A session with SB5: how to create "tonal" compositions. By Tim Conrardy ============================================================== 1.Double click on the SB5 application. If this is the first time you have run the program it will ask for what "mode" of SB5 you want. Read the Installation Notes in the SB5.TXT file that came with the program. 2.The two opening screens finally load and you are presented with the main SB5 screen. 3.Now to get some initial output from the program, select the COMPOSE Button.It becomes highlighted. When finished it un-highlights itself. Now click on PLAY. You will an interesting flurry of notes in the 12 tone style. If you are using a GM module you will hear some interesting percussion added to the sound as well. While this may be interesting, there are ways to get some "tonal" output from the program.Hit the SPACE BAR. SB5 stops playing (WHEW!) 4. First thing to change is the MIDI Channel row for number 10. Change it to 11, or another suitable midi channel. This way we get rid of the percussion sounds (unless you want that..but for now..lets change it.) 5.Notice there are Three Rows or sections. PITCH, NOTE LENGTH, and VELOCITY. 6.Go to the PITCH row and click into the box above the [1]. All the notes in that row are erased waiting to be filled in with your own note (pitch)selections. 7.I have found that using only 3 or 4 notes, you can get tonal output from SB5. This is accomplished by clicking on the notes right below the empty row and they are filled in by your selections. For this example, select C, E,and G.Repeat that sequence all the way thu the 12 slots for pitch.Notice this is a C major Triad chord. 8. Now we will be selecting paramaters for NOTE LENGTH. The selection is the same as above. Click in the box above the [1] and the previous note lengths are erased. click on [12] ( for our example ) thru all the 12 positions in the row. 9.For VELOCITY, we can leave this alone for now. We can come back to it at any time. 10.Click on COMPOSE. Then PLAY. You will hear an interesting progression created from the C-Major triad.Press the space bar to stop it at anytime. It will stop by itself as well after it has finished generating. 11. Lets change some things. Click on STYLE. You are brought to the STYLE screen. Lots of things here to experiment with. If you noticed when you play the piece, the timing was fluctulating a lot. To get rid of this and to make it more constant, RIGHT CLICK on LENGTH ROW (so it is unlighlighted) on the INVERSIONS colomn.Click on COMPOSE , then PLAY. You will hear the output a little more constant. Hit the Space bar to stop it. Lets go on. 12.Suppose I did not want to hear so much transposition in the piece. RIGHT CLICK (so it is not highlighted)on TRANSPOSE ROWS under TRANSPOSER at the bottom left corner of the screen. Now COMPOSE and PLAY to hear the results. It does not transpose anymore but stays in one key (more or less!).Stop it with the space bar when you are ready. 13. Lets try some more variation.Left click on ECHOES in the PLAYBACK Colomn. COMPOSE and PLAY. You will hear some arpegio sounding output.STOP, now try clicking on MULTIPLIER. COMPOSE and PLAY. 14 Sounds rather nice now. Lets slow it down a bit.Click on the tempo. For some reason, a higher number means slowing the tempo down. Right and Left Clicks make it go up or down. For our purposes, change it to 70. Now just select PLAY (no need to COMPOSE)Much Nicer! 15. Now lets SAVE your Piece. First click into MIDI FILE at the top menu bar. You have several selections there on how you want your midi file saved. I would select FORMAT 1. 192 PPQN, and GM DATA as well as GM NAME if you are using a GM module or plan to post on the net.Now go to SAVE. Select .MID. The file selector appears. You may want to save the MID file to the MID folder in the SB5 directory.Select that folder. then name your piece and PUT IN THE EXTENSION : .MID. Otherwise it will not save. 16. You can also SAVE your parameter settings by saving as a SB5 file from the save menu. Remember to put the .SB5 extension when saving your file! 17.There is also a screen for assigning patch cahges in GM format.( GM EDIT) You can even save your patch change referances as a GMF file . The same applies above when saving this file type as well. 18.The thing to do now is to explore by putting in different settings for Pitch, Note length and velocity as well as TRANsposition, and any of the STYLE parameters. The key is to put in some new values, COMPOSE, then PLAY to hear the results. SAVE if you like it and keep on going. You can generate many fine little pieces this way that you can export into your favorite sequencer for embellishments, or keep as is. It is up to you. =========================================================================== Tim Conrardy 6/2/01 16.Now, go to