More New Features for 2012...

StylePicker Filter Has Been Enhanced
There is an easy search feature on the main StylePicker filter window. You can type a search term, press Enter, and the styles are filtered. This includes, in addition to typing any text, special terms like Ev (shown only Even feel styles), Sw (Swing styles), 8 (8th note styles), 16 (16ths note styles), 140 (find styles that work at tempo 140), 140! (list only styles where the original tempo is 140), Real (list only real styles), MIDI (list only MIDI styles), “Oliver” (list only styles including Artist=Oliver), “Duo/Trio/Quartet” (# instruments) and more.

The StylePicker Advanced Filter has been enhanced with new options to:
- include/exclude styles with soloists,
- or only include styles matching the tempo exactly.

The list of RealTracks Artists includes instrument names (“Oliver Gannon: Jazz Guitar instead of “Oliver Gannon”), individual genres are listed (e.g. show Country and Pop styles only), and there is faster (single click) selection of options (radio buttons instead of drop down combo) for most commonly used settings.

A StylePicker filter has been added for time signatures 4/4, 3/4 waltz, 5/4, 6/8, 9/8, 12/8, and Others.

StylePicker Memo Enhanced

• Lists *** includes Soloist *** for styles with Soloists.
• Shows N/A for missing RealTracks.
• More elaborate drum names, you now see
  CountryPopEv16^01 a:Sidestick, Hihat b:Snare, HiHat
  instead of
  CountryPopEv16^01-SSCldHt,SnrCH
• Expanded size; more of Memo shows

“Band” button added to main screen, allowing you to quickly choose the most commonly used styles for Jazz, Pop, and Country.
For example, in the Jazz section you’ll see styles for Jazz Swing, Jazz Waltz, Bossa, Gypsy, and Smooth Jazz. Note that the Jazz Swing style works for a wide tempo range, from slow ballads (tempo=50) to fast bebop (tempo=300). This is because of the tempo swap feature that automatically chooses the best RealTracks, so that you hear ballad playing at the slow tempo, and bebop playing at 300.

Yellow Hint Messages can now be clicked on to perform the action.
Questions asked when songs loaded (requiring a response) are now changed to yellow flash messages, that don't require a response but can be clicked on if you want to do the function:

• style is Even feel. OK to change melody to Swing (and vice versa)?
• style is 16ths notes, reduce chord duration? (And - style is 8th notes, expand chord duration?)
• style is 3/4 waltz, transform the melody to waltz (and vice versa)?

Styles can now contain extra information, such as:

• Custom Panning, Reverb, and Tone Control settings.
• Styles can also store Audio FX to use with tracks and specific VSTi synths to use.
• Styles can also be made to specify “simple” variations for the RealTracks, or use Direct Input Guitars.

RealDrums names have been improved, so instead of cryptic names like:
CountryPopEv16^01-SSCldHt,SnrCH
you now see,
CountryPopEv16^01 a:Sidestick, Hihat b:Snare, HiHat
a:Sidestick, HiHat : Kick on 1 and 3 with the sidestick on beat 4. The hihat is playing a 16th note pattern,
b:Snare, HiHat : Kick on 1 and 3 with the snare on beat 4. The hihat plays 16th notes throughout and is sometimes opened slightly

EZ selection of “DrumGrooves” has been added. These are different grooves within drum styles. RealDrums with a caret (^) at the end of the name have several “DrumGrooves” available.

Now there is an easy way to select the different grooves within the song. Simply right-click on a bar number, and you see a menu of the DrumGrooves within the style. So, for example, you could easily switch between the “side stick/hihat” groove, to “snare/hihat” to “snare/Ride.”

Woodshed Tempo feature added.

When practicing (or “woodshedding”) a tune, it is useful for the tempo to speed up every time the section loops or the song restarts from the beginning.

For example, in Preferences 2, if you set the “Woodshed tempo” value to 5, then the tempo will speed up by 5 each time the song loops to the beginning (or a highlighted section loops).

The idea is that you start off with a slow tempo, playing the part perfectly, and keep this up as the song tempo increases. When you press Stop the tempo reverts to the original tempo.

There are 3 modes to the woodshed tempo field. They are only active when you set a woodshed tempo value other than 0.

1. "Up only," which is getting faster each loop "forever," well until tempo=500 which is BB's maximum tempo.
2. An "up then down" mode that goes up by [a settable increment] up to a [settable maximum] and then starts going down by the increment back to the original where it restarts. For example, a song with a tempo of 140, if you set the tempo to increase by 5, to a maximum increase of 100, the song will go from 140,145,150 etc to 240, then go to 235,230… back to 140 and cycle again.
3. An "Up then Reset" mode, that goes up in increments up to the settable maximum, then resets to the original and starts again. For example, a song with a tempo of 140, if you set the tempo to increase by 5, to a maximum increase of 100, the song will go from 140,145,150 etc to 240, then go to 140 and start again.

Modes 2 and 3 are analogous to a "treadmill workout," with programmed changes in speed.

The List of RealTracks accessed from the Soloist dialog (Shift+F4), Edit Settings for Current Bar dialog (F5) or the StyleMaker now includes [half-time], [double-time], [triple-time], [Direct Input guitar], and [Bluesy] styles.

The RealTracks – Demos folder names are improved, and list the names of the RealTracks set. For example, instead of “RealTracks Set 42” it says “RealTracks Set 42 Boogie n’ Texas Rock."

RealDrums arrangements have been improved with less busy playing on odd-numbered bars.

The Same but Different feature is improved, and finds more varied playing.

Rests now apply to the Melody and Soloist tracks (if they have RealTracks, Loops, or MIDITracks on them). Note that for purposes of excluding the tracks from the rests, the Melody and Soloist tracks use the same setting as the Strings track.

N/A is added to RealTracks and RealDrums name on main screen, Mixer, and Song Memo when styles are not found.

RealTracks arrangements are enhanced.

• Band-in-a-Box handles major triads more intelligently, considering their function in the key of the song.
• Better playing over 2-beat chords (the program would sometimes piece together two one-beat riffs for a chord lasting 2 beats.)

On Mixer and top-of-screen Instrument radio buttons:
- When a track is disabled, the track name color is now dark gray.
- It is now easy to disable/enable a track, even when the song is playing..
- When a track is MIDI, and will be used in the style, or has MIDI data, the track name color is yellow.
- Patch names now say 'not used' for unused MIDI tracks, and 'empty' for blank melody tracks.

Ability to assign an individual track as “simple” (not embellished).

RealTracks Picker Enhanced.
- You can now choose MIDI tracks from this dialog.
- The RealTracks Picker dialog can be used to choose RealTracks, RealDrums, and MIDI Tracks.