StyleMaker

(This file generally appears better when printed)

See Quick Start Guide for condensed instructions
and Appendix for Vista/Windows 7 instructions
Colored Text denotes program controls

General Description
This program operates in conjunction with a PC
sequencer program to create PSR styles from a
midi song file, from midi/style templates
(including one for Band In The Box styles), or by
editing an existing style file.
StyleMaker performs the necessary stylemaking chores and passes a working file to/from
the operators sequencer program that is used to
enter/edit/record notes, program changes,
effect-pan-tempo, etc., and auditions the result.
StyleMaker records commands (such as
miscellaneous setup sysex, effects types and
markers) that must occur in setup measures or
are inconvenient or confusing to enter in a
sequencer. It delegates to the sequencer
events that can occur within the music section
markers and benefit from the sequencers realtime and graphical editing functions.
StyleMaker will operate with most sequencers
that support markers.

First time setup

Cakewalk Sonar 7, Cakewalk Homestudio 8, XG

Works and Yamahas MegaEnhancer. This
manual refers to operation with Cakewalk Sonar
7, but is generally applicable to other programs.
While a style is being created, auditions can
best be done in your sequencer. But after the
Casm is built and notes are converted, the use
of a PSR style playing program is required. The
programs MidiPlayer (for both style and midi
files) or StylePlayer (for format 1 style files only)
are recommended. You can obtain
them by clicking the
Manual/Help/Check for Updates
menu item and selecting
Software/StyleManager Series.
If desired, you can also enter a default output
folder for the program to use.

Configure your sound source.

The sequencer program will audition files on any

instrument or sound card that can play midi files.
However, use of XG/panel voices is strongly
recommended and these require a PSR (via a
midi cable), a Soft Synth with XG capability, or
an appropriate sound card for playback. See
Appendix H.

Consult the Manual or Quick Start Guide

StyleMaker can create styles from several

sources and facilitate the editing existing styles.
These operations typically require several steps.
Click the Manual/Help Quick Start Guide menu
item for a brief overview and consult the detailed
instructions below.

Select a sequencer/midi editor and style

player program
StyleMaker must know which programs to use
as the associated sequencer and to play the
style from within the program. To make these
selections, click the Setup menu item and
Browse to the location of the programs.
StyleMaker should operate with any sequencer
that supports markers. It has been tested with

Creating a style from a midi file

Open

Open a file
Select the sections to be created
Audition and edit the file in the
sequencer
Generate a CASM
Convert notes to key of CMaj7
Save/play
a file

Click on the Open button or the

File/Open menu item and select a midi
or style file.

StyleMaker will only accept midi Type 0 files.

Convert a file to Type 0 by loading it into the
PSR, and then saving the file to a new filename,
or use your sequencer program.

needed measure or make a click track (note on

first beat of every measure). Extending the midi
by adding one note at measure 45 will not work.
Click the Section buttons to create marker
events at predetermined locations (see
Appendix A). The
markets will be used by
you in the sequencer to
identify the beginning and ending of each
section, e.g. >Main A and <Main A.
While a finished style can have 14 sections, it is
recommended at new users start out with less
until they gain experience. Main A, Intro A,
Ending A and Fill In AA are reasonable choices.
It may take your computer a couple of seconds
to create markers; if necessary, pause between
section clicks.

After loading, StyleMaker will display filename,

copyright, tempo, time signature, and key (if
available). The first two columns the CASM
Generator section shows the midi channel
number, the first instrument type (e.g. keyboard,
strings, etc.) assigned, and the type of voice
(GM, Panel and XG; definitions in Appendix I)
for all the midi channels containing data. If there
is more than one program change in the midi,
the total number is displayed in () following the
instrument type as an indication that various
regions may differ.
By default, when a midi file is loaded with the
Open or BBStyle commands, if there is no LSB
controller event (common with files following the
General Midi standard) , Style Maker will create
MSB and LSB events and specify the PSR the
panel voice in Bank 112. To load a file with
General Midi voice, uncheck Specify Panel
Voices in the Options menu item and reload
the file. Files with any LSB value (even 0) and
files with extension other than .mid (e.g. .sty) will
be loaded without modification.

Select the sections to be created

StyleMaker requires a midi with > 35 measures

making a style from a midi and >44
for making a style from BIAB song.
The midi size display gives you this
information.
One way to extend it is GoTo your sequencer
and copy and paste the rhythm track to the

Audition and edit the file in the sequencer

Click on the GoTo button. This opens

your sequencer with the working file
StyleMaker.mid. This file is the original
midi with the addition of the markers
and other commands, and with any invalid
commands removed. In the sequencer:
Play the midi to determine which midi channels
are appropriate for the various accompaniment
parts: Sub rhythm, Rhythm, Bass, Chord 1,
Chord 2, Pad, Phrase 1 and Phrase 2.
It is recommended that you make a note of your
assignments and their midi channel number.
This information will be needed later to generate
the CASM and to make use of the optional
chord/scale tone conversion feature described
below.
Move the beginning and ending markers to
define the notes to be included in each section.
The beginning marker must precede the ending
marker. The order of the sections does not
matter and overlapping sections are valid. Fill
Ins are limited to one measure in length; the
others may be up to 255 measures. Practically,
the lengths must be such that final stylefile size
does not exceed the memory limitations of the
PSRs (see Appendix B).

