BASIC STEP 4 - Detection of Mains

[♚Chello]

BASIC STEP 4
Detection of Mains

IMPORTANT:
Since this is an extensive work, it is a good idea to save the work right away, and this is done by clicking on the last floppy disk icon Save Song to Style Project to the right of Project at the top.

A tip:
You can add MAINS at the end of the file name, thus saving a work window for each step.
This is saved as a .STS file and can be opened at any time by clicking on the first floppy icon Load Song to Style Project.

By saving everything this way, you can easily go to each step and see what you have done.

Remember to press Save Song to Style Project regularly, so you do not have to make major mistakes that involve a lot of extra work.
Be attentive to make sure you save to the correct file address each time.

When you open Song To Style Converter after saving your project for the first time, this message appears:

   

Press No, because projects opened from backups provide insecure storage.


   

We will now find Mains, and Main A is found by looking at the values for Intro, which has Start at 2, and Length at 7.
By adding 2 and 7, we get 9, which becomes Start for Main A.

As you can see, Style Works has automatically created the Start and Length; 9/4 for Main A, 17/4 for Main B, 25/4 for Main C and 33/4 for Main D.

   

Amazingly, Style Works has found the right value for Start of Main A, which becomes 9.

Before proceeding, you should change all mains from Neutral to Playback by clicking on each mains Neutral and selecting Playback.
This is done to better hear that the different voices start in the correct key, and perceive chords correctly.

Once Playback is selected, play each main by clicking on it in turn.

Main A sounds just right; it even has the right number of bars with Length of 4.
All mains should act as a loop - you should be able to play a main for as long as you want continuously.
All mains have 4 bars, which is unusually correctly done by Style Works.

The other mains do not start correctly, and other starting points must be selected.

It is worth noting that when Main A starts with an odd number, the rest will mostly do the same.
Therefore; by adding 9 and 4, you get 13, which can act as Start for Main B.

I choose to continue to the next step, because 13 to 17 is a repetition of Main A.

17 fits well as Start for Main B, but does not fit with 4 bars - it needs 8 to function as a loop.
Strangely enough, Style Works has once again chosen the right value for Start of Main B, which is 17.

When you listen to Main B with 8 bars Length, you hear that the first bass beat has the wrong key.
How to fix this?

Click Details for Main B and uncheck the box in Part Editor under Force basic note on "I".
It should look like this afterwards:

   

When you play Main B again after this, the first stroke of the bass is correct.
Repeat this correction by unchecking the box also for Main C, as this also has the wrong key in the first bass beat.

To find the values for Main C, add 17 and 8, which become 25.
25 does not fit, as this starts wrong, and we add 4 bars to find the next possible starting point, which will be 29.
29 can be used, but I will try to find another value that stands out more, and continue to the next step, which becomes 33.

33 starts wrong, and we continue to 37, which does not work either.
41 does not work - on to 45 ..?
No, stop a bit - 43 works; notice the graphical change at about 42 bars - CHD Clean Gt. stops playing while PAD Distortion Gt starts playing - an obvious interlude, which should be prioritized and selected.

   

Start for Main C is thus 43, and works well as a loop with 4 bars Length.

Then it's just to continue as we have done in steps of 4 bars, but look at the graphics around 62 bars where most voices stop and start again at 65 bars, which gives an important final interlude, which in my opinion should be chosen in front of others possible.

This is a bit of a matter of taste - what you think is the most important thing to include must decide the choice sometimes.

Start for Main D is consequently 65, and 4 bars Length fits well, but 8 fits better, as this gives more variety.

It is also important to study the graphic image when selecting Length for Main D, and make sure that there are enough bars left for a complete ending, which it is in this case.

This is what the Mains window looks like, after I have entered the correct values:

   

Now is the time to select the right sounds for Mains - the process is the same as for Intros - and this is done by clicking on Details for Main 1, after which the window for Part Editor then shows:

(You can drag the window where you want for the best overview)

In Intros we used the following Sources (voices): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11 and 12.

If possible, we will use the same for Mains, but must (should) take into account that the number of tracks is different for Mains than for Intros, which has 7 tracks.

The voices 11 and 12 can also create harmonic conflicts when used in Mains, because these are MEL voices that have a certain melody line.
This melody line was reproduced in Intros as Playback, while in Mains it must be reproduced in Neutral, which does not always work optimally.

