Over the last few weeks I’ve been busy porting more instruments to Rhapsody, developing new libraries, and continuing to improve Rhapsody itself.

In this post I’ll share what I’ve been working on, highlight the latest updates, and give you a glimpse of my roadmap for the next few months.

Rhapsody 3.1

Rhapsody is now at version 3.1.0. Most of the changes are aimed at instrument creators, but there are two notable improvements for users.

Installer Improvement

The installer now remembers the last folder you selected for installing samples. Rhapsody also automatically creates a subfolder for each library, making it much quicker to install multiple libraries to the same location.

Persistent Automation

Rhapsody now supports saving MIDI CC and macro assignments independently of individual presets.

In practice, this means that if you assign a MIDI CC to a control, that assignment is remembered when you change presets and even when you load a new instance of the plugin.

Previously these assignments were stored only within presets, meaning you had to recreate your controller mappings for every preset. If you use lots of presets, this quickly became frustrating.

To take advantage of this feature, the instrument needs to support it. All Libre Wave instruments have now been updated for this, so be sure to download the latest versions alongside the Rhapsody update.

Instrument Updates

Enhanced Legato

I’ve rebuilt my legato system from the ground up to improve both its responsiveness and realism. Every instrument featuring legato has been updated to benefit from these improvements. Grab the latest version of Bell and Bone to try it out for free.

Smarter Attack Response

Libraries such as Bell and Bone and Emerald Flutes include an adaptive attack system in their Performance articulation that responds to your playing style.

This system has now been refined to improve fast repeated notes. Previously, every note triggered from the initial attack. The new system intelligently offsets the attack based on your playing speed and note velocity, resulting in smoother and more natural performances.

New Releases and Discounts

Lyrical Bansuri and The Shepherd’s Flute are now available for Rhapsody 3. If you already own either library, you’ll find the updated installers waiting in your account.

I’ve also ported Dicky Deegan’s Uilleann Pipes from Kontakt to Rhapsody. During the process I removed a few lesser-used features, added some new ones, and incorporated all of the latest improvements, including the upgraded legato and adaptive attack.

If you previously purchased the Kontakt version, the Rhapsody edition is a free upgrade and is already available in your account. If you don’t see it in your account please contact me and let me know – you do not need to purchase the library again.

To celebrate these releases, Lyrical Bansuri, The Shepherd’s Flute, and Dicky Deegan’s Uilleann Pipes are all available with 25% off for the next two weeks.

Roadmap

Hammered Dulcimer

The next library on the way is a hammered dulcimer performed by Nuno Silva.

The library contains around 20 GB of compressed samples, with three microphone positions, sixteen articulations, round robins, multiple dynamic layers, and a range of unique playing techniques.

Development is almost complete and I’m currently putting the finishing touches on it, so you can expect its release early next month.

Modern Bodhrán

After the dulcimer, I’ll be upgrading Modern Bodhrán to Rhapsody 3. As part of the upgrade I’ll also be refining the interface, improving the instrument where I can, and trimming any bloat. As with my other upgrades, this will be completely free for existing owners.

Looking Ahead

Once Modern Bodhrán is finished that will bring a conclusion to my upgrade plans for the older Rhapsody libraries.

I’d still like to update Osiris for Rhapsody 3 at some point, although that’s a collaborative project with another developer, so I can’t promise when or if that will happen.

I’m also working on a new loop and layer based instrument, which will probably keep me busy until the end of the year.

After that I’d like to return to some recordings I’ve made over the past few years but haven’t yet developed into finished libraries. At the moment I’m leaning towards a concert harp I recorded in Bulgaria, although I haven’t made a final decision.

I’ve also had plenty of requests for a saxophone library to complement Bell and Bone, so that’s firmly on my list, although it’s more likely to be a project for next year.

Final Thoughts

Rhapsody and the underlying instrument framework have now reached a point where they’re both stable and easy to maintain. It’s become much easier to improve existing features and introduce new ones without requiring major rewrites.

Getting to this stage has taken a long time, but with every instrument I build I learn new ways to optimise and improve my workflow. Whenever I discover a better approach, I try to bring those improvements back to my existing libraries so that current owners benefit as well.

If you haven’t updated yet, download the latest version of Rhapsody and your libraries, give them a try, and let me know what you think in the comments below.