Brussels, February 23, 2005
SipStack
Announced earlier this week, this program caused some discussion as a result of an unlucky use of the word 'free'. While
the program is free in the sense that it only works when you have the main SIP module (without which it cannot work), you need
to have bought a licensed product first. It was not intended as a hidden persuader.
SipStack can be used for physical stacking of a number of Score MUS files.
SipEpsFx
Also free to licensed users is this EPS fix program. It was primarily made for a user needing the Icelandic character set.
Score normally includes the file FONTINIT.PSC in the EPS when it discovers unorthodox characters but it does not do this in the correct spot for the Icelandic ones.
The fix program moves the inserted code to the front of the EPS file.
Other functions are described in the small write-up.
An interesting feature is the font cross-reference. This function generates a report telling you which fonts
are used in which files and per font which characters are used.
SipSplit feature
An 'on demand' extension to SipSplit is the physical extraction feature. Via a control file, a series of staves can be combined into a MUS file.
The control file has records with the following syntax:
filename,instrument-number,number-of-staves
and these allow to address any staff in a set of MUS files with an instrument id.
A button was added for the analysis function which generates a report telling you which instrument id's exist in the selected file(s).
SipXref features
It is customary these days to process Score generated EPS by desktop publishing packages such as PageMaker or QuarkExpress rather than
sending the EPS to a laser printer directly. That means these packages need to do font conversions and sometimes this leads to undesirable
results. Recently, a customer asked me to change all NewCenturySchoolbook texts to Times-Bold because his DTP went south.
At that point it is necessary to know what is in an EPS file. SipXref gave the fonts for text files but Score also generates font references to
items such as the small 8 under a tenor clef or the 3 of a triplet. These are now included in the cross-reference and summary information.
Another feature is the inclusion of the vertical page sizes in the summary report
(For this feature you need a new delivery as it cannot be made downloadable).
Upgrades
Download the upgrades:
- SipNames v1.26
- SipSib Build 071
- SipScore v1.01
- SipAnlib (phase1 SipAnli1 v2.03, phase2 SipAnli2 v2.05)
Other than some stability matters, noteworthy of these upgrades are:
SipSib:
- improved lyrics recognition
- fixed a problem in barline reconstruction (when orchestral scores are cut up into more than one Score file because of the number of staves)
- bottom marker generation now has 3 options on Output panel
- improved TAB conversion to recognize the number of strings, to convert TAB to noteheads, to attach TAB digits to notes
- to be able to define lyrics displacement and center
- improved PT size handling (this did not work on TAB staff)
SipAnlib:
- Phase 2 following the 'contact sheets' now generates a page with as many text items as there are fonts known to your Score, in those fonts, so
you can print a sample page of those (provided the non 'basic 35' fonts were downloaded to your printer)
SipText:
- Major cosmetic change (the options are now in a separate panel)
- Lyrics can now be centered to the middle of the note rather than to the left end of the note
- Shortcut panel adapted to every size screen
Jan de Kloe