Q 01: Why SE does not allow similar transformation with audio tracks, not only MIDI?
A 01: SE analyzes and transforms only MIDI-data. Wave-files are absolutely a different kind of data. MIDI-sequence is a model, parametrical representation of musical performance, whereas the wave-file is "analog" one. Think of it as of a "bitmap" and "vector graphic". Probably in future PM-technology will be applied to audio-data as well, and we hope to be able to offer our input here too.

Q 02: When Styles imitating performance of famous musicians will become available?
A 02: We are still busy developing the SE Style Library of the most typical performance manners in order to create a minimal but sufficient set for imitation a naturally sounding instrument. We also invent original styles. However we do plan to develop Star Styles. It is necessary to remember though, that such styles will have to be used within the genre and melody mannerism of the musician whose performance is imitated. It is very unlikely that you'll be able to generate saxophone of Charlie Parker or guitar solo of Carlos Santana, if the initial material is completely alien to the musical style of these performers.

Q 03: In your Style Library there are no Styles for some traditional instruments widely used in classical and jazz compositions.
A 03: Creating SE Style Library, we primarily aimed to provide the user with Styles for the most popular instruments. New instruments and manners are constantly added to the Library. However most SE styles are rather versatile and you can apply them to imitate more than one instrument. All you have to do is to carefully use Transformation Regulators to fine-tune them to a particular instrument.

Q 04: The professional musicians don't frequently use GM and XG. Will SE work efficiently with more sophisticated equipment of Korg, EMU, Kurzweil, Akai etc.?
A 04: SE transformation of files is much more efficient on the professional equipment, than on ordinary soundcards. These instruments are more demanding for careful adjustment of Style and Transformation Regulators. But your efforts will be compensated in full by a much more impressive outcome. Please listen to our MP3 demos created with with professional equipment and judge by yourself.

Q 05: What is the best way to use the styles: should I simply play block chords and allow SE to create the bass line (for example) or should I play the bass line and let SE calculate the chords?
A 05: SE cannot produce Chords from the Bass Line - not yet, but some SE Styles can generate the Bass Line from Chords. In any case we would recommend to experiment with different Styles and different initial scores. Probably you will find new original modes of employment of this or that style leading to interesting results.

Q 06: What soundcards sound best with your demos?
A 06: Majority of SE MIDI demos adequately sound on Yamaha and Roland GM modules. We tend to believe, that GM sets of these manufacturers are well balanced and arranged. The compositions also sound well on the popular SBLive! card. However, no matter what hardware you are using, scale adjustment of Velocity and fine-tuning of other controllers may be required in some cases.

Q 07: Is Vocal close to Violin physically or are Style names only relative? (While experimenting I managed to get a very interesting violin sound with the help of a Style for vocal parts).
A 07: It is quite possible, that in your particular case the character of violin performance was indeed very close to human singing. However it should be remembered that there are some common regularities irrespective of the instrument you are using. For example, Volume and Tempo depend more on the genre, musical phrasing, rather than on the instrument used. Other paramenters are on the contrary instrument-dependent. For example if you reduce or altogether exclude Expression (Volume) value while using a Sax Style, you may use this (originally) Sax Style for Distortion Guitar imitation.

Q 08: Using Styles for percussion and bass I got weird detioration of phrasing. Did I do anything wrong?
A 08: Probably you have not paid enough attention to the Comment, where the Meter, optimal Tempo and type of percussion set is indicated. Especially noticeable misinterpretation of the initial material happens when you process 3/4 or 6/8 material by a Style intended for 4/4 meter (or vice versa).

Q 09: Using a wind instrument Style for processing a solo part, I have obtained very soft slur performance instead of the original staccato-like - something which I didn't intend to do. Did I do anything wrong?
A 09: You may have studied the Style comment not attentively enough. Many Styles perform automatic slur. Sometimes all notes are slurred, sometimes only those which are situated in certain parts of the musical phrase. You could have avoided automatic slurring by switching off (muting) Duration parameter. But before doing this you'd better have transformed the track by a special Auxiliary style "Solo Transformation".

Q 10: Some solo guitar licks of one of the Styles sound excessive to my ear. How can I get rid of them?
A 10: The best way is to use Transformation Regulators to reduce, or altogether exclude some of the effects. In some cases Wheel effects are linked to the Wheel regulator, sometimes they are linked to the Variable regulator.

Q 11: Processing a Harmonica part I have detected truncation and occasional loss of the notes in the end of the phrase. Why does it happen?
A 11: Many Styles for solo and most Styles for wind and vocal voices, include special "Breath Rule", which inserts a forced pause in the end of the musical phrase or between two phrases. Therefore, if you insert the "Phrase End" marker directly at the release of a key (ending of the note), this note will be shortened. If you place the "Phrase Start" marker between two short notes, the first note can disappear altogether. You have to take this into account when you mark phrases.

