I've followed the steps for using playable realtracks but I'm not hearing any of my playable notes. I've enabled playable realtracks, muted the realtracks in the area, selected the notes and made them playable but when I play it back, there are no notes played. Any idea what I;m doing wrong?
When you select the Playable RealTrack, are you seeing this message and selecting Ok?
This message confirms and assigns to the Mixer Channel the Playable RealTrack instrument. Playable RealTracks are midi and have to have a midi instrument assigned in order to hear the notes selected as Playable RealTracks.
Also normally, a RealTrack is on the Mixer Channel selected to edit with Playable RealTracks.
Yes, I clicked YES to that message. In my case, I'm trying to edit the bass notes. Same thing happened in the Notation mode (and Piano Roll). It's funny, I can edit the piano and the drums, but not the bass. Do I do any settings prior?
I mostly edit in Piano Roll and complete editing instructions are in the Help File. But I don't think editing is causing you not to hear the Playable RealTracks.
Regardless the version of BIAB you have, Playable RealTracks feature works the same. Here's a link to PG Music's step by step tutorial
I watched that video and followed the instructions. I hear the bass notes before doing anything in the piano roll but as soon as I make it playable by clicking the Playable Track button, I lose sound. In the video, you hear the sound when he clicks the notes (black bars turn to red), but I don't hear anything. This occurs only for the bass. Strange...
Yes, it's a bit strange. I'm guessing we are overlooking something simple. It's most likely a setting.
Let's try this. Playable RealTracks are Hi-Q instruments. Assign a Hi-Q instrument to a normal midi track. The track labels are yellow for midi tracks. If the pathway is correctly set, you should hear sound. If not, then we can assume we've narrowed it down to the Hi-Q pathway or settings.
I suggest doing the test with a new song project. Open BIAB. Select any midi style. Type S9 into any measure of the Chord Sheet to load the style's demo SGU chart. Test to ensure the song has loaded and plays. With the test set up, assign a Hi-Q instrument to any style instrument other than drums. This is done by right clicking on the channel, Select Midi instrument (Patch) and Hi-Q instruments are first on the list.
This is done by right clicking on the channel, Select Midi instrument (Patch) and Hi-Q instruments are first on the list.
I didn't know what you mean by "on the channel" but I right clicked the "Base" in the Mixer view, selected Midi instrument, selected Hi-Q instrument, and then I selected Hi-Q 033 01 Bass Acoustic Upright. I opened the Piano Roll view and I could hear the bass sound. Then I clicked the Playable Track button, but no message (because it's already Hi-Q instrument?) and I could hear the bass sound this time!
So I created the mute region and edited some bass notes. But when I played it, the bass notes disappeared.............
Regarding "on the channel" - Channel is the input signal path of a physical mixing console and that's why gain, EQ, panning, aux outs, Fx outs, group outs, faders, and such are called the Channel Strip. A Track, which is the common name for a DAW channel, refers not only to the channel path, but the entire recording path that's inclusive in all DAWs. Technically, a BIAB Mixer Channel isn't as full-featured as a DAW track and I said channel without thinking because it's been driven into my brain for many decades. You made the right choice highlighting and selecting the bass track.
< I opened the Piano Roll view and I could hear the bass sound. Then I clicked the Playable Track button, but no message (because it's already Hi-Q instrument?) and I could hear the bass sound this time! >
Perfect. Now we know the path and settings are correct.
< So I created the mute region and edited some bass notes. But when I played it, the bass notes disappeared............. >
Yes. You're correct and BIAB did what is expected.
Your two results above reflect the definition of Playable RealTracks concept. Underlying midi data on a RealTrack mixer track requires the instrument on that track to be a RealTrack. Activating the Playable RealTrack function, the RealTrack instrument will mute and the muted region sound will come from the Hi-Q midi instrument playing the muted region midi data.
If you still have your test project, freeze the track, load a RealTrack instrument on the bass track you've edited and activated the Playable RealTrack feature and when the song is played, you should hear the Playable RealTrack region playing the midi data and the actual RealTrack audio thereafter. Sound is generated differently for audio RealTracks and Midi instruments. In the test song, a midi style and instruments were loaded by default and playing verified the pathway and settings. In your second statement, the midi was overwritten and disappeared because there was no RealTrack assigned to the track at that time to generate new underlying midi data. Freezing the track preserves any custom midi data you insert onto the track.
I couldn't save the last test project, so I made it again. I did exactly the same steps.
Now from here, the new instruction. I froze the Bass track. I right clicked the Base in the Mixer view, select RealTracks, then selected "Bass Acoustic Jazz Sw 110. I played in the Piano roll view, there's no bass sound at all.
Let's start from scratch again and this time we'll follow a series of screenshots I took of a short song I created and that worked once the steps were completed.
From the screenshots, enter 8 bars of chords, use the style same style that's in the screenshots and play the song to confirm everything plays as it should. Mute the Brass Melody and load the RT sax onto Utility #1(RT 2387) and generate. We're using the Sax to replace the Style Brass track. Open the Piano Roll View and Select the UT#1 Sax. The Sax midi notes should be visible. Mute bars 1,2,3 and select the notes in those bars and change the notes to playable. Solo the Sax track and press play and both the green Playable RealTracks and the black RealTrack should play.
The Screenshots will post across several posts.
Give that a try and we'll see if we get sound this time.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
I hadn't thought about you not having that particular style. My intention was simply have your project and mine identical through each step. The style doesn't matter so if you can repeat the setup and test, I can follow along with your steps and use the style you select. I should have the style you use from the pro version.
OK, I chose BeachCar, the top one in my style picker window. I entered 8 bars of chords same as yours, hit the play button to generate. I muted the Bass in the Mixer window, right click on Utility #1, select RealTracks, but then again I didn't have Sax (2387), so I chose Sax Alto (456) Open the Piano Roll View and Select the UT#1 Sax, I see the Sax midi notes Mute the region, bars 1 & 2, then selected the notes by Shift and left click, the notes turn to red. I clicked the Playable track tool button, clicked "Change selected notes Playable" I didn't know what you mean by "Solo the sax track" so I just played it. The green bars don't make any sound but the black bars make sound.
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Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
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Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
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We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
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XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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