Version History

Version 1.10 (released 1st July 2014):

• It is now possible to save the data displayed in the file grid as a CSV file by right-clicking in the grid.
• Bug fix: If Volume Balancer cannot add a file for any reason, it incorrectly output an error message that the file is not a 16 bit 44.1kHz WAV file. This has now been corrected: that message only appears when the file really isn't in the correct format. Other reasons for being unable to open the file result in a different message.
• Bug fix: Previous versions allowed the user to manually type in an arbitrary entry to the Preset drop-down box; this would then cause a "List out of bounds" error. The Preset drop-down box has been changed to prevent this.

Version 1.9 (released 1st December 2009):

• Bug fix: For a very small proportion of input files (those which contain an exact multiple of 5000 audio samples), the output file would be missing a small section (about 1/10th second) at the very end. This has been fixed.

Version 1.8 (released 21st July 2009):

• Bug fix: WAV files ripped with some versions of Windows Media Player included an additional "chunk" of information located in an unusual position within the file, which made Volume Balancer think the file format was wrong. This has been fixed.
• Bug fix: if the "Other Folder" option is chosen for output files and no folder supplied, Volume Balancer would cause an access violation when attempting to create the output files. This has been fixed.
• Some minor changes have been made to improve the layout of various screens when very large fonts are in use.

Version 1.7 (released 12th May 2007):

• The shortcut to the help file that was placed into the Startup menu folder was still trying to point at a (non-existent) .HLP file instead of the new .CHM file. This bug has been fixed.
• The new "ReplayGain 89dB Standard" preset which was added in version 1.6 kept reappearing if it was deleted. This bug has been fixed. (I have also added a short explanation of the purpose of this preset in the helpfile).

Version 1.6 (released 15th April 2007):

• The program help has been changed from a .HLP file to a .CHM file. This is necessary to maintain compatibility with Windows Vista. Unfortunately it means that Volume Balancer no longer runs under Windows 95, since .CHM file support was not added until Windows 98. The previous version (1.5) will continue to be available for Windows 95 users.
• A default preset that gives a reference level equivalent to the standard ReplayGain '89dB' level has been added.

Version 1.5:

• Bug fix: Now works correctly when large fonts are in use.
• The size and position of the main window is remembered and reinstated on the next run.

Version 1.4:

• Bug fix: If a file is removed from a grouping, its old group number was still being displayed in the selected files grid. This is fixed.
• Bug fix: If the chosen Reference Level is a preset, but there are no files selected, the "Prepare & Balance" button was still enabled. Pressing it at this stage resulted in an Access Violation error. This is fixed.
• In order to make Volume Balancer easier to use under Windows XP, the user interface has been significantly altered. Windows XP makes extensive use of symbolic links, and the "Available Files" panel, which was used to select the files to be processed, could not follow these symbolic links. Therefore, in order to select files from locations which involved symbolic links (eg. "My Music"), the user needed to know where in the XP file system those links pointed, and pick the files up directly from that place. This was an unacceptably complex way of working. Therefore the "Available Files" panel has been removed. Files are now dragged-and-dropped into Volume Balancer from Windows Explorer. An "Add Files" button has also been added, which displays a normal open file dialog for users who prefer not to use drag-and-drop.
• An option has been added so that the user may request that they be warned if the output files already exist (and would therefore be over-written).
• An option has been added so that the user can request that filenames are truncated at the end rather than the front if they are too long to fit when they are displayed in the grid.

Version 1.3:

• Bug fix: If a file peaked to 0dB in the negative direction, but to significantly less than 0dB in the positive direction, an audible click could be introduced. This is fixed.
• Bug fix: Completely silent files no longer cause a crash.
• The last selected reference level is remembered and becomes the default level at the start of the next execution.
• The grouping dialog has been enhanced to allow files to be moved between groups.
• The "Finally Normalise to" option has been renamed "Finally Limit to" in an attempt to reduce some confusion that the previous name caused.

Version 1.2:

• Added option to allow user to specify output folder on each separate prepare.
• Extension to filename can now be added regardless of which folder the output files are placed in.
• Now possible to balance a single selected file to a selected preset.
• If a group of files was prepared, then another file added, it was possible to attempt to balance without re-preparing, which caused a runtime crash. This has been fixed.
• Now responds gracefully to the hard disk becoming full.
• Grouping dialog widened and resizable to accommodate longer pathnames.
• File selection window rearranged to provide more room for file names.
• Now possible to limit the peak level of the output files down as far as -30db (approx 3%).
• Hints on controls (which appear if the mouse if left over the control) now disappear after 4 seconds instead of remaining until the mouse is moved away.

Version 1.1:

• The main window has been completely redesigned and now includes a bar-graph display of the relative loudness of the files being processed. This is intended to assist the user in choosing a suitable reference level.
• An "Advanced Options" screen has been added which allows the user to configure some aspects of Volume Balancer's behaviour. The two most significant of these are:
  • It is now possible to specify a particular folder to receive the output files.
  • The user can set an absolute maximum degree of dynamic range compression that must never be exceeded.
• Loudness presets have been added which allow the user to store a named loudness level that can be called up and used as the target loudness in subsequent sessions.
• A facility has been added which allows tracks to be grouped together so that their relative loudness is preserved. This is intended for use when it is known that some tracks genuinely require different perceived loudnesses.

Version 1.0:

• This was the first shareware release of Volume Balancer.