As many of you know, I'm a MIDI person. I have no use for the Real Tracks and feel that I can make a much better song by exporting MIDI tracks to a good MIDI sequencer, tweaking the music in that sequencer a little bit and playing it with good sounding MIDI modules. I think that using this method, I can take the very good output from BiaB and turn it into something truly excellent.

Like many other people, I've made my MIDI suggestions in the wishlist LINK. Unfortunately, all of my wishes haven't been granted yet. But again, I'm not complaining.

Through the years since I was introduced to BiaB on the Atari and later Motorola Macs and DOS PCs (we called them IBM compatibles back then), many features have been introduced that I have absolutely no use for; notation (I have encore), the visual drum window, melodist, soloist, Real Band (I find MTPro an easier sequencer for me to use YMMV), Real Tracks and others.

I just figure the features that I don't use are for somebody else. Like the songs in a fake book. I buy the book for the songs I want to play, and I figure the songs I don't want to play are just extra. Like the Internet itself, I visit the sites that interest me, and the other sites are for other people. I have no problem with PG adding features for other people.

I have also seen the core BiaB program grow through the years. When I started there were only 3 instruments, (piano, bass and drums) with the 'built in' 24 styles, no endings at all, no user styles, very limited chord selection choices, and absolutely no other features at all (no harmonies, melodist, soloist, etc.). It was what it was originally intended to be, a rough, practice tool.

Through the years I have also made quite a few suggestions, some of them have been implemented, some of them have not. I don't know the reason behind this because I'm on the outside looking in.

I've also made some innovations on my own that PG Music has later included in the core program like shots, multi-styles, EXPANDED, REDUCED, etc. I saw the demand, implemented them on my own, PG saw that it was a good idea, adopted them, and everybody benefits.

I am hoping that after the initial love affair with new Real Tracks cools down, PG will be adopting more of the requested innovations in the MIDI part of the core program itself. I don't know which ones can be implemented, which ones PG feels are good suggestions, and which ones they will adopt. Again, on the outside looking in.

Like everyone else, I'm like a hungry little bird peeping away to PG, "Feed me! Feed me!". I want my suggestions implemented. But PG has many customers, each peeping away and wanting their own developments. I would assume that the loop people are peeping for more loops and PG is responding.

So we MIDI fans need to peep too. Make your suggestions, affirm the suggestions that others have made and you agree with. Do it on the PG Music forum, post them on the wish list, and let PG know what we want. If we peep louder than the others, perhaps we will be fed.

Even though I haven't gotten all that I wanted out of BiaB, I still feel it is the best auto-accompaniment program out there. What Peter Gannon and crew have done is truly remarkable. They started out ahead of the pack with BiaB/DOS, long before there was anyone else. They have grown through the years as computer technology has grown. I am a happy BiaB user, and hope to be even happier in the future.

I have nothing but admiration for what PG Music has done. But I will continue to put in my requests in the hopes that some of my wishes come true. Hopefully I will make my requests in a friendly, gentlemanly manner and although I will be disappointed if they all don't come true, I will be understanding that I don't know enough about the inner workings and the demands of other customers to know why my requests aren't the most important in the world to PG Music.

Thanks Peter Gannon for a great product, thanks for the improvements you have made that I have enjoyed, thanks for the features that make other people happy, and I hope your product will continue to evolve in the future and that some of my wishes will come true.

Sincerely,
Bob Norton

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

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