Revision History - v8.00

Daqarta v8.00.01 - 22 June 2015

Bug Fix: Buf0#L=n file command to set Load start at file sample n did not work properly for reading .TXT files.

Daqarta v8.00 - 21 June 2015

Multi-Channel Outputs allow up to 8 independent Generator output channels on multi-channel sound cards.

Sound Card Performance Tests topic now includes full report on 8-output ASUS Xonar U7 7.1 USB.

Missing Fundamental and Audible Phase Demonstration macro mini-apps added for auditory perception experiments.

Engine_Sim Crank and Cam Sensor Simulator mini-app now simulates simultaneous crank and cam sensor outputs, with controls for tooth width and starting phase. Simulation allows custom RPM schedule.

Arb_From_List macro mini-app allows simple creation of custom RPM schedules for above.

Custom Frequency Counter Mini-App is a simple way to obtain custom features via a separate meter display, including calibrated frequency, plus lowest, highest, and average frequency. You can easily enable data logging or modify it for other custom calculations besides frequency.

New EQ_Curve EQuation-to-Curve macro mini-app accepts transfer function pole-zero parameters and displays frequency response plots, and optionally creates Weighting Curve files for use as Spectrum Curves. The Help topic discusses transfer function math basics as well as use of the mini-app. EQ_Curve can be used to evaluate filter designs, then saved curves can be used to test production filters. Example curves and their parameters are provided for standard A-Weight to D-Weight and RIAA phono equalization curves. Examples of several basic filter types are discussed, along with a filter circuit diagram and design recommendations.

RIAA and IEC-RIAA phono equalization curves and their inverses are now included with Daqarta's Standard Weighting Curves, and the new RIAA Phono Equalization Testing topic discusses how to use them.

Arb files may now use 16384 values, as well as earlier options of 1024, 2048, 4096, or 8192 values each.

Enhanced Stream Modulation now allows streams from the Left Generator channel to modulate those from the Right, as well as higher-numbered Left streams. This allows a single Left stream to control both outputs with perfect tracking.

New Memory Arbs MemArb0-7 allow arbitrary Generator waveforms to be created directly in memory via macros, instead of being read from Arb files. Each can also be used as an array of up to 16384 general-purpose integer macro variables in the +/-32767 range. MemArb_To_File macro allows saving as .WAV (or other format) files for use as normal Arbs.

Macro Array Math Operations now support complex math, including addition, subtraction, reverse subtraction, multiplication, division, reverse division, and complex conjugate. New Array Index As Value operations support complex-valued arrays as well. Macro Array Copy/Swap Operations now include Fill With Complex Constant.

New Master Mute button now present on Generator Volume Slider dialog (F9 key). Allows mute action on Vista and later Windows versions that lack separate Wave controls. Also works with Auto-Mute.

Macro Array Copy/Swap Operations now include commands to save and restore all floating-point macro variables and all shared macro/MIDI variables to and from specified 100-element "Blocks" in Macro Arrays Buf0-Buf7. These allow multitasking macros to have independent sets of local variables. They likewise allow ordinary macros to preserve macro/MIDI variables while running MIDI scripts, such as the Missing_Fundamental macro mini-app when it runs the MissFundamental.DQM MIDI setup via the Play Music button in its Custom Controls dialog.

All Macro Examples and Mini-Apps included with Daqarta, and all examples in the Help system, now observe the convention that the names of subroutine macros (not macros you invoke directly) start with a leading underscore. This insures that they are sorted to the bottom of the macro list instead of being intermixed with those you invoke directly, and also means the direct macros are all at the top where they are easy to find without scrolling.

New Help buttons in main macro dialog and macro Edit dialog allow instant opening of Help for all Macro Examples and Mini-Apps included with Daqarta.

The DDisk macro can be given as a command or read as a variable. When read, as in S=DDisk, it returns the number of samples written since the current DDisk recording began. The final value is now retained even after DDisk is done, until the next DDisk activation. (Formerly, it returned -1 when DDisk was inactive.)

String expressions can now use Custom Macro Messages (Msg) on the right side to append the current message to a string, as in Notes=Notes + Msg. You can also append a string or value to the end of an existing message as in Msg=Msg + UX.

Macro Messages (Msg) and Message Boxes (WaitMsg, with buttons) may now have titles up to 64 characters long. (Former limit was 32.)

Macro Arrays Buf0-Buf7 can now copy value lists from Daqarta Notes text directly to an array via Buf0="<Notes". File save/load commands can be use to set the number of adjacent buffers to 1, 2, or 4 (for example to copy 2 or 4 columns of data to separate arrays), to set the start offset into the destination buffer, to limit the number of values copied, or to read the number of values copied after the operation.

You can now use Channel Select macro variable Ch to specify the channel and stream in a Generator macro command such as Ch.ToneFreq=F, where Ch has previously been set to 0-3 (for L.0. to L.3.) or 4-7 (for R.0. to R.3).

New GenUpdate=3 macro command to both unblock Generator restarts (after a previous GenUpdate=0 blocked them) and immediately restart, rather than a separate GenUpdate=1 to unblock just before a final Generator change command forces an update. This is used at the end of the lengthy _Miss_Fund_Update subroutine of the Missing Fundamental macro mini-app, since the multiple execution paths allow different "last change" commands.

New RMS "Sum" of dB Values topic discusses how to combine multiple dB values to get total RMS energy in dB, such as THD from several harmonic peaks. Discusses new dB_Sum macro (included with installed Emacro mini-apps) which uses above Buf0="<Notes".

