[News]

Thank you for joining the Songtrix Beta Test program!

Please read this page through the first time you login, to get an overview of the product, and what resources are available to you as a member of the ChordWizard Network.

The Product
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Songtrix 3.0 has been planned for many years, and under actual development since late 2003. It brings music theory, which has featured strongly in our current product range, for the first time into an environment where it can directly inform and guide the creation of songs and other musical works.

Of course, Songtrix has many other uses besides the composition of original music.  You can enter the chords of your favourite songs, and select one of the available styles to produce a full band arrangement instantly, or you can quickly create backing tracks to practice improvising over.  Also, it has powerful applications for teaching of all facets of music, since the workspace itself embodies music theory in action.

Songtrix is a general music product - unlike our existing ChordWizard Gold or ChordWizard Silver products, it does not have a specific focus on guitar or fretted instruments.  This makes it more broadly suitable for all musicians, however you will find that you can still get effective guitar strumming patterns with the Rhythm track, and you can use the Guitar Chord tool to easily convert a chordshape to a general chord inversion.

The Beta Release
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After two and half years of development, the main elements of Songtrix are in place and working correctly on our test computers.  We are now launching the beta test program to open the software up for public testing, and we anticipate the program will continue until mid-2006.

During this time, the beta release will be regularly updated as we continue development, and fix any problems that arise.  You can elect in your http:preferences.asp[preferences.asp] to be notified by email whenever a new release is available.  You can download the later release to update the version you are testing.

We have three main goals with the beta test program:

1. Proofing - Although we have already tested the software extensively during development, you may encounter problems that we haven't.  This may be because of your particular sound card or other hardware, of simply that you performed a sequence of actions that we didn't anticipate during testing.  Since this is sophisticated software, it is not possible to define, let alone test, all of the millions of possible combinations of actions.

2. Fine Tuning - We have worked hard to create an interface which is both comfortable and consistent.  However, everyone has different preferences.  If some aspect of the design feels irritating, inconvenient, or otherwise wrong to you, please let us know.  We will take everyone's comments into consideration as we converge on the final release.

3. New Features - While the major features of Songtrix have been implemented, there are still several medium and minor features that we will continue to develop during the beta test program.  We always remain open to suggestions. If you feel that a feature you want is missing or inadequate, please let us know.  Give us as much detail as possible of what you would like to see in Songtrix.

The Beta Test Centre
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This website itself will continue to develop during the beta test program.  By the time Songtrix reaches final release, the website will have evolved into a comprehensive resource to support the product and allow long-distance collaboration between musicians.

For example, once the beta test gets underway, we will be adding a major new area to the website where you can upload your song files and share them with other members.

So, if you have any feedback about the way the ChordWizard Network works (or doesn't!) please let us know.

Getting Help
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Songtrix will continue to develop during the beta test program.  Those who join the program towards the end will find it very close to its final release form.  Those who join at the start will probably find a few gaps and rough edges.

Most musicians with computer experience and a bit of initiative should be able to find their way around without  too many problems.  If you find the going a little too hard, we suggest that you wait for a few weeks and try a later release.

The main hurdle you will face is the lack of any help information with the product.  Unfortunately, this can only be prepared towards the end of the beta test program, when the software is approaching its final form.  In the meantime, your main sources of help are:

1. Demo Songs - There are several demonstration songs installed with the product.  You should open these in order, and use them for  exploring the aspects of the software that each song highlights.  You can modify the demo songs to experiment with different effects, and then use the knowledge gained to start working on new songs with your own material.

2. Forums - Once you reach the point where you have specific questions, you can use the Forums.  Always try http:search.asp[searching] them first, in case your question has already been answered, but if not, feel free to post a new topic.  We monitor the forums regularly and will attempt to answer every question, and other members may also reply with a comment, answer or suggestion.  Please use the forums freely to discuss ideas and help us to resolve your issues.

3. Special Forums - There are currently eight http:forums.asp[forums], their titles indicate pretty clearly what they are intended for.  Two of them are reserved for us to place help information as we develop it.  These are [FAQ], where we will post answers to question which appear often in the other forums, and [Articles], where we will post in-depth backgrounders on various aspects of Songtrix.  Tell us what you want to know! - we will try to prioritise the development of our help information according to what is most requested.

4. Contact Us - If you experience a critical program fault (where it seizes or crashes), please fill in a http:faults.asp[fault report] with as much detail as possible.  The beta release is already configured to send you to this page in the event of a crash, so it should be relatively easy.  If you want to send private feedback, you can do so from the http:feedback.asp[feedback] form, although we encourage you to use the forums instead if your question would interest other members.

Enjoy!
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With the basics covered, I wish you an enjoyable experience while exploring our new product.  Please have fun making music with it, and let us know of any problems, ideas, suggestions or criticisms that come to mind as you use it.

Thank you again for your interest in testing Songtrix, and becoming a member of the ChordWizard Network.

Stephen Clarke
ChordWizard Development
network@chordwizard.com
2nd February 2006