I hope that this is the right forum...

I have a song with all Real Tracks and I was trying to import it into my DAW (Cubase) but the Lead in Count is just too hard to line up with the existing tracks in my DAW. Then I exported to Real Band thinking that that might help. I soloed each instrument (highlighted only from the start of the song - not the -1 measure etc.) then exported as wav and imported into my DAW and again I keep getting the pre-count. I did go through the Options>Preferences in BIAB and tried un-ticking some of the boxes there...but again to no avail.

How can I save either in BIAB or Real Band a wav file without the Lead in Count...so, I can just import into my DAW and line it up at the begining of the track?

Any help would be appreciated.

Paul

A Quick way I'd do it is to Open the wav(s) in RB.
Highlight the count-in section (what you want to get rid of).

Click Cut .. then make sure the 'Close Gap' check box is enabled.
This removes the highlighted section and moves the track back in time.

If you have multiple wav files, import them all into RB, highlight the section and Cut them all at once.

Then Export the Track(s) as Wav to save them as shorter wav files without what you cut (removed).
May want to backup the originals first just in case you make a bad edit. At least until you get the hang of it.
First image shows highlighted section and Close Gap enabled.
Second image shows track 15 moved back as far as whatever I cut.

Those From-Thru settings can really help, as can the Audio Edit screen (use the +/- keys to zoom in/out)

The little track nudge right or left to align in time should be easy to do in your DAW as along as the Tempo is set the same between BIAB and the DAW. That's how I do it in Reaper when needed.

When there is any question where the song begins, sometimes I will make the cut in my DAW. After I set the same tempo as in BIAB, the measures are clearly marked.

The problem with not doing it by ear, nudging the start left and right as needed, is that some RealTracks play a pickup (often guitar; not just drums).

I thank all of you for your helpful advice.

You have given me a road-map (old vernacular) or GPS (new vernacular) to guide me.

I should be fine with all of your tips.

Thanks again.

Paul

Audacity is another useful tool for quickly making the cuts.

In case it wasn't mentioned, pro audio engineers always leave some extra room at the beginning.

When I record tracks at home to send to someone, I need to know what that gap is, and I send the whole track even if I'm only playing a solo in the middle. All tracks in a project start with the same gap before the beginning of the song, so my added track drops right into place. In a way, the extra two bars BIAB adds before each track is helpful to reinforce this concept.

Paul - I have another method, that I use with great success, and seems to work regardless of DAW. Follow my train of thought, here... it looks complicated, but it's really very easy. All Common Sense.:

1. Working in BB, I arrange my song.
2. Make a note of the tempo.
3. In all my DAW's (Sonar and Ableton at the moment) I have built a "BB Template", that is basically just a blank song, with all my most-commonly-used effects and track layouts - but no audio data as yet. Open that.
4. In the DAW, I set the tempo of the Template, and then save it with the filename of my new song.
5. Back in BB, I render the song ("Save all tracks as .WAV file (with options)", saving each track from the BB song into a folder.
6. When that's done, I return to the DAW. Most every DAW I've ever seen has an option where you can set a "Snap" time division. Set that to 1 Bar.
6a. Open the song folder, and select all 7 rendered track files (you might have fewer files, remember, if not all BB instruments are being used!). Drag them en-mass into the DAW, pushing them toward Bar 0.
7. Because the Snap feature is turned on, if you drag them between Bar 0 and 1 in the timeline, they snap to zero.
8. Then, just crop out the clix!

Trust me, it takes about six times less to "do" this, versus "reading how to do this"!!

If I need to nudge and tweeze the tracks afterwards, or groove-quantize them, it's much easier to do in the DAW!

Hope this helps, man. Rock on!

Oh, and hey, Paul - Matt Finley's comment (just before my post) is entirely true. He is Wise in the ways of the Force.

In addition to that "extra room", Pro Engineers also insert a spike of Pink Noise just before the audio starts, as a Best Practice. Why?!?

