Style composing software

Hi,

Recording good styles on a keyboard is pretty difficult, especially on my Roland VA-7. My previous keyboard was much easier in doing things like this.

I know that there's software around to use when you want to create styles. Can anyone provide some information on the various software that is around to use for my Roland VA-7?

Sander
The Netherlands


[This message has been edited by Sander (edited 08-19-2001).]

Hi Sander,
EMC Styleworks is a good software to create styles for Roland Keyboards (not yet the VA7, I think, but styles created for the G 1000 are 100% compatible). Otherwise you can use a good sequencer (like Cubase or Cakewalk) to create the single parts of a style (intro, main, variation, fills, ending).
However, there are so many styles around for Roland arrangers that usually all I do is to use the excellent "Morphing" function of the VA7 to combine parts of existing styles to create a new one. The style I used for the song "Dock of the bay" (found on my website) was a combination of an old G800 style (8 beat 5 R&B) with the bass part of another style. Here are a few links to sites with lots of good Roland styles (even converted from other keyboards, like Ketron X1 and Yamaha PSR 9000): http://www.redrival.com/vonsje/g800.html http://www.daytonamusic.com/rag/download.htm http://users.pandora.be/RKCA/engels.htm http://www.roland.it
Best regards,
Andrea




[This message has been edited by Dreamer (edited 08-19-2001).]

Hi Sander,
Making a style is a lot of work on every
keyboard.Was your keyboard before the VA7 a
ROLAND? May be you are trying to play for all
the tracks a different line. But did you know
you can play for Maj.Min. and 7th one line
that will be used by all of them. Even for
basic and advantage ,original and variation
you could use IF YOU WANT one and the same
track.Do you know the copyfacilities?
EMC has a new version of the styleconverter,
I hope the VA7/76 is included now.
Do you have questions do not hesitate to ask.
For me the ROLANDsystem for stylemaking and
editing is the best and not difficult too.
I am in the Netherlands now and possibly I
could help you.

Thanks for the input.

OK, I do have Cakewalk/Cubase and some other software. I guess I will do another study on the manual then and use lines of Midi files which I can compose then on the screen. The goal of this all is to make good fitting styles with the well-known parts that you'll also hear in a song to make it more recognizable and better sounding. So it is to avoid the 'general' styles that come with the VA-7, although they are very good. I've just received an e-mail from someone who discouraged me to get EMC because of the cost, the time that's needed to create style and because I might not get what I expect. I will keep that in mind when making a decission. How do other users of this program think about that?

Mart, you do have a VA too?

Sander
The Netherlands

Sander,
I have EMC styleworks and it can convert part of a midifile into a style; so if you have a song you can use parts of that song (like the intro, the verse, the bridge, the chorus, the ending) to make corresponding parts of a style. Many arranger manufacturers today make styles this way; in the VA7 ZIP disk there is a style called "Guitar Oldie" which is taken from an old song of the Shadows.
Of course these styles can be used just for one song, but for that song they are really effective.

Hi Sander,
Yes I have the EMC program for styleconver-
ting. I play a VA too and making a style out
of a midifile is possible on the VA itself.
The EMC program allows you pure styleconver-
ting and making styles out of midifiles plus
editing. Converted styles need to be edited
for optimize them.The results can be very
good when you are a patient person that is
prepared to take the time for good editing.
The styles you find on the net which are con-
verted only are not so good because they are
not edited.The EMC program and the VA are
offering VERY GOOD EDITING.
Without the EMC program you can edit perfect-
ly on the VA itself the converted styles you
can find on the net.

Hi Sander,
I use the EMC, and it's a nice tool. But as
mentioned here, you have to put more to it to
reach a good result, and of course do the final
touch at the keyboard.
The first result various much depending of wich
brand you convert from and to.
Anyway, I would not buy the existing version of
EMC at the moment without a free upgrade warranty,
because there is a new version probably ready
this fall or winter.
GJ

BTW, here is a link for Roland styles: http://www.rolandeur.com/

[This message has been edited by Gunnar Jonny (edited 08-20-2001).]

Sander,



Roel

[This message has been edited by Roel (edited 08-20-2001).]

I would like to see EMC Styleworks be able to convert styles from Band in a box and Jammer Pro. I suppose you could take a midi song created by one of these programs and convert it to a style.

Vic,
yes, you are correct; once you create a midifile from a Band in a Box or Jammer pro song you can convert that midifile in a style using the EMC software.