STUMBLING UPON a radio station playing today's "lite" hits, you may have thought, "Heck, I could write this stuff!" Well, now, thanks to Yamaha's MIDI-based solo-accompaniment program, Visual Arranger, you can.
This concept of a MIDI-based, music-minus-one-performer program is not a new one: PG Music's Band-in-a-Box has addressed the canned-band market for years. The main difference between the programs -- other than Band-in-a-Box's greater flexibility and complexity and the Yamaha product's variety of ensembles -- is Visual Arranger's iconic approach, which appeals to music-composition hobbyists and veterans alike.
Formula One. The idea behind these applications is that music styles can be represented by preset "riffs" and arrangements; classic Motown songs, for example, feature a ringing tambourine on beats two and four. Visual Arranger takes 8 popular music styles -- dance, ballad, pop, rock, R&B, jazz, Latin, and world -- and breaks each down into 20 substyles. Each substyle contains eight separate licks: intro, A section, B section, four fills for transitions between the sections, and an ending.
To create a song, click on the Intro button, choose a substyle icon -- Ragtime, for instance -- and drag the icon down to the Song window. Click on the Main A button, and again drag the Ragtime icon to the Song window -- the two Ragtime icons are now automatically linked. To add measures and chords to the Main A lick, double-click on the Ragtime icon. Doing so brings up the Chord window, where you can edit -- but not create -- chords. Repeat this procedure for other sections.
Visual Arranger also lets you adjust the volume of your individual sounds, substitute other instruments for the default sounds used in each style, add melodies and preset instrumental and drum fills, and change the tempo of your tunes.
Tool or Toy? Entry-level musicians will find Visual Arranger a fun and easy-to-use musical sketch pad. Band-in-a-Box users will be impressed by Visual Arranger's larger and more varied instrumental ensembles and colorful mixing board, but they are unlikely to make the switch. True, Visual Arranger is long on entertainment, but those who are looking for more-professional features, such as the ability to generate sheet music, will find it worth their while to fork over the extra $30 for Band-in-a-Box.
Visual Arranger (3 out of 5 mice) Average / Price: $59.95 (list). Company: Yamaha, Buena Park, CA; 800-301-7076 or 714-522-9240. Reader Service: Circle #417.
