#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: 1153
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: 15813
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 PC Audiophile. Software: SONAR Platinum, Adobe Audition, Ozone, Encore; Win 10 64. Hardware: custom i7, 16 Gb RAM; Roland Integra-7, Focusrite 18i20 (2), TCE Finalizer, Behringer X-Touch, Adam sub & monitors.
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: 13216
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
Attention RealBand 2017 users - the latest patch update (build 8) is available, and can be downloaded here.
Summary of Changes for Version 2017 Build 8: Fixed: Empty MIDI SuperTracks and Best Soloist dialogs. Fixed: After the end of a song, it would continue to play silence if Always On MME was enabled. Fixed: CPU meter would say "PT" during bootup.
Band-in-a-Box® Version 2017 for Windows Patch Update 468 Available!
Attention Band-in-a-Box® 2017 for Windows users - the latest patch update (468) is available, and can be downloaded here.
Summary of Changes for Version 2017 Build 468: Fixed: Various popup dialogs (eg editing volume on mixer) might appear partially off screen. Fixed: Setting "Audio Master (Base) Tempo" does not take effect until reloading the song. Fixed: If importing audio while launching the Audio Chord Wizard, the wrong audio master tempo is set, causing the audio track to never be in sync with the style. Fixed: Dragging to the WAV quadrant of the drop station would ignore the "Drag Master as separate tracks" setting. Fixed: The [Edit Soloist] and [Edit Melody] buttons in the Event List Editor dialog did not work. Fixed: Disabling "Draw interpolation" would cause random lines between sample points in the Audio Edit window. Fixed: If a THRU harmony is selected, then Band-in-a-Box would freeze when soloing the Soloist or Thru tracks. Fixed: Changing the color setting for "Window background" in the Audio Edit window had no effect. Fixed: Hitting [Cancel] in the Audio Edit Settings dialog would cause a random zoom to occur. Fixed: The [Sample] button in the Audio Edit window would zoom in to the far left of the screen, rather than to the cursor. Fixed: If opening a song that was saved in the Mac version, a random character would be inserted at the beginning of these lead sheet fields: "Style", "Tempo", "Copyright", "Composer", and "Composer2". Fixed: When exporting a video of the chord sheet, the the resulting video might be cropped. Fixed: The drop station would take a few seconds to respond during the first attempt to drag and drop.
These covered so many different topics... we needed 2 VHS tapes! From the basics of entering a song, chords, transposing, notation, recording a melody, etc. to advanced features like working with harmonies, secrets to the StyleMaker, drum patters, recording patterns and more, these videos were a hit!
User Tip - Differences Between the 'Regular' and Audiophile Version... #TipTuesday
Long time program user and forum member Matt Finley had shared his tip regarding the Audiophile version of Band-in-a-Box earlier this year, and it's still valid today!
If you've ever wondered what the difference between the 'regular version' of Band-in-a-Box and the Audiophile version, make sure you read through his forum post: Tip: differences between the 'regular' and audiophile version - it's well written, and always great to hear about the program from fellow users!
The Audiophile Version includes the entire contents of the EverythingPAK and adds the uncompressed WAV or AIFF files for all the included RealTracks & RealDrums! Learn more about the Audiophile version: www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.packages.audiophile.htm
There are so many ways to get in touch with people these days... phone, email, social networking, etc.... so of course we hear more feedback from program users these days! ...and here's what they're saying:
"I discovered Band in a Box about a year ago. I hesitated several times before purchasing it as I couldn't quite believe it was going to be as good as the hype. I eventually relented and I can honestly say, it's an incredible program and does some amazing things. As a songwriter, it's an indispensable tool and I can't imagine not having it."
-Vince C.
"I bought the first band in a box for my Atari 1040 ST and I used it for at least 10 years before upgrading to a Windows computer. After real drums, and then real tracks, came out I have upgraded every December since. The program is absolutely inspired and inspirational."
-Kirk O.
"Not everyone can find or afford real musicians to assist them when writing songs - and if working from home, as many songwriters do, there might not be room for them. Band In A Box does the next best thing and takes recordings of real musicians performing, then makes the material available pretty much in real time, in a form that adapts to your own composition by following the chord sequences. Hard to explain simply, but fairly amazing in practice."
-Steve C.
"Great tool for musicians - and the drummer keeps a steady beat!!"
-Maurice A.
"Great for learning new songs. I was weak on country rock songs and with the combination of using Riffstation and BIAB I am able to creat my own backup track for live performance and practicing songs with easier chording... Thanks PG!"
-Laurent C.
"I have it since 2001, use it all the time, great program!"
-John F.
"Thank you Band in a Box. I am a songwriter, and don't play several instruments, so I love being able to wear 2 hats and write and produce, and then later record vocals... You have probably saved me months/years on my project. Excellent tool. Thanks again!"
-Randy A.
"Didn't think I would ever go down that road but got roped into it by another muso friend, bought it and now loving it!"
-Fred P.
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