Band in a Box

ATARI VERSION 5 README FILE
Welcome to version 5 of Band-in-a-Box.
There are many new features in version 5. Here's a quick summary of 
the new features and how to access them.

DISK #1: Version 5 Program (and Patch/Drum kits in SynthKit folder)
DISK #2: 4 or 5 instrument styles
DISK #3: 3 instrument styles
DISK #4: Midi-FakeBook Disk 100 songs with melodies

( you may have some or all of these disks depending on what you 
ordered )

*** 2 more instruments - guitar and strings
*** built in styles have been remade on disk #2 (named ZZ....STY), 
most with 4 or 5 instruments.
*** brand new 4 or 5 instrument styles on disk #2
-Previously styles had 3 instruments maximum (Bass/drums/ piano).
-Now styles can have up to 5 instruments at once.
                        (Bass/drums/piano/guitar/strings).
**** can record melodies (press R , then play in melody in real time)
**** songs with melodies are named with .MG extension (without melody
are named with .SG extension .


Q. I'm anxious to get started right away . I'm familiar with previous 
versions of Band-in-a-Box. Anything I need to know before starting ?

A. Yes.
We have made version 5 as easy to use as previous versions. You'll 
need to setup new channels in the MIDI settings window to setup 
channels for the new instruments (guitar/strings/melody/thru). You 
should disable patch changes from the MIDI settings window until you 
have loaded in a patch map (from SYNTHKIT folder on Disk #1) or made a 
patch map for your synthesizer (via MIDI pull down menu-Make a patch
map) , otherwise inappropriate patch changes will happen when you 
change styles.

  1. You can access styles with 4 or 5 instruments by loading in 
styles from disk #2 " 4 or 5 instrument styles ". To hear the 24 built 
in styles with extra instruments , load in the equivalent named user 
style on disk #2 beginning with ZZ (eg ZZMiami.STY is redone Miami 
Style now with 4 instruments). More on this below.
  2. Patch changes will happen automatically as styles are loaded in , 
according to a patch map corresponding to your synthesizer. In this 
way when you load in "Polka" style , Band-in-a-Box will change your 
synth patch to Accordion/Acoustic Bass/Nylon Guitar etc., and if you 
change to "Jazz Fusion" you will get Rhodes Piano/FretLess Bass etc.
     To get a patch map working for your synth you need to load in a 
.DK file from disk #1 (SYNTHKIT folder) and then save it as MYSETUP.DK
so that it will be loaded automatically next time you run the program. 
If you don't see a patch map made for your synth , you can make one
(from the MIDI pull down menu).



UNTIL YOU HAVE A PATCH MAP CORRESPONDING TO YOUR SYNTHESIZER YOU 
SHOULD DISABLE PATCH CHANGES FROM THE MIDI SETTINGS WINDOW. OTHERWISE 
, UNEXPECTED AND INAPPROPRIATE PATCH CHANGES WILL OCCUR AS NEW STYLES 
ARE LOADED IN.

3.Band-in-a-Box refers to all instruments by the General Midi number 
assigned to that instrument. The General Midi standard is a new 
standard adopted by all major manufacturers which assigns specific
numbers to each instrument. For example Acoustic Bass=33, Rhodes 
Piano=5 etc.
The patch map that you make tells Band-in-a-Box what patch number to 
send out for each of the General Midi instruments to correspond to 
your existing synthesizer.
WHEN MAKING ANY REFERENCES TO PATCH CHANGES IN BAND-IN-A-BOX , YOU 
WILL USE THE GENERAL MIDI NUMBER, NOT YOUR SYNTH PATCH NUMBER.
-For example, lets say your synth's acoustic bass sound is at patch 
26. If you are saving a song with Bass patch of Acoustic Bass (via Alt 
F2 key) you will type in 33 for Bass Patch, because 33=Acoustic Bass
in General Midi standard. You don't type in Patch 26. It is in the 
"Make a Patch map" setup screen that you type in 26 beside Acoustic 
Bass ( as a one time procedure ), to tell Band-in-a-Box what patch 
number to send out for acoustic bass.

-Another example is in the Midi Settings window, your startup patch 
number for Acoustic Bass would be typed in as 33 (not 26), for the
same reason as discussed above.
The big advantage of this is that your song's patches and style's 
patches will work on any synthesizer - just load in a new patch 
map.You can see a list of General Midi patch numbers by hitting "View
GS Patch map" button from Midi Settings window.

4. As the song is playing , you can change patches/volumes of 
instruments. In addition - if you have a General Midi instrument such 
as the Roland Sound Canvas, you will be able to change 
reverb/chorus/panning and bank settings as the song is playing.