To change a marker
position in Cakewalk,
drag the marker flag
next to the markers name in the track display.
For large moves, it is often more convenient to
edit the marker in the Marker View (double click
the marker flag on the tool bar and then double
click the marker).

your instrument to determine the valid MSB,

LSB and program change numbers for your
instrument. In Cakewalk, use an Instrument
Definition file for your PSR, or calculate the
Bank Number by the following formula: Bank # =
128 * MSB value + LSB value. Drum voices
always have MSB=127, so their bank numbers
start at 16256.

To audition a section in Cakewalk,

Tempos: Adjust in the sequencer. By default,

StyleMaker only allows a Style to have one
tempo in order to prevent unwanted changes to
the basic rhythm. To allow multiple tempo
events, click Allow Multiple Tempos under the
Options menu item in StyleMaker.

drag the cursor over the measure

numbers between the beginning and end
markers, click Set Loop to Selection and
Loop On, and then click Play.
Edit notes, key signature, program changes,
tempo, Effects settings, etc as desired.
Key Signature: The key signature must be
correct. Many midi files display a key of C when
in fact other keys are used. Inspect the note
data in the sequencer to determine its key (if you
do not already know) and adjust the setting.
Note: Cakewalk does not allow entering minor
keys. Use the key name (e.g. G for G min) to
enter the key in Cakewalk and change the key
type manually in the Casm display.
Changing Voices: If there are no control and
program changes occurring within a sections
markers, the instrument used for the style part is
determined by the control and program changes
located in the first measure of the midi ( that is,
after the SFF1/SInt marker, but before any other
marker such as Main A). If you only have one
set of voice changes, make sure they are
located here!
Cakewalks Track
View displays the
voice changes that are
located in the first measure of the file.
Changes in later measures will only display in
the List view. You have to look in both places to
see all the changes.

Note: Yamaha instruments use the Normal

method of bank select where both the MSB and
LSB values are specified. See the voice chart for

Effects: (Note: Users may want to defer djusting

effects until they have gained experience in
make style files.)
To change the PSR default effect settings, you
can use the Effects menu item in StyleMaker.
To adjust the send amounts from each channel
to the different effects, use editing tools in the
sequencer. For Cakewalk, this is provided by
StyleMaker StudioWare.
To install, in Cakewalk, click Open, and select:
C: \ Program Files\ StyleMaker\ StyleMaker
Effects Mixer.CakewalkStudioWare .
See Appendix E & F for an overview on using
the Effects in StyleMaker and StyleMaker
Effects StudioWare in Cakewalk.

Return to StyleMaker
Important! To preserve any changes to
markers, etc. made in the sequencer, click
the Save button before exiting (or click Yes
to the save StyMaker? prompt). To discard
any changes, exit without saving.
Note: Cubase, does not have a midi save. In this
program, export the edited file as a midi Type 0
file to C:StyMaker.mid (please note that the
different spelling!) and then exit Cubase.
StyleMaker should then open with the file you
exported.
Note that you do not have to create/edit all
sections/parts at once. You can go back and
forth as often as you want between StyleMaker
and the sequencer.
If at any point (say before performing some
radical editing maneuver or to keep as a
foundation for another style), you wish to save a
copy of the working file containing the marker
placement and other edits, you can save it in
StyleMaker with the File/Save menu item, or by
using SaveAs from the sequencer.
Generate a CASM
The CASM is used to redirect the midi channel
data to the accompaniment channels within the
PSR, called parts. It also determines how the
PSR processes the data in response to chord
changes. For simplicity, StyleMaker creates one
Format 1 CASM for all sections of a style made
from a midi. Factory styles generally have
different CASM settings for mains, intros and
endings. To make a more complex CASM, use
of Casm Editor (http://www.jososoft.dk/yamaha/
) is recommended.

for all midi channels that contain note events.

