PG Music Home Forums PG Music Product Forums Band-in-a-Box for Android Connecting to Server for RealStyles

I'm using the android app, and I've entered my serial number. I can select a realstyle, and I can select generate on the server. However, beyond that nothing happens. Any instructions on how to get this to work? Do I need to somehow connect my server and app? I get two messages at the bottom about Generating and Sent to Server, but then nothing. I've tried this on two devices, both on the same network as my desktop machine running BIAB. Thanks in advance for assistance.

No you don't need to connect anything else, and it doesn't rely on your desktop version - it should just work. Do MIDI styles generate locally on the device, and what is your device and OS?

Tablet: Galaxy Tab S3 running Android 9
Phone: Galaxy Note 10+, Android 12

Do MIDI styles generate locally? I would say "not consistently". If I start the app, keep the default ZZJAZZ selected, then hit Play Gen -> Generate MIDI (Local), then double tap the first bar, it works, sort of. I have a simple CFGC loop for 8 bars then 8 blank bars (where I expect the C would continue, as in the desktop version). It starts playing with what sounds like just the piano and drums, but the bass is missing and shortly after starting playback the piano gets 'lazy'? Like one chord every few bars. I don't use midi styles often so I'm not familiar with ZZJAZZ, but when I set up the same thing in the desktop version it continued all three and sounded like what I expect. It's the same instruments, but in the app version half the band is out on a jazz cigarette break.

Then I switch to -BLSHF^4, hit the load button, and then Play Gen -> Generate MIDI (Local). I double tap the first bar and it seems to work fine. No dropped parts. A couple of other randomly selected Local styles seem to work fine too. Going back to ZZJAZZ it's still lazy. ZZJAZZ2 does the same dropping of parts, as does JAZZFAST.

When I pick the style (Server) !BYRDDUO and then Play Gen -> Generate MIDI (Local) I get something that sounds very little like the same thing in the desktop version. If I do Play Gen -> Generate RealTracks (Server) it seems to be pretty close to the desktop version. This is counterintuitive if that is the right workflow, since the generate says RealTracks and this is a purely MIDI style (regardless of the local/server distinction).

Then I switch to Server style _MIRE and do Play Gen -> Generate RealTracks (Server). That seems to work correctly (yay!) and sounds like what I would expect. Then I switch to _SLAY and do Play Gen -> Generate RealTracks (Server). It keeps playing MIRE instead of SLAY. I switch to _NAP and Generate and it works as expected. I switch back to SLAY and it's still NAP. I did notice on MIRE and NAP that after 10-30 seconds I get a third message after the Generating and BBInput Sent to Server, saying Loaded XML. I *never* get that message on SLAY.

I tried a few more favorite real styles at random and don't find any other styles that never get a responses. I do find that ANY tempo change requires a new Generate (server) call. A bit annoying, but ok I guess. Going back to SLAY and waiting for a few minutes I still never get the Loaded XML message and it never plays correctly.

Just for kicks I go to ZZJAZZ under Server rather than Local and do Play Gen -> Generate RealTracks (Server). I get the Loaded XML message after ~30 seconds, but the music still sounds like the 'lazy' local version. Same result if I do Play Gen -> Generate MIDI (Local).

If nothing else this did give me a better chance to explore the app and figure out how it seems to work (any documentation would be appreciated). Guess I was just unlucky using "SLAY" on my first attempt and I found one where perhaps your server is not able to respond.

This was all done on the tablet (Galaxy Tab S3 running Android 9). I tried to repeat it on my phone (Galaxy Note 10+, Android 12), but the Style picker isn't wide enough and the row of options cuts off MIDI Only (the default) and there is no way to select non-MIDI styles. Regardless of screen orientation, with no way to scroll. When I tried the ZZJAZZ style with local generation it does the same 'lazy' playing as on the tablet.

I also noticed issues in the looped/multi-chorus playback with syncing with the right chords on subsequent choruses. So, good start but definitely some bugs to hunt down.

Hi theBiz, thanks for testing the app. Definitely there's a lot of stuff to correct and re-enable.