To change patches DURING PLAYBACK you :
   1. First select the instrument by pressing a function key
         F3-Bass F4-Piano F5-Drums F6-Guitar F7-Horns F8-Strings
             F9-Melody F10-Thru
   2. Then press a key to produce the Patch change
         0-9 key will select one of 10 "favorite patches" (set up via
the Midi Pull down menu-Favorite Patches)
         '-' and '=' keys will decrease/increase patches by 1
          '-' and '=' will decrease/increase patches by 8
   3. Similarly
         'q' 'w' to decrease/increase volume by 5
         'e' 'r' to change panning Left to Right (General Midi only)
         't' 'y' to change reverb down/up       (General Midi only)
         'u' 'i' to change chorus down /up      (General Midi only)
         'o' 'p' to change bank # down /up      (General Mid only )

To Mute/Unmute an instrument DURING PLAYBACK
    1. Hold down the Alt key and then select the instrument by 
function key as above.
    eg.  F3 will mute the Bass
        press  F3 again to unmute the Bass
        mute status will be displayed at the top right of the screen.

Q. Where are the 4 or 5 instrument styles ?

A.You will find the styles with 4 or 5 instruments on disk #2 titled-
"4 or 5 instrument styles."This disk contains brand new styles such as 
"NewAge1.STY" (25 in all) and also contains remade versions of the 24
"built in" styles.

Q. How can I hear one of the "built in" styles with 5 instruments ?

A.The remade version of the built in styles are named beginning with 
ZZ . for example Country 12/8 is a built in style with 3 instruments. 
If you access this style from the pull down menu you will hear 3 
instruments (bass/drums and piano). If you load in the style 
ZZCTRY12_8.STY from disk #2 (using F9 key) you will then hear a 5
instrument style remake of Country 12/8 with Guitar and Strings added.

Q. Does every style now have 5 instruments ?

A. No ,The number of instruments that a style has depends on the style
itself.For example Jazz Swing still has 3 instruments ( as does 
ZZJazzSw.STY on Disk #2), whereas NewAge1.STY (on disk #2) has 4 
instruments and ZZCTRY128.STY (Country 12/8) on disk #2 has 5
instruments.
-You can see how many instruments a style has by looking at the top 
right hand portion of the screen as the song is playing. The line 
"BPDGHSMT" stands for 
Bass/Piano/Drums/Guitar/Horns/Strings/Melody/Thru. If the letter 
corresponding to the instrument is grayed out it means that this 
instrument is not present in the style BPDghSmT would have 
Bass/Piano/Drums/Strings/and Thru but no guitar/horns or melody.

Q. How are "built in" styles accessed ? How are "user styles" accessed 
?

The original 24 styles of Band-in-a-Box are referred to as the "built
in styles" , in contrast to the "user created styles" which are on
disk as files with an extension of .STY.
The built in styles are accessed from the pull down menu titled
"Styles".

The user styles are accessed by the  key (or User pull down menu
). You then load in a style from disk with extension of .STY .

It is the user created styles that can have 5 instruments at once. The
24 built in styles all have 3 instruments.

Q. Which sounds better - the "built in" styles or the "user styles" on 
disk?
A. The "user styles" on disk sound better than the built in styles in 
most cases. An exception to this is Jazz Swing, ( the built in Jazz 
Swing version sounds better than ZZJazzSW.STY because piano patterns
are sometimes"pushed" in the built in style but not in the User Style 
version.
Q. How do I record a melody to a song ?
A. press R to record a song . Then play in the melody in real time . 
If you want to record just one chorus you can then copy the melody to
all choruses by choosing this option under the Melody pull down menu.
If you make a mistake you can start recording from where you left off 
by pressing "Alt R" to record from any bar . Or you can fix a wrong 
note by step editing notes from melody pull down menu.

Q. I see Guitar/Strings . How about Horns ?

A. There are references to Horns on the Band-in-a-Box screen (set 
Horns Channel,Horns patches etc.) Horns are not implemented yet 
specifically. This does not matter much however as you can use the 
Guitar channel with a patch of "horns", so it does not prevent styles
with Horns. Just ignore "Horns settings" and use the Guitar channel
with a Patch of horns if you want to use Horns for a style.

