Change Log

Version history / release notes for each release.

To download older versions or view the release dates, please visit the Github Releases page.

Version 4.2.1 (Hotfix)

Changes/Fixes:

Fixed MSI installer pointing to .NET 5.0 instead of 7.0
Fixed sound engine settings not being saved in project properties
Fixed bass filter setting not being saved in app settings
Fixed VRC6 initialization in sound engine by writing zero to $9003
Fixed issue with vibrato in sound engine that could stall the audio
Fixed the "+" button of DPCM samples in project explorer on mobile
Fixed crash when pasting items between projects when using folders
Fixed GLFW compatibility issues on Linux (Thanks Steo!)
Fixed incorrect size of FDS disks
Fixed issue with non-looping relative pitch envelope in Sound Engine/NSF/ROM
Fixed issue with volume slides and FamiTracker tempo in Sound Engine/NSF/ROM
Made the video looping more consistent with how the audio loops in the app
Made it clearer that you cannot rename multiple patterns
Optimized VGM import

Version 4.2.0

Changes/Fixes:

S5B envelope support (S5B & EPSM)
FDS auto-modulation support
FDS emulation improvements : Proper filtering, DAC emulation & fixes.
Phase reset support
Accurate seek support (fully emulate entire song from start, useful for phase resets)
Allow disabling attack on notes if all instrument envelopes matches (useful for FM channels)
Folders support in Project Explorer
More filtering options for audio expansions & ability to store settings in project
Support for up to 256 instruments (for both regular and expansion) in sound engine
German translation (thanks Arda & VRC6Lover123!)
Audio backend improvements:
- Reduced audio latency on all platform
- Switch to WASAPI on Windows (non-exclusive mode)
- Audio device change detection & improved BT headphones support on MacOS
Video export improvements:
- Unified piano roll mode
- Piano roll 3D effect
- Option to overlay registers
- Preview mode
Small quality of life improvements:
- Eraser mode
- Ability to copy samples between instruments
- Ability to type effect values and project explorer parameters
- Function to replace specific instruments
- Logarithmic sliders for effects and parameters with huge values

Breaking/Behavior changes:

FDS mod speed/depth effects will be resetted to the instrument values on notes with an attack.
FDS emulation now matches the hardware much more closely. Some instruments may now sound very different.
S5B/EPSM noise no longer has a "NOP" frequency, noise frequency will be set if it is enabled by the mixer envelope.

System Requirement Changes:

Upgraded to .NET 7.0
Minimum OpenGL requirement for Desktop lowered to OpenGL 3.0 (was 3.3)

Version 4.1.3 (Hotfix)

Changes/Fixes:

Fixed "pop" when opening N163 projects or playing N163 songs
Fixed colors becoming progressively washed out when performing specific actions on Android
Fixed overwrite confirmation dialog not appearing if you type the exact same name of an existing project on Android
Fixed issue where envelope editor would let you set releases on FDS waveform
Fixed "Unassign unused DPCM instrument keys" cleanup option not working if another DPCM instrument was using the same piano key
Fixed bug introduced in 4.1.2 where notes were replaying their attack if a gap was left between the notes
Fixed issue where note attacks were re-triggers unconditionally when crossing the loop point when exporting to NSF/ROM/SoundEngine
Fixed loophole where you could disable note attacks on the DPCM channel by duplicating patterns
Fixed DPCM samples not importing correctly from FamiTracker TXT files
Fixed issue where arpeggios imported from FamiTracker files would not play sometimes
Fixed issue when exporting N163 songs to NSF/ROM/FDS/SoundEngine with instrument names only differentiated by special characters
Fixed QWERTY piano input getting stuck if pressing another key while holding a key
Names that are too long to fit in the project explorer are now truncated with ellipsis (...) on Desktop (was already the case on Mobile)
Upgraded to Android API level 33 (Android 13.0)

Version 4.1.2 (Hotfix)

Changes/Fixes:

