Lists the musical styles that are available in Microsoft Music Producer. Each style represents a particular type of musical genre and includes a selection of personalities and bands.


Lists the personalities that are associated with a particular musical style.


Lists the bands that are associated with a particular musical style.


Reflects the relative volume level for each instrument in a band.


Displays a mixing pane in which you can adjust the volume and speaker balance for each instrument in a band.

•	To adjust an instrument's volume, move its icon vertically.

•	To adjust an instrument's speaker balance, move its icon horizontally.

•	To see the name of an instrument, position your mouse pointer over its icon.


Increases or decreases the tempo, or speed, of a composition.


Changes the key, or musical pitch, of a composition.


Adds a musical embellishment to the beginning of a composition.


Sets the overall pattern of instrumental activity in a composition.

For instance, a composition with a Falling shape typically has more instruments playing more notes per measure at the beginning of the song, and fewer instruments playing fewer notes at the end of it.


Adds a musical embellishment to the end of a composition.


Displays the progress of a composition.


Displays the elapsed playback time for a composition.


Stops the music from playing.


Plays a composition or pauses a composition that is already playing.


Sets a loop in a composition during playback.

If you want to loop a Microsoft Music Producer composition in a multimedia program or on a Web page, you can use this feature to determine whether the loop transition will be pleasing to the ear. If the transition doesn't sound right, try changing the shape of your composition.


Composes a piece of music based on the musical settings that you've specified. Every time you click this button, Microsoft Music Producer generates a new, subtly different composition.


Reflects the tempo for a piece of music.


Reflects the key for a piece of music.


Displays the clef, key signature, and time signature for a piece of music.


Previews musical settings so you can hear how your composition might sound.

If you leave the button pushed in, the music continues to play as you experiment with different options. Select a new style, for example, and the Microsoft Music Producer band switches focus and plays according to the new setting.


Lists the sound devices that are available on your system.

Many sound cards can channel sound through different MIDI output drivers, or sound devices. To select a different sound device, click the one you want, and then click OK. If you see only one choice in this box, your sound card may not support additional devices.


Specifies the length of a composition. By default, Microsoft Music Producer creates a 30-second composition.


Displays a dialog box where you can choose a different sound device.


Closes this dialog box and saves any changes you've made.


Closes this dialog box without saving any changes you've made.


Closes this dialog box.


What is Music Producer?

Microsoft Music Producer is a program that you use to create custom-tailored music for a multimedia presentation or World Wide Web page.

With Music Producer, you can generate music based on the guidelines you specify. A Music Producer composition is made up of tempo, key, styles, personalities, and instruments. By changing any of these elements, you can change the entire character of your composition.

In addition, Music Producer:

•	Requires no musical ability or programming expertise.

•	Eliminates the need to pay copyright fees and royalties.

•	Contains over 100 musical styles based on genres like jazz, rock, classical, funk, and country.

•	Includes a mixing area, where you can control instrument volume and speaker balance.

•	Saves compositions as industry-standard MIDI (.mid) files for use on a Web page or in a multimedia presentation.

•	Saves compositions as native Music Producer (.mmp) files for future editing.

•	Uses innovative Microsoft Interactive Music Engine technology to generate a new piece of music every time you click Compose.

Click one of the following buttons to learn more about:

   Selecting and Previewing Musical Settings.

   Creating, Playing, and Saving Compositions.


Music for a Multimedia Project or Web Page

Music can communicate as much to an audience as splashy visual effects. Whether you're creating a business presentation for your colleagues or a Web site for the Internet, you can intensify its effect by adding a Music Producer soundtrack.

Music for a Multimedia Project

Multimedia professionals who want to add soundtracks to their projects may not have the time or the inclination to learn a complex music creation program. Others don't use music because they worry about copyright fees and royalties.

Microsoft Music Producer addresses these concerns by offering nonmusicians a fast and easy way to create compelling music. Within minutes, you can create an original, precisely timed MIDI composition that perfectly matches the mood of your project or presentation.

Music for a Web Page

You can activate your Web site with original music by linking a .mid file to a Web page using an HTML tag or audio plug-in. There are at least two good reasons to use MIDI files on your Web pages:

•	MIDI is a widely supported industry format that can be played across different computer platforms.

•	MIDI files are compact, especially when compared with other audio file formats. For example, a one-minute .mid file might require only 10 kilobytes of disk space, whereas a .wav file of similar length might require as much as 5 megabytes.


Music Producer and Your Sound Device

Microsoft Music Producer works in conjunction with a synthesizer to produce music. Typically, this synthesizer is located on a sound card inside your computer.

