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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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My sister played a song on piano and sang a song. It’s just audio, not a time based production. but I pasted the audio into Real Band. Wanted to add some instruments to the audio performance.

Of course, the timing is going to vary slightly.

I wonder if there’s a way to adjust the bars to account for the fact that there’s human expression there?

Maybe you can only do it with time based Files?

Thanks,

Michael.


AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 Core Processor. 3.79 GHZ; RAM = 32.00 GB; 64 Bit Operating System; Windows 10; Focusrite 8i18 External Card; Real Band; Band in a Box; Coyote Forte Wave Table; Oxygen 49 MIDI Controller
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Hello.

You can try and use the Audio Chord Wizard for this. It is in RealBand and Band-in-a-Box, but we do have a video for using it in Band-in-a-Box. You will see that here:


Thank you!
Catherine

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Quick steps from memory -
Open the song in RB
Open ACW
Set Bar 1 where the music starts
Play the song (inside ACW), and tap the F8 key on the first beat of each measure as it plays. You can go back and fix a section if you goof.
You will see them get drawn on to the screen.

When done, send the song back to RB to see the new Tempo and Chord maps that you can now generate to.

Last edited by rharv; 11/03/25 02:01 PM.

I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
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Thanks for that information. I’ll try it when I get a chance one more thing, why does the chord analyzer come up with so many bizarre chords?.

For example, I have a simple 12 bar arrangement and there isn’t another chord in it besides the one four and five.

Yet I get all manner of minor sevens, major sevens, etc. I’d basically have to rewrite the whole thing based on the amount of Extensions that really don’t apply. I must be doing something wrong.


AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 Core Processor. 3.79 GHZ; RAM = 32.00 GB; 64 Bit Operating System; Windows 10; Focusrite 8i18 External Card; Real Band; Band in a Box; Coyote Forte Wave Table; Oxygen 49 MIDI Controller
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Here's an alternative method if you find the ACW time consuming like I do .
1. In RB enter song chords ie your sister's song, using a skeleton style
2. Have your sister lay down a scratch vocal
3. Now start going through the PG content viz what you've laid down and away you go
4. when happy with song style and real tracks used, lay down the icing on the cake ie final vocals and any other tracks you want.

OM


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.)
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Thanks, will try that. It sounds like she has to sing to the skeleton, right?


AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 Core Processor. 3.79 GHZ; RAM = 32.00 GB; 64 Bit Operating System; Windows 10; Focusrite 8i18 External Card; Real Band; Band in a Box; Coyote Forte Wave Table; Oxygen 49 MIDI Controller
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There is a simplify chords button somewhere, but I usually just tell the ACW not to interpret the chords in one of the initial popups before it launches.
As pointed out, you can always go to the chord window and quickly change them at any point once back in RB.
The important part with ACW is getting that tempo map defined, I believe you said the tempo fluctuated in the original post.


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Goofy

1. Yes, use the skeleton.

2. Record at least two takes of a vocal because first take the vocalist is typically nervous.
In finals I usually have at least four vocal takes and then take the best of each.
Vocal doubling can be very powerful as to song character.

3. As to ritardando - RB supports fractional tempo mapping but BB doesn't. Experiment with this feature.

4. When everything is done in the song if you find the song overall is too robotic export a stereo mix without vocals
and import to a new instance of RB and experiment with tempo mapping then lay down final vocals.

Happiness
OM


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.)
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Go to the ACW. I tend to start in BB as opposed to RB but I suspect it's the same in either. Set the first bar using the L key and after starting playback, tap the L key to define the "0ne" beat in every measure. As you look at the project, it will be displaying the tempo in each bar. Now use the EQUALIZE TEMPO function to set the entire song to an even tempo based on what you perceive to be the average tempo of the song. This will stretch and compress the audio as needed to make everything fit to a predefined tempo. Now you can use this in either BB or RB or even drag it into a DAW which can line everything up perfectly based on the tempo.

That's how I do it. It works well


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www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

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