Fixed instrument context menu disappearing when using a left-click
Fixed "Follow Mode" jittering when using small % values
Fixed out of range volumes when importing .fti containing FDS instruments
Fixed effect icons sometimes visible past the end of a pattern
Fixed issue where instruments fail to load properly when a stop note is used before any other notes
Fixed crash when playing a note from all channels with all expansions enabled
Fixed a couple of minor issues with demo songs
Fixed N163 emulation issue where waves where not properly biased by -8
OPNI instrument import support for EPSM instruments (Perkka contribution)
Minor localization fixes
An APK of the Android version is now available for download, but no support will be provided if it does not work on your device

Breaking/Behavior changes:

Songs using 7 or 8 N163 channels may sound slight quieter now and volume might react a bit differently as well

Version 4.1.1 (Hotfix)

Changes/Fixes:

Fixed DPCM samples not playing when exporting to ROM with VRC6
Fixed transposition of DPCM samples incorrectly affecting all instruments
Fixed "Clear effect values" not always working
Fixed startup crashes with rtmidi on Linux and updating the version we provide
Fixed export of DPCM samples with FamiStudio Text format
Fixed file association on Windows when using the portable EXE version
Fixed file association on MacOS not always working
Fixed first mouse click outside a context menu being ignored (will behave like 4.0.x)
Fixed occasional crash on MacOS when using Cmd+Q
Fixed issues with MIDI device on MacOS
Fixed trackpad controls on MacOS
Fixed keyboard shortcut confusion with select/force display channels
Fixed minor localization issues.
Changed the ffmpeg path option to allow text input, and allow using ffmpeg if its on the PATH
Changed the default keyboard shortcut to force display channel to SHIFT + F-keys on MacOS to avoid issues

Version 4.1.0

Changes/Fixes:

DPCM improvements:
- No more "DPCM instrument", each instrument can have DPCM samples assigned (a-la FamiTracker)
- Up to 256KB of samples using bank switching.
Configurable keyboard shortcuts
Text rendering changes, small text may look slightly blurrier.
More UI scaling % options
More context menus options throughout the app
Option to mix N163 or not
Project explorer sorting improvements
NSF import support on Android
Stereo and delay export support on Android.
Sunsoft 5B noise support (Perkka contribution)
VGM & WAV code cleanup (alexmush contribution)
VGM import support (Perkka & alexmush contribution)
Translations:
- Spanish (NicolAR, zukinnyk and LagMager contribution)
- Portuguese (BeepsNBoops contribution)
- Simplified chinese (xwjcool123 and FRC contribution)

System Requirement Changes:

Windows version is now 64-bit and targets .NET 5.0.
Linux/MacOS versions now uses .NET 6.0. Mono is not longer used (See installation page for .NET download links)
MacOS now requires at least Catalina and will run natively on ARM if you install the ARM version of .NET
All desktop version now requires OpenGL 3.3.
Android version now requires OpenGL ES 2.0.
Windows 7 and 32-bit systems are longer supported.

Version 4.0.6 (Hotfix)

Changes/Fixes:

Fixed issue where modifying the N163 repeat envelope would sometimes reset the loop point.

Version 4.0.5 (Hotfix)

Changes/Fixes:

Added option for default pattern name
Added option to rewind to the previous position when stopping playback
Added warning when user is editing an arpeggio different than the currently selected one
Added a proper warning when songs are too big to be exported to NSF, ROM or sound engine
Allowed longer pattern on NSF import
Fixed crash when using pattern length of 2048 frames
Fixed opening of NSF when FamiStudio is set to the default app
Fixed glitch that could cause visual overlap of notes in piano roll
Fixed notes ending prematurely near the end of songs
Fixed crash when exporting to NSF, ROM or sound engine with certain vibrato settings
Fixed multiple issues when importing instruments from other projects
Fixed issue causing exported NSFe to start at song #2.
Fixed crash when MIDI notes are out of range.
Fixed rasterization issue in the pattern thumbnails
Fixed multiple FamiTracker (FTM/TXT) import/export issues
Fixed minor annoyances in the piano roll on mobile
Fixed app crashing when using more than 2GB of RAM on Windows
Fixed loophole where the FDS envelopes could be cleared/resized
Fixed various issues with dropdown list scrollbars
Fixed crash when exporting video with lots of channels
Fixed releases for VRC7 and EPSM
Fixed multiple inconsistencies and improved the register viewer (Thanks alexmush!)

