Well its a rare occurrence when I am actually unhappy about a software update release. I am quite an upgrade junkie constantly lurking on macupdate.com to see if there is some app to update, that changed something that is not even relevant to me. When I started noticing that TP 1.2.1 is being listed on the ServiceCenter I was actually please no, let this be a fluke and they will spend another 1-2 months working out the bugs and more importantly adding some key missing features in the MIDI mapping. Well alas, they did release it, so here is my point of view on the TP 1.2.1 release.
The good:
- Really loving the new beatslicer effect
- New "Progressive Sensitivity" option for Pitch Bend is awesome
- Additional "Preparation List" features with diamond icons fits workflow well
- Adjustable "minimum playtime filter" for play count
- Modifier state panel to help in debugging complex MIDI mappings
The bad:
- Lots of convenience lost in MIDI mapping (duplicate forgets MIDI assignment, OUT mappings have no MIDI learn, IN mappings cannot be transformed to OUT mappings and vice versa)
- No way to set modifiers that work across keyboard and MIDI
The ugly:
- MIDI mappings inside the TSI files are now encoded
- Tons of new bugs (like the autogain bug)
The missed changes:
- Global modifiers
- No modifier support for device target
- No FX unit support for device target
- Include support for logical controllers
Most of my concerns are explained in more detail in a previous blog post and a thread on the beta forums.
Those people interested in my custom Traktor Pro mapping based on Ean's mapping. I am waiting for Ean to update his mapping to TP 1.2, which should be " released in a month". Then I will look into adapting my changes to fit his mapping. Since I will be touring the US soon, I will meet up with Ean to discuss some projects we have for improving the DJTT site. Maybe I can convince him to add some of my tweaks to his mapping.