If I have a choice for downloading a file in .MID, .MGU, .SGU, etc. is there a prefered choice or are they all the same as far as format is concerned? What are the differences?

I created a piece and BiaB initially saved it as a .SGU file. Later on I opened that same file, worked on it for a while and this time BiaB saved it in .MGU format. What gives???

Thanks in advance

An SGU file is the proprietary PGMusic file format for a BIAB file. It is a file which only contains style tracks and associated settings on those tracks. However, if you add either a melody and/or a solo to the song, it will then save as an MGU (melody song) file format. Neither of these two formats are a MIDI file, although they can contain MIDI data. BIAB can both import from and export to a MIDI file, however.

When you import a MIDI file, all the tracks from the MIDI file go to the melody track in BIAB as a multichannel track. If you now save the file with multichannel tracks, it will save as an MGX file.

Clear as mud?

I think I got that...makes sense. I don't deal with MIDI, or at least I did not till now. Thanks jford.

To add to John's good advice: if you have a choice of downloading a song in MIDI or MGU format, I recommend you first try the MGU format. Someone already took the time to enter that song into BIAB and save it. The style, key, tempo should all be reasonably correct if they did a good job.

The SGU format will also have the chords and style but not a melody (since the melody makes it a violation to copy if the song is copyrighted). You can always key in the melody yourself for such songs.

BIAB does read MIDI files (and Music XML files) but will have to 'interpret' the MIDI and it won't be as complete as if you loaded a BIAB formatted song (the MGU or SGU format).

Matt Finley, now I know where people are posting about copyrighted material. Thanks