Sound Engine changes/fixes:

Fixed inconsistencies with vibrato with the main app
Fixed issues with relative pitch envelopes
Fixed notes always reapply instruments on EPSM FM Channel 4,5,6 in NSF driver (Thanks Perkka!)
Fixed EPSM rhythm occasionally missing beats (Thanks Perkka!)
Fixed volume being off by one for EPSM (Thanks Perkka!)

Breaking/Behavior changes:

The register viewer will now show the real note pitches and wont necessarily match the notes on the piano roll
Vibrato depths of more than 13 cant unfortunately be supported in the sound engine at the moment. A warning will be given instead of producing the wrong result.
Releases for VRC7/EPSM instrument will now be handled correctly. That was always the intention, but a bug was preventing them from working

Version 4.0.4 (Hotfix)

Fixes:

Fixed video export when there are more than 32 channels in a project.

Version 4.0.3 (Hotfix)

Fixes:

Fixed drop-down lists requiring double-clicks.

Version 4.0.2 (Hotfix)

Fixes:

Added option for trigger algorithm in oscilloscope export (desktop only)
Fixed files without extensions not displaying correctly in the file dialog on Linux
Fixed drag & drop of files containing unicode characters
Fixed crash when saving with CTRL+S while editing something
Fixed crash when exporting NSF/ROM with instrument containing dashes in their names
Fixed crash when attempting to export a FDS project as a NES ROM
Fixed crash when importing NSF containing non-ASCII characters on Linux/MacOS
Fixed crash when importing some Famitracker modules/instruments with N163 instruments
Added safeguards for import of Famitracker N163 instruments that were generated in forks
Added option for Alt+Right-click zoom gesture (Input section of the settings), off by default
Fixed typos

Version 4.0.1 (Linux & Android Hotfix)

Fixes:

Fixed file dialog on Linux.
Fixed some piano touches being ignored on Android.

Version 4.0.0

Changes:

Revamped desktop version :
- Redesigned controls, more similar to mobile version : Context menus, Gizmos, etc.
- Based on GLFW using custom drawn widgets, consistent across Win/MacOS/Linux
- Getting rid of all dependencies to OpenTK, WinForms, GTK# and System.Drawing in preparation to eventual migration to modern .NET.
- Animated GIFs for intro tutorial
More control over sequencer height and ability to hide unused channels on desktop
Support to multiple audio expansions with EPSM
Support for multiple waveforms for N163
Support for single audio expansions for ROM export
Wave resampling for N163/FDS waveforms, import WAV files and adjust period & offset.
Basic NSFe export support, only track names and durations for now.
Improved oscilloscope stability:
- Use of emulation-generated triggers when rendering oscilloscope in exported video or in toolbar when previewing instruments.
- Improved trigger detection for toolbar oscilloscope when playing a song (using "peak speed trigger" algorithm).
Audio delay effect when exporting video or audio.
Snapping improvements, most notably:
- Alt+1, Alt+2, Alt+3 and Alt+4 quickly changes between common snapping values
- Hold Alt anytime when resizing or moving notes to temporarily disable snapping
- Context menu to set snapping to a specific note duration
- Option to snap effect values

Breaking/Behavior changes:

The sound engine now has a dedicated define for release note. If you use release notes you now must set FAMISTUDIO_USE_RELEASE_NOTES.

Version 3.3.1 (Hotfix)

Fixes/Changes:

Fixed crash when exporting (or cancelling export) to audio or video
Fixed crash when undo-ing certain manipulations in the Sequencer
Allowing register viewer on Mobile (off by default)

Version 3.3.0

Changes:

EPSM support (Thanks Perkka!)
Register viewer (desktop version only)
Delta Counter (Zxx) effect support
Ability to override initial DMC value for each sample assignment
VGM export (Thanks Perkka!)
Bamboo Tracker instruments import (desktop version only) (Thanks Perkka!)
Minor cosmetic changes (ADSR diagrams, tabs in instrument editor, etc.)
CTRL+A selects all patterns/notes in sequencer/piano roll on desktop
Additional selection options on mobile (select note/pattern/all)
Option not to clamp periods/notes to make the app behave more like the NSF driver
Experimental file association on MacOS (Thanks beetrootpaul!)
Tons of small bugfixes (N163 tuning, crashes, etc.)

