- v1.4.0: Multiplayer, In-App Cameras - 31 January 2019
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F28283083%2F3db7e91ecdf347e96409420089bf6fa8f270238b.jpg You can now play EXA with other players! Step into a shared layout where you can see other players, talk with them, build instruments together, share loops, compose songs, watch performances, and more. Each multiplayer “room” keeps everything synchronized (the layout, items, playback states, metronome, and live ringer events) for everyone that joins, allowing you to create and collaborate with players across the world. EXA’s multiplayer rooms are hosted by the room’s creator (not by a server in the cloud). The room can be made available publicly, can be hidden until a player enters the room name, or can be limited to your local network (LAN). The room creator can even put players into a “spectator” mode by disabling some of their room permissions. Network latency (the…
- v1.3.4: Shared Items via Steam Workshop - 11 September 2018
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F28283083%2F2cf0d7616f080927f93b2f8c3361ad52bbf53d2d.jpg A huge step for the growing EXA community: you can now share your layouts and bundles with everyone else who plays EXA! These new features are built using the Steam Workshop, allowing you to publish, update, search, subscribe, download, and vote on these shared items – all without leaving VR. The ability to share layouts and bundles with other players creates many new possibilities for collaboration, and makes it faster than ever to jump right into music-making, with an ever-growing collection of pre-built instruments, loops, layouts, and even entire songs. These new community features demanded a new way to search, sort, and filter results – capabilities which also found their way into the existing “Load” menus. For players with tons of saved layouts and bundles, sort…
- v1.3.3: Command Center, Item Bundles, Drag-And-Drop - 24 July 2018
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F28283083%2F6a67530ff0bbfdb3d3e7a40057f0ff6654f46c3b.jpg The new EXA Command Center has arrived, and you can summon it to your current position with the touch of a button. The Command Center interface consolidates previous menus, improves workflows, introduces a new drag-and-drop creation feature, and is able to summon other interfaces (like the loop recorder). Have you ever designed an EXA instrument, only to wish you could reuse it elsewhere? Now you can! The new “Bundle” features allow you to save and load collections of items, including ringers, groups, loops, sequencers, and more. The new drag-and-drop interaction allows you to pull a miniature bundle from the menu and place it (fully-sized) directly into your layout. This release also includes support for MixCast 2.0, an internal upgrade to the latest version of Unity…
- v1.3.2: Audio Samples, MIDI Output, Monophonic Mode - 22 May 2018
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F28283083%2Ff67b50fbd4c5e95628c7f272a8ebfbfe3db71c67.jpg One of EXA’s most requested features is finally here – support for audio samples! In addition to the existing Soundfont support, you can now attach WAV, AIFF, and OGG audio files to the ringers in your layout. EXA ships with a huge collection of over 1,000 audio samples, and you can easily import your own. MIDI output is another highly-requested feature introduced in this version of EXA. You can map each ringer to one of 64 different MIDI channels, and EXA will route all of its MIDI messages through that channel. Using third-party software (a virtual MIDI cable, a DAW with low-latency audio, and some VST plugins), you can convert EXA’s MIDI output into any sound you can imagine – all in realtime. This release also includes a “monophonic mode” for easily playing one no…
- v1.3.1: Sequencer Interface, MixCast MR Support, Linking Tool - 28 March 2018
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F28283083%2Fe390a94cf203fb0a85914e803e8f0622f6270371.jpg The new “sequencer” interface is finally here! Sequencers can control the playback of loops, sections, and even other sequencers – allowing you to build up complex, full-length musical tracks within VR. The sequencer interface is more compact and powerful than the section interface, including the ability to start/stop a loop multiple times in the same row, to randomly select loops for playback, to configure sequencer playback to loop within a range of beats, and to immediately jump to new playhead positions. Also, EXA has added support for MixCast mixed reality display. This feature is available to users of MixCast Studio. MixCast has a variety of features that makes it easy to use mixed reality, including a three-click setup for static camera position, a background-r…
- v1.3.1: Sequencer Interface, MixCast MR Support, Linking Tool - 28 March 2018