Well, when the tune gets to Mastering, the Mastering Engineer is probably going to apply some compression, expansion, and/or limiting. Some mastering software just can handle a "cold-start". The Pink Noise burst let's the Compressor kick-in just before the music begins, so there are no artifacts. They then edit-out the noise.

Even if you do your own Mastering (I do, myself), it's a really helpful idea. Thanks, Matt!

Oh, forgot to mention, with Audacity, just like a good DAW, if you cut, you can then insert silence at the start/end or just attenuate the audio etc. Yes, you still need some room at the start and end.

Thanks again for all of the additional suggestions.

TeeJay...I look forward to trying your suggestion.

And Matt, I too leave some room at the beginning of my tracks as some of the tracks in my DAW are MIDI and I always like to move the MOD wheel before the start of the track.


I ought to 'fess up as to why the tracks in my DAW were out of sync with my BIAB/Real Band files...after some of the earlier suggestions I began to try them and soon realized that my DAW track was set to 80 BPM and the
wave file from BIAB was set to 85 BPM.


Duh......I wonder why they wouldn't align?

Sometimes I can be so smart, but too late!

I guess as long as I can laugh at myself, I'm doing okay.


But again I sincerely thank all of you for you suggestions.


Paul

We're a Village, Paul. No Shame.

My chronic concussion is simply an outgrowth of my continual head-slap moments.

"If it were easy, EVERYBODY would do it!". You're one of the Elite.

Hey, using my methodology, don't forget to set the frappin' Time Signature in your Template, if it differs from 4/4!

Another option:
Full Screen

Hey TeeJay thanks for the reminder to keep an eye on the time signature. I can't help but feel that between the key signature, the time signature and the metronome speed...well let's just say I'm sure that I'll hit another pot hole again.

That's a great warning about the concussion from the constant head slapping. I may just start wearing a football helmet while I'm working at my DAW. Although, I'll probably have to wear some gloves as the constant slapping on the helmet may begin to do some serious damage to my hand.

Pipeline...I'll definitely give a good look at your tutorial. I gotta tell you it looks very interesting and full of some new ideas that I didn't know we're in BIAB.

Again...I thank all of you for your guidance and comfort.

Now let me put my helmet and gloves on and get back to work at my DAW.

Paul

This should be a snap (non-issue) if you do it right. If you're having problems, it's likely that you trimmed the tracks in some manner before you imported them to the DAW. Don't trim the tracks at this stage of the game.

First, if you are creating the song in BB you should ignore the thought of any sort of editing other than to get the structure of the song right.

Open that same song in Real Band and the tracks will populate. Do any other adding/editing of tracks as needed but again, don't trim the starting count.

Next....to export the tracks.... SELECT THE ENTIRE TRACK including the 2 count in measures. Export them out and into your DAW Cubase in full. Do not trim your tracks to get rid of the count in. That is one of the very last things you should be doing still, at this point, much further up the road. That count in is critical for any live players so they know and can hear where the song starts.

NOTE: the count in appears only in the drum track. resist the temptation to trim the 2 blank measures in the other tracks.... just export the tracks with the 2 blank leading measures and everything will line up properly.

You can always trim the count in and the tails later from the exported wave in an editor or in the DAW at the very end of the process.


If you trim the count in, you will have a hard time lining things up. One thing I found out really fast was to be sure the folks I collaborated with across the internet also used the same count in as I did. Nothing is as frustrating as someone who thought they were doing me a favor by trimming the intro clicks by some undetermined amount and I have to then line it up. Always use 2 measures and the song starts on beat 1 measure 3... in fact that is how RB & BB export the tracks naturally. Your DAW may have snap to grid which makes it easier to sync tracks,,,,, and you should be able to set resolution on the grid to very fine increments. This lets you slide the track, but that should be a last resort. Export the tracks with the count in and this is never an issue.