Depending on your sound card, you may be able to channel sound through different output drivers, or sound devices. To see which sound devices are available on your system, or to switch musical output to another sound device, use the Setup Sound Device command. For example, you can switch to a different sound device if another program is using the Music Producer default device to play music.

To switch the sound device in Music Producer

1	On the Options menu, click Setup Sound Device.

2	In the box under Choose a Sound Device, click the sound device you want Music Producer to use.

Tip   For more information about sound devices, consult the documentation that came with your sound card.


Overview: Previewing Musical Settings
AnswerPoint

AnswerPoint support for Microsoft Music Producer is available by contacting AnswerPoint for your host product. For more information, see your host documentation.


Overview: Previewing Musical Settings

Microsoft Music Producer generates music based on the musical settings that you select. Before you create a composition, you can hear how it sounds by pressing the Preview button.

To control	Use this musical setting
Musical genre and arrangement	Style
Musical mood and emotion	Personality
Collection of instruments	Band
Volume and speaker balance for each instrument	Mix
Speed of the music	Tempo
Musical pitch	Key
If you leave Preview on, the music keeps playing as you select different options. Select a new personality, for example, and the Music Producer band immediately uses the new setting. The ability to preview the music while you experiment makes the process of searching for the perfect sound much easier.


Previewing a Style

See Also

Of all the settings in Microsoft Music Producer, the style has the greatest influence on the sound of your composition. Music Producer comes with over 100 musical styles that set the rhythmic feel and melodic arrangement for a piece of music. Each style contains a default tempo and key, as well as an assortment of personalities and bands.

To preview a style

1	Click Preview.

2	In the Style list, click the style you want to hear.

3	To stop the music, click Stop Preview.


Previewing a Personality

See Also

To establish a musical mood for your composition, you must select a musical personality for it. The Dance Mix style, for example, includes 18 personalities that range in mood from Adventurous to Weary.

To preview a personality

1	Click Preview.

2	In the Personality list, click the personality you want to hear.

3	To stop the music, click Stop Preview.

Note   Changes in personalities might not be obvious. Sometimes, the difference between two personalities is as subtle as a slight shift in chord.


Previewing a Band

See Also

Microsoft Music Producer styles come with collections of instruments called bands, each of which contains six software musicians. For example, the Big Band style includes a group of musicians called the Electric Buzz band. The members of the Electric Buzz band play the instruments shown in the following illustration.

Note   Some styles use all six instruments, and others use just a few. It's not unusual for certain instruments in a band to remain silent for all or part of a song.

To preview a band

1	Click Preview.

2	In the Band list, click the band you want to hear.

3	To stop the music, click Stop Preview.

Tip   The instrument icons in Music Producer are representations of actual musical instruments. To see the name of an instrument, position your mouse pointer over its icon in the Mix area.


Experimenting With the Mix

See Also

Instrument volume and speaker balance are matters of personal taste. You can change these settings by manipulating the instruments in the Microsoft Music Producer Mix area.

The relative volume level for each instrument in the band is displayed in the Meters pane. You can tell whether an instrument is active by observing the red rectangular meters, which bounce up and down in response to fluctuations in volume. To physically adjust the volume and speaker balance for each instrument in a band, you move the icons in the Mixing pane.

To preview changes to volume or speaker balance

1	Click Preview.

2	In the Mixing pane, click the instrument icon whose volume or speaker balance you want to change.

•	To adjust the volume, move the icon vertically.

•	To adjust the speaker balance, move the icon horizontally.

3	To stop the music, click Stop Preview.


Previewing Changes to Tempo

See Also

You can change the speed at which your music plays by adjusting the Tempo slider. You can adjust the tempo anywhere from 10 to 350 beats per minute. Upbeat songs usually have faster tempos, while romantic or serious tunes tend to have slower ones.

To preview changes to tempo

1	Click Preview.

2	Move the Tempo slider to increase or decrease the tempo of the music.

The new tempo setting appears to the left of the musical staff on the Music Producer interface.

3	To stop the music, click Stop Preview.


Previewing Changes to Key

See Also

In music theory, the key determines the group of notes to be played during a piece of music. In Western music, for example, each major scale contains seven member notes. Keys consist of a root note, or key note, followed by a mathematical formula of steps that determines the other member notes. This pattern of steps makes a key major or minor in nature. For the most part, minor keys allude to sadder or more serious themes, and major keys evoke a feeling of happiness and lightness.

To preview changes to key

1	Click Preview.

2	Move the Key slider to change the key of the music.

The new key appears in the key signature on the Music Producer interface. It is also written in text form to the left of the staff.

3	To stop the music, click Stop Preview.


Overview: Creating a Composition

Once you've settled on the right sound for your music, you can create a composition by making choices in the Music Producer Compose area, as shown below.