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F28283083%2Fe390a94cf203fb0a85914e803e8f0622f6270371.jpg The new “sequencer” interface is finally here! Sequencers can control the playback of loops, sections, and even other sequencers – allowing you to build up complex, full-length musical tracks within VR. The sequencer interface is more compact and powerful than the section interface, including the ability to start/stop a loop multiple times in the same row, to randomly select loops for playback, to configure sequencer playback to loop within a range of beats, and to immediately jump to new playhead positions. Also, EXA has added support for MixCast mixed reality display. This feature is available to users of MixCast Studio. MixCast has a variety of features that makes it easy to use mixed reality, including a three-click setup for static camera position, a background-r…
- v1.3.0: EXA Remix, Recorder Options, Loop Duration Handles - 19 January 2018
Announcing “EXA Remix” -- a new way to load, play, and customize EXA performances in other apps! Any app built with Unity can import the “EXA Remix” tool to gain these musical-performance superpowers. Imagine seeing your performances on a stage in a social app, playing in a room of your VR “home” app, or remixed into an interactive, audio-reactive, music-video world… it’s all possible now! Collaboration talks with a few well-known VR apps are already underway – please share your ideas and EXA-powered-app wishlist on the discussion boards. Also, the loop-recording process is better than ever. You can now set options directly on the recorder interface: the recording mode, initial quantization level, and the ability to automatically stop recording after a particular duration. While recording, a new “Cancel” button lets you reset the recorder interface without performing the old stop+delete…
- v1.3.0: EXA Remix, Recorder Options, Loop Duration Handles - 19 January 2018
Announcing “EXA Remix” -- a new way to load, play, and customize EXA performances in other apps! Any app built with Unity can import the “EXA Remix” tool to gain these musical-performance superpowers. Imagine seeing your performances on a stage in a social app, playing in a room of your VR “home” app, or remixed into an interactive, audio-reactive, music-video world… it’s all possible now! Collaboration talks with a few well-known VR apps are already underway – please share your ideas and EXA-powered-app wishlist on the discussion boards. Also, the loop-recording process is better than ever. You can now set options directly on the recorder interface: the recording mode, initial quantization level, and the ability to automatically stop recording after a particular duration. While recording, a new “Cancel” button lets you reset the recorder interface without performing the old stop+delete…
- v1.2.4: Slide Locomotion, Smooth Camera, Section Audio Export - 30 November 2017
If you’ve ever wanted a different way to move around an EXA layout, the new “slide locomotion” mode might be for you! Rather than the jump+turn of EXA’s standard teleportation, the new sliding feature allows you to drift and turn smoothly. This is especially helpful for seated players, but is also very useful for gliding around smoothly while recording/streaming your EXA session. And to make your recording/streaming process even better, you can now toggle a “smooth camera” mode (with the “C” key). This camera improves the quality of your monitor’s video output (not the headset’s output), with smoothed motions and brighter colors. Note that this camera mode has a performance cost, so it’s best to use it while recording or performing for an audience. You can now export entire sections to WAV audio files. Previously, audio export was limited to individual loops. See the notes below for det…
- v1.2.4: Slide Locomotion, Smooth Camera, Section Audio Export - 30 November 2017
If you’ve ever wanted a different way to move around an EXA layout, the new “slide locomotion” mode might be for you! Rather than the jump+turn of EXA’s standard teleportation, the new sliding feature allows you to drift and turn smoothly. This is especially helpful for seated players, but is also very useful for gliding around smoothly while recording/streaming your EXA session. And to make your recording/streaming process even better, you can now toggle a “smooth camera” mode (with the “C” key). This camera improves the quality of your monitor’s video output (not the headset’s output), with smoothed motions and brighter colors. Note that this camera mode has a performance cost, so it’s best to use it while recording or performing for an audience. You can now export entire sections to WAV audio files. Previously, audio export was limited to individual loops. See the notes below for det…
- v1.2.3: Motion Capture, Music Viz, Cathedral - 6 November 2017