Not all these midi channels will be used in the
style, as some will contain melody lines, etc. that
are not appropriate for use in accompaniment
parts.
To create a CASM for your style,
locate the midi channels that you
used in the sequencer
(remember that list?) and assign
them to accompaniment parts by
clicking on the channels Part
box and selecting the desired choice.
To have StyleMaker do this, locate the midi
channels that are not required and assign them
to the Part Mute-Lock. (For midis having only a
few channels, most often you can skip the mutelock step and just do Auto Casm). Then click on
the Auto CASM Set button.
StyleMaker will make tentative
assignments based upon the
instrument voice. If the track has an unusual
voice (e.g. bagpipes), no voice part will be
assigned and you will have to do it manually.
You can change these assignments by clicking
on a channels Part box, or you can clear all
unlocked assignments by clicking
on Clear CASM. To clear a MuteLock assignment, assign it to
another part or to Un-Mute. Part assignments
can be reviewed in the sequencer by displaying
text events. In Cakewalk, this is accomplished
by clicking on the File/Info menu item.
When a Part is assigned, StyleMaker completes
the remainder of the table by using PSR default
settings for that part. You can change these
values by clicking on the channels CASM
parameter and selecting a new value. The
LoLimit & HiLimit values (C0 to G10) must be
typed in.
Many users are intimidated by the CASM; they
should not be. In almost every case, the correct
settings are determined by the part the channel
is assigned to (e.g. Bass), and the standard
settings (such as assigned by Auto CASM Set)
are adequate. An exception is the Key Type if
its minor. This must be entered manually. See
Appendix K for more information.

When a file is opened in StyleMaker, a CASM

table is created in the lower part of the screen

Convert Notes
To play properly in a PSR, notes in Main & Fill
Sections should observe the following rules:
Bass & Phrase parts: only scale tones. In the
key of CM7, these are: C, D, E G, A, B.
Chord & Pad parts: only chord tones. In the key
of CM7, these are: C, E, G, and B.
In practice, conforming to these rules means
that a 12 note scale is reduced to 4-6 notes and
a style may no longer resemble the original midi.
(PSRs are often more tolerant than these rules
suggest, and you may want to try your style in a
PSR before extensive editing to conform to
these rules.)
The Convert options in StyleMaker automatically
transposes data, notated in any key, to the key
of C with the chord and scale tone rules required
of Main and Fill sections. To do so,
there must be a CASM. To perform
a conversion click on the area of
the Convert Notes button and
select the CMajor or the CMajor7th option.
For midi files, the CMajor option will convert all
channels to the key of CMaj based upon the Key
assignment in StyleMakers CASM, and force all
notes in Main and Fill sections to observe the
required rules (Bass & Phrase: Scale Tones =
C,D,E,G,A,B; Chord & Pad: Chord Tones =
C,E,G,B). The initial Key assignment is
automatically made from the key signature. For
style files, if Use Styles Casm is selected, the
key used in Convert is obtained from the styles
CASM; otherwise the key in StyleMakers CASM
is used.

The default for CMajor7th creates chords that

play the major/minor chords as expected and
th
the 7 by substituting a B for the root (e.g. EGBb
th
for C7). To always create 7 chords with a root
(C=CEGC, C7=CEGBb), check Convert7th by
adding a B under the Options menu item.
Regarding playback: In the PSR, a B in
th
Main/Fill sections will only play when a 7 chord
is called for. In a sequencer, however, it will
always play and all such chords will sound as
7ths. This can make it difficult to audition a style
with Bs with the sequencers Play function.
There are two solutions to this problem: 1)
develop the style without the 7ths to be able to
use the sequencers Play function for
auditioning, and use the CMajor7th function
immediately before saving the style, or 2)
develop the style with the 7ths included, save
the style, and use StylePlayer to audition it.
Play and Save the style
To play a style you have created, click the
area of the Play button and select the
file to be played. To audition a style
you have made, save it first and then
choose Last Style Saved. To audition
file you have opened without converting to a
style, choose Last File
Opened. To open the
player without a file, choose
Open Player With No File.

th

The 7 note must be included with the chord

th
notes in Main and Fill sections for 7 chords to
play in a PSR. To perform a conversion that
creates the necessary Bs, click on the
CMajor7th. Note: With all conversions
th
operations, but especially Chord/Scale/7
Notes, all notes must end before a new style
section (as defined by the Markers, Main B, etc)
begins. This is easily confirmed and fixed by
viewing the midi in Cakewalks piano roll mode.
Notes that bridge sections will create Bs of
very long duration.

Once you have created a CASM, you can save

at any time by clicking on the SaveAs button.
You may wish to add or edit the styles copyright
text as appropriate. If there is a copyright, the
fields length is limited to the original number of
characters. If greater length is desired, edit
these fields in the sequencer instead.

Creating a style from a template

Templates located in the StyleMaker
directory allow creation of new
stylefiles in several time signatures.
Click on Open and select an
appropriate template in either midi or
style format. You can then proceed in
the same manner as in creating a
style from a midi or a style,
depending upon the template type
loaded.
The midi templates have a soundless
track in channel 16, and the style
templates have a click track in
channel 9. These tracks can be deleted as soon
as all the desired sections have been created.