Q. How can I make a style change to different instruments 
automatically ?
A. The built in styles will change patches to whatever patches are set
on the Midi Settings window. If you type in Patch numbers of 0 , then 
no patch changes will occur.
   The User styles can change to any patch number , so styles can 
change instruments to the proper kind of bass/piano etc.
   -Let's change patches on one of the user styles- New age.
   -Load in a USER style NewAge1.STY (Disk #2). If you don't have this 
style, substitute a different style.
   -Then Choose User-Edit Existing Style. You will then enter the 
StyleMaker screen full of numbers on a grid
   - press F10 to Save/Exit
   - Answer YES to Save a style
   - you will then see a window of patch #'s . The current settings
are the instruments that are currently used for New Age  ie
                                     Change to :
       Bass 36  Fretless             33  Acoustic Bass
       Piano 1 Acoustic              5   Rhodes
       Guitar 25 Nylon               26  Acoustic
       Strings 54 Vocal Oohs         49  Strings

Change the #'s as above . Remember that you must use General Midi 
numbers here - press "View GS Patches Button" for a list of them 
.Don't use  your synths patch numbers - the Patch map (DK file) will 
take care of that.

Then save the style using a different name - maybe NewAge_P . Next 
time you load in NewAge_P.STY your patches will automatically change 
to Acoustic Bass/Rhodes/Acoustic Guitar/Strings !

ATARI Description of the 100 User Styles in Band-in-a-Box version 5
The 100 styles in Band-in-a-Box are on Disk #2 and Disk #3.
You may not have all of the styles if you didn't order the complete 
package.
Each style comes with a demo song in the SONGDEMO folder on disk.The 
easiest way to explore the styles is to play the demo for each style.
***  Disk #2 - 4 or 5 instrument styles
            # instr.
CountRok.Sty   5     COUNTRY ROCK
Caribean.Sty   4     CARIBEAN
CounRok2.Sty   4     COUNTRY ROCK
DancPop2.Sty   4     DANCE/POP
Eurobeat3.Sty  5     DANCE/POP
FunkShf2.Sty   3     JAZZ/FUNK
LevlFunk.Sty   5     FUNK
HipHop2.Sty    4     RAP          Hip Hop style
House_1.Sty    4     RAP          House beat
Joplin.Sty     1     RAGTIME      Left hand of a Rag pianist
LatnRok2.Sty   2     LATIN ROCK
LiteRok2.Sty   5     POP/ROCK     B.Hornsby piano voicings
MedRok2.Sty    4     POP/ROCK     Medium Rock
Mexican2.Sty   4     POP/ROCK     Lite Rock feel
FunkSev2.Sty   5     FUNK         J.Brown seventies funk feel
NewAge_1.Sty   5     NEW AGE      Pop Ballad feel
NewAge_2.Sty   5     NEW AGE      Pop Ballad feel
OldMotwn.Sty   4     MOTOWN       MOTOWN style
OldMotw&.Sty   5     MOTOWN       MOTOWN same as above/added strings
CounSwg2.Sty   4     COUNTRY
Reggae_3.Sty   4     REGGAE       Reggae even 8ths
RokBald2.Sty   5     ROCK         Rock Ballad (slow)
ShufRok2.Sty   4     ROCK         Shuffle Rock variation
Soul2.Sty      5     SOUL         SOUL style
SwingBal.Sty   4     SOUL         SOUL ballad style
**The ZZ Styles  - these are re-done "user style" versions of built in
ZZJazzSW.STY    3    JAZZ      Swing
ZZCoun12.STY    5    COUNTRY 12/8 Rhodes/bass/m.guit/strings/drums
Z3Coun12.STY    3    COUNTRY   simpler 3 instr. version
Z4Coun12.STY    4    COUNTRY   as above but no strings
ZZContry.STY    4    COUNTRY   Piano/Bass/Guit/Drums
Z3Bossa.STY     3    LATIN     3 instrument bossa style
Z4Bossa.STY     4    LATIN     4 instrument bossa style (+Guitar)
ZZEthnic.STY    4    ETHNIC    Polka  Ac.Bass/Accordian/Guit/Drums
Z5Ethnic.STY    5    ETHNIC    Polka + Fiddle
ZZBluShf.sty    4    BLUES     Bass/Organ/Guitar/Drums
Z3BluShf.STY    3    BLUES     3 instrument (simpler)
ZZBluStr.STY    4    BLUES     Bass/Organ/Guitar/Drums
Z3BluStr.STY    3    BLUES     Bass/Piano/Drums
Z4PopBal.STY    4    POP       Bass/Piano/Strings/Drums
PopBalad.STY    3    POP       Bass/Piano/Drums
ZZShfRok.STY    4    ROCK      Bass/Piano/Guit/Drums
ZZLitRok.STY    3    ROCK      Bass/Piano/Drums
ZZMedRock.STY   3    ROCK      Bass/Piano/Drums
ZZHevRock.STY   4    ROCK      Bass/Organ/Guitar/Drums
Z3HevRok.STY    3    ROCK      Bass/Piano/Drums (simpler)
ZZMiami.STY     4    LATIN     Bass/Guitar/Strings/Drums
ZZMilly.STY     4    POP       Bass/Rhodes/Strings/Drums
ZZFunk.STY      3    FUNK      Bass/Piano/Drums
ZZBouncy.STY    3    POP       Bass/Piano/Drums
ZZIrish.STY     3    ETHNIC    Bass/Piano/Drums
ZZRhumba.STY    3    LATIN     Bass/Piano/Drums
ZZChaCha.STY    3    LATIN     Bass/Piano/Drums
ZZOldCtry.STY   4    COUNTRY   Bass/Piano/Strings/Drums
ZZPopBal12.STY  4    POP       Bass/Piano/Strings/Drums
ZZReggae.STY    4    REGGAE    Bass/Organ/Guitar/Drums
( end of disk 2 )

