This dialog allows you to select and choose various options regarding how Abel rings the bells.

Manual Call Changes

Controls whether you can conduct call changes. See Call Changes for details.

Call Changes

Tenor Behind Doubles

If selected, doubles will normally be rung with a tenor cover. If not selected, doubles will normally be rung without a tenor i.e. on just 5 bells. If you change this option while the bells are ringing doubles, it will not take effect until you stop the bells and (re)select a doubles method.

You can also add or remove tenors before ringing a method using the Bells control.

Non-conducted

If selected, bobs and singles, and method changes if ringing spliced, will not be called by Abel or shown on screen.

Handstroke Gap

Lets you vary the amount of silence Abel puts in before the handstroke lead, as a proportion of the inter-bell gap. Normal open handstroke leads are 1.0 i.e. one bell wide; 'Cartwheel' (closed handstroke leads) are 0.0. You can have wide handstroke leads by setting this value up to 2.0.

Ringing Speed

Allows you to choose the ringing speed for each number of bells that Abel knows about. Choose the number of bells you want to change, then adjust the peal speed. You can also change the speed whilst you are ringing by pressing K or D.

Whole Pulls to AutoGo Prompt

When Abel starts ringing, you can choose to have it automatically call "Go" for the current composition after a few whole pulls, rather than waiting for you to press or click Go. You specify the number of whole pulls of rounds (or any other start row you've set), after which Abel automatically calls "Go", and starts changes on the following handstroke.

If you set this feature, Abel will also automatically call "Go" again after the specified number of whole pulls if you abort a touch by calling "rounds".

AutoStart in Sync

As described in Tower Bell Simulator, when using Abel as a simulator with an externally connected bell, you can start the bell ringing then click AutoStart to get Abel to join in at the same speed as the bell is currently ringing: this is "AutoStart in sync". However, for some uses, particularly with a very light bell (eg, a dumbell), it may be best to get Abel to join in at the right time, but not change Abel's speed to match the extrenal bell (requiring the ringer to change the bell speed instead). If you un-tick the "AutoStart in sync" box, that is what will happen.

Bell Keys: Up/Down Action

As described in Ringing a Bell Yourself, the normal way you ring a bell from the keyboard is to press and immediately release a key (most commonly, j), to ring the bell once. However, handbell ringers normally start with the bells down, and ring up for handstroke and down for backstroke. Abel simulates this at the keyboard by allowing "up/down action": Abel rings once when you release the key and again when you press it. When you've selected the up/down action option, and the bells are not ringing, normally Abel ignores the first press of a key (getting it to the bell's down position). But if the "with Start" box is ticked and the bells are not ringing, the first press of the first bell key causes the bells to start, so you don't have to click Start to get the bells ringing. If "with Start" is not ticked, then you will have to start the bells yourself; if you aren't holding the bell key(s) down when you do this, you should join in with your bell(s) at a backstroke (since the keys are initially in the up position). This is the ONLY situation in which you should start ringing your bell(s) at backstroke: in all other situations, you should join in at handstroke.

Note that you can also use the AutoGo option to start a method after a few rounds: see above. Setting 0 for AutoGo will give the tradional "up, down and Go" used by handbell ringers.

NOTE: because of the way keyboards behave when you hold down several keys at once, (a) this feature will generally not work for more than two manual bells; (b) some other keys may not work if the two manual bell keys are both down (eg, GHI may not work if J and F are being held down) - therefore if you want to press other keys (eg for Go), do this while at least one bell key is not pressed.