92. Why do I get an ".ST2 not found" message when I try to generate a solo?

This article is about MIDI Soloists, not RealTracks instruments/soloists.

Band-in-a-Box® may give you the following message when you attempt to generate a solo using the Soloist feature:"xxx.ST2 not found. Cannot write Solo. ST2 files are 'Soloist' files. They must reside in your (home directory)".

.ST2 files are Soloist databases. Each of the Soloists are set up to use one of the .ST2 files for solo generation, and if the .ST2 file is not present in your root Band-in-a-Box® folder (usually C:\BB), then Band-in-a-Box® will give you the message above. The list of Soloists that you see in the 'Select Soloist' dialog is defined by the Default.SOL file. This file contains descriptions for all of the Soloists that are available for Band-in-a-Box® at the time of the release of the version you have; it isn't necessarily a list of only the Soloists that you have.

In Band-in-a-Box® 2007 and higher, the list is filtered to only show Soloists that are available (installed), but if you check the "show N/A" box, Band-in-a-Box® will show ALL soloists, even ones that aren't available.

Here are some specific reasons that Band-in-a-Box® might be giving you the error message, or a Soloist is showing up as N/A in Band-in-a-Box® 2007 and higher:

  • Band-in-a-Box® Pro and regular upgrades only include a basic set of Soloist databases (Soloist set 1), while the Band-in-a-Box® MegaPAK and MegaPAK upgrades include all Soloist databases that are currently available with the exception of the Artist Soloist Series (Andy Laverne and Jeff Lorber Soloists). If you purchased the "Pro" package and you are trying to select a Soloist that is not included in the Pro, you will get an "ST2 not found" error.

  • Soloists sets can also be purchased individually. If you have purchased and installed an individual Soloist set, and you get this error when trying to use one of the new Soloists, then you most likely didn't install the Soloist into the correct directory. They must be installed in your root Band-in-a-Box® directory. The solution is to reinstall the Soloist set, making sure to select the correct destination directory. If you are not sure where you have Band-in-a-Box® installed, right-click on the shortcut you use to open Band-in-a-Box®, select 'Properties', and look in the 'Target' field.

  • There are some Soloists that have recently been upgraded to use a more advanced and realistic sounding Soloist database not available in the Pro version. If you get a message saying something like "Wynt.ST2 not found" when you try to select a Soloist that you think *used to be available to you* in a previous version, do the following to set the Soloist back to its default database:

    1. In the 'Select Soloist' dialog, choose the Soloist of interest and press the Soloist Maker [Edit] button.

    2. Underneath where it says 'Choose ST2 database', click the [Default] button.

    3. Press OK. You should now be able to generate a Solo using this particular Soloist.

    Note: You should make a backup of the default.SOL file after making edits in the Soloist Maker. That way, if you need to reinstall Band-in-a-Box® at some point you won't lose all of your edits.


Alyssa - PG Music