DISK #3  3 instrument styles
This contains the 25 user styles found previously on our styles disk
#1 . As well there are 25 new styles - 3 instruments.
JazzSlow.STY    3    JAZZ      Trio,Slow Jazz -eg Unforgettable
JazSwg2.STY     3    JAZZ      Medium tempo swing
Jaco_Jaz.STY    3    JAZZ      Jaco style modern jazz
Lee_Rit.STY     3    JAZZ      Syncopated feel
ModJazz1.STY    3    JAZZ      Modern Jazz 1
ModJazz2.STY    3    JAZZ      Modern Jazz 2
LtnBrazl.STY    3    LATIN     Brazil/Samba style
Stride.STY      1    JAZZ      Piano only (Left hand of stride)
ChaCha_G.STY    3    LATIN     Cha Cha variation - more jazzy
Rhumba_G.STY    3    LATIN     Rhumba variation
LA_PBal.STY     3    JAZZ      L.A. Pop Balad
Chuk_B_1.STY    3    OLD ROCK  Piano oriented Chuk B. Style
Fats_Dom.STY    3    OLD ROCK  Piano oriented Fats D. Style
J_Cash.STY      3    COUNTRY   "prison" songs
Nashvl_G.STY    3    COUNTRY   triplet feel
BluGras1.STY    5    COUNTRY   BlueGrass in 'b' substyle
LitRok_G.STY    3    POP/ROCK
LA_Pop_G.STY    3    POP       POP L.A. style
PopRiff1.STY    5    POP       Pop riff turned into a style
PopWalz1.STY    3    POP       Pop Waltz must set time sig.
BoBallad.STY    5    POP       Pop Ballad variation
HipHop_1.STY    5    RAP       Hip Hop Style
SwBallad.STY    4    SOUL      Soul Ballad style
***************
these 25 styles were on our "styles disk #1" previously released

African.STY     3    JAZZ      African feel
Arpeggio.STY    3    POP       Arpeggiated Piano Style
BluHill.STY     3    POP       Simple style made in StyleMaker
                               tutorial
BluShf_2.Sty    3    BLUES     Shuffle feel blues
Dance_1.STY     3    DANCE     Modern Pop
Dance_2.STY     3    DANCE     Modern Pop
Disco_1.STY     3    DANCE     Disco
Funk_1.STY      3    FUNK
Funk_Sev.STY    3    FUNK      Funk seventies style Guit/Bass/Drums
Fusn_Shu.STY    3    JAZZ      Fusion Shuffle
Garner.STY      3    JAZZ      Acoustic Piano Comp/Garner Style
HeavyMet.STY    3    ROCK      Heavy Metal Rock
JazFours.STY    3    JAZZ      Jazz Fours Style - in  'a' substyle
                               plays swing, in 'b' substyle plays 4
                               bars swing then 4 bars drum solos.
Mambo.STY       3    LATIN     Mambo style
Merengue.STY    3    LATIN     Merengue style
Motown_1.STY    3    MOTOWN
OldPop.STY      3    OLD ROCK
OldTyme1.STY    3    ETHNIC    Old Tyme - fidddle tunes etc.
PopBalad.STY    3    POP       straight 8th feel
PopBal_2.STY    3    POP       16th note feel
Rap_1.Sty       3    RAP
Rap_1.Sty       3    RAP
Reggae_2.STY    3    REGGAE    triplet feel reggae
RhyBlue1.STY    3    R&B       Rhythm and Blues style #1
RockaBil.Sty    3    OLD ROCK  Old Rock style
Salsa_2.STY     3    LATIN     Piano oriented salsa style
Twist.STY       3    OLD ROCK  Typical Twist Style

end of disk 3