Editing or creating a style from an

existing style
StyleMaker offers a convenient way to edit an
existing style while preserving the CASM, to add
new sections to an existing style, or to create a
new style from an older one.
StyleMaker processes style files in much the
same manner as it does midi files. Important
exceptions are:

Since there are no notes between sections, it

does not create beginning and ending markers
for existing sections. The markers are preserved
as they were in the original file; i.e. the end of
one section is delineated by the beginning of the
next section. New sections are created with
beginning and ending markers. Since the file
already consists of sections, new sections will
overlap existing sections.

When a style is loaded, you may use the

CASM that is built into the style, edit the styles
Casm in CASM Editor
(http://www.jososoft.dk/yamaha/) or create a
CASM in StyleMaker.
When no new
sections have been
added, just click the
Use Styles Casm
button.
When new sections have been created, use of
CASM Editor is the preferred method.

When the Convert function is selected, the

original CASM is used to determine the key for
each part and translate it to CMaj or CMaj7.

Unlike midi files that are in one key, style files

often use different keys for various part sections.
This makes the style sound discordant when
played in a sequencer. Solutions include playing
the tracks one at a time, using the Convert
option, or saving the style using the original
CASM and auditioning it with StylePlayer.

Creating a Style from a Band in the

Box style
StyleMaker can create PSR styles from Band in
the Box (BB) styles. To do this you must have
the BB program and follow this sequence of
operations: (developed with BB Version 11).
In the Band in a Box program:
1) Start BB and enable the two bar lead in must
be enabled in BB. If in doubt, restore the factory
settings with Opt/Return to Factory Settings.
Open a BB template song located in C:\Program
Files\ StyleMaker. The BB songs generally have
the form Type of Intro_Variations_Muted
Instrument. For instance,
Pop_ABab_(-g).SG3 creates a midi
with a Pop Intro and uses BBs A
variation in Main A, B Variation in
Main B, a version of A with the
guitar part muted in Main C, and a
muted version of B in Main D. This
variation scheme used by this song
is best for creating styles for two
variation PSRs.
Likewise, Pop_aAbB_(-g).SG3
creates a style with the reduced
instrument versions immediately preceding the
full variations.
Pop_AABB.SG3 has Variation A for Main A&B,
Variation B for Main C&D. To provide variety
between the Main sections, it is recommended
that one or more part voices be varied.
The PopAABB_Solo.SG3 includes a solo track.
The solo used can be selected in BB.

Jazz songs are similar and have Jazz Intros. All

songs create four variation PSR styles with four
breaks plus three intros and three endings.
Note: BB defaults to recording midi with part
volumes set to 90. This will result in a style that
is louder than normal. You can lower BBs
default volume in Opt./Midi Channels, Options
and then clicking Save. Alternatively, you can
adjust the individual volumes later in your
sequencer.
2) Select a BB style with the STY style picker
button, note the suggested tempo, and click OK
to load the style. Say No if requested to
change durations. When the style has loaded,
change the tempo to the value that was
suggested by the style picker display.
If desired, click Intro then Regenerate to change
the intro chords. To change the reduced
instrument assignments ( e.g. if a style does not
have a part that is being muted, the a and A
variations will sound the same), right click on
the Rest designations to specify the parts you
want to hear or load a song with the desired part
muted. To add or change a Solo, click on the
Soloist button.
3) Save the song as a midi by clicking on the
.MID button, selecting Midi type 0, and providing
a unique filename. (Note: BB earlier than
Version 11 only made Midi Type 1 files; these
must be converted to Type 0 before loading into
StyleMaker).
Then in StyleMaker:
1) Start StyleMaker and click on the
BBStyle button. This creates the PSR
style, generating the part assignments
for the CASM using the instruments
detected in the midi. If any channel does not
have PSR part assigned, that means StyleMaker
could not recognize the voice or was not sure
which part (Bass, Phrase 1, etc) it should be
assigned to. In these cases, you will have to
make the assignment manually (by clicking in
the Part column and making a selection). Typical
assignments would be channel 2=Bass, Channel
3(usually keyboard) =Chord 1, Channel 6
(usually guitar) =Chord 2, Channel 7=
Pad if strings or sustained instrument,
Phrase 1 otherwise. When all
channels have a part assigned, the
style can be saved using the SaveAs

button.
BB midis use General Midi instrument voices.
StyleMaker changes these to PSR Bank 112
panel voices. To specify General Midi (LSB=0)
voices, uncheck Specify Panel Voices in the
Options menu item before opening a midi.
StyleMaker defaults to making four measure
sequences for Main A-D. To make eight
measure sequences (perhaps with some extra
fills or flourishes), click the Options menu item
and click the Use 8 Measures. Changing either
the panel voice or measure settings in the
Options menu are remembered by the program.
You can edit StyleMaker songs or make your
own. See Appendix J for details.

