This something that has been frustrating me ever since the introduction of RealTracks.

First, I should explain that I am mainly interested in creating jazz lead sheets in "Triplet Resolution (Swing)".

Here is the problem. Let us say I want to enter a tune like "Oh, Lady Be Good" at a tempos of 180 bpm.

I like to have my lead sheets showing exactly how the note values are to be played and, for this tune in bars 3,5,11, 13, 27 & 29, there is typically a quarter note (crochet) triplet followed by a half note (minim).

The first problem is that there are insufficient tempo selections for Jazz Classic RealStyles and therefore I would end up using something like "Jazz Bebop Quarter (160RS). BB even suggests styles, which are at slower tempos, and so it is not just a question of me selecting the wrong RealStyle.

After entering all the notes and the tempo, I would then typical play it through a few times to make sure it sounds right. Then I run the prints of the lead sheet for my band - 3 in Concert Treble Clef, 3 in Bb Treble Clef, 1 in Eb Treble, 1 in Concert Bass Clef, and a simple chord chart for the Bass.

Oh Geeees! I did not notice the "-13" that had entered itself in the Tick Offset and turned all the Triplets into a quarter note and two eighth notes. Throws all the prints away in the waste bin, overwrites a zero in the Tick Offset box and starts again. Apart from anything else, this is not very eco-friendly and I throw away a small forest of paper every week by failing to reset the "Tick Offset Box".

It seems to me the solution is not to have the offset automatically setting itself. Is there some way this function can be turned off so that there is no offset until you ask for one? The other solution is to have more tempos for selection so that the offset box it not used with such high values. I am of course assuming that the offset is related to the RealStyle tempos not being correct; which certainly seems to be the case, despite the fact that the help information says that it is only to adjust for playing behind the beat. Even if it is for playing behind the beat, it should not change your notation!

Grah Jive Talk
"Don't worry baby, they'll swing their arses off."