I don't believe there's any way to make BiaB do count-ins anywhere but at the start.
You can set up a dedicated track for count-ins and create your own. For consistency of sound, turn off the built-in count at the start and add your own there too.
Edit: Set a MIDI track, write in the 'notes' for rimshots or claves or whatever, then freeze the track so BiaB doesn't try to rewrite it. You can, of course, use the same kit as the drums tracks, so the drummer does the count-in. You could also incorporate a fill.
Last edited by Gordon Scott; 05/31/2502:07 AM.
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 .
I tried loading a drums realtrack to the melody track and add notation for drum ticks manually. Well, It cannot load a real or even any MIDI drum anything to the melody or soloist tracks. Or at least, I cannot get it to do this.
Then I tried using shots with all intruments except drums muted. But, the drums just mute along with the rest. I cannot get aven a songle intrument to mute without the drums and others also muting during 4 shots. Disaster.
I also disvovered that the 9/8 style only counts is 7/8 which confuses the start of the song and somehow it is not playing 9/8 either.
Until new revellations come along, I have stopped working on this.
Best regards Bernt
Last edited by berntd; 05/31/2504:14 PM.
Band in a Box Latest: ULTRA 2020 (734) on Win 10 And: MEGA 2020 (720) on Windows 7
not that i ever use them but apparently RB handles 'odd' time signatures better than BIAB - I'm sure some RB experts can come along and help out.
if you move your project to RB it would be quite simple to create a bar of silence across the whole project and then add a count in on a new midi track using midi drums
maybe someone more expert in RB can help the OP out?
Hi Bob, I have so far never played with Realband. I have never understood simply what it was for :-( At the times I looked at it in the past, it seemed just a simplified duplication of BIAB ? Dunno.
Band in a Box Latest: ULTRA 2020 (734) on Win 10 And: MEGA 2020 (720) on Windows 7
to explain all the many deep features of rb would take pages of typing. so best bet is to read the rb manual and look at the pg rb vids and faq's etc. many of the features in rb are unique as Bob alluded to....which i havent seen elsewhere.
one advantage of rb among many is the deep audio/midi editing and various tricks....BUT as rb is soooo deep with zillions of features ...its for the user who doesnt mind spending time with it....
i dont know exactly what your trying to do...but i would spend some time with rb....and see if its for you. unfortunately some folks want what i might term 'gimme now' solutions. in contrast rb i would term a 'spend some time with me and i'll reward you' type of music app. just like dating someone...some people want a commitment....this is rb...gotta make a commitment. its not for 'quickies'...lol. one thing i like about it is the 256 tracks so i have lots of flexibility doing things in it.
as i said just read the manuals/faq's and watch the vids and spend some time with it. ive shown it to big studios who knew nothing about it and the response often was 'wow we werent aware'....
happiness
om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 06/01/2503:37 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
Well, all I (we 2 of us) ever do it enter songs from the Fake books or from our band scores into BIAB and then I practice with BIAB. Very much just like iRealPro. It bought BIAB for a practice tool where I can repat/loop passages, change the tempo and the key on the fly.
That's it. Can I spend n+1 hours learning Realband? Maybe but will it help me with the stuff I do as above? Dunno. I am a musician and this is a practice tool for me.
Best regards Bernt
Last edited by berntd; 06/01/2503:48 AM.
Band in a Box Latest: ULTRA 2020 (734) on Win 10 And: MEGA 2020 (720) on Windows 7
(ps...love aussieland...this pomme always wanted to live there.)
i get what your saying...i'm a musician too. (done over 100 songs and more with pg products....some are in my sig.) but sometimes one needs to use a combination of tools to achieve what one wants done.
for example i use bb for certain things, rb for certain things and reaper for certain things. and sometimes i go (eg when i started useing rb).... 'wait a minute i can do xyz'....'wow'.
one issue for many musicians is the use of technology in doing their music. many have said to me... 'i'm a muso and dont want to futz around with computers and windows or macs/mac os whatever to do what i want'. i get it..i know it can be frustrating at times...yes...even for us techs. so my reply is the same...viz.. 'the more one can understand the technology, the more one will get out of it'. its just the way things are. in summary doing songs and useing technology can be both exacting and exciting.
thus one never knows what one can get out of a music application or technology untill one tries it. when i first tried Realband years back, initially i found it a slog. but...once i persevered with rb i started to go... 'wow i can do xyz...are you kidding me !!' and got excited the more i explored it. same when i started useing reaper and biab yonks ago.
RB user Rob Helms made a excellent point on these forums, he used the word 'familiarity' re rb for example. sooo....one never knows...you might find exciting uses for rb as you get familiar with it. frankly i wish i could use rb on the new mac mini m4 platform. it might push me over to the dark side...lol.
wishing you the best...and best to aussie too.
happiness.
om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 06/01/2506:32 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
If you want to do what you described in the original post it would be worthwhile investing a little time in RB. If you open your song with RB you'll immediately see that with RB you can see all the tracks together and 'all tracks really are equal'. But if you are happy with BIAB and just this one instance is a problem you can do without, stick to BIAB. But I promiose getting to know RB pays dividends.
Well, all I (we 2 of us) ever do it enter songs from the Fake books or from our band scores into BIAB and then I practice with BIAB. Very much just like iRealPro. It bought BIAB for a practice tool where I can repat/loop passages, change the tempo and the key on the fly.
That's it. Can I spend n+1 hours learning Realband? Maybe but will it help me with the stuff I do as above? Dunno. I am a musician and this is a practice tool for me.
Best regards Bernt
For your particular task, I believe it can be done in BIAB.
I've attached a screenshot of a website for the song so you can check to see if it's the correct song. If it is, download the midi file and open/import it into BIAB. The midi file notes should play and sound correct Then you simply select instruments to make it sound good for your practice.
Another method is to save each section of the song into individual songs and use the Song Medley Maker to create a single song from each saved section and Medley Maker creates a new Chord Sheet merged from the individual songs. Song Medley Maker treats between the songs as transitions (0-16 bars in length) and creates appropriate chords of 1-16 bars. Caveats are the first 'song' must be 4/4 which could be silence so there's a short pause before the song begins in a transitioned 9/8 Second caveat is song length is limited by 255 bars. With repeats this can be extended. Description from PGM in the screenshot.
Also note in the Medley Maker description screenshot, PGM recommends not to use RealDrums in songs similar to what you're attempting. The time stretching is too extreme.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
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MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
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.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
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.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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