What am I doing wrong? I want a nice, clean "sheet music" looking notation, where the notes aren't all jumbled on top of each other and it is clear what each note is. This is so hard to input notes. I can't imagine getting the whole song to work like this. It's so painful. I tried importing a musicxml from MuseScore, but it omitted all the breaks and symbols so it wasn't usable. So I'm trying to input it directly, but not like this. It's just so hard to see what I'm doing and each note is an adventure. Like, if the note is middle C or lower, I have to put it in a random spot then edit the note and set the exact letter. I can't just place it where I want it. Why is this so hard?
There are various display settings for the Notation window when clicking on the [Opt] button on the left hand side; there might be something that could be adjusted there. You could post a picture of your settings and then we can compare.
Also, a few other notation questions: 1. When I try to put a note below middle C on the treble clef, it won't make the note. I have to put it at middle C, then "edit note" and move it down to the note I want. This is tedious. Is there a way to make it so I can input lower notes? 2. In a lot of cases, when I switch the note, it only offers me a flat option (not sharp). So I select Bb and it puts the B note with the flat marker. Is it not possible to instead make it an A with a sharp symbol? I tried the "force accidental" option, but it didn't do anything. 3. When using the scroll bar at the bottom to scroll through measures, it always goes ahead 4 measures. What if I want to see measure 4 and 5 next to each other? I haven't found a way to advance just to the next measure and see the previous 3 still on the page. 4. When importing a musicxml, it loses all the repeats. Is there a way to import the whole notation? It would be so much easier to be able to input this stuff in MuseScore then just import it. 5. When I try to add a repeat to a section, it makes a copy of the section in gray, then it plays the repeated part and the gray part at the same time. Not sure if I'm explaining this one right. How can I make it so it just has the 2 dots for the repeat, and just plays that section twice without adding the gray section?
Sorry one more question... I managed to input the whole melody, re-inputting where necessary for a total of 32 measures. I set it to play the "chorus" 4 times. But for some reason it only plays the melody the first time and not the subsequent 3 times. Is there a way to make it play the melody on the 1st and 3rd chorus? (I want to alternate playing rhythm and lead.
Sorry one more question... I managed to input the whole melody, re-inputting where necessary for a total of 32 measures. I set it to play the "chorus" 4 times. But for some reason it only plays the melody the first time and not the subsequent 3 times. Is there a way to make it play the melody on the 1st and 3rd chorus? (I want to alternate playing rhythm and lead.
Hi Milky.
From a notation perspective.... In BIAB, each chorus is a is independent. To copy your first chorus's melody to all the other choruses, go to the Melody Menu (at the very top of BIAB) and follow the 1, 2, 3, 4 on the image below.
What am I doing wrong? I want a nice, clean "sheet music" looking notation, where the notes aren't all jumbled on top of each other and it is clear what each note is. This is so hard to input notes.
"Jumbled" means they are out of order. But they aren't "jumbled", they are just closely spaced, so they are overlapping.
Unlike many notation programs, BiaB has a fixed bar size, so it won't get wider to accommodate more notes in a bar.
Instead, reduce the number of of bars/screen, so the bars are wider and there's more room for notes.
Press the "Opt" button in the notation and choose a smaller number for Bars/Screen.
Quote:
When I try to put a note below middle C on the treble clef, it won't make the note. I have to put it at middle C, then "edit note" and move it down to the note I want. This is tedious. Is there a way to make it so I can input lower notes?
BiaB arbitrarily chooses Middle C as the "split point". If you click on the bass clef, you can enter notes at Middle C and below.
If you want the split point to be a different note, choose Opt, and put a different value Clefs split at under Transpose Options.
Quote:
In a lot of cases, when I switch the note, it only offers me a flat option (not sharp). So I select Bb and it puts the B note with the flat marker. Is it not possible to instead make it an A with a sharp symbol? I tried the "force accidental" option, but it didn't do anything.
BiaB follows the key signature set in your song. Make sure the Key has been set properly on the main screen.
Quote:
When using the scroll bar at the bottom to scroll through measures, it always goes ahead 4 measures. What if I want to see measure 4 and 5 next to each other? I haven't found a way to advance just to the next measure and see the previous 3 still on the page.
Go to the Opt button above the notation, and change the Scroll Ahead value.
Quote:
When importing a musicxml, it loses all the repeats. Is there a way to import the whole notation? It would be so much easier to be able to input this stuff in MuseScore then just import it.
I don't know, but based on your experience, I'd say no.
Quote:
When I try to add a repeat to a section, it makes a copy of the section in gray, then it plays the repeated part and the gray part at the same time. Not sure if I'm explaining this one right. How can I make it so it just has the 2 dots for the repeat, and just plays that section twice without adding the gray section?
I don't see what you're describing, but I'm going to make a guess.
The "gray section" indicates the section is past the end of the song.
On the main screen, the Start and End are displayed. Click End either type in the correct bar number where the song ends (excluding the tag) or click the cell the bar is in. It looks like a modal dialog where you can't do that, but you can interact with the song sheet behind the popup dialog.
For the forced accidental issue, it was an A sharp and the song is in the key of G. That key doesn't have an A sharp or B flat, so no reason the key should have forced it to be flat. But, going back in the song now, the "forced accidental" option is allowing me to change it to A sharp. Not sure what changed.
The repeats issue was not at the end of the song. It was at the end of the first section (the A section repeats, then the B section repeats). It put the gray measures after the repeat symbol and then I'm not sure what was going on. I haven't figured out how to turn off the real tracks so I just heard like 2 versions of the real track over each other, apparently repeating from the beginning and playing the gray measures at the same time. Anyway, I solved this by just abandoning repeats and I just duplicate the whole section and key in the chords and melody twice. It's a pain but it gives me the backing track so in the end I have what I need.
Anyway, I solved this by just abandoning repeats and I just duplicate the whole section and key in the chords and melody twice. It's a pain but it gives me the backing track so in the end I have what I need.
Cut and paste allows you to copy the chords and melody from cells to another set of cells, so you don't have to re-enter the same information.
Anyway, I solved this by just abandoning repeats and I just duplicate the whole section and key in the chords and melody twice. It's a pain but it gives me the backing track so in the end I have what I need.
Cut and paste allows you to copy the chords and melody from cells to another set of cells, so you don't have to re-enter the same information.
Another way is via the Edit menu and Copy/Move Tracks.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
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We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
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