README for Sequencer64 0.94.1 (Native JACK, CLI, multiple sets, varisets, tempo)
Chris Ahlstrom
2015-09-10 to 2017-12-31

Sequencer64 is a reboot of seq24.  It extends seq24 in features and bug fixes;
the heart of seq24 remains intact.  See the screenshot.  It is an old friend,
and maintains some backward-compatibility with the --legacy option.  See
https://github.com/ahlstromcj/sequencer64-doc.git.  For prebuilt Debian
packages, see https://github.com/ahlstromcj/sequencer64-packages.git.

Native JACK support: Seq64rtmidi/seq64

    Sequencer64 now has native JACK MIDI support, with virtual/manual ports
    and auto-connect like ALSA, based on RtMidi massively refactored. It falls
    back to ALSA support if JACK is not running.  See README.jack for basic
    instructions on native JACK.

GUI-less native JACK support: Seq64rtmidi/seq64cli

    The JACK version without a GUI.  Currently controlled only via MIDI
    control events (start and stop events must be set up), it relies on a good
    working configuration generated via the GUI or edited by hand.  Currently
    the only way to load a MIDI file is as the last argument on the command
    line.  We hope to add an OSC harness and command application eventually.
    Supports a "daemonize" option and dumping status to a log-file in the
    user-configuration directory.

With the big version jump from 0.9 to 0.90, the install process has changed.
See the INSTALL file.

    -   Version 0.94.1:
        -   Fixed a side-effect of code that kept resetting the tick position
            to 0, preventing progress if JACK transport was active.
        -   Still working on MIDI clock issue #123, thoug.
    -   Version 0.94.0:
        -   Additions from the Oli Kester project, "Kepler34".
            -   Panic-button to stop everything!
            -   Recent-files menu entries; logs full path-names, but shows
                only the base name.  Has Gtk issue with using underscore as
                an accelerator.
            -   Support for multiple trigger selection in the Song Editor, but
                incomplete and currently disabled.
            -   Initial support for Song Recording, in Live mode, which writes
                the live muting changes as triggers to the Song Editor.
                Also has a song-recording snap mode.
            -   A one-shot queuing mode is now provided.  It works like
                queueing, but unqueues the pattern after one playback.
        -   Issue #122 bad alsamidi build fixed.
        -   Bug fixes to unreported issues:
            -   Seq64, when not JACK Transport Master, would not play and
                caused other JACK clients to not play either.
            -   Somehow the "night mode" was painting notes black in the
                perfroll.
            -   Adding a set-note caused a prompt for saving even with no
                changes.
            -   Major major fixes for the "user" configuration file, and 
                a new "[comments]" section for it.  Also fixed ancient bug
                in populating the seqedit event menu, and no longer apply
                the "user" devices to the input port.
        -   The ability to toggle the time display between "B:B:T" and
            "H:M:S" has been added.
    -   Version 0.93.5:
        -   Fixes an issue where incoming Active Sensing events are treated
            incorrectly.  Also update handling for similar events.
        -   Added configure and helper files to the official checkout so that
            users do not have to install so much dev software.
        -   Changed "-v" to be a new "--verbose" option for trouble-shooting.
        -   Fixed the setting of the "stazed" filter-by-channel functionality,
            which was disabled.
        -   Added (WE HOPE) the missing start/stop/continue functionality in
            the "rtmidi" ALSA and JACK implementations.
        -   Some improvements to set_status() functions.
        -   Minor cleanup, and investigation into an issue with triggers and
            the pause functionality in Song mode.
    -   For more version information, see the NEWS file.

This package is currently oriented to developers.  It is fairly well
organized, fairly well documented, and less mysterious (to us, anyway) than
before.  Please see the INSTALL file for a brief description of installation.

Initial work/thought/documentation started in July of 2015.

See the ROADMAP file for more information and a kind of TODO list.  Also see
contrib/notes/bugs_to_investigate.  Sequencer64 is well-documented by the
following project, which provides a 180+-page PDF file and its LaTeX source
code:

   https://github.com/ahlstromcj/sequencer64-doc.git

Legacy Sequencer64: Sequencer64/sequencer64

    This is the original (ALSA) version of the project, which we are
    preserving until the bug reports for the native-JACK version slow down to
    a trickle.

PortMIDI: Seq64portmidi/seq64portmidi

    Builds and runs via the portmidi library in a Linux distro.  Has issues
    and is deprecated for Linux, but might be used in the upcoming Windows
    implementation.

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