
  • Loop selection obeys snap setting (workaround: make a minimized track with a blank part where you want to loop, then select the part and press Ctrl+P)
  • Double-click timeline to start playback
  • Ctrl + return, play song from first selected part

• Navigation/zooming/selection:
  • Invert selection (workaround: shift-drag over everything)
  • Double-click a part with shift pressed to select all parts in the track
  • Zoom all (workaround: Select All or de-select everything, then Zoom Selection [ctrl +])
  • Double-click zoom button for zoom-all
  • Right-click on horizontal scrollbar returns to beginning
  • Right-click on vertical scrollbar returns to top
  • Horizontal zoom with mouse wheel over timeline (or some way to zoom with wheel only)
  • Zoom with shift-= "+" (not only numpad "+")

• Markers:
  • Moving/resizing markers
  • Multiple marker tracks
  • Clicking on marker selects parts within marker

• Recording:
  • Optional record-arm buttons on each track (New way: select multiple tracks with ctrl-click)
  • "wait note rec" mode
  • Delete current take and start recording again with Backspace key

• Cosmetic stuff:
  • Highlighting of selected items in ghost parts
  • Horizontal lines separating tracks
  • Different background every 4 bars

• Midi editor:
  • Option to remember last note velocity separately from note length
  • Hovering indicator on keyboard display
  • Piano roll background on non-selected parts in inline editor
  • "End of part" marker in popup editor
  • "Note Preview" button
  • Octave up/down buttons (workaround: use ctrl+shift+up/down)
  • Mouse wheel move/transpose/resize modes
  • Mute individual notes (n)
  • Split notes with double-click (workaround: use alt-right-click)
  • Velocity value box
  • Channel field for individual notes
  • Composer (Fade/Random/Compose/Random Notes/Slice Notes)
  • Input channel filter ("I.Ch") for midi tracks (was only in manual rec mode)
  • M.Ch (O.Ch in 1.4) displayed next to track outputs in header, when multiple tracks are set to different channels and routed to the same output
  • Midi effects & groove
  • Inserting notes with snap off still uses quantization value as note length (when not remembering last note length)

• CCs/Envelopes:
  • Center line, 1/4 & 3/4 lines
  • Envelope point value display/manual input
  • Dotted line after last envelope point
  • Keyboard shortcut to show event list (was F9 in 1.x)
  • Double-click an event in event list to switch velocity/cc view to display the type you clicked
  • CC/PrgChg/etc. value display (workaround: watch the event list)
  • CC/PrgChg/etc. manual input
  • Up/down buttons for velocity/CC editing (workaround: alt+arrows)
  • Dropdown menu indicating which controller data exists on a midi track (workaround: read the event list)
  • Envelope "square" mode
  • Copy/paste envelope points between parts
  • Displaying multiple automation lanes in popup editor
  • Import/export envelope clips (they're not saved in .xtc files)

• Audio tracks:
  • Sample-level volume envelope
  • Sample-accurate start & end points
  • Within multi-sample parts: destructive editing, volume/pan/fades/mute per slice, vertical zoom, semi-transparent slices, etc.
  • Multi-channel audio parts with mute/solo/pan/volume/output per channel
  • Multi-take loop recording
  • Search for missing sample on disk (new way: "Replace" each sample in audio pool)
  • Insert sample with right click menu
  • Error message when trying to drag & drop unsupported sample formats

VST Version

• Multiple inputs & outputs
• Rename/disable mapped parameters
• Reporting latency to host

What's coming later (?)

General

• Multi-monitor support
• Optionally unload disabled plugins from RAM
• Import of .ext files
• Configurable midi control of everything
• Group comp (with panel surface)
• Volume per connection
• Save CC maps

Browser

• Better audio pool
• Drag samples from audio pool to sampler

Sequencer

• Improved composer, for audio tracks too
• Clip fx (destructive/nondestructive)

• Drum Track
  • Velocity layers

• CCs/Envelopes/Automation:
  • Copy/paste controllers (not just envelopes)