muting all instruments except drums

PG Music Home

I would like the entire song to play once, then play with all instruments (except for drums) muted, and then play normally for the last time. How can I do this?

One method is Edit, Unfold to one long chorus. Then use F5 at selected points to mute/unmute instruments as needed.

You could also use F5 to Mute the drums at only the one designated chorus.

--Mac

But can I mute them programatically without taking my hands off my instrument? Timing is very important.

Using both suggestions above should work for you . . . unfold into as many chorus as you like, F5 mute where and when you want muted . . . save as, then hit play.

Later,

Quote:

But can I mute them programatically without taking my hands off my instrument? Timing is very important.

You can Mute any of the parts at any time by hitting the right keyboard buttons, but that would mean you'd have to take your hands off the instrument to do so.

I suppose a programmable USB pedal might be programmed to deliver the needed keystrokes...

--Mac

Quote:

But can I mute them programatically without taking my hands off my instrument?

I don't understand the question.

You're not doing this on the fly.

You set it the way you want and then save the song. It will play exactly as you set it every time. No hands are needed.

Think of it like a MS Word document. If you center some text and make it bold and then save your document, the selected text will be centered and bold the next time and every time you open (play) the document.

You don't have to center and bold the text again every time you open (play) the file.

Quote:

Quote:

But can I mute them programatically without taking my hands off my instrument?

I don't understand the question.

You're not doing this on the fly.

.............

I think that's exactly what the OP wants to do.

And, believe it or not, there may be a way to do it. OP, take a look at the Conductor Window. At first glance, it appears to contain only transport functionality. But when you click on "show midi notes..." you'll find that there is functionality for muting/unmuting instruments from a midi (keyboard) controller. For example, (when the Conductor's midi control is switched on), (note) F5 should mute all instruments and G#5 should then unmute the drums.

I haven't tried it, so I don't know whether the trigger keys will simultaneously transmit normal note on functionality. Usually for this sort of thing, they don't, and it's not clear how to remap. But if you look at the way bottom of the list, you'll see that the conductor *itself* can be switched on/off via midi, so that would be one way to deal with the issue.

That seems as close as you can come from within the program. There are macros used in selected places in BB - in styles, I think - but AFAIK, there's no macro facility for grouping a packet of main interface commands and triggering the packet with a single key. Perhaps your midi controller has that functionality.

As Mac suggests, there may be other external possibilities....

Good luck, -Ron

Quote:

I think that's exactly what the OP wants to do

Could be, I guess.

But I'd wonder - why?

Perhaps it is a Jam Session situation...

Or perhaps a Practioe issue, where one would like to cut out all but the Drums and see if everybody can count for themselves and keep the groove...

Or ?

--Mac