Hello Jim,

In answer to your question about workflow and why I don't use just BIAB without a a DAW...

I generally like to work out a chord progression as the starting point for a song but that may be a just a verse or chorus first before starting to add lyrics and melody. So I'm going back later to work out the chords for the bridge, probably after the lyric, chords and melody for verses and chorus (and probably pre-chorus) are on tracks in my DAW.

I'm also experimenting with different styles. BIAB is good for experimenting with chords and styles. Not for vocals which need to be recorded and edited in my DAW (with Melodyne Studio and various FX). I also supplement the arrangement with other instruments in the DAW. The new EZ Keys 2 (just out) is very user-friendly for a songwriter. I use many other UJAM, Toontrack and Kontakt instruments.

Even when I have chords and basic backing tracks for all sections of the song, I often need to change tempo and sometimes key (for vocals). If I'm using audio dragged in from BIAB, that means I need to redo tempo/key in BIAB and drag it in again. This is a drag because by then I will have edited the BB audio tracks (e.g. muting sections and automating volume changes).

It would be so much easier if BIAB (as I like to use it) was inside my DAW (as I assumed the DAW plugin was supposed to be). Editing as you go would provide a better workflow.

All the vocal comping, editing, mixing and mastering needs to be done in the DAW with plugins like Melodyne and Ozone. So I can't dispense with my DAW. Using BIAB and my DAW side by side often leads to driver problems, which are another workflow killer. Going back and forth between the two is not convenient.

I find all the rendering in the plugin really tiresome compared to the BIAB program which doesn't need it. The highlighted chords in the plugin are out of sync with the dragged in audio tracks and I waste time trying to sort that out. The DAW plugin seems to be a neutered version of the real thing.

I had assumed this was because I have not yet fathomed all the features of the plugin. But you may be right that its actual functionality is too limited for songwriting. I haven't even been able to use it for multiriffs or adding a single realtrack. Maybe with an up to date tutorial video of the latest version, I could at least do that.

I still feel that, after all these years, PG does not make BIAB as user-friendly for songwriters as it could be. I wonder if there are any songwriters on the PG team who could share their workflow, especially with the DAW plugin?