ST4 differences from ST3

[AlanHall]

I've just upgraded to ST4 from ST3, using a VI in my DAW (Digital Performer). I know there's a bunch of changes in the UI, and I'm just getting started at familiarizing myself with the new look. Here are my questions:
1. In ST3 the instruments would load when opening the DAW project. I could open the VI and watch the progress bar (easily entertained, I know!). In ST4 this loading of the instruments does not seem to happen; even though the plugin shows the instruments that have been selected, I have to manually select them to get them to load. I must be missing something.
2. In ST3 the keyswitches (for the MP2 instruments) would show a pop-up description of the articulation when hovering over the key with the mouse. In ST4 I do not see the pop-up. This makes selecting desired articulations much harder. Again, I must be missing something.
Any advice appreciated!

[AlanHall]

Regarding a keyswitch articulation description in ST4:
I see this was mentioned twice in the wishlist thread,

by Promidi
Sat Jul 06, 2019 11:39 am
and by albertolocci
Sun May 24, 2020 6:41 am

Are there only a handful of users that have requested this? Or maybe a workaround that hasn't been mentioned? Hungrily looking...

[AlanHall]

crickets.....

[AlanHall]

I took a slightly closer look at my rig tonight, and see that I can add MP2 as a VI into my DAW, wasn't an option before (added in v 2.0.6?). I do get the keyswitch descriptions there, so I guess that'll do for me.
Also I saw that in ST4, in the PARTS window, there is a text string that pops up below the instrument name that includes a description (not the same description as in MP2m but still...) and the name of the key that was pressed. Kinda almost OK to use, but why? ST3 had the description popups same as MP2. Seems like a step back.

[DarkStar]

Yes, it's different in ST4. You can click the Articulation in the Parts page or the Edit page to see the list and select the one you want. I don't bother clicking them in the virtual keyboard any more.

[AlanHall]

Thanks, DarkStar! Good to know. I don't think I would have stumbled upon the keyswitch pulldown on my own.