Converting a style to use MegaVoices

with Mega Enhancer
MegaEnhancer cannot be used directly with
styles because it destroys the Casm, OTS and
MF sections. To avoid this, start StyleMaker and
use the Setup menu item to select Mega
Enhancer as your sequencer.
By default, StyleMaker includes an XG System
On command that, in Mega Enhancer, allows
only voices that have megavoice versions (e.g.
CleanGuitar > Mega CleanGuitar) to be
converted. Unchecking Options/Include XG
System On will allow Mega Enhancer to first
translate voices to their GM/XG versions (e.g.
SolidGuitar-000118027 > CleanGuitar000000027) and then to the megavoice version.
This results in more megavoices, but does not
use the same instruments as the files author.
Load the style into StyleMaker, then Go
Sequencer to start Mega Enhancer, click
Convert, say Yes to Save but change the file
name to C:StyMaker.mid, Exit Mega Enhancer
to return to StyleMaker, select "Use Styles
Casm" and then click SaveStyle and select a
new stylename. This style will have the
megavoices and all the other style sections
included.

Improving your styles sound

Styles made from midis and Band In The Box
templates can be improved by passing them
through MidiPlayer:

Select your Instrument to configure

voices.
Use AutoVolumeSet and DrumMix to set
typical style volumes
Use AutoPan set to pan the instruments.
Use Effects to adjust reverb.

Appendix
A) Approximate location of added style
section markers (measures)
Section Beginning Ending
Main A
Main B
Main C
Main D
Intro A
Intro B
Intro C
Ending A
Ending B
Ending C
Fill In AA
Fill In BB
Fill In CC
Fill In DD

9
12
15
18
2
4
7
21
23
25
27
29
31
33

11
14
17
20
3
6
8
22
24
26
28
30
32
34

StyleMaker may not be able to place the

markers accurately if the file is sparsely
populated. If it looks like only one marker is
present, they are on top of one another in the
display. Move either to reveal the other. The
above markers should always be placed no
earlier than measure 2; measure 1 is reserved
for setup markers.
B) Style Size Considerations

Factory styles typically have the following

lengths:
Main sections --- 2-4 measures
Fill in section ---Limited to 1 measure
Intro sections ---1-8+ measures
Ending sections ---1-8 measures

C) Valid Midi Events in StyleMaker

Note On, Note Off

Program Change
Pitch Bend
Control Change Numbers: 0, 1, 6, 7,10,11,
32, 71, 74, 91, 93, 94

Copyright, Style/Track Name, Instrument

Name, Marker, Key Signature, Tempo, Time
Signature
XG Parameter Change Effect 1
XG Parameter Change Drum Setup: Pitch
Coarse & Fine, Level, Pan, Send to ReverbChorus- Variation, Filter Cutoff &
Resonance, EG Attack and Decay Rates

StyleMaker automatically records commands

(such as effects and markers) that must occur in
setup measures, or events that are inconvenient
or confusing to enter in a sequencer. It
delegates to the sequencer those events such
as note-on/off, program change, pan, volume,
and effect sends that can occur within the
section markers and benefit from the
sequencers real-time and graphical editing
functions.

D) PSR Parts
Part names refer to midi channel assignments
within the PSR (i.e. SubRhythm =9, Rhythm=10,
Bass=11, Chord 1 =12, Chord 2= 13, Pad =14,
Phrase 1 = 15 and Phrase 2 =16). The
characteristics of playback for the non-rhythm
channels are determined by the CASM
parameters, not the part name.
A midi channel containing say, pad events, can
be assigned to any Bass, Chord, Pad or Phrase
Part. When making such assignments,
remember to modify the default CASM
parameters such as NTT and Retrigger to
settings more appropriate to the events in that
channel.
Midi channels using the same instrument can be
assigned to the same PSR Part without problem.
For instance, chord riffs, recorded on several
midi channels, can all be assigned to Phrase 1
and they will be merged during accompaniment
playback.
E) Effects
The PSRs include three independent effect
processors that are available to style parts:
Reverb, Chorus and Variation, which has two
options, System and Insertion. The XG defaults
(established by an XG On sysex command,
automatically included by StyleMaker) are
Reverb: Hall 1, Chorus: Chorus 1, Variation:
System-Delay LCR.

