This video offers an introduction to TTM (turntablist transcription method), a system of notation designed for notating turntable-based music.

TTM is derived from a graph of the rotation of the record vs. time. The vertical axis of the staff represents the rotation of the record, and the horizontal axis represents time.

About The TTM System

The Turntablist Transcription Method, also known as TTM, appears to be the most popular method of transcribing turntablism. This structure consists of a grid that subdivides the beats of the song being played. This grid consists of thicker lines to separate the beats, and thinner lines for subdivisions within the beat. Lines are drawn going in an upward motion to indicate that the record is going forwards and downward to indicate that the record is going backwards. This method is read from left to right and the lines drawn represent the scratches, which slant from left to right. Slower movements are always slanted but appear to be 45 degrees or less from the horizontal axis and faster movement appear greater than 45 degrees but never can fully reach a 90 degree angle from the horizontal access. Due to the fact that a turntablist is always scratching a music sample, the word or name of the sample is listed to the left of the grid. The beginning of this sample is present at the bottom of the grid and the end of the sample is at the top, with all the subdivisions of the sample being subdivided by the grid that appears vertically. The name of the record being scratched is listed above and to the right of the grid. Although this method is extremely unique in its notation structure, it does use conventional dynamic markings such as crescendo and diminuendo. These are listed underneath the grid and appear to be the only characteristic similar to that of standard music notation. Another unique characteristic of this system is the use of drum scratching. When scratching drums, a unique symbol is given to the kick, snare, or hi-hat and these are drawn on the grid along with lines indicating if the record is going backwards or forwards. When a record is simply played, lines are drawn from the lower left corner of the grid section representing each beat to the upper right corner.

This method has many strong points that can allow a turntablist to utilize its methods. Any DJ with scratching experience can learn this system in a relatively short period of time. With practice, a DJ could possibly sight read with some efficiency but there are some factors that could prevent one from doing so. This method features a way to notate scratching on a turntable but may prove more difficult when focusing on a song in its entirety. It is true that two of the TTM staffs can be used to identify a song with one record being scratched and the other record being played. Sight-reading various scratches is possible but notating or reading a full-length song could prove to be difficult and extremely lengthy. In order for a DJ to read a full-length song, he would be constantly flipping through multiple pages, even if the song only appeared to be very short. This would require a turntablist to flip through many pages, which is similar to when a guitarist reads guitar tab. A lengthy song would be difficult to keep on a music stand. For this reason, sight-reading using this method might only appear useful for learning scratching techniques or short etudes. The only other downside to reading using this method for a full song would be that it doesn’t appear to address sections of a full-length song. Measures can be numbered but due to it’s lengthy use and absence of defining sections of a song, it would be easy for the turntablist to become lost when reading the song.

This is not to say that reading using this method is impossible, but would require one to be quite familiar with the song before attempting to read it. As noted earlier, the turnablist will face the same challenges that appear when a guitar player attempts to read guitar tab. If the player has heard the song already, he will have a much easier time reading the song. Without hearing the song, the player may be able to play something similar to the song that the composer intended but it would require lots of practice and the turntablist would face some limitations when sight reading.

The TTM system is a revolutionary method that allowed the turntablist to notate music for the first time. Despite it major differences from that of standard music notation other than its use of crescendo and diminuendo, it appears to be an effective way of transcribing turntable music.

via TTMethod

Graphic Score Max/MSP/Jitter

via akihikotube:

Graphic Score Max/MSP/Jitterhttp://homepage.mac.com/sinx_music/

Notion Music has announced that Notion3, a major new version of its notation software, will start shipping on September 24, 2009.

Notion3 features an entirely new design, an expanded and enhanced sample library, new live performance features, and compatibility with plug-ins, sample libraries and digital audio workstations (DAWs).

Notion3 has an MSRP of $249 (a street price of around $199). Notion Music is also offering free upgrades to registered users of Notion 2.0 or earlier. Registered users of Notion Music’s other products, Progression, and Protégé, as well as competitive notation products like Finale and Sibelius can upgrade to Notion3 for $99.

