PG Music Home Forums PG Music Product Forums Band-in-a-Box for Windows Triplet chords for ending? (Moondance)

This is a little long, please bear with me.

For audio I almost always use Power Tracks Pro Audio, and I'm getting to know Real Band. They are excellent tools.

I'm weird, I prefer to do all my MIDI work first on an uncluttered interface with no sub-menus or sub-menus to the sub-menus. It allows me to keep my hands on my instruments more (keyboard, wind MIDI controller, or percussion MIDI controller) and on the mouse and/or computer keyboard less. This is what I like about MT Pro. Every function can be accessed by a drop down menu with no sub-menus. Click the menu bar, click the selection and the dialog box opens. MTPro also has a very easy to use groove filter (they call it a change filter) but that's the subject for another post.

Then after all my MIDI work is done, I'll import it into PT Pro Audio and start with the audio. Of course there will still be some MIDI tweaks to done in PT Pro as the audio gets layerd, but the most time consuming MIDI parts will be already taken care of in a MTPro environment that is uncluttered by audio.

But that's my own personal work flow. Others prefer to work with both at the same time. Neither way is right or wrong. Now that I'm using Real Tracks a bit, I'm doing more work in RB but if I start something from scratch, it's always MTPro first.

Some people like all in one tools, some prefer separate tools for separate functions. Could be how our brains are "wired" by our previous experiences, could be just how we naturally approach things. I think anyone who works with tools whether they are digital or mechanical has their own preferred way of working. As long as the result is good (in our case the music), who cares which tool got it there?

Interfaces in different MIDI/Audio sequencers are different too, even though they pretty much perform the same functions. I learned on a couple of different sequencers before I found MTPro, and immediately bonded with that one. It seemed to "think" about music the same way I did. I have a friend who is a whiz at Cubase, I find the Cubase interface non-intuitive for me. Neither one is wrong and both are right.

Personally, I think a sequencer and DAW are natural partners with BiaB. And with Real Band you get all three in one.

Out of the box, BiaB's output can be somewhat generic. And that's the way it should be. By request, I once wrote a style for the Elvis Presley song, "Don't Be Cruel". It worked pretty well but when I tried using the style on other songs,that signature lick just made everything sound like a variation to "Don't Be Cruel". For the amount of time I spent creating that style, I could have finished the song in a MIDI sequencer two or three times over.

So when you take the somewhat generic output of BiaB and then tweak it in a sequencer, DAW or Real Band, you can get things like those triplets you talked about in Moondance. Whether the edits are song-specific or they come out of your head, you can take the already very good output of BiaB and turn it into something truly outstanding.

While DAW work can seem overwhelming at first, you can learn a little at a time and before you know it you will be a wizard. Get an entry level book on MIDI or search the 'net for lessons and you will be on your way. You mentioned that you play guitar, I would also recommend a MIDI controller so you can input MIDI as well as audio into your work. An inexpensive MIDI keyboard will do the trick. Korg sells these little USB things that are about as wide as a laptop that should be good enough for casual MIDI entering, especially for someone who doesn't yet have keyboard skills. On the other hand, a full sized MIDI keyboard controller would be a nice addition of skills to your guitar playing.

I started out on drums, quickly moved to saxophone, and for years it was my only instrument. I messed around on guitar and bass a bit while in bands, learning bass or rhythm parts to particular songs and then added some one-handed keyboard 'doubling' when necessary. But I didn't consider myself a player of these instruments. As the years went by I got better at them and my interest grew. In time, without any noticing of it happening, I became able to gig with them and actually did from time to time.

But the best part about picking up another instrument is learning how that instrument expresses itself. This increases your understanding of music in general and your 'home' instrument playing actually gets better. I play about 1/3 sax, guitar and with synth on the gig with a little flute and percussion controller thrown in (I leave the keyboard at home although I used to bring it). Learning keyboard and guitar helped my sax playing more than I can measure.

The same thing happened when I started sequencing back in the 1980s on my Atari computer. By adding instrument parts I didn't know how to play (trumpet, harmonica, or whatever) I first had to learn to listen to recordings of those instruments, and then emulate what I could in the sequencer. This taught me a lot about how those other instruments express themselves, and again all this improved my sax, guitar, bass, flute, wind synth, and keyboard synth playing. But the biggest bonus to that is it also increased my enjoyment of listening to music. And that is a gift that is worth its weight in gold.

So while it may seem overwhelming at first, take it a little at a time. Learn some simple skills first and build on them. If you take it in small, manageable chunks, before you know it, you will be good at it, and I guarantee it will help your guitar playing and increase your enjoyment while listening to music.

You already have Real Band, so it won't even cost you anything to start.

And of course, enjoy the adventure!

Insights and incites by Notes