Q 12: By changing Start Time in Styles of guitar accompaniment the rhythmic pattern of the Syle is sometimes completely detiorated. Why does it happen?
A 12: The accompaniment generation Styles is based on special internal patterns, which are determined by Start Time parameter. If the initial 1/1 chord is supposed to be substituted with four 1/4 chords, but you set Start Time to 50% instead of default 100%, you'll end up with four 1/8 chords. Now suppose you set Start Time to 27% or other odd value - it will radically deteriorate the rhythm pattern or altogether crash it.

Q 13: I have noticed, that I obtain a somewhat different result each time I process a part, even though the initial material, the Style and all settings remain the same. Is it normal?
A 13: Of course it is - exactly like with human performance. A musician cannot play the same piece absolutely identically day after day. There is a random component in SE transformation - just to ceate a more convincing "natural" feel. To reduce or exclude such "a casual behavior" of a Style, all you have to do is to adjust RND controllers.

Q 14: A Sax Style increases attack of the sound. Is this normal?
A 14: Some Styles for wind instruments and strings add an Expression (Volume) envelope to soften the attack. You can decrease the depth of this parameter, if you don't like the result. You may also want to use Adjuster tool (SE30) or Controller Adjuster (MFX Kit 1 for Cakewalk) to change the Expression (Volume) envelope after applying a Style.

Q 15: I try to transform a Sax track which was created with a MIDI-keyboard. Parallel notes, which were present originally, are missing in the resulting track. Is it normal?
A 15: Some Styles are intended for Solo, while other - for Chords transformation. Solo parts produced by SE do not have overlapping notes. (By the way, the Sax cannot produce two notes simultaneously!) Of course, if you prefer to keep all notes from your initial part, you may want to use a Chord style, however, the individual nuances of each played note may not be preserved properly. The best way is to separate your initial track into two tracks (if it has double parallel notes), or into three tracks (if it has triple parallel notes). And then transform each track independently.

Q 16: I muted Expression parameter, but Expression values were transformed anyway. Is it a Style bug?
A 16: Many styles have an active Variable regulator, which can be connected to any parameter or to several parameters at once. Style developers do this to expand potentials of a style. If the Expression parameter is linked to Variable, you cannot get rid of its influence completely, even if you mute this parameter in the Control panel.

Q 17: How can one entrust performance to a program, if only the composer knows, the way his piece is to be performed?
A 17: Why not, if the program does it well? And why not allow the program to make a normally mechanical, "soulless" MIDI-file to sound more naturally? By the way a composer sometimes does not know exactly, how his or her piece will really sound when performed by an orchesra, nor can he always perform it himself. Very often the composer "authorizes" the performer to interpret the piece, thus lifting responsibility from his own shoulders and putting it on the performers. And sometimes the performer really makes the composed music, originally rather flat and uninteresting, to sound more impressive and more convincing than it was planned (or ever imagined) by the composer. Unfortunately, the traditional pattern "composer-MIDI score-synth" lacks the factor of the creative interpretation, so characteristic of live music. PM technology simply helps to correct this drawback.

Q 18: Is it possible to achieve satisfactory results with those cheap OPL-based soundcards?
A 18: The MIDI-file transformations will be noticeable even with those cards, no doubt about that. But if a synth does not recognize half of controllers and its Tenor and Soprano Sax sound uniformly, than it is really hard to speak about adequate use of all potentials the PM can offer. However if you transform only Velocity and Start Time and don't care much for, say, the timbre, then OK: You may experiment with SE on an OPL chip, but don't complain if your transformed files still don't sound naturally enough.

Q 19: Why does the same SE-processed fragment sound differently on other modules?
A 19: The main job of SE is transformation of Start Time and Velocity parameters, as well as triggering of appropriate controllers. Various modules differently react to controllers and such parameters as Velocity, Modulation, Pitch Wheel etc. As the result, transformed files sound somewhat differently with different modules. The optimum sound can be achieved with Transformation Regulators, in fact one of their tasks is to adjust the Style to a specific module the composer or arranger uses. SE30 includes a very useful tool - Adjuster, intended for the real-time control of numerous parameters. This is a good way to adjust an existing MIDI file to a different sound device.

Q 20: Recently upgraded from Cubase 3.7 to 5.0 VST32. The text in the Tracks Pane, the Measures Pane, and the Notes Pane is missing and/or garbled. If I uninstall Cubase from the computer, both SE2.1 and SE3.0 display text. The Menu Bar in both SE2.1 and SE3.0 is legible and the functions seem to work OK. What can I do?
A 20: Probably you have the old version of SE30. If this is the case, you should download and install the new version (you may try to install in the same folder without deinstallation). In the upgraded version there is an option to change the font (Options->Colors->Font). Please select a font, existing in your system. We believe this will solve your problem. The same procedure helps, if some of the labels in the main window are missing.

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