Other selections may be made in StyleMakers

Effects Window (Effects menu item). Essential
Effects, included on all XG devices, and
indicated by a * are recommended when the
style is to be used with a broad range of
instruments. The numbers in square brackets
following the effect name correspond to the
decimal values of the MSB-LSB in the effects
Effect Type List, and can be used to identify
effects independently from titles that may vary
between instruments. Effect selections are made
once for an entire style and are placed by
StyleMaker in the setup sections.
All but the Insertion Effect accept signal from all
channels. The contribution from each channel to
the effect is determined by the channels Send
Level for that effect. Send levels are controller
events (91, 93, 94 for Reverb, Chorus, System)
that can be located anywhere in a style and thus
can vary between style sections.
The Send Level for each channel for each
desired effect is set in the sequencer. In
Cakewalk, use the StyleMaker Effects Mixer
StudioWare to select effects, and adjust send
and channel volume levels. To open the mixer
within Cakewalk, click on Open, and select the
file StyleMaker Effects
Mixer.CakewalkStudioWare in the StyleMaker
installation folder (e.g. C:/StyleMaker).
The contribution from each effect to the final mix
is determined by the effects output return level.
The XG defaults for returns are unity gain
(output=input) and it is often adequate and more
convenient to leave these and only adjust the
individual Send Levels. Other values may be
selected in the Effects window.
While Reverb/Chorus/System effects most
frequently operate in parallel with their
contributions determined by the channel send
and the effect return settings, it is possible to
operate them in series, with some portion of one
feeding another. Settings for System Send to
Reverb, System Send to Chorus, and the
Chorus Send to Reverb control this behavior
and are located in the Effects Window.
Note that Send levels are linear controls with a
minimum (0) = no effect and a maximum (127) =
all effect. Effect returns are non-linear with
minimum (0) = no output, midscale (64) = output

equal to input and maximum (127) = 6dB

increase over input levels.
Insertion Effects operate only on a single part
and do not have send or return levels. More
limited in variety and flexibility, insertion effects
are used primarily as a quick way of adding an
effect to one part. To use Insertion Effects, click
Insertion as the Variation Effect type, select the
desired effect and click on an Insertion Part to
apply it to. Insertion Effects are not available in
the StyleMaker Effects Mixer StudioWare.
G) StyleMaker Effects Mixer
Using the StyleMaker Effects Mixer in Cakewalk:
To open the mixer, click Open and select the file
StyleMaker Effects Mixer.CakewalkStudioWare
in the StyleMaker installation directory (e.g.
C:/StyleMaker).
Choose the effects for Reverb, Chorus and
System by clicking the button over the desired
selection. Essential Effects buttons are colored
green. Effect selections must be made once for
the entire style and must be located in the setup
sections. To do this, click Rewind in the Track
Window and then click the Snapshot button at
the top left of the mixer panel.
Adjust the rotary Send controls for each
channel, and each effect, to set the amount of
signal going to the effect. The Mute/Solo buttons
at the bottom of the panel are convenient for
auditioning the effect selection and send levels.
(Note that the effect selections are stored on
channel 1, so be careful in muting this channel).
The Volume sliders may be used to balance the
level of the combined wet + dry mix relative to
other channels.
Effect Send/Volume Controller events can be
located anywhere in a style file and can be
Snapshot along with the effect selections at the
beginning of the file. Alternatively, they may be
located at the beginning of sections or altered in
real time as the style is auditioned. To prevent
including effect selections that are illegal beyond
the beginning of the file, select the effect
Bypass for each event type before the
snapshot or recording. Bypass suppresses the
recording of any effect selection, whereas
NoEffect turns off the effects processor.

The StudioWare is not protected so you can

modify it if desired.
H) Sound Source Considerations
Styles played through a sound card offering the
standard General Midi (GM) voices will not
sound like what you will hear when the style is
loaded on a PSR or used with another XG
sound source! Since the purpose of StyleMaker
is to accurately create PSR style files, how the
style plays is an important consideration.
I) Instrument Voices
If StyleMaker cannot identify the voice as likely
being GM, Panel or XG, it displays the three
parameters in the instrument column.
Frequently, these voices will not sound properly
(if at all) on most PSRs, and they should be
changed in the sequencer.

CC
Main D
Fill In
DD
Ending
A
Ending
B
Ending
C

33-36
40

35-38
42

35-42
42

41-42

43-44

43-44

40-42

42-44

42-44

39-42

41-44

4144

K) Casm Settings
The Casm is a section of the style that makes
various assignments to each of the midi
channels so that they will operate properly as
PSR accompaniment channels. The Casm is
organized into sections where each style section
has the sub records for each midi track used
See the following structure with the possible
values indicated.