Get ready to step into an immense, music-visualizing environment, where each ringer hit creates new colors that slowly spiral into the sky. And to better enjoy the music-viz view, you can now sit back and watch “robot” avatars perform the music from loops! To get started watching a “show” right away, load up one of the new layouts provided by EXA (via your “Load Layouts” menu). You can record your own avatar performances using the loop recorder, which now captures your motions at the same time as it records your musical events. This release includes an experimental version of EXA that runs on a Mac, along with dozens of other improvements, optimizations, and fixes. Thank you to the EXA community for the feedback and ideas! Please watch/share the new update video below, and read through this page to learn more. v1.2.3 RELEASE VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhu58-weAZM (https://www…
- v1.2.3: Motion Capture, Music Viz, Cathedral - 6 November 2017
Get ready to step into an immense, music-visualizing environment, where each ringer hit creates new colors that slowly spiral into the sky. And to better enjoy the music-viz view, you can now sit back and watch “robot” avatars perform the music from loops! To get started watching a “show” right away, load up one of the new layouts provided by EXA (via your “Load Layouts” menu). You can record your own avatar performances using the loop recorder, which now captures your motions at the same time as it records your musical events. This release includes an experimental version of EXA that runs on a Mac, along with dozens of other improvements, optimizations, and fixes. Thank you to the EXA community for the feedback and ideas! Please watch/share the new update video below, and read through this page to learn more. v1.2.3 RELEASE VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhu58-weAZM (https://www…
- v1.2.2: Clone Items, Export Loops to WAV, Split Audio Outputs - 29 September 2017
Building and creating in EXA just got easier with the new “Clone” feature. You can now create exact duplicates of ringers, loops, sections, documents, and groups – just select the ones you want to copy, and then use the “Clone” menu button. As a first test, you could clone the “curved piano” group twice, and use the new groups to create a full “wrap-around piano”! For players eager to get their EXA creations into their favorite DAW or audio tools, there is now an “Export” feature that converts recorded loops into WAV files. Just select all the loops you want to export, use the “Export” menu button, and then collect the WAV files from within your “Documents/EXA-VR/” folder when you’re ready. You now have the ability to switch between different audio output devices from within EXA. Even better, you can choose to route EXA’s “non-musical” sounds to a different device. For example, you migh…
- v1.2.2: Clone Items, Export Loops to WAV, Split Audio Outputs - 29 September 2017
Building and creating in EXA just got easier with the new “Clone” feature. You can now create exact duplicates of ringers, loops, sections, documents, and groups – just select the ones you want to copy, and then use the “Clone” menu button. As a first test, you could clone the “curved piano” group twice, and use the new groups to create a full “wrap-around piano”! For players eager to get their EXA creations into their favorite DAW or audio tools, there is now an “Export” feature that converts recorded loops into WAV files. Just select all the loops you want to export, use the “Export” menu button, and then collect the WAV files from within your “Documents/EXA-VR/” folder when you’re ready. You now have the ability to switch between different audio output devices from within EXA. Even better, you can choose to route EXA’s “non-musical” sounds to a different device. For example, you migh…
- v1.2.1: Bow/Prox Tools, Native Audio, Loop Display - 8 September 2017
You can now fade, swell, and sustain notes with the new “bow” and “prox” playing tools. The bow tool behaves a bit like a violin bow, making sounds as it passes (at various speeds) through a ringer. The prox tool uses its distance from a ringer to control the sound’s volume. Both new tools support an alternative mode by squeezing the trigger. These new tools immediately expand the available EXA playing styles beyond the percussive approach of the “strike” tool. Behind the scenes, EXA has a new audio system to support these new tools and improve audio performance. This system bypasses Unity audio, talking directly to the OS instead, which fixes the “popping/cracking” audio issue. The structure of this new system should also make future features (like MIDI support and audio effects) easier to introduce. In the loop display, the old “triangle” shapes are now replaced with a “waveform” styl…
