Hi all, here's my problem. I use BIAB 2013 to create backing tracks. Typically, I slow the last bars down without using the BIAB 2 bar ending. Everything works fine on the computer, but when I render to Wav, the slow down is not in the resulting render. Has anyone experienced this problem?
Hi Limau,
First things first, have you downloaded and installed the latest Update Patch?
That might just be the cure here.
--Mac
Thanks Mac, I have just downloaded the latest patch and ran the set up wizard as suggested, but another try did not render the slow down to wav. Strange, as it works fine on the computer in BIAB. I should add that fade out in the last bars renders to wav perfectly.
What method are you invoking for the Fadeout?
Also, whenever BiaB does not do something that it is supposed to do, always try doing a Return to Fatory Settings found under the Options menu. There is a volatile file that can get corrupted sometimes and doing that will rewrite it to a known working state. See if doing that clears up this problem.
--Mac
Hi Mac, I use Fade from the Bar Settings drop down menu.
I will now reset to Factory Setting and give that a try.
After resetting to factory settings, and clearing and rewriting the song and slow down ending, the same problem exists. It works within BIAB but the slowdown does not render to wav.
How are your rendering to wav? There are more then one way to to it. Try the most simple of all, drag and drop a single track to the desktop and play it to see if it has the correct fad ending. If it does then drag and drop the combo to a single track and see if that works. Or have you done this?
There is no reason to feel stuck if you can't get this working. Just record the song playing in real time into an audio editing program.
Jazzmandan,I select the .Wav from the button bar in the BIAB interface. I will try drop and drag and report back. Thanks.
Matt, if all else fails, I will start experimenting with other music editting software, thanks.
While the support given on this forum is SENSATIONAL...before bailing on BIAB have you contacted PG Tech Support?
I would imagine they would ask you to send them the file you created to see if they can reproduce/troubleshoot your issue.
Also...just a wild guess/stab in the dark. But if I read you correctly you are attempting to do 2 different things with the ending.
1. Slow the tempo down...sort of a rubato ending correct?
2. Fade out the volume.
It occurs to me that attempting to do both in the same bars may be causing some sort of conflict during the render from BIAB to wav.
Just a guess.
Best,
Jim
Hi Jim, These files are backing tracks, nothing complicated. Some have slow down and fade, some are only one or the other, and not from the same bar in most cases. Everything works fine in BIAB, and the only problem is that slow down does not render to wav.
Quote:
Hi Jim, These files are backing tracks, nothing complicated. Some have slow down and fade, some are only one or the other, and not from the same bar in most cases. Everything works fine in BIAB, and the only problem is that slow down does not render to wav.
Gotcha. If I read you correctly then in some cases, you attempt ONLY the slow down...not slow PLUS fade but the slow down doesn't render. Right?
If so, my theory that trying to do BOTH on the same bar caused a train wreck in the rendering process...is BULLOCKS!!!!
Hope you get is sorted out.
(-:
Jim
Yeah, its weird. I sent an email to support about it. What I would like to know of is that someone with 2013 can actually definitely render to wav with a slow down in tempo at the end of a tune.
Quote:
Yeah, its weird. I sent an email to support about it. What I would like to know of is that someone with 2013 can actually definitely render to wav with a slow down in tempo at the end of a tune.
It would be better if you could find a place on the web to upload one of the songfiles you have that exhibit this behavior and then post the URL to that stored songfile here.
Letting others be able to take a look at what's going on with the actual file(s) that exhibit the problem for you is recommended. For one thing, others may not be able to duplicate exactly what you've done, for another, it might be something else going on and not a bug at this point.
--Mac
Well, I just had a related problem. I'm using a Ketron SD2. Up until the most recent version, when I clicked the .wav button, I got the render window. There I had some choices, which for me, was always re-render to .wav. I can render to .wav but not using the SD2. First I have to check the DXi boxes in the midi window and render using a soft synth which is Coyote Forte for me. The end result falls way short to of the Ketron SD2 though. Thanks to Mario, I can do it in Sonar X1 using the SD2. It's more steps but at least I get to use the synth I want to use.
Stan
Stan, what you are describing is normal. Those of us who use a hardware MIDI synth have to either Drag'n Drop to a DAW, or record a mix in real time that includes the output of the hardware synth (your SD2). I have never even used the Render feature of BIAB.
Hi Matt. You might not have used the re-render feature, but you could have. It might be normal now, but it wasn't until this year. I'm just pointing this out in case some others are confused.
Stan
Good point, Stan. It's wonderful there are so many ways to get the job done. My present equipment predates by several years the ability of BIAB to render, so I just stay with what I know works. But I have tested the rendering feature as part of beta testing, and it's pretty nifty!
It used to be nifty, but it seems that I am no longer to able to render to a .wav file using my hardware synth.. Not sure why they changed that in 2013 as I would think there are still a lot of folks still using hardware synths.
Band in a Box has NEVER been able to perform the automatic Render function on any hardware MIDI synth.
That is because the processor that creates the sounds in a hardware synth is outside the domain of the PC processor.
--Mac
Mac, I am in touch with BIAB support and sent them a demonstration file. Once the cause is ID'd I'll report back.
When I want to make an Audio file using my Ketron SD2, I have to Audio Record the entire Band in a Box performance from beginning to end.