Details on Notion3 below.

Notion3 Features

Sleek, Intuitive Interface and Workflow: allowing you to use notation, guitar tab, or MIDI devices to craft music of any style, be it orchestral, jazz, or rock. The screen view is designed to remain uncluttered, and to provide easy access to the most frequently used tools. For musicians writing for guitar or bass, Notion3 features an interactive fretboard and chord library.

Over 10GB of Instrument Samples: exclusively featuring the sounds of The London Symphony Orchestra. The LSO sample library included in earlier versions of Notion has been expanded and enhanced with new close mic stereo samples that truly capture the essence of each instrument. Notion3 includes both the legacy and new sample libraries. In addition to the orchestral sounds, Notion3 features electric and acoustic guitar by Neil Zaza, electric bass by Victor Wooten, drums by Roy “FutureMan” Wooten — all recorded at world-famous studios.

Professional Audio Mixer: Notion3’s pro audio mixer is complete with buses, inserts, sends, multiple direct channel outs and VST effects. Resembling what you would see in a digital audio workstation, the Notion3 mixer, along with the dynamic markings in the score, provide detailed control of the mix and sound. You have the flexibility to control and mix your entire score or group the mixer into instrument sections to adjust volume, panning, reverb, and effects.

Unmatched Studio Compatibility: Built to be compatible, Notion3 offers full ReWire integration that supports both host and slave options. It also works effortlessly with VST effects and VSTi libraries with built-in presets to easily integrate with popular sample libraries such as: Vienna Symphonic Library Special Edition and Special Edition Plus, Miroslav Philharmonik, East West Quantum Leap Platinum, and Garritan Personal Orchestra (ARIA). Notion3 comes bundled with IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube X-Gear and CSR Hall Reverb.

SequencerStaff: a feature unique to Notion3 that brings the world of notation and sequencers together. This feature enables you to record MIDI input directly onto a standard notation staff while retaining all the MIDI data such as modulations, bends and dynamics. The MIDI data displayed on the staff includes duration, range in pitch, and dynamic information, which can be easily edited.

Live Performance with NTempo: Notion3’s suite of live performance features make it possible to “play” a notated score like a musical instrument for accompaniment, rehearsal, or professional live performances. It is the only notation product with real-time tempo control that includes vamps, repeats, and other advanced score navigation features. With the NTempo feature, you can tap the speed of a score to the fraction of note level, providing the kind of rhythmic nuance you hear when playing a traditional musical instrument. Notion has been used in numerous touring productions worldwide ranging from hit musicals like Annie and The Wizard of Oz to Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell tour.

iComposer (App Store link) is a new music creating tool for iPhone that can record what you’re humming, transcribe your humming into notes on five line staff and play the results back with 130+ instruments.

Features:

• Record what you are humming and transcribe the melody to five line staff.
• Playback with 130+ different instruments, including piano, organ, drum set, strings, guitars, reed, brass.
• Edit music score with multi-touched staff editor.
• Compose up to 8 voice parts simultaneously supported by multi-tracks editing and mixing.

Demos of iComposer’s vocal note recognition are available at the Soundplayground site.

If you’ve used iComposer, leave a comment with your thoughts!

Avid has released version 6 of Sibelius music notation software.

The update includes new layout features to speed scoring, version control, keyboard/fretboard windows, classroom control and ReWire support.

Details below.

New Features:

• Magnetic Layout – designed to cut the writing time between the moment of inspiration and the final printed score — all individual objects are positioned conventionally on the score where musicians expect to find them. The software automatically spaces and lays out scores to look professional and clear from the very first note. Previously, aligning individual score objects required time-consuming manual adjustments which now occur transparently to the user.
• Versions – enables educators to track student progress, spot plagiarism and promote collaboration. Students can record progress and submit creative commentary with their final coursework. Professionals now have a effective way to track changes or collaborations with copyists, orchestrators and publishers by saving, manipulating and comparing revisions of a work piece within a single file.
• Keyboard and Fretboard Windows – provide a visual approach to the music education process, allowing aspiring musicians and composers to follow lighted key and finger positions as a score plays back, reinforcing the relationship between staff and tab notation with real instruments. These windows also create a new way for customers to input music directly from an on-screen piano keyboard or guitar fretboard, as opposed to using conventional methods such as clicking on the staff of the note or typing the note names on the computer keyboards via a separate MIDI keyboard.
• Classroom Control - offers a simple and single window for common classroom management tasks. This enables educators to keep students on subject by creating a streamlined approach for sharing files across the network during review cycles and facilitating daily classroom instruction. Messages sent by the educator appear on the student’s workstation screen. Now, educators can easily attract attention despite any challenges in the teaching environment, such as students wearing headphones.
• ReWire Support – simplifies the once challenging process of incorporating audio tracks into notation-focused projects, making it an ideal tool to facilitate a film’s orchestral session. By synchronizing Sibelius software with Pro Tools software (or other DAWs running on the same computer,) customers can start real-time playback in Sibelius and the DAW will follow, or vice versa. Further, composers or orchestrators can easily add a vocal to a song created with Sibelius or augment an existing recording for enhanced creative options.

Sibelius 6 is now available for $599. Avid also offers educational pricing of $329 per copy with additional discounts when purchasing bundled multi-seat licenses. Current Sibelius customers may take advantage of upgrade options of $169 per copy or $129 per copy for current customers who are educators and students.

The Compose music tablet is a design concept, by Ouyang Xi, He Binbin, Zeng Li & Li Bo, intended to provide a mobile composition solution.

The pen acts as a mic that you sing into. When docked into the digital paper tablet, your vocal harmonies are automatically transcribed from the recording in the pen into a score.

For old schoolers, you can write directly on the display. It also contains sound libraries for an entire orchestra – so once your composition is finished, you can play it back.

I saw this at Yanko Design, which, unfortunately, does not link to the designers’ page or offer much in the way of information. If you’ve got any additional info on this, let me know in the comments.

Currently it supports 4 music notations: ABC, Guido, Lilypond, Mup.

For latest version, detailed usage instructions and demo cases, visit the ScoreRender site.

The International Music Score Library Project is a cool site that lets you download public domain music scores for free:

MSLP attempts to create a virtual library containing all public domain musical scores, as well as scores from composers who are willing to share their music with the world without charge. You can read the full list of goals that IMSLP will try to achieve.

IMSLP also encourages the exchange of musical ideas, both in the form of musical works, and in the analysis of existing ones. Therefore, feel free to create/edit a page with your analysis of a particular piece (please use the “Discussion” link on the work page of that particular piece).

The site already offers over 17,000 scores.

Unfortunately, the “modern” category (post 1945) is woefully underrepresented, because of copyright laws.

I was able to download a PDF of Terry Riley’s In C, one of the seminal works of minimalist music, but only 69 composers are currently represented at all in this category.

If you’re creating music that uses traditional, or even non-traditional, notation, check out the IMSLP and consider sharing your scores via the site.

“Sibelius First is that great first step into the world of professional score writing for aspiring composers,” said Jeremy Silver, Sibelius Software’s managing director. “If you’re more comfortable composing while playing a guitar or a keyboard, then Sibelius First is for you.”

Sibelius First features:

• Friendly user interface;
• Composing and arranging tools for up to 12 staves of music;
• Easy input via MIDI keyboard, MIDI guitar, computer keyboard or mouse;
• Dynamic Scoring for instrumental parts that automatically update as you work on the full score;
• Ability to switch from guitar tab to notation and back again with ease;
• Built-in general MIDI sounds, with 128 high-quality instruments for realistic playback of your music;
• Exporting of your score ready to burn to CD;
• Support for scanning in printed music for editing or transposition; and
• Scorch technology to publish, post and share scores on the web so your fans can see and hear your music.

Sibelius First is available beginning June 25 for $129 (MSRP).

