I’ve purchased my 2009.5 Pro BIAB program along with Real Tracks 11 and 12 (Bluegrass).
I’ve loaded it all on the PC and created some basic files from which to experiment and play accompanying fiddle or mandolin melody.
I’m very pleased with the product, and it’s certainly helping me acquire better timing..!! However, the program does seem to a beginner quite complex and the User Manual is daunting..!!

My question is:

If I have created and saved some basic 32 bar instrumental SGU files in the key of A or D of six common Old Time/Bluegrass tunes, and have selected via Style Picker “SD#27 Dreamer Easy 2 beat Style”, which is about the nearest I can get to an appropriate acoustic guitar rhythm, how do I then proceed (if I can), to enhance the guitar backing by say adding a background banjo to that file?

I seem to be unable to get “Bluegrass Real Tracks SD#94” and the in-built “SD#50 Bluegrass Soundtrack” or “SD#7 Jethro Bluegrass” to give me a suitable backing rhythm. I can’t get the timing to fit even my moving the Tempo control.

The “SD#27 Dreamer” Style is pretty good, and I can happily fiddle along accordingly, but I would prefer that authentic Bluegrass sound. I assume it is there but I can’t find it. I don’t think I’m asking too much, am I?

I have read and re-read the printed manual, particularly Chapter 7: Real Tracks to no avail. However it is certainly my total lack of knowledge of the product and in-experience that may be the problem.

Is this a question to which someone could give me some direction either from a pointer to the appropriate section in the manual, previous posts on this forum or from their own experience?

Appreciate any advice. Thank you.

Harry

Try some of the midi Bluegrass styles in Biab. You are limited to what is available with the Real Tracks. There are some nice Bluegrass Biab styles.

Trax

I agree, try the MIDI bluegrass styles, with banjo especially, MIDI doesn't sound all that bad and those MIDI bluegrass styles are nice.

Look, I’m only a beginner with this program but the MIDI Bluegrass programs that are in 2009.5 are:
• Straight Ahead Bluegrass
• Bluegrass Waltz
• Bluegrass Sound Track
• Jethro Bluegrass

plus, I have Real Tracks 11 & 12.

I can’t get any of them to synchronise with the simple chord progression file I have created. To give you an example, two well known fiddle tunes Bill Cheatham (A) and Billy in the Lowground (C) are 32 bar two-part tunes in 4/4 timing, and I set the tempo at around 130bpm.

When you bring in any of above styles via StylePicker, the two items (Style and file) are out of sync. For example, the banjo is running at a “million miles per hour”, and the whole playback is totally wrong. Decreasing the tempo doesn’t solve the problem, so I looked in Style Maker/Edit Current Style and read the User Manual. I’m sure there maybe a solution in here, but this is dangerous territory for a BIAB novice to start amending.

There is very recent posting from Peter Gannon on this matter answering a query from another forum member, and he mentions the need to use “Edit/Reduce” and/or Soloist. However, I can’t find where that menu/command is or even know what I’m supposed to do.

So in summary, I’m still open to advice about how to solve this little problem. Other than that, I’m very happy with the potential for me of BIAB.

Is this one for the BIAB Support Team?

Harry

I would suggest that you open the Style Picker Window and open the Search Window and enter Bluegrass, then search continuously with Alt+G to find all the Styles you have which are recommended for Bluegrass use. In particular, if you have them look at Style Sets 17, 42, 72 and in Category - Styles with RealTracks. I rapidly lost count of the options.

The "Reduce" Expand" buttons are top right of the Style Picker Window.

Lyn

One of the problems may be that several of the styles you tried are "SWING-feel" styles; however, in looking through the RealTracks list, it appears that all the banjo RealTracks are "EVEN-feel". That may be why you can't seem to get the timing right.

The Dreamer Easy 2-beat style is a swing style. So the EVEN banjo probably wouldn't sound very good with it.

The Jethro style, however, seemed match up fine on my system with the banjo RealTracks.

I don't know if this helps you. I'm not sure I understand exactly what you are doing. If you load the sample songs for the various bluegrass styles, do they sound wrong, too.

I'm not sure what you mean by "the banjo is running a million miles per hour". I will say that most of the BlueGrass styles have the banjo playing 16th notes, so yes, it's a lot of notes, but it plays at whatever tempo you select.

If you could post some of the SGU files you created, we could definitely take a look at them and see if we're seeing the same problems.

You said that you purchased BIAB Pro with a couple of RealTracks. So that tells me that you only purchased the basic program (which only comes with a few styles), and some RealTracks. So you are limited on the number of styles available to you. I think you would have found had you purchased the Mega-PAK or the Ultra-PAK, you would have many more styles available to you (both MIDI styles, RealTracks styles, and mixed). Again, if you could post some of the files you created to a webpage somewhere, we could take a listen and try to help you figure it out.

Quote:

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... 32 bar two-part tunes in 4/4 timing, and I set the tempo at around 130bpm.

When you bring in any of above styles via StylePicker, the two items (Style and file) are out of sync. For example, the banjo is running at a “million miles per hour”, and the whole playback is totally wrong.

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Hi Harry,

It may be that the 130bm is actually twice as fast as the BIAB style expects the count to be.

Try dividing the BPM by two and, if necessary, re-entering the chords such that things play properly.

65BPM. This goes especially for some of the MIDI Bluegrass styles IIRC. You may be thinking four beats to the bar where the style designers were thinking two beats/bar.


--Mac