Kurt, I get confused when setting up a new client, eventhough you have gone over this several times. Maybe it would help to see it in black & white.
Initially you have to chose a setting file, but hten you can go to the 'Read or Write Settings file' and either 'Creat a new settings file' or Save Settings to this file' or 'Read in Settings from this file'. If I have the settings set up, first wouldn't I 'Create" the file, then 'Save Settings to This File' (those already set up).
Somehow I tend to overwrite settings in the clients file and endup with wrong settings. If this is the manual somewhere, just direct me there, if you wish. Thanks.

Think of the settings file as a template. There are a lot of options that you can set up for a clients folder, such as the frequencies, the electrode placements, the auto-threshold criteria. The idea of the settings file is to have a pre-made template that has all of your standard settings already set up for you.
The important thing to remember is the difference between the settings file and a folder. A folder is used to hold the client information, and a client might have several folders if we are using several placements for that client. A client might have a T3-T4 folder, as well as an Fp1-Fp2 folder for example. Each folder would have its own settings. The settings file just makes it easier to set up a new folder for a client more quickly. Simply a template to start with.
To create your own settings file, take a folder that you like, that you would like to turn into a template (settings file). With the folder selected, go to “view or change settings”. The first button is “read/write settings file”. Use the “create a new settings file to name your own settings file. Call it whatever you like “Erik's_settings” for example. Then, copy in the settings from the current folder that you have open by selecting “save settings to this file”. Now you have created a template of the settings from that folder that you have open. Now, in the future, when you have a new client come in, and you don't want to spend a long time setting up a folder for that person. You can just choose the settings file “Erik's_settings”. And all of your pre-set settings will be imported into that file. Making small changes from there for that individual client should be easy.
The settings file is selected right after you press “create new folder”. You name the folder, confirm the folder, and then you see the choice of settings files. That is where you will choose “Erik's_settings”
Does that help?

Kurt

Also, a quick note on the brainmaster manual.

On the latest version of the brainmaster software, available here http://www.brainm.com/software/2.0SE

there is now a button on the main brainmaster menu that says "product manuals". If you press that button, the first icon is the "quick reference guide". That has some quick start instructions for running a session.
Kurt

Kurt, thanks for the info. I have figured out what one of my areas of confusion/error were. When I would go to make a change to the next settings file, ie. after 10 min T3-T4, now wanting to do P3-P4. When I had a preset settings file for the particular individual, I would highlight it and click OK. But it seems you have to first click "Read in Settings from this File" then OK. In my mind once the name of the settings file was highlighted, I was thinking I would just have to say OK to access those settings. But BrainMaster needs the additional step to tell it to read those settings in. When I didn't, I was confused to still see the settings for the previoustraining protocol (in this example, T3-T4). Now that I am aligned with the logic of the BM engineers (and not my own way of thinking), I can make use of this sysytem and function quite happily.

In addition, I wish there were a way to utilize all these settings changes in the context of a single session. The current system is that each settings change constitutes a unique session. EEGer does it so that you can tract the various setting changes as part of a session. This way when one reviews the session results in BrainMaster (however useful this is) you have multiple sessions that are really one session. Just fits my sense of order in the universe, I guess.

Let's actually do this a different way. Each placement should have its own folder. Think of the settings file as a way to set up a folder. But each client should have several folders, one folder for each placement. Otherwise there is no way to review the data if you are jumbling together lots of different placements all in one folder, this will jumble together all of the results. Keep each placement separate in its own folder. Not to mention, it's just a pain having to use different settings files within one folder, as you have discovered. It's much easier to just switch folders when you switch placements.

Regarding naming the folders: Let's say "Kevin" is using a T3-T4 placement and an Fp1-Fp2 placement. Make two individual folders for Kevin. When naming the folders, use the strategy of calling each folder "T3-T4 Kevin" and "Fp1-Fp2 Kevin". This way, in the name ID, it will show the client name first, and it will alphabetize all of that clients folders together. This will look like the following in your folder list:

KeviT3-T4
KeviFp1-

The advantage is that you can find all of Kevin's files together. Also, in the comments field, I recommend putting Kevin's full name.

This method also makes a lot of sense for home use, now if you want to set up 20 sessions, each 10 minutes, of T3-T4, and then 20 sessions, each 10 minutes of Fp1-Fp2, you can send the client home with these restricted folders using session librarian, and then they will follow exactly those folders until all 20 sessions of each type are used up and come back for more folders. (On a home use system they cannot get to the “View or Change Settings” button).

Kurt Othmer