The Macro dialog now shows the name of the currently-loaded macro file at the top, including Daqarta0.MAC default.

New Copy button in the Macro Edit Dialog allows you to copy the entire Macro Definition to the Windows Clipboard with a single click.

Macros using bit-mapped values can now use binary number entry via a leading 'b' prefix, as in Multi-Channel Stream selection like Center#N=b100010 to select streams 1 and 5, or AM Modulator Source L.3.AM.ModSrc=b11 to select streams 0 and 1.

LogName command to designate a new destination for subsequent LogTxt output now allows LogName#0="MyFile" format. The #0 designates that the selected file will be cleared first, instead of just appending LogTxt data. Used by EQ_Curve macro. LogTxt files default to .TXT extension in the Daqarta - User_Data folder, but can be changed to Daqarta - App_Data with .TXT, .CAL, .FRD, .TBL, .CRV, or .LIM extension via letter parameter, as in LogName#V0="MyFile" to use .CRV format and clear as above.

Custom Macro Messages (Msg) now allow explicit font families: Times New Roman, Arial (default), and Lucida Console. The latter is a monospaced font without serifs that allows columns to stay aligned. Especially useful with the String Expression "pad" command.

Custom Meters (Mtr0, etc) now allow font family options as above. Text defaults to left-aligned for general use or multiple columns, but may be optionally set to center-aligned for single-column meter displays.

A Custom Meter that has been closed via the [x] in the title bar during a running Custom Controls macro normally remains closed and ignores all display commands until the next time the macro is run. Now, giving a Meter Help command like Mtr0="<H4AFF" will re-enable.

Field strings read or tested as numeric variables now support full 80-bit floating-point resolution. (Previously only supported signed real numbers with 32-bit integer and 32-bit fraction parts, for 64-bit overall precision.)

Custom Controls multi-state button types that default to always showing undepressed can now be shown depressed via Btn0="<1" or restored to default via Btn0="<0".

Voice Pattern Sync control on MIDI Voice Setup Dialogs now allows Voice Patterns to remain in sync between voices, even when some voices are toggled off and back on during play.

New Cancel command allows a macro to cancel itself when it encounters conditions such that it can't (or shouldn't) proceed, like a value that is out of range. You would use this in a failed IF branch after giving an explanatory message.

Added WaitTrace#N=X variant of WaitTrace macro command. This halts macro execution for X trace updates.

Bug Fix: Daqarta could crash on attempt to save Macro definition larger than 4 KB.

Bug Fix: Daqarta could crash while toggling Generator on (or changing its parameters while on) with Decimate active and Trigger off for scrolling.

Bug Fix: Certain long string expressions could cause macro execution to fail.

Bug Fix: .TXT files used as Arbs could fail to auto-load properly as part of Generator setup load.

Bug Fix: Previous version (v7.60) inadvertently locked out all controls during start-up splash screen animation.

Bug Fix: Daqarta output volume controls (F9 key) did not work with some systems that reported Headphones instead of Speakers to Windows Vista and later.

Bug Fix: Trace Update interval now limited to 10 ms max when Decimate and Trigger are both active, to prevent data errors.

Bug Fix: Delta cursor readout gave erroneous negative time values (dotted cursor to the left of solid) when Decimate was active on waveform display.

Bug Fix: The LoadGEN macro did not properly set the DD/Open button to DDisk when the loaded setup included activating the Generator button.

Bug Fix: Multiple traces with Decimate active when saved to the Juxt Trace Memory Array did not display properly in Array mode.

Bug Fix: Using minus sign on Right External Gain now affects actual output, not just display polarity. (Formerly, the Left sign controlled the polarity of both outputs.)

Bug Fix: If the default Setup.GEN Generator setup loaded Arb or Play files on start-up, File Info was improperly enabled and showed invalid data.

Bug Fix: Hitting Pause while in Spectrogram display mode with the X-Axis dialog open caused the X axis to be shown with an erroneous faster time scale.

Bug Fix: When applying Frequency Modulation (FM) to a Generator stream using Play wave source, negative modulation was reported as very large positive values on the FM status monitor.

Bug Fix: Loading a new Generator setup while the volume (F9) dialog was open now properly updates the displayed values and sliders.

Bug Fix: Custom Controls slider option to set decimal places using Ctrl0="<p(N)" (where N is 0-9) did not work properly.

Bug Fix: Opening a text file of less than 1024 sample points could crash Daqarta. Daqarta now adds null data as needed.

Bug Fix: If Decimate is applied to an open DDisk (long) file but the Decimate Factor is so high that there are less than 1024 decimated data points to be shown, Daqarta now pads with null data as needed.

Bug Fix: The spectrogram (Sgram) of a DDisk file that didn't fill the screen (file too short for the selected DDisk Read Step Size) sometimes showed no X-axis time display.

Bug Fix: When Array display mode was active in the Juxt Trace Memory Array dialog, positive values of the Highlight control could give erroneous black instead of lighter shades of the trace color under certain conditions.

Bug Fix: Under certain conditions, adding additional text to an open Custom Meter could cause it to be resized.

Bug Fix: The logical NOT operator '!' was increased from lowest to highest precedence to resolve problems with certain macro expressions.

Bug Fix: Continued lines in a macro message or other string expression could be omitted if the line started with a space before the first valid character.