Description:

Progression is designed to be a powerful, yet easy-to-use guitar application for creating, learning, and distributing music. Guitar tablature or standard notation can be entered with a keyboard and mouse, or played into the program with a MIDI guitar or MIDI keyboard.

Progression then plays back the music instantly with its extensive built-in sound library. Songs and ideas can be shared by creating guitar tabs, lead sheets, and standard sheet music or by simply exporting an audio file with a complete band backing track.

Progression features thousands of real electric and acoustic guitar samples from Neil Zaza, and electric bass and drums samples from Grammy Award winners Victor Wooten and Roy “Future-Man” Wooten. Also included are grand piano, upright bass, clavinet, and electric piano – all in high-definition audio. VST hosting capability enables the use of effects plug-ins and amp modelers and a built-in mixer give the user complete control over the rest of the mix.Features:

• Real sound samples from guitarist Neil Zaza and Grammy award winners Victor and Roy “Futureman” Wooten
• Features acoustic and electric guitar, electric and upright bass, drum kit, grand and electric piano, and clavinet
• Tablature and notation entry via keyboard, mouse or MIDI guitar/keyboard input
• Easy edit features
• Real-time dynamic linking between tab and notation staves
• Allows tab and notation for additional stringed instruments like banjo and mandolin, and alternate tunings
• Interactive chord library
• Lead sheet capability
• Real-time tempo control with NTempo feature
• Integrated audio mixer with volume, panning, and mute/solo controls
• Built-in guitar and bass amp simulator
• VST plug-in hosting capability
• MIDI file import and export
• Wav file export

Pricing and Availability:

Progression will be available in September, 2007 for $149.99

Here’s their info on the upgrade….

Enhanced PlaybackMusic comes to life with recorded/imported audio and newly integrated sound libraries:

• Finale can now record/import a mono or stereo audio file to enhance playback. No other notation software offers this capability.
• More than 250 world-class instrument sounds from the makers of the acclaimed Garritan Personal Orchestra are included free. In addition to orchestral instruments are saxophones, trumpet and trombone mutes, jazz bass and drums, guitar, marching percussion, world instruments and more. See the full list at www.finalemusic.com.
• Multiple sound libraries now work together seamlessly. Combine all the included sounds, add Native Instruments-supported libraries (available separately), hear them all in playback and save the results in an audio file.

Increased productivityThe latest interface improvements offer intuitive efficiency and allow users to accomplish more without changing tools:

• Copy music, adjust expressions, transpose, add repeats and much more – all with one tool.
• Intuitive keystrokes can select measures or partial measures horizontally and vertically – without visiting a menu.
• Multiple tools support copy/paste, measure additions, transposition, measure layout, auto-orchestration and much more.
• Streamlined menus, more powerful contextual menus and intuitive keystrokes.
• New ScoreMerger™ easily combines parts into a score AND joins multiple scores/movements into one document – even if they don’t contain the same number of staves, or have different instrumentation (another Finale exclusive).

Perfect pagesThe professional quality sheet music you expect from Finale, now faster and with more options:

• Document Styles can instantly personalize the appearance of new documents, controlling text and music fonts, all libraries, text, graphics and page layout.
• Enhanced Setup Wizard offers more options and control and provides intelligent page layout – automatically adjusting system position, size and space between staves – to reduce white space on the page.
• Colored noteheads have multiple applications and are especially popular in elementary education. Select Boomwhackers® tuned percussion tubes from the Setup Wizard, and Finale automatically configures the noteheads with the Chroma-Notes™ colored music system and ensures this staff plays back integrated Boomwhackers sample sounds.

Additional new features include Vista Support, improved scanning, new and fully searchable help documentation, expanded MusicXML support, Human Playback support for additional sound libraries and much more.

Pre-orders are now being taken; Finale 2008 will begin shipping in July 2007.

• Start with music you find on the Internet (tens of thousands of free MIDI files).
• Customize and arrange the music to fit your or your group’s particular needs -fake book lead sheets, custom parts (which stay connected with the main score), instruments or voices in your group, easy-notes for learning.
• Use Composer to compose from scratch as well – it’s designed to help you compose, not just print music you’ve already written.

