PG Music releases Band-in-a-Box 2008.5 Build 261 Beta

PG Music has released Build 261 Beta of Band-in-a-Box 2008.5.

Summary of changes:

• Added: Full-featured Dialog added for selecting RealDrums. Previously, RealDrums were selected from a single popup menu. Now there is a dialog, listing all RealDrums, with filtering, sorting by column, information (name, genres, time sig, feel, tempo range,), memos, user editable memos, favorite lists and more. You can preview new RealDrums by double clicking, loading only the new real drums. Audition button will play the solo RealDrums, from the pgmusic.com site, so that you can hear RealDrums that you haven't bought yet.
• Added: Support for all slash chords in bass styles. For example, Gm7b5/Db, CMaj9/E etc.
• Added: RealTracks and RealDrums can be generated live during playback, and resume when completed. For example, play a song, and change the RealTrack as it is playing, and then resumes from the current point, by just regenerating the single track.
• Added: ability to set a song to 'no regeneration'. Right click on Combo has setting 'Song changed, needs regeneration'. Then replay will just replay the song. This isn't a permanent setting, but is a handy one to prevent a regeneration when you have only made a small change.
• Added: You can now cancel the generation of the song (or RealTracks) by pressing the Escape key as the song is generating.
• Added: Melody and Soloist tracks can have RealTracks assigned, and when they do, they will generate when PLAY is pressed, just like the other tracks
• Added: StylePicker Load Song demo now plays song for RealTracks too (Escape Cancels)
• Added: Ability to replay a song without regenerating arrangement. Shift click on Replay will play and never regenerate the song, even if chords have changed
• Added: RealDrums and RealTracks custom folder names are now directly editable, so you can quickly type them in instead of waiting for the folder dialog to open.
• Fixed: Songs with "start ending 2 bars early" were not jumping to end bar in certain cases
• Fixed: Recommendation for tempo range of RealTracks
• Fixed: Melody and Soloist green color at the top of the screen for RealTracks
• Added: RealDrums name displayed at top of RealDrums dialog, including tempo that will be used
• Added: RealTracks progress visible in StylePicker window
• Fixed: Visiting the render dialog and exiting it will not force a regeneration of song on next playback.
• Added: Notification added if RealTracks or RealDrums are disabled, and you to try to generate RealDrums or RealTracks
• Added: Help file updated
• Fixed: Stylepicker search now works for non-English versions + other international fixes
• Improved: Support for 800x600 in RealTracks Assign dialog
• Improved: Preview (Audition) improved in RealTracks, if no preview in \RealTracks- demos\ then will play a WMA from the RealTracks folder
• Changed: Preview button renamed to Audition
• Added: Shift Click on Audition button in RealTracks assign or RealDrums opens up the related folder.
• Added: Hotkeys added for RealTracks assign dialog
• Fixed: Notation stem direction for a note on middle staff line - now is stem down
• Added: Developers listed in about box
• Improved: RealSax Soloists now "more soulful" treat the V major chord like V7
• Added: Edit - Song Setting added for "Bluesy" feel to soloists. if set, jazzy soloists will play more bluesy, by using a flatted 7th instead of major 7th. So if you type major triads for a song, but want any soloists to play as if they were dominant 7ths, use this setting.
• Added: 5 new "Bluesy" variations of RealTracks (these soloists will always treat a major triad like a dominant 7th):
  1. Sax, Tenor, HipHop Rock Sw 100 (Bluesy).
  2. Sax, Tenor, Jazz Sw 140 (Bluesy).
  3. Sax, Tenor, Motown Rock Ev 120 (Bluesy).
  4. Guitar, Electric, Soloist Train Pickin' Ev 130 (Bluesy).
  5. Guitar, Slide, Soloist Blues Sw 120 (Bluesy).
• Added: User Memos added for RealTracks. Type in your own comments, and memos, and you can also filter by these comments. For example, if you put the word "awesome" on one, you can search for that word later.
• Added: Improved Memos supplied for RealTracks.
• Added: Audition Demos of RealTracks and RealDrums that you don't have by pressing Audition button and then the file will stream from the web.
• Fixed: Occasional instance of "Unable to load WAV file".