Make sure that Sub Rhythm or Rhythm parts

specify a Yamaha drum kit. This requires MSB
=127. In Sonar, the MSB and LSB define the
bank number in the track view according to the
formula: Bank Number = MSB*128 + LSB. E.g.
Yamaha Standard Drum kit (MSB: 127, LSB 0):
bank=16256, program change: 0

Style sections: Main A, IntroC, etc (several can be defined

at once)

J) Template Songs for BB

Source Key: C, C#, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, Bb, B

StyleMaker songs are templates that place

portions of the BB midi in locations where
StyleMaker can find them. Since BB includes a
two bar lead in (which StyleMaker uses to
reserve space for setup events), the locations as
seen in BB and a sequencer are offset by two
measures.
PSR
Section
Intro A

Location
in BB
1-4

4 bars in
sequencer
3-6*

8 Bar in
sequencer
3-6

(3:01:000 to
6:04:119)

Intro B
Intro C
Main A
Fill In
AA
Main B
Fill In
BB
Main C
Fill In

5-8
1-8
9-12
16

8-10
3-10
11-14
18

8-10
3-10
11-18
18

17-20
24

19-22
26

19-26
26

25-28
32

27-31
34

27-35
34

Sub record 1
Midi source track:1 to 16 (the channel numbers on the left of
the Casm display)
PSR destination track (Parts): Chord1, SubRhythm, Rhythm,
Bass Chord1 & 2, Phrase 1& 2

Key Type : min, maj,maj7, etc

Chord Mute: Maj Maj6 Maj7 M7#11 (9) M7(9) 6(9), etc
(chords that trigger the track)
Note Transposition Rule (NTR): Root transposed, Root fixed
(keep note inversion or minimize root movement)
Note Transposition Table (NTT): Chord, Bass, Melody,
Melodic Minor, Harmonic Minor, Bypass (suitability)
High Key:
C, C#, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, Bb, B
(higher roots are shifted -1 octave)
Note LoLimit: C0 to G10 (Factory style use E2 for bass; C0
for most others)
Note High Limit: C0 to G10
Retrigger Rule: Retrigger, Retrigger to root, specific note
(action when note bridges chords)
Track Name: Hot guitar (could be anything; blank in
StyleMakers Casm)
Editable in PSR: No isYamahas default setting;
StyleMakers is yes
Notes allowed: C C# D Eb E F F# G G# A Bb B (StyleMaker
allows all)

Sub Record 2, etc

Thus for each group of style sections, there can

be up to 16 sub records. If each style section
was separate, there could be 16X14 =244
records. In complex styles, there can be several
source tracks for a destination track. One source
track might be configured via Chord Mute to be
triggered by major chords, while another would
th
be triggered by minor chord, 7 chords, etc.
StyleMaker can use either the Casm that is in
the file itself (for style files) or create one for use
in making style files from a midi or where added
tracks make the internal Casm of a style file
invalid. For simplicity, the Casm created by
StyleMaker covers all style sections and is
generally adequate for beginning stylemakers.
Since each destination track must have at least
one source track, that leaves 8 additional tracks
for use with ChordMute or note allowed
definitions.
Auto Casm Set assigns Parts based upon the
type of instrument defined for that track, and
other Casm values, except Source Key and Key
Type, based upon the Part designation. The
Source Key is obtained from the key signature
and, since it is used by StyleMakers Convert
function, it must be set before this facility is
used. If Convert is used, the Key Type will be
set automatically. Otherwise all Key Types other
than major must be entered manually.
Some additional information on the interaction of
HiKey and LoLimit: Chords with roots higher
than HighKey will be shifted down an octave,
unless limited by LoLimit. For example, if the
style is programmed to play a chord in the
second octave, with LoLimit C0, and HighKey is
D#, then chords C, C#, D,D# will play in the
second octave and chords E and higher in the
first octave. If LoLimit is set to something in the
second octave (Yamaha uses E2), then all notes
will be forced to be higher than LoLimit even
when HighKey would specify they be lower.
If you encounter situations where some of your
chords are playing an octave below where the
midi notes would indicate, then it is likely due to
the combination of the HighKey/LoLimit settings.
You can remedy the problem by either
increasing the HighKey setting or making
LoLimit in the lowest octave where you want the
instrument to play.

The best way to learn about Casm settings is to

view existing styles. To view an internal Casm,
use either SyleDump or CasmEdit. StyleMaker
does not support editing of an internal Casm.
The program Casm Editor is recommended.
For a detailed description of Style Files and the
Casm, see: http://www.wierzba.homepage.tonline.de/stylefiles.htm
L) There does not seem to be enough room
in the toolbar for all the buttons.
Your computer may be set to use a larger-thannormal font.
For XP: Right click an empty area of the
Desktop and select Properties/Appearance.
Check Font size and change it to Normal.
For Vista: There are two font settings: size and
DPI. It is not clear which setting(s) cause this
problem.
See instructions on the web sites:
http://www.abilitynet.org.uk/raps/docs/Windows_Vista__Personalise_the_Display.pdf ,
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Win...0c41d1033.mspx
http://www.eggheadcafe.com/software/aspnet/30176856/font
-size-in-vista.aspx .

One user has reported that switching from

Windows Aero mode to Windows Classic fixes
the problem with no other adjustments.
See also:
If you set the DPI higher than 96, and you are
running Windows Aero (the premium visual
experience of Windows Vista), the text and other
items on the screen might appear blurry in some
programs that are not designed for highDPI
display in this version of Windows. You can
avoid this issue by using Windows XPstyle DPI
scaling for these programs.

