PG Music Home Forums PG Music Product Forums Band-in-a-Box for Windows Logic about SOLO and MUTE

Today, let's talk about the operation experience of SOLO and MUTE.

Both functions are fine. However, I feel more comfortable in other DAW software. For example, in STUDIO ONE, there are five tracks, I want to hear drums and bass, I only need to click the drum and bass twice to SOLO. Because it is impossible to open MUTE and SOLO at the same time in the same track in STUDIO ONE

But that's not the case in BIAB. In BIAB, if the MUTE of a drum track is turned on, at this time I click the SOLO of the drum track, then its MUTE is still turned on. So this time I click SOLO on this drum track, I still can't hear the drums, and I need to click MUTE on this stock track again. In fact, it doesn't have to be so troublesome, just click SOLO on the same track and MUTE will be automatically turned on. Because I hit SOLO, definitely for the SOLO of this drum track.

Next, I want to listen to SOLO with drums and bass. If it was in STUDIO ONE, all I had to do was hit the drums and the BASS SOLO, then I could listen to those two tracks. Clear thinking.

Not at BIAB. On BIAB's MIXER, it's OK for me to click the SOLO of the drum, but if I click the SOLO of the BASS again, then the SOLO on the drum just now is automatically canceled? It turns out that BIAB thinks SOLO is SOLO, and I will automatically cancel other SOLOs for you, so why not cancel it? Need to hold down SHIFT? I think this is complicating simple things. Some people say it's not complicated, what's so complicated about holding down SHIFT?
Let's continue to see, on STYLEPICKER, for example, if I want two tracks of drum and bass to be SOLO, then I can't do it if I set two tracks to SOLO, because there is only one SOLO by default, so how to solve it? I need to MUTE all the other tracks.

In fact, the same problem, there are similar in BAR SETTING. For example, if I want to make INTRO only the sound of BASS, then I have two operation methods. The first is to MUTE all other tracks. The second method is to mute all the instruments first, and then set the BASS to "BACK TO NORMAL".

After a long time fumbling around with BIAB, I have found a solution myself. But I am still confused by these designs. This design makes people feel uncomfortable. Confuses users. The uncomfortable feeling, of course, can be adapted, but it can also be improved. Make more people feel comfortable. We often refer to this uncomfortable feeling of operating software and hardware as "anti-human design", as if it is the opposite of human operation logic and inconsistent with many software operations.

If it is convenient, I hope you can feel the SOLO and MUTE designs in STUDIO ONE, which are very reasonable.

Yes, I agree with you. BIAB doesn't follow the standard behavior that virtually all other programs follow.

I've always found it weird.

This is what I mean.

You can use the right mouse click for multiple and one left to cancel all other solos.
But yes Biab is like that.

According to your tips, I found that BIAB's design is very reasonable

The problem of MIXER is basically solved.
I don't know if there are more convenient and quick SOLO and MUTE solutions in the lower left corner of StylePicker?

I have asked for solo mute buttons in the Style Picker, I asked for solo/mute buttons in the BBPlugin VST and that took years of fighting to get.
Biab has so many dialogs you are stuck in like a jail and cannot access the main interface.

Style Picker Mixer (Control Mixer from Style Picker)

+1+1+1+1+1

Easy

NICE

As much as the work around that Pipester mentioned (and thanks for pointing that out for folks) I still think it would be better if it conforms to standards in the DAW world.

Then you still have no control of the volume, and the Style may have Utility tracks. The main problem with these windows is you don't have access to the main GUI while stuck in these windows, it is the same with the new F7 Tracks window and the new F8 Multiriff window, you have no control of the mixer or scrolling of the Audio Edit track to see the generated sections or be able to play easily section.

Yes. Probably this is an unsolvable problem.Just got used to it temporarily.

I'd rather the general bugs n instabilities be fixed and it continue as its own beast rather than conforming to DAWS and retaining instabilities.
CORE CODE needs work.

Yep, I totally agree. It needs a complete rewrite.

"Biab has so many dialogs you are stuck in like a jail and cannot access the main interface."

Agree!

Yes and no. It’s a fine dance. Yes this program is deep and rich with powerful features it is also confusing and complicated. The menus and submenus are redundant. A deep clean up is warranted. A complete rewrite, hhmmm that could take years and tie up valuable resources. I think a year of less new feature coupled with a tracked bug repair system again coupled with menu/functionality update. Would be epic

Since new features would be mostly halted. Just refine those obvious one from this year, then release a few more RTs and styles to continue to drive sales.

First refined features:

1. All tracks equal! Complete this feature

2. Bar settings, song settings, chord settings, micro chords, multiriff, etc. Clean these up and place them under structured menu to clean up and simplify the workflow. G

3. During the cleanup process locate redundant feature options and eliminate them.

Didn't we ask for this last year? No new feature - just fix what's there

We as soon as multi riff and the rest came along on 2022, everyone was praising BIAB for a wonderful product - again.

And we still have all the junk from before, just buried deeper in new code

+1 all of the above ! lol Mario said it before I could.
But I think it will just keep going how it is.
Yes rewrite could take years but on the other hand the BBPlugin could be the new Biab as the development is very quick with a Win and Mac version released at the same time that are identical. The thing that holds it back is waiting for the back end bbw4 (Biab running in the background) that it talks to. Once the generate code is translated from the old Delphi bbw4 code into the new BBPlugin code one function at a time, this will be all new code so any limitation from the 90's will not be brought into the BBPlugin. As the BBPlugin develops with the Direct Play function it will be quicker than Biab. All this will then go into the Standalone BBPlugin that will be easier to use and learn without any limitations of the old Biab (current) like tempo maps, time signatures and 255 bars.

At the moment I have to make AutoHotkey scripts for Biab to get pass the limitations and restrictions (like the Style Picker).
That's why I asked for a Scripts menu like other audio apps have, so anything you can't do or takes too long to navigate through the menus and dialogs to do, you just run a script from the Scripts menu and it does it all instantly.

In fact, I rarely use this riff in the main program of BIAB.

Because I first used BIAB to make a rough one. Secondly, it is generated by BIAB VST, and then put into other DAWs to continue production.
If we need to improvise, we can use BIAB VST to generate several. Then put it into the DAW editing operation.