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Post your own Tips and Tricks here
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,992
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OP
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,992 |
tips...30. the SONG and SONG PICTURE and HOOKS are king. (and some other aspects like money n fame etc.) ive tried to cover a lot of basics with ptw in a short time via an example session. (and there is lots more intricate ptw details to explain.) but would like to digress a bit, and give you further ideas. i covered in earlier posts the importance of haveing a good song with hooks and a good sound picture. lets talk about some added tools that might help you. firstly u can get a chart showing the frequency ranges of different instruments , and post it on your studio wall. this might help u a bit in the mixing process. and building sound picture. if u have some instrument or sound not covered by the chart..ie... something unusual, you could alwats record it to a trak in ptw, then invoke ptw's RTA (real time analyser.via fx button in the ptw mixer.), and look at a frequency plot of the sound or unusual instrument. and mebe build over time an addendum to the frequency chart to remind yourself. another usefull tool, and something to help with writing lyrics would be a rhyming dictionary. for people new to songwriting, its a good idea to get a huge 3 ring binder , and fill it full of paper, and just start writing song ideas down and snippets of lyrics. as well as your thoughts on whats going on in the world around you. thinking of a good title also is important. over time as u write down lots of different lyric ideas youll find u might be able to merge different ones into a song. conversely , mebe a beat or a song idea will pop into your head. when this happens to me....sometimes at 3am....lol... i rush to the pc and get the germ of the idea down. even in its roughest form...then i refine it later on. if u have a lot of trouble thinking up lyrics, and eg..youve done a couple of music traks to quikly get the musical idea down.... dont laugh , but now..lol...do a vocal trak even if its just mumbling. then play the mumbles back and often words might start forming in your mind. this has happened to me on many occasions. sometimes playback will create certain emotions in you psychlogically .which in turn ..could lead to words asnd lyrics. maybe also at the same time with just a music idea with no lyrics yet formed.. open up your big 3 ring binder with all the words n ideas you saved over time, and then try fitting some of the words to the music. this might get u started. dont EVER give in to writers block. cos if u tell yourself you cant do it....it becomes a psychological burden. instead just keep on writing and writing anything that comes into your head in your lyric 3 ring binder. at any time of the day. now another aspect is the TEMPO of your song. say your working in midi traks trying ideas for example, and a tempo isnt working. try another tempo. heres a trik i do in writing songs. i vary the tempo until i get a "feel" it is correct for the song in conjunction with the music and style of the song, as well as the vocals and lyrics. mebe the tempo is too fast for the lyrics or the tempo is too slow for the particular song. in summary i use ptw to experiment a lot with the tempo of the song before going into full blown recording of a song. youll KNOW when a tempo is correct. it just "feels right". is the only way i can explain it.
now to those memorable song HOOKS. in summary dam tough. let me give you some clues to help. someone i respect said to me in the past , if u want to write a big selling song...it should have at least a minimum of 3 or preferably 4 hooks. as i said before...a song hook is something that a listener cant put out of their mind. how do u go about creating hooks ?? ie..saveing that really grabs people ?? not easy. some hooks just come about by jamming. for example a guitarist jamming over a rhythm section, or mebe trying a different instrument completely. OR...mebe the rhythm section is itself a hook. a good example of a rhythm hook , would be for example.. george bensons loverly rendition of "On broadway". everybody knows when that rhythm starts that its the broadway song. another example of a rhythm hook intro might be the sharona hit by the knack for example. some might disagree, but if u analyse sharona. (if i remember it starts on G.) there is rather a lot of interesting stuff going on in it. for example the main lead break hook. this was a big selling record all over the world. notice in the lead break...in my opinion anyway... how well the notes are presented. and the sound picture ?? not a zillion notes a second , but cleverly starting rather slow. when anyone hears that song, and that lead break its unmistakeable. ie..hooks. some might disagree..but i feel a lot of clever thinking went into that song. another example of unmistakeable hooks might be the pounding rhythm that starts off lyndleys version of crazy bout my mercury. conversely in an older realm , how about the soaring intro to gershwins rhapsody in blue. a signature intro hook imho. do you notice a commonality between these songs ?? no i'm not nuts...there IS as commonality...what is it ?? answer .imho ..is that each song immediately through clever techniques captures the listeners interest right off the bat. well it does mine anyway. lol. in summary each of the songs ive mentioned has a memorable start to the song. (mebe u disagree cos your musical taste is different to mine...dunno. i'm just trying to use examples.) anyway i think ive belabored the hooks point enough for someone starting off new in songwriting to get the gist of what i'm talking about.
IN SUMMARY..the CHALLENGE....and i often fail miserably as do many... is how to create , record and mix and put out a song that not only grabs the listener right off the bat but maintains the listeners interst right through the song. that is if your interested in writing commercial songs. not everyone is. i just write for fun. and occasionally at various times in the past sold cassettes of my songs direct to the public. which helped me buy more gear....lol.
but be carefull of fame. ive not met many...just a few big names includeing one recently. (no i cant say who..youll have to trust i tell the truth as i respect peoples privacy.)...and it does seem to have some downsides from what ive been told. particularly the fact of trying to lead a normal life. just something to consider. me..i decided years ago.i just wanted a peacefull quite life creating crazy songs...lol.
as i said..all the tools are in ptw to do a huge song. its just a question of how the tools are used.
all i can say is paying attention to lots of little details all the way through can make a big difference. one option if u have a great song.....and u feel u cant bring it to its full potential via your own skills is to export all the tracks from ptw as wave audio . plus mebe a rough mix. and take both to a large facility and use top session players to reinforce/add tracks as well as top engineering talent for final mixing etc.. but this can get costly of course. but sometimes u can strike a less costly deal with an up and coming studio mebe. or try and find session plasyers that might help you. for example...lets say you found some top session players to help you. how i would possibly approach this is .for example. an option. you could start a brand new session of ptw. import your ruff song mix as a stereo trak.eg tr 1. then record the players over the top ....and following roughly the CEFE approach i outlined..or your own modified approach. and once u had them recorded mute your ruff mix.
(more ptw specific stuff/detailed feature useage to come. where i get into lots of detailed ptw features haveing now covered basics.)
retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE ! "what is the black art of audio engineering ?" my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning see my tips in the tips section.
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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User Video: Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box®
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 German for Windows is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!
Wir waren fleißig und haben über 50 neue Funktionen und eine erstaunliche Sammlung neuer Inhalte hinzugefügt, darunter 222 RealTracks, neue RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, abspielbare RealTracks Set 3, abspielbare RealDrums Set 2, zwei neue Sets von "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 und mehr!
Paket | Was ist Neu
Update Your PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 Today!
The Newest RealBand 2024 Update is Here!
The newest RealBand 2024 Build 5 update is now available!
Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.
This free update is available to all RealBand 2024 users. To learn more about this update and download it, head to www.pgmusic.com/support.realband.htm#20245
The Band-in-a-Box® Flash Drive Backup Option
Today (April 5) is National Flash Drive Day!
Did you know... not only can you download your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase - you can also choose to add a flash drive backup copy with the installation files for only $15? It even comes with a Band-in-a-Box® keychain!
For the larger Band-in-a-Box® packages (UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition), the hard drive backup copy is available for only $25. This will include a preinstalled and ready to use program, along with your installation files.
Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.
Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!
Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.
Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
Learn more about this free update for Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/support_windowsupdates.htm#1111
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 Review: 4.75 out of 5 Stars!
If you're looking for a in-depth review of the newest Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows version, you'll definitely find it with Sound-Guy's latest review, Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows Review: Incredible new capabilities to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs.
A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."
"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."
"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."
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