Some programs display better using

Windows XP style of DPI scaling.
Open Personalization by clicking the Start

button
, clicking Control Panel, clicking
Appearance and Personalization, and then
clicking Personalization.
In the left pane, click Adjust font size (DPI).
If you are prompted for an administrator
password or confirmation, type the password or
provide confirmation.
In the DPI Scaling dialog box, click Custom DPI.
Select the Use Windows XP style DPI scaling
check box, and then click OK.

Install the program as an administrator by rightclicking the installer file and select Run as
Administrator. Answer yes to the warning
message.
If installed, use Windows Explorer, navigate to
the C:\ Program Files (x86)\StyleMaker folder
and
Right click the program and
select Properties.

Under the compatibility tab, select Run

this program as an administrator.

Click Apply and OK.

David Flack found this to be successful:

Change Windows fonts

User's Agreement

You can change the font in any part of Windows

(for example, menus). Changing a Windows
font does not change your program fonts. To do
so:

By installing this software, the user signifies

agreement with the following:

Click Advanced.
In the Item list, click the part of
Windows where you want to change the
font. For example, if you want to
change the menu font, click Menu in the
list.
In the Font list, click the font you want
to use.
In the Size list, click the font size that
you want.
In the Color list, click the font color you
want.
Repeat steps 3 through 6 for each part
of Windows where you want to change
the font, its size, and its color, and then
click OK.

If anyone has any more information on the

screen problem, please email the author.
M) Some styles report errors loading into
StyleMaker or the sequencer.
Try loading the style into your instrument. If it
accepts it, go to StyleCreator/Assembly tab and
Save the file to a new filename. Often this
corrects whatever is wrong.
N) StyleMaker does not run under Vista or
Win 7

The author, Michael P. Bedesem, copyrights this

software with all rights reserved. The author
retains all title and intellectual property rights.
No warranty is made regarding the suitability of
this software for any application, or that
operation will be uninterrupted, or error free. The
author is not responsible for problems that result
from installing or operating this software, and
shall in no case be liable for special, incidental,
consequential, indirect or similar damages
arising howsoever.
The user agrees not to make changes or
modifications to the software and not to
decompile, disassemble, or otherwise reverse
engineer the software.
The software is provided free for private, noncommercial use. The user agrees not to sell this
software or bundle it with other software for
commercial enterprise, without the express
written consent of the author.
The software may be distributed to other users
as provided above as long as all components,
including this agreement, are included.
The user is responsible for using this software
legally and in accordance with any copyrights
that may pertain to third party style files.

This agreement constitutes the entire agreement

between the author and the user, and may be
modified only by written agreement between the
parties.

Communication & Support

Any questions, comments, suggestions for
modifications or improvements, or problem
reports would be most welcome. Please forward
these to the author at [email protected].

Acknowledgements
StyleMaker is one of several programs in the
StyleManager Series that is intended to give
users the ability to work around common
annoyances or operating discrepancies between
instruments.
StyleMaker was created to simplify the creation
of PSR styles using a sequencer program, and
make this process accessible to a wider range of
users.
Simon Williams and Bob Gelman were among
the many to point out the need for a simple and
inexpensive program to facilitate style creation
from midis.
The design of the StyleMaker Effects Mixer is
based upon an XG effect panel developed by
Nick Wilson, UTC, UK.
Shawn ([email protected]) has spent
countless patient hours testing StyleMaker and,
along with a very challenging midi file,
uncovering some of its errant behavior. His work
has been most appreciated and has advanced
the quality of this project.
Claude Veziau has successfully given the
program its most demanding test- making styles
that others give high acclaim. In addition, he has
suggested the addition of several new features
including: a direct link to StylePlayer (he was not
alone here), a default directory, the inclusion of
recently accessed file in the file menu and
implementation of the chord mute CASM setting.
Shawn was the first to encourage the
development of the
Convert/Chord/Scale/7thNotes function and
Michael Graver was very helpful in testing it.

Claude Veziau has contributed the ideas for how

to obtain more variety including several intros
and endings from a BB midi. Frank Hand and
Didier Jolibois were very instrumental in testing
the StyleFromBB function and showed that it
can make some very high quality styles. Frank,
in particular, deserves special credit for the
weeks he spent helping me track down address
problems with the voicing, markers, conversions
and timing issues, as well as suggesting
additional features. Thank you Frank!
Mike Kelly discovered some difficulties in the
convert routine when dealing with Fills and
Intros/endings. This was corrected in 2.7.4/2.7.5.
Thank you, Mike.
Jin Hird encountered some problems trying to
process short files. Version 2.8.9 was created to
address these issues.

Michael P. Bedesem
5/15/2009
Version 3.1.X