Explanation:
It took me about 5 or 6 years to write DM II, including choosing a set of software tools, learning how to use them, and writing and debugging the code. When it was finally ready for "release" (not polished, but useable), I looked it over and decided I could do better.
During those several years:- I had learned a lot about this kind of programming and could see some of the mistakes I had made at the beginning,
- the world had moved on to a newer, better set of tools, and
- the "mature, stable" toolset I had chosen for DM II was now on the verge of "obsolete".
I had to choose between a) releasing DM II and spending my time supporting and improving it, knowing that before long it would be facing the same "legacy program" issues that Original DM has been facing, or b) not releasing it and spending my time writing a better one with a longer future.
I chose option B, and am currently writing DanceMaster III.
What makes it better?
DanceMaster II:
- Remembers when and where you taught each dance.
- Gives you full control of your audio - play music on the left and cues on the right (for hearing enhacnement users) or blend both together. No matter whicn way you recorded your cues.
- Remembers what dances each club can do, so it can highlight them on the Select Tab - or show you ony those dances.
- Finds dances with the figure you are looking for.
- Remembers what needs fixing about problem dances.
- Automatically backs up your data file, so you don't have to remember to do that.
Play Dances:
- Adjust the speed by RPM or Percent.
- Keep repeating the part of the dance you just played - until the class "gets it".
- Volume meters for Music and Voice on the Play Tab for quick reference.
- Mini-Playlist available from the Play Tab. Keep track of your place in the playlist, skip around, or even rearrange the list - without switching away from the Play Tab.
You can have:
- Unlimited Bookmarks!
- Unlimited Categories.
- Ridiculously long dance and figure names.
Select Dances:
- Adjust / hide / rearrange the columns on the Select Tab.
- Sort the Select Tab by most columns.
- Include multiple rhythms and phases when finding dances.
Bookmarks:
- Much easier to set - you can even move them.
- Shows your bookmarks on the timeline and on your cue card.
Playlist:
- Much easier to arrange / rearrange.
- Print or Export a playlist or dance log.
More Robust:
All of your Old DanceMaster eggs are in one basket - the data file. If something happens to that file (and things do sometimes happen), you're toast. DanceMaster II takes great pains to reduce that dependency, including automatically recreating missing folders, configuration files, and even the database file itself. It can do that because it doesn't rely on you to back up the data - it automatically does that each time you start. That way, if something happens, DanceMaster II can restore your data.'
And that's just so far - there's more coming.
So how can I try it out?
Register on this website using the button at the top. Watch your email inbox for a confirmation, then come back here and login. There will be a "Downloads" link at the top of the page. Click that, then download and run the DanceMaster II installer. You can install and run DanceMaster II on your cueing computer without disturbing your Old DanceMaster installation. You can freely switch back and forth between Old and New DanceMaster.