The following table summarizes the composition options.

To	Use this option
Set the overall level of instrumental activity in a composition.	Shape
Define the length of a composition.	Length
Add an embellishment to the beginning or end of a composition.	Intro/Ending
Create a new composition.	Compose
Stop, start, or pause a composition.	Playback controls
Set a loop in a composition during playback.	Loop check box


Setting Composition Length

See Also

With Microsoft Music Producer, you can specify a precise length for your composition. For instance, you may want background music to stop playing exactly one minute after a user connects to your Web page.

To set a length for your composition

•	In the Length box, type in a length, either by dragging your mouse over the numbers in the field, or by clicking the arrow scroll buttons.

You must use the format MM:SS:T, where

MM = minutes

SS = seconds

T = a tenth of a second

Notes

•	By default, Music Producer creates a 30-second composition.

•	Music Producer supports compositions that range in length from one to 1,000 measures. The number of measures in a particular composition is determined by the tempo setting. The faster the tempo, the more measures per minute. For example, a composition with a tempo of 350 has a maximum length limitation of 11 minutes and 25 seconds. If the tempo is reduced to 120, its maximum length limit rises to 33 minutes and 20 seconds.


Setting Composition Shape

See Also

You control instrumental activity in your composition by setting a shape for it. The activity in a composition is determined by the number of instruments that play. For example, a composition with a Rising shape typically has fewer instruments playing fewer notes per measure at its beginning, and more instruments playing more notes at its end.

To set a shape for your composition

•	In the Shape list, select the shape you want for your composition.

To create a composition that	Choose this shape
Starts with a low level of instrumental activity and then gradually builds.
Starts with a high level of instrumental activity and then gradually falls.
Reaches a peak in the middle of the composition.
Maintains an even level of instrumental activity.
Maintains a high level of instrumental activity throughout.
Maintains a low level of instrumental activity throughout.
Varies instrumental activity and builds in an organized fashion, much like a song with multiple verse and chorus sections.
Matches its beginning and ending instrumental activity so that when the resulting composition is looped (on a Web page, for example), it will do so seamlessly.
Changes instrumental activity randomly.
Note   The Shape setting affects the number of instruments that are active in a composition, but not the volume of the instruments. If you want to change volume levels, you must do so in the Mixing pane.


Adding an Introduction or Ending to a Composition

See Also

If you like, you can add a distinct musical introduction or ending to your composition.

To add an introduction

•	In the Compose area, select the Intro check box.

To add an ending

•	In the Compose area, select the End check box.


Generating a Composition

See Also

You create a composition by using the Microsoft Music Producer Compose button. Each time you press this button, you tell the band members to generate a new, slightly different piece of music.

To generate a composition

1	Select the musical settings you want for your composition.

2	Click Compose.

3	To listen to your composition, click Play.

Tip   Music Producer generates a new composition every time you click Compose, even if you haven't changed any musical settings. This feature keeps the music sounding fresh and spontaneous, just as if a real band were playing. If you'd like to keep your composition exactly the way it is, you should save it.


Playing a Composition

See Also

The Microsoft Music Producer playback buttons let you play your composition before you save it as a .mid or .mmp file. These buttons function much like the playback controls on a cassette or CD player.

To	Do this
Listen to a composition	Click Play
Pause a composition	Click Pause
Stop a composition (or a preview of a composition)	Click Stop
You hear a unique piece of music every time you click Play. The Music Producer band interprets the performance in a new way each time it plays, just like a real band does. As a result, the music stays fresh and spontaneous.


Looping a Composition During Playback

See Also

If you plan to create a composition for use in a program that can loop MIDI files, you can test the loop transition in Microsoft Music Producer first to hear how it sounds.

If the loop transition doesn't sound right, try changing the shape of the song and clicking Compose again. The Loopable shape is designed specifically for working with loops, but you can get good results from other shapes as well.

To listen to your composition loop during playback

1	Select the Loop check box.

2	Click Play.

When the composition finishes, it immediately starts over. This repetition continues until you clear the Loop check box.

Note   Although Music Producer simulates looping behavior, it doesn't include an actual loop in your composition when you save it as a .mid file.


Overview: Saving a Composition

The final step in the creation process involves saving your work. You can save a composition in one of two ways: as a MIDI (.mid) file or as a Microsoft Music Producer (.mmp) file.

File type	Advantages
MIDI	• Requires relatively little disk space, even for lengthy compositions. • Supported by many software programs.
Music Producer	• Requires even less disk space than a .mid file. • Can be opened in Music Producer for future editing.


Saving a Composition as a MIDI File

See Also

Microsoft Music Producer can save MIDI files that are substantial in length but compact in size. This feature makes MIDI an ideal file format for delivery over the Internet, or whenever disk space is a concern.