Version 3.2.3 (Hotfix)

Fixes/Changes:

Fixed OpenGL crash at startup when SDL2.dll is found
Fixed export to sound engine when using an audio expansion
Fixed release of wrong instrument being played when editing envelopes
Fixed FTM import of some noise channel notes
Clamping pitch values to the range supported by FamiStudio (-64...63) when importing Famitracker files
Added a new tutorial about snapping
Saving snap settings to INI file

Version 3.2.2 (Hotfix)

Fixes/Changes:

Fixed issue where some effect values could go beyond their intended range, and lead to crashes desktop.
Fixed FDS modulation on Mobile.
Fixed crash in MIDI import dialog when lots of channels are present (desktop only)
Potential CPU/GPU usage reduction on some computers (desktop only)

Version 3.2.1 (Hotfix)

Fixes/Changes:

Added option to disable vibration (new "Mobile" section of Settings)
Added support for importing 8-bit and 24-bit WAV files for DPCM samples.
Added support for importing NSF2, if they do not use any of the advanced features.
Fixed FamiTracker text export not asking for a filename.
Fixed DPCM samples not playing if placing the seek bar exactly on their attack.
Fixed NSF export tempo issue when using grooves in specific situations.
Creating new effect values will respect snapping on mobile.
Drawing note attacks for force display channel to help readability.
Fixed an issue with release note that are beyond the visual duration of the note.
Correct emulation of Tri-Noise-DMC volumes when using stereo export (+hidden INI option to also do it for separate channels)
Experimental "double-tap to delete patterns/note" option (off by default)
Minor UI tweaks (hit boxes of buttons, zoom levels, scroll bar issues, etc.).

Version 3.2.0

Changes:

Android app (free on Play Store)
Multi-expansion support
Proper emulation of triangle/noise/DPCM volume interactions
Significant graphic optimizations, especially on lower-end machines or large projects.
Minor quality of life features
Minor cosmetic UI changes (icons, envelope editor, coloring piano with DPCM colors, etc.)

Behavior changes:

Snapping precision is now expressed in beats. So with the default settings, 1 means a quarter note.
Channel volumes have been slightly adjusted to match the NES hardware more closely.

Version 3.1.1 (Hotfix)

Fixes:

Fixed piano roll piano keys not highlighting when exporting video
Fixed application stalling when closing on MacOS
Fixed "advanced properties" buttons growing when using >100% scaling on Windows
Adding failsafe when time signature cannot be computed when exporting MIDI
Associating FMS files with FamiStudio on startup in portable mode
Experimental support for OpenH264 in video export

Version 3.1.0

Changes:

OGG export
Oscilloscope video export
Stereo WAV/MP3/OGG/Video export
Metronome
Noise slides
Volume slides
Noise emulation improvements
Portable mode (save settings in root folder if portable.txt is detected)
Import samples from other projects
Loop in selection mode
ROM export now uses MMC3 mapper
Fine tuning + DMC initial value parameters on DPCM samples
Option to auto-save copy every 2 minutes
Option for thicker scroll bars
Minor sequencer selection improvements
MacOS Monterey Beta support, Beta 3 or newer needed (Thanks OpenTK team!)
Sound Engine CC65 bindings (Contribution from jroweboy!)

Breaking/behavior changes:

Pattern numbers in the sequencer and piano roll now start at 1 instead of 0. This is a purely esthetic change and does not impact anything.

Version 3.0.2 (Hotfix)

Fixes:

Fixed crash when pasting past the end of an envelope
Fixed FamiTracker (FTM/TXT) import when a jump or skip effect is exactly at row 255
Fixed FamiStudio corrupting the keyboard state on some European keyboards
Fixed oscilloscope vertical orientation in toolbar + video export
Fixed crash when using 150% scaling on Linux
Fixed crash when parsing FamiStudio text file using VRC6 expansion.
Fixed fine effect adjustment (shift + drag) again
Stopping all audio when undo/redo happens to change the selected song
Showing all 8 channels when importing MIDI using N163 expansion
Added error message when trying to import a corrupted WAV file
Made auto-scrolling when selecting more gradual in both sequencer and piano roll.