Notation Musician

• Follow the musical notes on your screen as you listen to the music, and print your own sheet music for performance.
• Set up practice loops, change lyrics, transpose to suit your instrument or vocal range, and use Musician as your accompanist.
• Learn musical notation by watching the notes as you listen to familiar songs.

Notation Composer
Composer has all the features of Musician, and additionally

• Extensively and intuitively edit the musical notation – Composer gracefully places music symbols so you can concentrate on your creativity.
• Produce clearly written sheet music to share with others.
• Add and edit notes, including performance aspects such as volume, tempo, and other areas easily in a graph that overlays the notation. You can see and hear exactly where you edit the performance.
• Create music using an electronic keyboard, or a computer keyboard and mouse, depending on which method you are most comfortable with.

Notation Composer and Notation Musician run on Windows 98, 2000, ME, and XP (Vista support is coming soon). Notation Musician 2.0 ($49.9 5USD) and Notation Composer 2.0 ($149.95 USD) can now be purchased online.

Among the new scoring features in Notion 1.6 are support for lyrics, chord symbol entry and playback, special note entry (x, triangle, and slash), and forced “page-turns” as well as improvements to tempo markings, beaming, ties, tuplets, and overall rendering of score appearance. The handling of repeats has been improved as well as NOTION’s ability to read and interpret articulations and imported data.

To coincide with the release of Sessions: Rhythm Section, the company’s first sound expansion kit featuring pop and rocks sounds and recordings, Notion now includes the ability to notate for drum set. This includes multiple instruments on one staff, alternate note heads, “stir” feature for realistic sounding jazz brush techniques on snare drum, ghost note notation and performance, and cross-stick and rim-shot notation and performance for snare drum.

Notion 1.6 features a number of additions and improvements for file handling including Music XML import and export, MIDI file import, step MIDI input, and improved .WAV mixdown.

Notion is designed for students, composers, and musicians on all levels as a tool for composition, learning, practice, and live performance. It combines a full-featured music notation system with interpretive algorithms linked to a proprietary playback engine that offers samples of thou¬sands of individual notes and articulations played by the London Symphony Orchestra and recorded at Abbey Road Studios.

Notes can be entered via a computer keyboard, a MIDI keyboard or by importing MIDI files. Users can effortlessly add key and time signatures, lyrics, chords, guitar fingerboards, markings and musical instructions.

Finale SongWriter can also automatically generate two- and three-voice harmonies and drum grooves. The software also allows the user to create and edit guitar and bass tablature, save MIDI files and create MP3 files. Musicians can experiment with over 128 professional instrument sounds (a free professional software synthesizer is included). Songs sound like they are being performed by live musicians thanks to Human Playback. SongWriter is priced at $49.95.

In addition to Mac-Intel support and several other Macintosh-specific enhancements, new features include real-time control of volume and pan, customizable reverb, improved playback controls, Music XML import/export, a textured manuscript background and much more.

“SongWriter’s ability to create MP3 files and world-class sheet music – that can be opened and printed by anyone with the Free Finale NotePad® – make it easy to share your creations with friends, family and fellow musicians,” stated Mary Schneider, Make Music’s chief marketing officer. “As SongWriter is aimed at the consumer electronics market, we are excited to bring this ability to everyone interested in sharing their music.”

For more information, visit www.finalemusic.com/songwriter

New advanced notation features add drum notation, vocal notation and tablature support for any stringed instruments with four to seven strings! You can create complete scores for a band in minutes. Guitar Pro 5.1 is your total solution for creating lead sheets, scores, or lesson sheets for your students.

Guitar Pro 5.1 features the newest in playback technology including RSE—Realistic Sound Engine. RSE gives you real time playback of your scores with realistic sound samples taken from high quality guitars and real-time effects such as wah-wah. These new features make Guitar Pro 5.1 the guitar players’ best choice for composing and transcribing. Improved ASCII import/export and the newly enhanced speed trainer will show you why Guitar Pro is the dominant force in guitar music.

