• MIDI sync transmit for syncing to Ableton Live / other sequencers
• Select, trigger, and fade multiple loops all at once
• New configuration with more MIDI controls
• Continuously variable feedback for overdubs- EchoPlex style
• Browse patches, scenes, and loops via MIDI program change knobs
• Save over existing scenes
• Toggle-able sync panel for reduced screen clutter
• Better stability

-JPM

FreeWheeling now uses Subversion for updates. There will still be releases from time to time, but with the SVN repository, you will be able to use the latest bleeding-edge code from the lab. The website is now linked to the SVN repository, showing you what's new in bleeding-edge land (see the bottom of your browser window).

You can checkout from SVN with the SVN-client software and the following command:

svn checkout http://freewheeling.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/freewheeling

All the Best,
--Mercury

I am pleased to present, FreeWheeling 0.5.3! A lot has gone into this new version. There are exciting new features. I've also built support for Mac OS X. FreeWheeling now runs under Intel and PPC Macs, as well as PC Linux, all with the same fluid interface.

But more significant, I feel, are the changes that have gone on under the surface. I have been developing FreeWheeling for almost 7 years now. And I am coming to a major turning point.

When I began in 1999, I was happy to have a way to accompany myself. I was happy to have an alternative to music production where I did not have to focus on creating content. I could play. I found a way to give voice to some of the music in my head.

Through many hundreds of hours of playing with FreeWheeling, things progressed. Better tools appeared in my musical toolbox. More expressive instruments at my fingertips. More intuitive ways to give form to the music I hear in me. But, naggingly, something was still missing.

It is community. It is the sense of creating together in a small group of people. Creating without agenda. Creating without judgement.

And Nature. To be inspired directly by the voice of the land. To merge. To loose our human arrogance and distinction.

Without nature, there is no community. And without community, what's the point of music? ? ?

Going back to the very beginnings of music, I traveled. Music as ritual. Trance. Merging with the elements, and merging into family. Not just entertainment. Music has a greater function. Music is more than just album consumption. As musicians, then, we have a responsibility to create musical communities.

My exploration in this vein led me to a vocal teacher named Rhiannon. Rhiannon studied and worked with Bobby McFerrin. She teaches improvisation in groups of singers. She uses a form called 'Voicestra', where she improvises, hearing parts in her head and giving these parts to singers. Her singing circle becomes her orchestra.

In a similar way, I'd been using FreeWheeling to give voice to the music in my head. But the real difference is that Rhiannon leads singers and I lead loops. It has taken me several years, but I now understand that my work needs to move into community.

So my development of FreeWheeling is taking a turn as I focus my energy on building creative community. This is good for me and good for FreeWheeling. While it means that code development will likely continue to be slow, new ideas will be solid and features will be appropriate.

To keep FreeWheeling going, I would like to ask for your help. There are many fantastic directions this technology could be taken in. I am asking inspired developers to consider stepping up, to help design and code FreeWheeling. I would like to move gradually-- core functionality over bells and whistles. Already, several users have contributed code for useful features.

I am especially interested in collaborating with people for whom music is a community-based process. What tools can we create to teach and encourage improvisation? How can we work with technology appropriately in a group setting? The tools that would come out of these questions would be fresh, because they turn the music production paradigm on its head.

So please consider what FreeWheeling is for you.
If you feel called to contribute, let's be in touch.

And Happy FreeWheeling!
--Mercury

And Happy Easter!

You can now browse patches for external synths and plugins right from inside Freewheeling.
Bank and program changes are sent via MIDI, and MIDI output ports are switched as needed.

Other work (play!) is going on under the surface of development. For example, I am working on Elastin, an efficient time and pitch stretching library that will integrate tightly with Freewheeling, allowing you to do wonderful things in real-time with your loops. First prototype is already complete.

I've also been experimenting with networked jams. Currently I am plugging into Ninjam sessions and adding some loop-based jamming to the mix. Time stays syncronized via the Jack transport. People seem to dig the stability that the loops offer.

There are many new features, updates, and fixes in this version.
Your feedback is always inspiring and useful.

Basic documentation can be found in the -ChangeLog-, and the new -Video Tutorial #4-.
Please use the mailing list for questions.

You can find sample scenes in the new 'Remix Playground' area of the website. The scenes contain sets of loop samples I have improvised. You can use these for inspiration, remixing, and building on, or as tutorial sets to help you learn about Freewheeling.

Also, I'm available once again for contract software work. Please be in touch if you have a potential project.

Enjoy!

-Mercury

I have received much support which has really helped me to push through the dark moments of this project. Thank you everyone for your wisdom and concern.

And Enjoy this taste of what's to come!
-Mercury

Also new is full support for stereo inputs and loops. FreeWheeling correctly handles stereo channels. When no channels are stereo, it automatically stores audio in mono to save memory and disk space.

Several other enhancements, such as multiple switchable MIDI outputs and peak level indicators, make FreeWheeling easier to use as a live controller and interface for other Linux audio apps.

On a personal note, I'm in the midst of moving to Vancouver. This release comes during big changes for me. Please be patient if any new bugs have surfaced. And if you've been inspired by FreeWheeling, please consider a donation, or perhaps hiring me for a software development project. At the moment, my availability is good. Your support will help me continue my work with FreeWheeling.

I'd also like to put the call out for an inspired signal processing wizard to put some energy into an open-source time & pitch stretching library. With the ClearScale project now dissolved (non-free), FreeWheeling (and many other apps) could really use an elastic audio engine. I have specific requirements, and if we can meet them, we can create a very flexible live jamming system with realtime tempo and pitch changes, playing of loops like a sampler, and of course net jamming. Please be in touch if you have the mucho gusto.

Meanwhile, please read the ChangeLog, enjoy the new version, and stay tuned for video tutorials covering new features.

Kind Regards,
-JP Mercury

Enjoy!

Also new is a demo video where you can see and hear me playing FreeWheeling.
Look under tour.

It's been tested on several systems and seems to be stable. Though some features could use rounding out, the codebase is robust and the basic platform is there. And, several new features have been brewing this fall. These include: overdubbing into loops, new meters and indicators, and configurable fonts.

Please feel free to spin some feedback for me, when you have done whirling.

So much to be thankful for. Linux has been a boon.

Enjoy.... -Mercury