Beltower

“You can input from sensors (dummy hand bells or tower bells) on any or all of the bells, or from a MIDI keyboard or other instrument, sounding the bells through your loud-speakers.”

“USB Input: Besides the USB to COM converters, dummy hand bells are also available for USB via Graham John's Handbell Manager interface software. Buttons on the controllers can be used to start/stop, and call Go, Bobs etc. complete with Look To and Stand.”

“Your striking is monitored and your accuracy reported in various ways, including recording, play-back, assessment and reporting. Ringers can perfect their listening skills using the automated Challenge with striking faults, and budding conductors can practice detecting faults as they occur, all according to selected criteria.”

“Place keys (normally number keys) are used to indicate the current place of the ringer's bell. There is a new mode which will wait for you to input your place, and will not proceed unless it is correct - good for practising methods, to save it running away if you go wrong.”

“Co-operative Timing allows the simulator to fit in with the real ringer(s), waiting if late or closing the gap if early, and can be used in a variety ways: for practising with multiple hand-bells, in case you hesitate or ring them in the wrong order, ringing tenor behind while you ring the other bells, making up numbers if you are short on practice night, it can even ring working bells, fitting in with the real ringers, alternatively, you can ring all of the bells and let Beltower make the calls, ideal for a learners introduction to rounds on tower bells, or for a learner's first attempts, with Co-operative Speed, where the other bells speed up and slow down to fit in with the ringer.”

“You can add methods directly from place notation, or from the blue line, or by using the place-notation/bell-sequence editor. Methods can be edited intuitively, and calls added or amended, with editable calling positions, and the listings are updated, automatically, as you edit.”

“The Composer will create touches according to selected criteria, including spliced. Touch Analysis reports musical rows (incl. CRUs), 'all the work' and calling positions. The Prover checks methods and touches, including spliced, and the False Rows Reports give details of duplications.”

“Touches can be edited as either method-specific, spliced, mixed (often combining extents of Doubles or Minor) or generic (for a variety of methods). Splicing can be at part-lead rounds, half-lead or any row, and both mixed and spliced can include mixed stages (eg. Triples and Major). The free-format editors allow liberal use of comments and white-space to improve readability, and to allow them to be entered 'the way you write them'.”

“It is designed for bell ringers to practise ringing and calling, either at home or in a tower, and includes the natural sound of church bells and hand bells, interactive animation, input from external sensors, and a wide choice of display/input practice modes.”

“Your striking is monitored and your accuracy reported in various ways, including recording, play-back, assessment and reporting. Ringers can perfect their listening skills using the automated Challenge with striking faults, and budding conductors can practice detecting faults as they occur, all according to selected criteria.”

“Co-operative Timing allows the simulator to fit in with the real ringer(s), waiting if late or closing the gap if early, and can be used in a variety ways: for practising with multiple hand-bells, in case you hesitate or ring them in the wrong order, ringing tenor behind while you ring the other bells, making up numbers if you are short on practice night, it can even ring working bells, fitting in with the real ringers, alternatively, you can ring all of the bells and let Beltower make the calls, ideal for a learners introduction to rounds on tower bells, or for a learner's first attempts, with Co-operative Speed, where the other bells speed up and slow down to fit in with the ringer.”

“Everyone ringing needs a copy of Abel, Beltower or Beltutor, and also Muster on a Windows machine. A band should agree on a simulator to use!”

“Operating system - All 32 or 64 bit Windows versions, incl. Win 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 or 11 CPU and RAM - Pentium 100 with 20mb RAM for animation Available disk space - 70.5mb, plus 85mb for optional additional Real Ringers, and 20mb if DLLs and DirectX not already installed Graphics - min 640 x 480 pixel display, 16 colours Sound - installed sound card and loud speakers Installation - CD drive or USB memory stick aka. Flash Drive. It has been thoroughly tested on 32 and 64 bit Windows.”

“Installation is from either CD or USB, delivered by post. Sorry, there is no on-line download option.”

“Full New Installation £30.00”

“CD or USB stick Beltower and BelTutor are normally despatched on CD, but they can be supplied on USB Memory Stick / Flash Drive for £4.00 extra. Postage and Packing included for delivery within UK only. Please add £2.00 for delivery elsewhere in Europe or further overseas if applicable.”

“Operating system - All 32 or 64 bit Windows versions, incl. Win 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 or 11 CPU and RAM - Pentium 100 with 20mb RAM for animation Available disk space - 70.5mb, plus 85mb for optional additional Real Ringers, and 20mb if DLLs and DirectX not already installed Graphics - min 640 x 480 pixel display, 16 colours Sound - installed sound card and loud speakers Installation - CD drive or USB memory stick aka. Flash Drive. It has been thoroughly tested on 32 and 64 bit Windows.”

“Operating system - All 32 or 64 bit Windows versions, incl. Win 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 or 11 CPU and RAM - Pentium 100 with 20mb RAM for animation Available disk space - 70.5mb, plus 85mb for optional additional Real Ringers, and 20mb if DLLs and DirectX not already installed Graphics - min 640 x 480 pixel display, 16 colours Sound - installed sound card and loud speakers Installation - CD drive or USB memory stick aka. Flash Drive. It has been thoroughly tested on 32 and 64 bit Windows.”

“Operating system - All 32 or 64 bit Windows versions, incl. Win 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 or 11 CPU and RAM - Pentium 100 with 20mb RAM for animation Available disk space - 70.5mb, plus 85mb for optional additional Real Ringers, and 20mb if DLLs and DirectX not already installed Graphics - min 640 x 480 pixel display, 16 colours Sound - installed sound card and loud speakers Installation - CD drive or USB memory stick aka. Flash Drive. It has been thoroughly tested on 32 and 64 bit Windows.”

“You can input from sensors (dummy hand bells or tower bells) on any or all of the bells, or from a MIDI keyboard or other instrument, sounding the bells through your loud-speakers.”

“Methods, Touches or Call Changes can be rung and/or called. Users can ring one or more bells using the keyboard, mouse, tower bell sensors, dummy hand bells, through COM or USB, or from MIDI devices. Calls can be input as well. Input timing (calls and/or striking) can be varied and bells can be input either by place or timing.”

“Libraries include methods, touches and call changes. The Beltower method library contains nearly 200 methods plus a few illustrative touches and quarter peals. Touches include spliced, mixed, generic and method-specific types.”

“the Software shall remain the intellectual property of the Author. no-one shall distribute or copy the Software (except for personal use and backup) without the express authority of the Author. no-one, other than the Author, shall modify, adapt or reverse engineer the Software for any purpose whatsoever. the Author will accept no liability whatsoever for any loss arising either directly or indirectly from the use or supply of the Software or support.”

“Never practise ringing a tower bell when on your own - Accidents can happen.”