#399619 - 03/09/1701:20 PM[Band-in-a-Box for Windows]#TBT - Band-in-a-Box® 2004 for Windows!
Callie - PG Music
PG Music Staff
Registered: 09/27/06
Posts: 1101
Loc: Victoria, BC
Since it's Thursday, let's honor the #TBT trend and take a look way back to Band-in-a-Box® 2004!
Some of the new features released with this version included: -All New 32-bit Program Engine -DirectX Instrument Synthesizer (DXi plug-in) Support -Amazing Audio Vocal Harmony routines: You can apply a harmony to the audio part! -Load a MIDI file into Band-in-a-Box using a single keystroke -New "Hybrid Styles" feature that allows you to play and create a style that has instruments from up to five different styles! -Transpose Each Chorus ...and more!
This, I think, was the last version that had any significant change to the printed notation. It introduced the ability to have first / second endings as well as repeats. So 13 years without any further updates.
Sure, there have been some changes, including music XML, that may or may not work, but nothing that compares to changes that have happened in the rest of the application.
I know I have been loath to update since, unlike some users, I do need the printed output, more so than the multiple Real Tracks, or Real Band.
I think it's time to make changes to notation.
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BIAB for Windows Version 2013 (366) Windows 10
#399680 - 03/09/1706:37 PM[Band-in-a-Box for Windows]Re: #TBT - Band-in-a-Box® 2004 for Windows!
[Re: Callie - PG Music]
Matt Finley
Veteran
Registered: 07/12/00
Posts: 15568
Loc: Hudson Valley & Lake George NY
Dave, you could start another thread where we could focus on this. But let me just ask, are you familiar with the free but powerful notation program, Musescore? It reads BIAB files directly, not just via Music XML.
_________________________ BIAB 2017 Audiophile. Software includes SONAR Platinum, Adobe Audition, Ozone, & Encore on Windows 10 64-bit. Hardware includes custom i7, 16 Gb RAM; Roland Integra-7, Focusrite 18i20, TCE Finalizer, Behringer X-Touch.
Matt, I have tried Musescore, but found that it didn't really handle the multi line lyrics very well. Now, admitted it was a while ago, and things could have changed, but my main beef is that I really feel that BIAB should by now, be able to produce a much better printed output.
For instance, why is each bar on a staff line the same physical length, regardless of the number of notes or lyric syllable. But I have commented on this many times. Why, again, do we have to create a song in linear form, just so that we can get a decent printout.
I found this post, presumably showing how far the product has come in the last 13 years, didn't acknowledge that notation hasn't experience the same growth. But again, PGMusic is showing how much has changed, not what hasn't
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BIAB for Windows Version 2013 (366) Windows 10
#399690 - 03/09/1708:48 PM[Band-in-a-Box for Windows]Re: #TBT - Band-in-a-Box® 2004 for Windows!
[Re: Callie - PG Music]
PeterGannon
PG Music Staff
Registered: 05/29/00
Posts: 13208
There have been many improvements to the notation. For example, here are the improvements in the 2017 version. Each year has a similar list.
Notation has been enhanced: The Guitar Notation display has been enhanced. You can now enter and display bends, slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs with notation graphics indicating these elements. You can create all these in the note edit dialog, and import/export from/to XML files. A rapid notation entry mode has been added for piano and guitar music. To do this, open up the Piano or Guitar window, use the new features to have right/left cursor keys to set the current notation position, and then click on the piano or guitar to enter notes. This is much faster than previous methods in many cases. The notation timeline is much more visible while editing, as it is a yellow wide transparent vertical line on the notation. Entry of Forced Accidentals is quicker now, without a pull down list required. Band-in-a-Box® now remembers previous width & height when saving notation as image. Band-in-a-Box® notation now has a checkbox to keep ratio the same when changing Width or Height in Save image dialog. RealScore Chords font is now selectable on the Notation window fonts menu. Music XML (notation export/import) has been enhanced. We've worked with Finale, GuitarPro, and Sibelius to enhance features and compatibility with Music XML. For example, we now read/write more chord types as well as guitar tab, bends, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides from/to XML.
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Have Fun! Peter Gannon PG Music Inc.
But Peter, It really doesn't change the fact that the print notation (that is the paper representation of the song) hasn't had any significant updates since 2004.
I agree that ther have been data input updates, but we still have fixed bar lengths, although we can assign the number of bars on a line. It's still very difficult to get note lyrics to line up when dealin with multi note bars. The last bar on a line can cause all sorts of problems due to lyrics wrapping to the line below.
I love BIAB; note, lyric and chord entry is a breeze, and the sound of the 'band', even with basic midi is amazing.
Perhaps BIAB is not a piece of notation software, and I should consider investing in a dedicated notation software, but I am not prepared to create duplicate copies all of my songs. BIAB notation could be a lot better, or at least provide a simple but comprehensive interface to another program. Wouldn't it be nice to use the same dialogue we use today to get a professional looking fake sheet?
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BIAB for Windows Version 2013 (366) Windows 10
The latest video from EricBlackmonGuitar is a great demonstration of the different types of guitars out there, and how there really is no such thing as a bad guitar!
Eric uses Band-in-a-Box backing tracks in his tutorial videos... Just one of the many ways program users can incorporate their Band-in-a-Box songs into other projects!
If you've purchased your Xtra Styles PAK 3 for Band-in-a-Box® 2017, don't forget to create and submit a song usings one of these new Xtra Styles to our Xtra Styles Contest forum for your chance to WIN $150 USD coupon to use on your next PG Music Inc. product purchase!
Hurry! This contest ends at midnight on August 15th! Complete contest information and contest rules list here.
If you visit our About page, you will read that Dr. Peter Gannon founded PG Music Inc. in 1988!
With that in mind, there are a lot of video tutorials we've released that answer many of the technical support questions frequently asked, including this blast-from-the-past: Band-in-a-Box (1997): Windows 95 MIDI Setup, narrated by Peter! Click here to view the video.
If you're a Band-in-a-Box for Windows user, did you know your purchase came with RealBand?
RealBand is a fully-featured and powerful music arranging, sequencing, and digital recording program; it combines sequencing features with the automatic accompaniment features of Band-in-a-Box!
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