Version 3.0.1 (Hotfix)

Fixes:

Fixed crash on startup on Linux when RtMidi fails to initialize
Fixed fine effect adjustment (SHIFT + drag) when multiple values are selected
Fixed race condition when stopping song playback that could cause a crash
Fixed small OpenGL leaks
Fixed pattern duplication when CTRL+SHIFT were already pressed when starting the drag
Fixed import of MIDI files containing polyphonic key pressure events
Fixed duplicated labels when exporting projects containing multiple songs to Famitone2 or FamiStudio sound engine
Fixed crash when double clicking or left clicking in some cells of grids
Fixed export of VRC6 duty cycles to FamiTracker
Properly shutting down MIDI input on Windows
Adding error message when trying to import NSF using multiple expansion chips

Version 3.0.0

Changes :

Redesigned FamiStudio tempo
Redesigned note editing
MIDI import/export support
Oscilloscope in toolbar
Optional scrollbars
Revamped Mac version
1/2 and 1/4 playback speed
Configurable QWERTY keyboard keys
Improved sound engine music data compression (15-30% smaller)
Audio expansion volume/low-pass filter configuration
S5B and VRC7 and now properly low-pass filtered
Ability to re-order songs
Hi-DPI support on Linux
Quick DPCM source data reload
Improved video rendering speed

Breaking/behavior changes:

Setting a zero volume on the volume track of the triangle channel will now stop the sound. This was always the intention (this is what SoundEngine/NSF and FamiTracker does) but it was not correctly implemented inside FamiStudio.

Version 2.4.2 (Hotfix)

Fixes:

Fixed crash on startup.
Fixed crash when exporting SFX to sound engine from command-line.

Version 2.4.1 (Hotfix)

Fixes:

Fixed corruption when importing looping samples from .FTI files.
Fixed minor graphical issue in piano roll.
Fixed issues on Windows 7 installations that are missing some D3D11 components such as KB2670838.
Removed 320 kbps MP3 export option since it creates choppy audio.

Version 2.4.0

Changes :

Basic DPCM sample editor
Darker theme and more color choices
Ability to use QWERTY keyboard input without using recording mode
Slightly reduced audio latency and configurable number of buffered frames
Right-clicking anywhere in the background also starts a selection
Seek bar can be dragged and respects snapping precision
Pattern duplication preserves names when possible
Instrument picker tool (hold "I" + click on a note)
Paste special in Sequencer
Pattern are created automatically when adding notes.
Quickly repeat last export by right clicking button or CTRL+SHIFT+E
Edit multiple custom patterns at once
Video export resolution/framerate options (Contributed by Thomas McGrew)
Multiple VRC7 fixes
Multiple FamiTracker fixes
Multiple sound engine improvements & fixes
- Blaarg smooth vibrato support for SFX
- Unlimited SFX size (Contributed by Brad Smith)
- Linker support in CA65 (Based on idea by Brad Smith)

Breaking/behavior changes:

Songs will always be sorted alphabetically. This include songs loaded from any file format. This was always the intention but was poorly enforced in previous versions.
There was a bug in 2.3.x where instrument with volume envelope consisting exclusively of zeroes would play at full volume. This is no longer the case and the instruments will be silent.

Version 2.3.2 (Hotfix)

Changes:

Added loop count to video export.

Fixes:

Fixed scaling issues on Retina display.
Fixed lingering noise when dragging/adding notes in VRC7.
Fixed multiple FamiTracker import (Text + Binary) issues/crashes.
Fixed potential de-sync in NSF/sound engine when using delayed notes.
Fixed various issues with expansion instruments UI (sliders/checkboxes for VRC7/FDS/N163).
Fixed import of older FamiStudio text files (pre 2.3.0).
Fixed NSF/sound engine crash when exporting empty arpeggios.
Fixed issue with arpeggios sometimes persisting when a song loops.

