Blogging to Paradise

OK, we’ve managed to squish a few more bugs and the result is v4.8.5.3. I hope we don’t find too many more before v4.8.6 cause I’ll run out of numbers! Check out the web site. We’ve added a few more Moods and another .mid file here:http://www.sonicmood.com/MoodSharing.htmAnd visit the forum here:http://sonicmood.com/forum/once in a while too, ok?☺Cheers,John

<sigh> It was bound to happen. Or to paraphrase: “nothing is certain except death and bugs!”So I’ve learned that SonicMood v4.8.5.2 has a BIG bug - dragging a Mood to a new location in the “Moods list” causes a crash. The good news is we’ve found the error and have a fix! So look for a new version (cleverly titled “v4.8.5.3”) in the next day or so…To anyone who’s been bitten I say “Sorry!” Somehow we missed one that should have been obvious (chalk it up to adding a “last minute” feature that couldn’t cause any problems…);-)John

I’ve posted some more soundfiles on our “Sharing” page here:http://www.sonicmood.com/MoodSharing.htmThey’re sounds of birds (and Loons in particular) and foghorns (with one bell buoy).It’s the last file in the list of soundfiles. Enjoy!John

We’ve finally switched over from the XD-forum Wordpress plugin to a better-supported (read, actually supported) forum based on the open-source phpBB code.I haven’t deleted the old forum entries (such as they were), and I haven’t yet figured out how to move them over to the new forum… There weren’t any ongoing discussions that will get chopped, so it’s not an urgency, but it would be nice to have some history.Anyway, the new forum awaits! Let me know if you’d like to see any new forum topics, etc.!Thanks,John

Or is it “features added and bugs fixed?” Try it and let us know! ;-)Yes, it’s true! We’ve managed to push out another update to SonicMood. This one fixes a few more bugs and add some features, including a few that are “under the hood.” For example, the way SonicMood handles Mood files that are added to an existing file is more logical. If a Mood in the added file has the same name as one in the current file, then that Mood’s settings will replace the settings of the Mood in the current file. Previously, the original Mood’s settings would be kept.This version of SonicMood adds some more “note patterns”, too, thanks to the work of one of our users, Patrick EL MELANIE. If you haven’t downloaded and played any of his Mood files, maybe you should. They’re here: http://www.sonicmood.com/MoodSharing.htm and they’re free! :)I’ve also posted a MIDI file I recorded using SonicMood that captures one of Patrick’s Moods, “Taiko Rhythms”. It’s a lively Mood with a real nice beat! Proof that SonicMood can do more than create slow, semi-random sounds! :)Enjoy!

Well, we got v4.8.5 out, then rushed out v4.8.5.1 to fix some rather annoying bugs. Now we’re working hard on another bug fix version (v4.8.5.2) that’ll squish even more bugs we’ve found!We’ve also made a new page on the web site (“Sharing”) at http://www.sonicmood.com/MoodSharing.htm that contains extra soundfiles and some Mood files users have contributed. Stop by and pick up some new Moods if you’d like.Well, it’s May already and the yard’s a mess. We are threatening to go out and start a cleanup (to be fair, Laura did a bit yesterday while I was pounding the keyboard). So it’s time to GTD (Get Things Done!) :)Hope you all have a great weekend!John

It’s been a long time coming, but a change is gonna come!

In this case, a new version of SonicMood!

We’re finally just about ready to roll it out. Come Monday v4.8.5 will be released to all manner of fanfare and Press Releases! I’m so excited (and exhausted - it’s 3:30 AM out here on the West Coast; why am I up?)

So SonicMood goes to v4.8.5, and its price goes to $12.95. The price increase was a hard decision, but numerous (defined as more than two) people have suggested that SonicMood is underpriced. Maybe it is, I don’t know. But we’ll find out soon enough, I figure. Another change is the reduction of the “trial period” from 30 days to 14. Those same “numerous” people think 30 days of “actual use” is too much. They say that someone ought to be able to decide whether they like SonicMood enough to shell out the cash for it after two weeks of testing. Especially when it’s not necessarily two weeks elapsed time…

Well, we’ll know soon enough. What with all the PR and such, we’ll certainly be giving it the old college try anyway!

BTW, speaking of PR. I have added one more person to our large “staff” of my wife and I. That person is Robert Mitton of Denver, CO, who has accepted the position of “Director of Marketing.” Robert is first and foremost a HUGE fan of SonicMood. He bought it as part of the Mac-Update promo of several months ago and began raving almost immediately (he tends to rave a lot anyway, it turns out So after