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Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 6
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 6 |
I have never been able to make proper use of the repeats and chorus functions in BIAB to get a correct playback of a traditional polka. Most of the polkas and waltzes I play have a two to 4 bar intro, followed by an "A" section that repeats, a short "B" section that ends in a D.S. back to the beginning of the "A" section. At the second ending of the third time through the "A" section, you jump to a trio in a new key. The trio "A" section is then repeated twice, followed by a "break strain" with a Da Capo or D.S. back to the beginning of the trio to finish the song.
This form is most like a traditional march. I do not understand how to make BIAB follow this form, since the software seems to lend itself more to song forms with verses and choruses. Can anyone give me some advice?
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Oct 2008
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Welcome to the forums! Have a read through my posts in the the below thread, it should help. About halfway through the thread, I explain more fully how I created a chord sheet with repeats. http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=351518&page=1Also, keep in mind that DS, DC, repeats, etc. are conveniences for music notation and, as such, are a way of minimising the number of pages that it takes to write a song. If a song was fully scored for orchestra, it would be very unlikely that it included repeats, etc. BIAB is like the full orchestra score. It creates a backing that plays from beginning to end. This is how I personally choose to use the program. I layout a song as a single 'once through' (BIAB calls this 'once through the entire song' a single chorus). Copying and pasting of repeated sections makes it very easy to layout a song in this linear format. From a BIAB perspective, repeats (etc.) are tool that is used with Fakesheet mode and is primarily used for the creation of leadsheets. It can certainly be used with the chord sheet, too, though. Lastly... The video clip below is on PG Music's Youtube site. It is a tutorial on using repeats. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYpI7G_bmWwAlthough the video shows an earlier version of BIAB, the process is the same today. Hope this helps, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Beginners Forum
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I think that it may not be possible for BIAB to use repeats to do what you are requesting. You can lay out the form up until you jump to the trio, but then going back to DC or DS is a problem. I recommend you do the form as one long song with no repeats. The problem you may encounter is a limit in BIAB of 255 measures total. Note the good instructions from Noel that include copying and pasting sections.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,677
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Posts: 20,677 |
The problem you may encounter is a limit in BIAB of 255 measures total. Note the good instructions from Noel that include copying and pasting sections. Note that repeats, DC, DS, etc., are also limited by this. For example, if I have an 8-bar section and I play it through once and then repeat it two more times (i.e. it's played a total of three times), then BIAB sees that as having used 24 bars. Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 6
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 6 |
Thank you both for that great advice. Interestingly, I use Finale to notate and arrange my polka band music, and I was never able to use that program's midi playback feature to listen to my notation as a complete "front to back" recording because of similar limitations in the D.S./D.C. and trio playback. I actually do use the one chorus option in BIAB as you suggest. I thought that maybe I was incorrect, since I noticed that the tag ending feature is not available unless I have multiple choruses in my song. I didn't realize that I had a limited number of measures available! Fortunately, I have never tried a song that reached that number. I was interested in the tag ending possibility since I have been having trouble making convincing endings to my polkas using Realtracks. Many polkas end with a single "stinger" (to use a military march term) or two short notes, one on each beat of the final measure. I have been using band in a box "shots" to attempt to replicate this final note, but my results are not ideal. Sometimes, the final shot includes an eighth note on the off-beat. I wish there was a way that I could simply copy and paste the sound of a cymbal crash plus snare and bass drum on my final beat. Maybe I could increase the volume of my final "shots" to make them sound accented? I look forward to learning more about this program and this forum looks like a great place to do so.
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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.
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 11 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 22.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 22 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Peter Gannon Talks Band-in-a-Box with zplane
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
Special thanks to the team at zplane for their continued support.
Check out the full interview here: https://products.zplane.de/blog/peter-gannon-interview-pg-music
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