Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Beginners Forum
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 13
S
stef007 Offline OP
Newbie
OP Offline
Newbie
S
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 13
I'm still not totally clear on using the a b or blank at the start of a bar.
I can't find a video that explains this very well.

-I understand the Intro (ie:start at bar 5)
-I understand "a" could be verse
-I understand "b" could be chorus


How do you mark a section as a middle 8 or pre chorus?

I like the idea of working with the "a" and "b" markings because the drums react properly with fills.

Thanks

Beginners Forum
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,952
Veteran
Online Content
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,952
I think you have a good start.

A(blue part marker) and B(green part marker) are called "substyles" and yes, A is typically the verse and B the chorus, because the B substyle is generally 'busier' or more intense.

While the change to a different substyle results in a drum fill, that can now be turned off if you have a recent version of BIAB. Also, the intensity of fills depends greatly on the style selected.

In jazz, a form of Intro, AABA, Tag might be done as B,A,A,B,A,B

There is a possibility of using a style with more than two substyles, called a Multistyle. BIAB introduced some of these quite a few years ago, but if I recall correctly, they were MIDI-oriented. It was possible to click through more than A and B; you could get C, D and more and they used different colors.

I believe if you wish to build and save your own style, it should be possible to combine RealTracks in a way to construct a user style that would allow you to do this. Often just changing the drums used makes a major difference in the feel of a song.

You can read more about this by going to Help, Help Index, Substyles. They discuss pre-verse, interlude, drum fills and more.

Also note, you do not have to change the feel of the song by using substyles. You can press F5 (Bar Settings menu) and change the style at any measure. I suspect this technique is used more often than multistyles.

Let me know if this helped you, and ask your questions.


BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
Beginners Forum
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,753
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,753
Band In A Box is not designed to follow a pop style song form as in Verse - Prechorus - Chorus - verse - prechorus -chorus - bridge - chorus - etc...
It follows a traditional jazz and blues form where a chorus means one time through the entire main section of the song. Then it allows you to add repeats of the chorus, intro, tag, ending and such.
Best to expand to one big chorus and ignore BIABs use of the term "chorus". 100 bars is usually enough for a moderate tempo song.
But, as you build the song you might find it helpful to keep the bars to a minimum for faster regeneration up to the section you are working on.
Set your final last bar when you approach completion.
Most of my songs are done this way.

You can use Bar Based Lyrics to designate your form.

Many styles allow you to change the drum pattern and rolls used by right clicking on the A or B part marker.

The A Blue and B Green part change markers are used to change the A - B style for verse and chorus and to force a drum roll just before the part marker.

To create a blank bar or blank beat's in a bar insert a chord with a period and make it a rest. "C." It will rest until your next chord.

Right click on the bar for more on bar settings.
right click on the blue or green substyle part marker for more on drum pattern and other choices.


Does the noise in your head bother me ?
Beginners Forum
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 13
S
stef007 Offline OP
Newbie
OP Offline
Newbie
S
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 13
Thanks for the suggestions. I will try them all.

Do most people work with BIAB without using the "a" and "b" markers?

I would really like the option of being able to name and tag a section chorus, or bridge or Intro with a different letter and have BIAB react to that labeled section.

Beginners Forum
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 21,659
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 21,659
Here's how I look at it.
It's simple, but I try to keep things organized in my head at a basic level before expanding.

Any time you put a marker (an A or B change) in the song, the preceding measure will get a drum fill at the end of it (or a 'lead in').

Whether it is two A's in a row or A/B changes or two (or three) B's in a row.
In my simple mind, this is how I can force/control a fill. Whether I call them chorus or prechorus or George, I control the drums/fills for a given section with this one simple rule.

There are also actual literal 'Markers' where you can label a section whatever you want, but the above is how I control the drums, which is what I think you were asking.


Make your sound your own!
.. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Beginners Forum
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 13
S
stef007 Offline OP
Newbie
OP Offline
Newbie
S
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 13
That's a good way to think about it, thanks rharv smile

Beginners Forum
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 13
S
stef007 Offline OP
Newbie
OP Offline
Newbie
S
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 13
Can someone tell me how to label a bar? I'm using the Mac 2016 version

Beginners Forum
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,753
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,753
I'm not using MAC so I don't want to how to label a bar. And, I don't normally label the bars in BIAB. I label them in my DAW, Reaper.

rharv said;
"Any time you put a marker (an A or B change) in the song, the preceding measure will get a drum fill at the end of it (or a 'lead in')."

But in BIAB2016 for Windows I can right click on the style change marker or blank space where the style change/part marker would be and in the dialog I can remove the check mark for "Allow Drum fill before this part marker (normal)" and no drum roll/fill when I don't want one. I'm not sure if this is true for all styles but so far so good.