When you open the different Mains by clicking on Details in each, you will see that Main A has 4 tracks, while Main B, C and D have 5 tracks.

All Mains can each have up to 7 tracks if desired, and this is done by clicking on Details in each Main, and enter 7 instead of eg 4 under Tracks in Part Parameters in Part Editor.

   

Click Exit from Part Editor, and see that the number of tracks is now 6 against previously eg 4 tracks.
Repeat this process for all Mains.

I always try to maintain a homogeneous, repetitive structure of all voices, from Intro to Ending.

Many professional styles do not take care of this structure, which results in these styles sounding violent in Intro and Endings, while Mains lacks something in relation to these, which does not sound good.

To maintain homogeneity, it is desirable to increase the number of tracks in all Mains to 6, and this is done as described by entering 6 under Tracks in Part Parameters.
I have selected 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 as Sources, and listened along the way by trying out all the available sounds.
Other values can be selected, but this will go beyond the homogeneity, plus there may be problems with chords being rendered incorrectly.

Finished editing of the number of tracks looks like this:

   

   

   

   

Now only one very important detail remains:
All Mains are earlier set to Playback to make the harmonies more understandable during editing.
All Mains must be returned to Neutral for the style to function normally.
This is done by clicking on Playback for each Main, and selecting Neutral.

This should then look like this:

   


That was it - hopefully it's understandable.

[⚖musicalmemoriesuk]

I haven’t started work on this yet, but could this method be used as the basis for creating in ‘Universal Style Framework’ a style that would sound virtually same from one make of arranger to another (With tweaking of course) a kind of Swiss Army knife of styles.

[♚Chello]

@musicalmemoriesuk

Thank you for your interest and your question, which gives me the opportunity to explain the criteria that must be used to create a universal style.

The principle I have used with this tutorial is based on making the style as universal as possible - so yes; this method can be used as a basis.

The most decisive factor in being able to create a universal style lies in the song itself - this must have simple chords as well as a stable rhythm, typically in 4/4.
This is the most important thing.

Secondly, the midi file must contain as many "green" instruments (CHD) as possible, but "pink" instruments (PAD) can also be used with great caution.
All "red" instruments (MEL) that have a melody line must be omitted, as these bind and limit the free choice of chords.

A midi file that contains many CHD instruments is thus the best starting point for creating a universal style.

Finally, it is crucial that only as many CHD instruments as possible are used for the style; not least in intros and endings.

A low number of bars in all parts is also preferable, as it is much easier to get chords to work with a few bars.

Some of the best performing universal styles I have created are based on short intros and endings (2-5 bars), and only 1-2 bars in Mains.
This is very difficult to achieve, and is very labor intensive, as you usually have to listen through the entire midi file bar by bar, and test these in all parts along the way.

The very best method for creating a universal style is to make all parts neutral, but this places great demands on the fact that only CHD instruments should be used in all parts.
Yamaha has its version of this type with their FreePlay styles, while Korg uses this on all its styles in Intro2 and Ending2.

I plan to make a tutorial also for this type of styles specifically, as this is considered the best type of styles.


Universal styles made in the way I have described are the most difficult to make of all, and place great demands on musicality and knowledge to succeed.

[⚖musicalmemoriesuk]

Thanks for the explanation, I was thinking aloud and thought you would be a good sounding board.

[♚Chello]

@musicalmemoriesuk

I forgot one important thing:
If you create a style for eg Yamaha with Style Works, the same style will sound different on a Korg, Ketron or Roland - all models actually give different results.

Many have believed and wished that when I make a style for Yamaha, I can make the same style for Korg and others - that's not the case.

Different arranger keybaords all have slightly different layouts on chords; that is why we have different formats for MIDI, such as GM, GM2, XG and GS and more.
Knowing with 100% certainty what kind of format your midi file has is practically impossible, as this may have been converted many times along the way, which can give strange results.

It is therefore always an advantage to try to find original midi files directly from the source, so you do not have to spend a lot of your time on something that does not work.
Precisely because of the above facts, it is wise to test the style early on the keyboard and hear if the sound is good or not, as well as whether the chords work properly.

Yamaha is the best format to work with in Style Works, and will almost always give usable results, while Korg is very difficult to work with.

Both Ketron and Roland are significantly simpler than Korg - but Yamaha is by far the best of all.