To save your composition as a MIDI file

1	On the File menu, click Save as MIDI.

2	To save the composition in a location other than the My Media folder, click a different drive name or folder name.

3	To save the composition in a new folder, click [image].

4	In the File Name box, type a name for your composition.

5	Click Save.

Note   You can't open or edit a .mid file in Music Producer once you've saved it. You should save your composition as a .mid file only when you're completely satisfied with the way it sounds. If you want to close a composition and edit it later, you must save it as an .mmp file.


Saving a Composition as a Music Producer File

See Also

If you want to edit your composition in the future, you can save it as a Microsoft Music Producer (.mmp) file.

To save your composition as a Music Producer file

1	On the File menu, click Save.

2	To save the composition in a location other than the My Media folder, click a different drive name or folder name.

3	To save the composition in a new folder, click [image].

4	In the File Name box, type a name for your composition.

5	Click Save.

To reopen your composition in Music Producer

1	On the File menu, click Open.

2	In the Look In box, click the drive that contains the composition.

3	In the box beneath Look In that lists folders and files, locate the folder that contains the composition.

4	In the list of files, click the name of your composition.

5	Click Open.

Tip   To open an .mmp composition that you've used recently, click its name at the bottom of the File menu.


key

The musical pitch zone for a piece of music.

When you open Music Producer, all styles default to the key of C. You can, however, change the key by adjusting the Key slider. If you change the key and then switch to another style, the new style retains the most recently used setting.


.mid

The file name extension used by standard MIDI files.

Most software programs that support audio can play MIDI files. Save files in this format if you intend to use them on a Web page or in a multimedia presentation.


.mmp

The file name extension used by native Music Producer files.

Save files in this format if you plan to open them in Music Producer for future editing.


measure

A bar, or section, of music. Each measure in a composition contains an equal number of beats.


beat

The division of music into equal increments of time. For example, think of the rhythmic beating of a heart, or the ticking of a wristwatch.


staff

A set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that provides visual information about a musical performance.

 In Music Producer, the partial staff depicts the clef, key signature, and time signature for a particular piece of music, but not the actual musical notation.


sound card

A piece of hardware that takes the digital audio data produced by Music Producer and transforms it into sound.

The quality of the music generated by Music Producer is directly related to the quality of your computer's sound card. For example, a wavetable-synthesis sound card produces MIDI music that sounds much more realistic than that produced by an FM-synthesis sound card.


key signature

A visual representation of a musical key that consists of a group of sharps ( [image] ) or flats ( [image] ).


time signature

A symbol consisting of two numbers. The top number represents the number of beats in a measure and the bottom number represents the type of rhythmic note being used.


MIDI (musical instrument digital interface)

A music industry protocol that defines the exchange of musical information between computers and instruments.

When Music Producer saves a composition as a MIDI file, it saves a set of explicit musical instructions. These instructions tell the synthesizer on your sound card, sound module, or MIDI keyboard exactly how your composition should sound. Because MIDI files consist of simple instructions rather than samples of recorded sound, they require relatively little disk space.


sound device

An area on an internal sound card or an external sound module through which MIDI instrument or wave data output is channeled.


loop

The continuous replaying of a file, such as a MIDI file.


synthesizer

The electronic circuitry or software on your system that produces (synthesizes) sound.


Microsoft Interactive Music Engine (MusicEngine)

The power behind Microsoft Music Producer comes from its use of the Microsoft Interactive Music Engine (MusicEngine).

Through its use of MusicEngine, the Music Producer program understands how to compose and perform music in an unlimited array of musical styles and moods. You provide simple commands to Music Producer describing the music you want to create, and it passes this information on to the MusicEngine technology that exists on your computer. MusicEngine then interprets your commands and creates a composition according to your specifications.


band

A collection of up to six musical instruments. Each band uses a different set of instruments.


shape

The overall pattern of instrumental activity in a particular composition.


style

A musical setting that defines the melodic arrangement of a composition.


tempo

The speed at which a composition plays, defined in beats per minute.


clef

 A symbol found at the beginning of each line of music that visually establishes the pitch zone of the music. The staff in Music Producer depicts a treble clef, which establishes a medium to high zone of pitch.


composition

A piece of music that is based on specific musical settings, such as style, key, and tempo. Each composition also contains a distinct length and shape.

You create a composition by clicking Compose.


instruments

Each Music Producer band includes up to six musical instruments. These instruments reside in the Mix area, where you can adjust their volume and speaker balance.


mixing

The process of adjusting volume and speaker balance to suit your composition.


personality

A musical setting that helps to define the mood of a composition.