Hi Andrew. Thank you for posting a reply. From reading through some of the forums, you have quite the reputation as a highly knowledgeable Biab guru and I very much appreciate your taking the time to post your advice. Apologies in advance for the long post.

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Is this your synth here, and is this the correct manual?



Correct, I have a pair of Roland JV-1080 synths. I have the hard copy manual, as well as the owners manual .pdf and each of the supplemental .pdf's.

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If the term "Bank" is used in Band-in-a-Box anywhere without specifying lsb or msb, (including the save song with patches dialog), then it is referring to Bank MSB.



That's good to know, Andrew. Thanks.

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There are three numbers you need to know, to be able to access any patch on your synth. (1) Program # (2)Bank MSB or controller 0, (3) Bank LSB or controller 32. You have different ways of specifying these numbers in Band-in-a-Box.



Yep, have that down.

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One way is to enter them in manually. To do this, use the Instrument pull-down menu to choose the (1) Program #, enter (2) into the Bank0 box, and enter (3) into the BankLSB box.



Yes, that method works with JV-1080 in "Performance Mode". With the caveat that the patch doesn't change on the fly by just entering the MSB and LSB in the boxes. The patches only change when "Play" or "Replay" button selected after entering the numbers. This method does not work to change the patch while the song is playing. I have not previously used this method, but it seems to access all the patches from each bank tested - GM, higher bank presets and expansion cards.

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The other way of specifying patches is to use the [+] higher banks dialog.



The "+" dialog method works (is easier to use) and it immediately changes the patch on the fly while the song is playing. I have been using this method. I can access all the GM, higher bank presets and expansion card patches with JV in "Performance Mode" as presiously described.


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If it is sending the data but you're not hearing what you expect, then it's likely that either you're not in the correct mode on your synth, or you have the numbers wrong.



Well that was the original issue. The Roland manual states to "use GM Mode for midi score playback". However, in "GM Mode", the JV-1080 wouldn't access higher banks/expansion cards. With help from Matt and rharv, above, we have already determined that the JV-1080 must be in "Performance Mode" to access higher banks.

I have all the patch lists for the JV presets and my installed expansion cards. And I have created a .pat file, (as none that I found on the PG support page or elsewhere worked correctly). With the JV in Performance Mode, using my own .pat, both MSB/LSB number entry and selection through the "+" dialog are successful. I can access all my patches and that particular issue is resolved.

However, when I open a Biab song file with the JV-1080 in "Performance Mode" the correct patches do not play.

For example, I opened "Jay's Blues" from the 50 Songs folder included with Biab 2011. The melody instrument (as stated in the song memo) is GM Trumpet. When Jay's Blues opens in Biab, the Trumpet patch is diplayed in the main gui as the Melody instrument. What plays is a keyboards patch, not Trumpet.

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....open the MIDI Monitor (Window menu) and filter it to only show Program, controller0, and controller32, then play the song to reassure yourself that BB is indeed sending the synth the MIDI data.



I tried using the midi monitor, as you suggested, to see what was happening. The dialog presented intricate options and multiple checkboxes which were not referenced in your instruction, Andrew, so I selected the Help Button in the Midi Monitor dialog. The Help Button didn't work. (Please see NOTE A: below for details)

Since getting the midi monitor to work, as you suggested, Andrew, appeared to be a cumbersome sidetrack, I didn't pursue it and can not report precisely what messages/patches were sent by Biab or played on the JV.

I am able to change the melody patch in Jay's Blues with either the MSB/LSB number method or the "+" dialog.

If I re-select the GM trumpet, so the GM Trumpet patch plays, close the Jay's Blues file, reopen it, it plays the correct GM Trumpet on the melody with the JV-1080 in the same "Performance Mode".

If you're still reading along, this question is the point:
Why does the GM Trumpet patch not play when the file was first opened?

More to the point of my frustration, as in the above Jay's Blues example, the same thing happens when I open one of my own Biab song files created with "save patches..." in earlier versions of Biab as described earlier in the thread.

I do understand that you, Andrew, and this PG forum offer support for Biab, not my hardware synth. If the solution is within the Biab configuration, with your level of expertise I expect that you will be able to provide one. I also realize that the soultion could be some setting on the JV. If the latter is the case, I'd appreciate any clues as to what search keywords to use in the tome that passes for a Roland manual.

Thanks
Lawrence

(NOTE A: I tried using the midi monitor, as you suggested. The dialog presented intricate options and checkboxes which were not referenced in your instruction, Andrew, so I selected the help button. Help didn't work. A windows message displayed a link to kb917607 which reads, in part:

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Excerpt from kb917607:
".....Microsoft stopped including the 32-bit Help file viewer in Windows releases beginning with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. To support customers who still rely on legacy .hlp files, the Microsoft Download Center provides WinHlp32.exe downloads for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Special note for Help content providers who ship .hlp files

Starting with the release of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, third-party software developers are no longer authorized to redistribute WinHlp32.exe with their programs. For more information, see the "More information for Help content providers who are shipping .hlp files" section. "



Apparently, this part of Biab "help" coding in the Midi Monitor dialog is outdated and is no longer supported in Windows, FYI.)