Guitar Pro has been a best seller in Europe and has over a MILLION users worldwide. It is hailed by Guitarist Magazine as an intelligent, simple, clear and precise tool.” Riff Magazine says Guitar Pro, “is unquestionably the best that can be found in the field of tablature editing for PC.”

Guitar Pro 5.1 will be available at computer and music retail stores nationwide with an estimated retail price of $59.95. The hybrid CD-ROM is compatible with Windows 98 SE/2000/XP and Macintosh OSX 10.3 or higher.

Description:

Choosing the right chord—and the right voicing for that chord—can transform a song. Whether you are a beginner worried about stretching your fingers to the right frets or a professional musician looking for just the right sound, ChordMate will find the chord voicing that is right for you. Just select the chord you want, and ChordMate will list all of the possible voicings, sorted either by quality, ease of play, or a bit of both.

The results are customized based on the type of guitar: classical, acoustic, jazz, or electric. You can even listen to how the chord would sound on your guitar.

Advanced features include a rule editor and a chord symbol lookup tool.

Additions to Notion’s powerful scoring tools include the ability to notate for drum set (multiple instruments on one staff), alternate note heads (x, triangle, and slash), “stir” feature for realistic sounding jazz brush techniques on snare drum, ghost note notation and performance, and cross-stick and rim-shot notation and performance for snare drum.

“Sessions: Rhythm Section” supplements Notion’s traditional orchestral library with the sounds of a contemporary rhythm section, featuring bass and drum set samples performed by Victor and Roy Wooten at Dark Horse Studios in Nashville and electric guitar samples performed by Vernon Reid at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The drum set includes various techniques for 6-piece drum set and cymbals, all of which can be written as individual instruments as well as in a drum set staff. A broad variety of techniques and dynamics are included for electric bass and electric guitar, including slap techniques on bass and muted sounds on both. Upright bass, Fender Rhodes™ electric piano, and Hohner Clavinet™ are also included.

“Expanded Mallets 1″ adds marimba, vibraphone, crotales and chimes to the Notion sound library. Techniques included are strikes and rolls from a 5-octave marimba, strikes on chimes and strikes on crotales. Vibraphone has strikes and rolls with motor off, slow motor speed, fast motor speed and pedal up. Also available is “Expanded Percussion 1″ featuring castanets, cowbells, cuckoo, drumsticks, maracas, power toms, ratchet, roto-toms, shakers, sleigh bells, temple blocks and woodblock.

Notion is designed for students, composers and musicians on all levels as a tool for composition, learning, practice, and live performance. It combines a full-featured music notation system with interpretive algorithms linked to a proprietary playback engine that offers samples of thou¬sands of individual notes and articulations played by the London Symphony Orchestra and recorded at Abbey Road Studios.

More information is available at the Notion Music site.

Notion Music

PROTÉGÉ allows musicians of all skill levels to write, rehearse and perform their compositions as if they were working with a full ensemble of musicians. By including more than 100,000 sounds recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios, and offering add-ons that include rock and rhythm section sounds, PROTÉGÉ gives users the freedom to explore their imaginations while composing music.

Available for $99, PROTÉGÉ has been designed to:

• improve sense of pitch and tonality;
• allow musicians to edit, save and practice songs based on their own interpretations;
• accompany primary instruments or small ensembles;
• create playback directly from notation;
• compose, explore and manipulate in-depth scores; and
• upgrade to more complex programs to match skill-level as needed.

“PROTÉGÉ was created to bolster creativity by allowing musicians to focus on the music, not the technology,” said Lori Jarrett, founder and CEO of Notion Music, Inc. “It is perfect for student musicians, hobbyist musicians or more advanced musicians who want to be accompanied by a full ensemble anytime, anywhere.”

Dolet 3 for Sibelius writes MusicXML 1.1 files for the highest-fidelity translation available between music notation programs. Dolet 3 also includes a batch translation feature to automate the process of moving music notation files from one program to another. Dolet 3 supports Sibelius 4.0 and 4.1 on Windows and Macintosh.