Does the noise in your head bother me ?
Beginners Forum
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 18,530
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 18,530
Originally Posted By: stef007
Can someone tell me how to label a bar? I'm using the Mac 2016 version

Not sure about the Mac, in the PC version you can add a letter to a Bar (with or without a part marker). Right-click where the part marker displays, and choose Bar-base Section Letters:

Attached Files (Click to download or enlarge) (Only available when you are logged in)
2017-04-01_16-32-26.jpg (54.54 KB, 33 downloads)

BIAB & RB2024 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
Beginners Forum
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 13
S
stef007 Offline OP
Newbie
OP Offline
Newbie
S
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 13
I did start marking the sections with the optional letters. This will work fine, Thanks

Beginners Forum
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,952
Veteran
Online Content
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,952
I love the Bar-Based Section Letters. My songs are labeled with I(intro), A, B, C, T(ag), S(olo), things like that.


BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Band-in-a-Box User Video Tutorials!

If you've reviewed our Support page, you've probably noticed the Videos page, which separates our Band-in-a-Box® tutorial videos by category: Overview, VST DAW Plugin, Setup, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and there's even an Archive category to go down memory lane... (You'll also find these videos on our YouTube Channel.)

It's always great to hear how other Band-in-a-Box® users create their songs, especially when they explain in detail what they're doing. Like Henry Clarke's YouTube Channel, Henry Clarke - Senior Musicians Unite! There you'll find his ALL Band-in-a-Box Tutorials playlist with over 50 videos! His top-three most watched videos include "How to Get Started with Band-in-a-Box," "How I use the Audio Chord Wizard in Band-in-a-Box," and "How to Create An Effective Solo Using Band-in-a-Box" - however he touches on many other topics and also demonstrates his own Band-in-a-Box® songs in the Band-in-a-Box Created Songs playlist!

You're guaranteed to find some helpful videos when you visit Henry Clarke's channel!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 Italian for Windows is Here!

Ci siamo dati da fare e abbiamo aggiunto oltre 50 nuove funzionalità e una straordinaria raccolta di nuovi contenuti, tra cui 222 RealTracks, nuovi RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 3, Playable RealDrums Set 2, due nuovi set di "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 e altro ancora!

Tutti Pacchetti | Nuove Caratteristiche

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 French for Windows is Here!


Band-in-a-Box® 2024 apporte plus de 50 fonctions nouvelles ainsi qu'une importante de contenus nouveaux à savoir : 222 RealTracks, des RealStyles nouveaux, des SuperTracks MIDI, des Etudes d'Instruments, des Prestations d'Artistes, des "Morceaux avec Choeurs", un Set 3 de Tracks Jouables, un Set 2 de RealDrums Jouables, deux nouveaux Sets de "RealDrums Stems", des Styles XPro PAK 6, des Xtra Styles PAK 17 et bien plus encore!

Tous Packages | Nouvelles Fonctionnalités

Video: Making a Song with Band-in-a-Box®, ChatGPT, and Synth V

Take your Band-in-a-Box® project to a whole new level when you incorporate ChatGPT and Synth V to add lyrics and vocals to your song!

We wanted to demonstrate how this is done with our video, where we show you how to go from nothing to a finished "radio ready" modern pop song by combining the features of Band-in-a-Box®, ChatGPT, and Synth V!

Listen to the finished song, so you get a listen to the finished product: https://demos.pgmusic.com/misc/behindthefame.m4a

If you like it, watch the video. Either way, let's hear your comments!

Henry Clarke: Revolutionize Your Band-in-Box® Tracks with Regenerating Function

One of the new features added with Band-in-Box® 2024 is the Tracks Window, which will look familiar if you've worked with other DAWs.

Henry Clarke explains why he loves the Re-generation function within the Tracks Window in their video Revolutionize Your Band-in-Box® Tracks with Regenerating Function.

Watch video.

Learn even more about what the Tracks Window can do with our video Band-in-a-Box® 2024: The Tracks Window.

User Video: Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box®

The Bob Doyle Media YouTube channel is known for demonstrating how you can creatively incorporate AI into your projects - from your song projects to avatar building to face swapping, and more!

His latest video, Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box, he explains in detail how you can use the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box with ACE Studio. Follow along as he goes from "nothing" to "something" with his Band-in-a-Box MIDI Melodist track, using ACE Studio to turn it into a vocal track (or tracks, you'll see) by adding lyrics for those notes that will trigger some amazing AI vocals!

Watch: Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box


Band-in-a-Box® 2024 German for Windows is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!

Wir waren fleißig und haben über 50 neue Funktionen und eine erstaunliche Sammlung neuer Inhalte hinzugefügt, darunter 222 RealTracks, neue RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, abspielbare RealTracks Set 3, abspielbare RealDrums Set 2, zwei neue Sets von "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 und mehr!

Paket | Was ist Neu

Forum Statistics
Forums66
Topics81,981
Posts739,593
Members38,629
Most Online2,537
Jan 19th, 2020
Newest Members
JOSEP ALEXANDER, deathbydrone2045, Henreo, Lzn, The Rock Opera
38,629 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 146
musocity 129
DC Ron 95
rsdean 95
dcuny 90
Today's Birthdays
aminull, Gemini, Tripleshakequeen
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5