This can be done using the BB Audio Track, I find it better to open another Recording Program (typically the free Audacity.exe) and set the soundcard's Record Properties to record "Line Inpout" or, if the audio outputs of the Ketron are connected to Line Input and you can hear it playback in BB, alternatively you can use whatever the particular sound device mfr happens to call the input that records directly from the playback output. This second way can also capture any RealTracks and/or RealDrums the songfile may be using as well as the output of the Ketron.
This is not a fast Render operation, it is a simple one, though, once levels are set correctly. Only takes as much time to do as the length of the songfile itself. An added advantage is that a separate Audio program has all sorts of fast editing capabilities, one can easily strip off Countin if desired, can use Plugins to change apparent Loudness and Volume if needed, can Save As .wav, .mp3 or any other pcm audio format the recording program can handle.
Again, there isn't any way to perform a Direct Render when using *any* hardware MIDI synth. The sounds are in the box, outside the realm of the computer's cpu.
--Mac
Hi Mac. I don't have enough tech savvy to dispute your comment. I will say that when I used to render a BIAB song to .wav, the blue light on the SD2 blinked the whole time the render was taking place. Unless the sound was going through the SD2, I don't know why the light would be blinking. It doesn't blink when I check the DXi box though. The window that popped up with the various render selections in the previous BIAB is no longer there either--at least on the version that I'm using. I've kept my ext hd's each time I've upgraded so I suppose I can just go back to an earlier version or render to .wav in Sonar.
Shastastan:
How long did such a Direct Render take to accomplish?
--Mac
Hi Mac. It takes the length of the song at tempo to play and record to audio. The procedure is:
1. Click Audio Menu
2. Click Render Midi to Audio
3. Click (Re)-Render to Wav file. (For me using the SD2 and Edirol UA-4FX)
The are options in this window to select as you choose such as stereo file, 2-bar ending, etc..
I've never used the Audio Menu to select this in the past since it was accessed by clicking the .Wav button. That's changed now, but old dum dum (me) didn't figure it out right away.
That's not a real Direct Render.
It is actually Recording the performance of the MIDI synth from start to finish onto the BB Audio Track.
Direct Render using DXi takes only a few seconds to do an entire songfile.
--Mac
No doubt that you are technically right because after it records there is additional time for it to render to .wav. My issue was that the window I mentioned was no longer tied to the .Wav button. I thought that the entire process had been removed but it is now in the Audio Menu. The only reason that I've even posted about it was to possibly help the OP. He said that things worked in the past and I thought maybe he was not aware that the popup had been moved to the Audio Menu.
Well, I am back with the original problem. So far BB Support only suggested a reload of the 2013 and Coyote WT. THis was done and there was no change. I loaded BB onto a second computer and the same thing happened, or should I say didn't happen? The only thing in common with the two computers is Windows 7. Its not looking good for Wav render. Working in BB before the render the slow down function works, but an associated problem has now surfaced. In some cases, the original tempo plays for two bars on top of the slow down. Two different temps at once. I may just give up.
This may just be a single corrupted songfile. It happens.
You should pick any of the pgmusic demo songs, load it and try a render, see if that works okay.
If so, it may be that you would have to hit New and re-enter that songfile from scratch in order to find joy.
Rendering in win7 works for many others...
--Mac
There is corruption somewhere. But I have tried this on perhaps thirty different songs files. I'll try a demo.
Later: As with the other files, the Demo exports to a Wav, but does not include the slow down in tempo which I put in the demo.
I couldn't duplicate that here, but maybe I'm not invoking the ritard in the same fashion or something else is different.
Could you possibly find one of those file storage sites on the web somewhere and upload one or two of the songfiles you have that exhibit this behavior so that some of us might be able to download and try it out at our end? Post the URL to that webspace in this thread so we can get to it and download.
That might be the fastest way to get to the bottom of this at this point, prove it to be a bona fide bug or whatever.
--Mac
After a long series of communications, Support finally cracked it. Even after deleting all BB files,re-installing BB does not alter some registry settings, so, installing in a different folder forced new registry settings. I have tested three files, all worked fine. Slowed tempo exports to Wav. I was getting a bit cranky, and I am so proud that I did not ignite my famously short fuse.
The main Band in a Box .exe program does NOT write to the Windows Registry. This has been a feature of Band in a Box for a long time, allowing the program to run "standalone" from external drives, etc.
Whatever was up, glad you managed to get it sorted, now you can get on to Having Fun.
--Mac
There's a free program you can download called CCleaner. I use it to clear out extraneous stuff from my registry from time to time. Don't know if you might find that helpful in your situation or not. Just sayin.....
Stan
Quote:
The main Band in a Box .exe program does NOT write to the Windows Registry.
--Mac
Thanks, that is interesting. Perhaps the culprit was Coyote Wav Table.
Stan and others, you guys are confusing the terms. Remember the other thread where I talked about terminology? render is a computer function being done using a software synth only.
You may have noticed that rendering a song is much faster than playing it in real time. Ask yourself how is this possible? It's because you're using a software synth that is being processed by your internal CPU. An external sound module has it's own internal processing chip, your CPU has nothing to do with it so therefore you don't render a song using a hardware module. You play the song in real time with the audio outputs from the hardware module going back in to your computer using your interfaces audio inputs to be recorded by a separate DAW like Real Band, Sonar, whatever. Using software you might render a five minute song in 30 seconds but using hardware a five minute songs takes five minutes just like the old days when you bounced your 4 or 5 track stereo mix down to another tape recorder. Hence the term "mixdown". Remember when we all had to have two recorders if we were doing multitracking?
Technical terms, gotta know those technical terms.
Bob