Recordare’s Dolet plug-ins serve as “universal translators” between music notation programs. While Sibelius 4 can read MusicXML 1.1 files, Dolet 3 for Sibelius adds the ability to save MusicXML 1.1 files. The combined products allow two-way sharing of files between Sibelius, Finale, and other programs at a level that has never before been possible.

Music preparation professionals who need to use multiple music notation programs have enthusiastically embraced the Dolet 3 and MusicXML 1.1 product families. The MusicXML format works with 50 different programs running on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux systems, including:

• Notation programs such as Finale 2006 and Sibelius 4
• Scanning programs such as SharpEye Music Reader and PhotoScore Professional
• The musicRAIN interactive sheet music player for web browsers
• The MuseBook and OrganMuse electronic music stands for piano and organ
• Sequencers
• Algorithmic composition programs
• Programs to create play-along CDs
• Tablature editors

This combined support makes MusicXML far and away the most widely adopted music notation format since MIDI..

Dolet 3 for Sibelius is available for US $129.95 direct from Recordare.

Upgrades from Dolet 1 for Sibelius are available for US $79.95. Dolet 1 continues to be offered for customers needing to save MusicXML 1.0 files from Sibelius 2.1 or 3.1.

More information is available at the Recordare site.

PG Music Inc.

New features include a fully-featured “Piano Roll” window; support for alternate guitar tunings; new harmonies with voicing in 4ths; “auto endings” added for styles without endings; Jazz chord symbol graphics; patch file lists conversion from PowerTracks Pro Audio or Cakewalk patch lists; enhanced TC-Helicon audio harmonies with pitch styles (automatic vibrato and scooping); a new “Vocal Wizard” that displays the best song keys for the user’s range, and more.

With the fully-featured “Piano Roll” window users can now edit the Melody or Soloist tracks with greater ease and precision. The window is divided into 2 panes: one for notes, the other for controllers, velocity, and other data. Users can change note duration and pitch by selecting and dragging with a mouse.

Band-in-a-Box 2005 supports alternate guitar tunings, including DADGAD, Drop D, Double Drop D, Open G, and 11 others. The new tunings are supported in styles, chord diagrams, guitar tutor, notation, tab, and printout. Customers can learn how to play using these tunings by watching the on-screen Guitar Fretboard or Notation/Tab Window.

With the new harmonies with voicing in 4ths, customers can add Modern Jazz harmonies to the Melody, Soloist, or THRU parts using 3, 4, or 5 part voicings. Included presets make it easy to select 4ths voicings and add sophisticated 4ths harmonies to existing songs.

“Auto Endings” added for styles without endings. Now 2-bar endings can be automatically generated, based on the current style. Useful for completing styles made from MIDI files using the Style Wizard.

The new Jazz chord symbol graphics include a triangle for major chords, a circle for diminished, and a circle with a slash for half-diminished. Tensions like b9 and b13 are now stacked vertically and contained in brackets. Customers can now see these symbols for display/printout on the Chord Sheet, Notation, and Lead Sheet windows.

TC-Helicon Audio Harmonies are enhanced with pitch styles (automatic vibrato and scooping). Now, customers can generate audio harmonies for recorded vocal tracks and select pitch styles adding vibrato and scooping effects to the vocal harmonies. Presets include “Ballad,” “Broadway,” “Pop Diva,” and more.

Band-in-a-Box can now read a patch file list generated by PowerTracks Pro Audio or Cakewalk and convert it to a .PAT file for use in Band-in-a-Box. Customers with synthesizer patch lists from one of these other programs can now easily convert it to Band-in-a-Box format.

The Vocal Wizard displays the best key for the user’s vocal range. Once the user has entered their vocal type (baritone, tenor, etc.), or chosen a custom range the wizard analyzes the song and recommends the best keys for that song. Options available to “include/exclude falsetto range,” “restrict choices to these keys [...]” and “transpose now.”

For more information, visit the PG Music site.