Version 2.3.1 (Linux Hotfix)

Fixes:

Fix startup crash on Linux.

Version 2.3.0

Changes:

MP3 export
Video export
Song merge functionality
Duty cycle effect track support (equivalent of Vxx in FamiTracker)
Special paste improvements (repeat, effects, etc.)
Special delete
Copy patterns to different channels in sequencer
Option to display note labels in piano roll
FamiTracker tempo improvements (delayed notes, cuts, fixes).
Added support for Cxx (Halt) FamiTracker effect.
Option to export each channel to a separate WAV/MP3 file.
Small DPCM improvements (Drag & drop, bit reverse option)
Small tempo improvements
Sound engine code size reduction

Version 2.2.1 (Hotfix)

Changes:

Fixed import of slide notes from FamiStudio Text format.
Added option to not trim unused data when exporting to FamiStudio Text format.
Fixed crash when exporting to some formats on MacOS
Fixed crash when exporting FamiStudio/FamiTone2 SFX longer than 256 bytes.
Fixed glibc dependency issue on Linux that go introduced in 2.2.0.

Version 2.2.0

Changes:

Recording mode to record note-by-note using MIDI controller or QWERTY keyboard
Arpeggio support
Official FamiStudio Sound Engine release
Follow mode
Displaying the piano roll view range in the sequencer
FDS disk export
Basic tutorials for first time users
Error logging when importing/exporting files
Wav export loop count
Option to disable dragging sounds when a song is playing

Version 2.1.1 (Hotfix)

Changes:

Fixed first frame not being audible when pressing play
Fixed multiple crashes & issues when exporting to NSF
Fixed missing notes on noise channel when importing NSFs
Fixed import of FamiTracker FTM files that uses expansion audio
Fixed incorrect DPCM samples alignment when exporting NSF, ROM & FamiTone2
Renaming .so files on Linux to support older version of Mono
Setting correct file extension when saving on Linux
FamiTone2 sound effect export fixes

Version 2.1.0

New features:

First Linux release
Trackpad controls
Note snapping in the piano roll
New time format (MM:SS:mmm)
Command-line interface
Import of instruments from any supported format
Duplication of patterns in the sequencer
Mix paste
Improved WAV export
FamiTone2 sound effect export support
Support for pasting text values in envelopes (comma, semicolon, space, tab or newline seperated)
PAL native authoring for FamiStudio tempo
MacOS+Linux MIDI keyboard support
Shift+Space plays from the beginning of the song
Alt+Right click up/down as an alternate zooming method

Breaking/behavior changes:

There was a bug in 2.0.x where release notes would abrutly interrupt slide notes (the NSF was doing it correctly). This is no longer the case.

Version 2.0.3 (Hotfix)

New features:

Fix crash when clicking on a note when a incompatible instrument is selected.
Fix WAV file export when using a sample rate different than 44100Hz.

Version 2.0.2 (Hotfix)

New features:

Fixing seek bar position in sequencer on Hi-DPI (Retina on MacOS or scaling > 100% on Windows).
Fixing crash when importing FTM containing multiple songs with the same name.
Fixing missing or out-of-order songs when exporting to FamiTone2.
Interpreting zero-velocity MIDI note on events as note off as per specification.
Highlighting notes being dragged on the piano roll.
Detection of audio device changes on Windows 7.
Handling of D3D device lost to improve stability on Windows 7.

Version 2.0.1 (Hotfix)

New features:

Hotfix for 150% scaling crash.

Version 2.0.0

New features:

More audio expansions: FDS, MMC5, VRC7, Namco 163 & Sunsoft S5B.
Real-time expansion instrument parameters edition
NSF import
Note drag & drop with audio preview
FamiTracker FTM import
ROM export
Fine pitch effect track
New tempo mode
PAL support
FamiStudio text import/export
Custom pattern settings and loop point

Breaking/behavior changes:

VRC6 saw is no longer affected by duty. The 0 to 15 volume range will map to the entire 0 to 31 possible range. Songs using VRC6 created prior to 2.0.0 will have to cut the volume in half to sound the same (either using volume track or instrument envelope).
Notes without attack will remain without attack until a new note with attack is reached (even after a stop note).