- v1.2.1: Bow/Prox Tools, Native Audio, Loop Display - 8 September 2017
You can now fade, swell, and sustain notes with the new “bow” and “prox” playing tools. The bow tool behaves a bit like a violin bow, making sounds as it passes (at various speeds) through a ringer. The prox tool uses its distance from a ringer to control the sound’s volume. Both new tools support an alternative mode by squeezing the trigger. These new tools immediately expand the available EXA playing styles beyond the percussive approach of the “strike” tool. Behind the scenes, EXA has a new audio system to support these new tools and improve audio performance. This system bypasses Unity audio, talking directly to the OS instead, which fixes the “popping/cracking” audio issue. The structure of this new system should also make future features (like MIDI support and audio effects) easier to introduce. In the loop display, the old “triangle” shapes are now replaced with a “waveform” styl…
- v1.2.0: Move-To-You Menus, Document Viewer, Tutorial Graphics - 19 July 2017
Finding and moving menus is no fun – so many of EXA’s menus now come to you. Once you make a selection, the menu will appear and/or slide into view near the selected items. When you’re done with the menu, use the circular “selection count” button to simultaneously deselect the items and hide the menu. Fast, easy, convenient, with less clutter in your layout. With the new Document feature, EXA is slowly releasing its bias toward improv and by-ear playing styles. A document can contain several pages of images and text, so you can load up your favorite sheet music or lyrics and start playing along. And for the new players, the default layout now includes a large document filled with tutorial graphics. With this visual walkthrough of EXA’s main features, it’s never been easier to get started. Thank you to the EXA community for the continuous feedback and ideas! Please watch/share the v1.2.0…
- v1.2.0: Move-To-You Menus, Document Viewer, Tutorial Graphics - 19 July 2017
Finding and moving menus is no fun – so many of EXA’s menus now come to you. Once you make a selection, the menu will appear and/or slide into view near the selected items. When you’re done with the menu, use the circular “selection count” button to simultaneously deselect the items and hide the menu. Fast, easy, convenient, with less clutter in your layout. With the new Document feature, EXA is slowly releasing its bias toward improv and by-ear playing styles. A document can contain several pages of images and text, so you can load up your favorite sheet music or lyrics and start playing along. And for the new players, the default layout now includes a large document filled with tutorial graphics. With this visual walkthrough of EXA’s main features, it’s never been easier to get started. Thank you to the EXA community for the continuous feedback and ideas! Please watch/share the v1.2.0…
- v1.1.4: Item Grouping, Latency Options, and More - 28 June 2017
This build addresses one of EXA’s most overdue needs -- the ability to create (and then move) groups of items. The new grouping feature allows you to contained mixed collections of ringers, loops, and sections within a group. Once grouped, you can optionally lock the group’s position and/or the relative position of the items within the group. Item selection (for example, multi-selecting ringers) remains the same, whether or not the item is within a group. Other improvements and fixes are described below, including a positional boundary to prevent lost items, color-coded curves between items and their menus, a faster “save layout” workflow, minor improvements to latency, and more. This build was delayed about a week due to preparation for a live EXA performance (video link below) on June 16. This included work on a “mixed reality” feature that uses a ZED depth camera – support for this w…
- v1.1.4: Item Grouping, Latency Options, and More - 28 June 2017
This build addresses one of EXA’s most overdue needs -- the ability to create (and then move) groups of items. The new grouping feature allows you to contained mixed collections of ringers, loops, and sections within a group. Once grouped, you can optionally lock the group’s position and/or the relative position of the items within the group. Item selection (for example, multi-selecting ringers) remains the same, whether or not the item is within a group. Other improvements and fixes are described below, including a positional boundary to prevent lost items, color-coded curves between items and their menus, a faster “save layout” workflow, minor improvements to latency, and more. This build was delayed about a week due to preparation for a live EXA performance (video link below) on June 16. This included work on a “mixed reality” feature that uses a ZED depth camera – support for this w…
