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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 175
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 175 |
As I purchase more RealTracks, I'm finding the space they take up on my laptop a problem.
What I am thinking of is purchasing an external drive to use with my laptop.
On my desktop PC I can store all the RealTracks in the default (C:\BB) folder, but on my laptop I'd like to have a small subset of the RealTracks installed in C:\BB, which will deal with most gigging situations, but also to be able to access all of the RealTracks when I take the external disc with me.
If I understand the set-up properly, I can only set BIAB to use one location for RealTracks at a time, so I'd have to switch the settings every time I plugged in and unplugged my external drive.
My ideal would be able to set up a path (such as "C:\BB;X:\BB") so that BIAB would look first for a RealTrack on the laptop itself, and only if it couldn't find the RealTrack would it try the external drive ("X:"), and fail gracefully if no drive X: is connected.
This raises a further question - what happens if I've got a frozen RealTrack in a BIAB file, but this RealTrack is only available on drive X: which is currently disconnected? Will BIAB default to a corresponding MIDI instrument, or what?
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,826
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,826 |
Hi
At the moment you have to have a set place for realtracks like C/bb or D/bb if you can do what you want i have not heard if you can do this but i would think somebody will give it some thought and come up with a anwser they do in most cases
regards Dave Hoskins
I always play the right notes but not always in the right order
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021 |
If you're like most you probably stick to one type of music. If so you may be able to just off load those RTs that you'll never use thus conserving space on the internal drive. Just a thought
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
You could have one instance of bb installed to the laptop drive and have it with a truncated set of RealTracks/RealDrums in its respective folders and pointed to use those folders.
You could also have an external hard drive with *another instance entirely* of BB installed on it, complete with all RealTracks, pointed to use those folders.
Run the two programs separately as needed.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,114
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,114 |
Quote:
Run the two programs separately as needed.
Mac's solution makes the most sense. You have your bb folder on both your internal hard drive and on your external drive. You have the preferences in BIAB set to look for your real drums and real tracks in c:\bb in the one you run from the internal drive and set for x\bb in the one on the external You only need the option for BIAB to look for files on the external drive when it is actually attached so running BIAB from that drive when it is there really is the smart way to go.
Quote:
what happens if I've got a frozen RealTrack in a BIAB file, but this RealTrack is only available on drive X: which is currently disconnected?
I suppose that could happen with this setup. what is going to happen is that BIAB will tell you that it can't find the file and it won't play anything for that particular instrument assignement. It will just play the instruments that it can find. There is no defaulting back to a MIDI instrument. You would actually have to change the instrument to either another real track or a MIDI instrument.
Keith
2026 Audiophile Windows 11 RYZEN THREADRIPPER 3960X 4.5GHZ 128 GB RAM 2 Nvidia RTX 3090s, Vegas,Acid,SoundForge,Izotope Production,Melodyne Studio,SONAR,3 Raven Mtis
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,722
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,722 |
FWIW . . . I used the setup Mac suggest above but because my laptop is long of tooth and short of memory and space and the real tracks keep coming I just run the program and all it's real tracks from the external only as I have deleted BIAB and RTs from the computer entirely.
Later,
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 175
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 175 |
Thanks to you all for clarifying the situation.
I've found that I can buy a second internal drive for my own long of tooth and short of memory laptop (a Dell Inspiron 8600), which slides in in place of the DVD player, and I'm planning to go down this route, because although it's more expensive than a USB drive it's going to be much tidier on a gig, and probably less vulnerable to being dropped off the music stand.
I've got my desktop PC's CD and DVD drives shared on my network, so installation of software won't be a problem in the absence of the laptop's DVD drive.
I'll remove BIAB from the original drive and install the software and all the RealTracks on the new drive.
Nonetheless, I think it would be a good idea if BIAB could be revised so that it can look in more than one directory for big files like RealTracks, as there may be users who need to split up libraries as they run out of disc space.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
foxylady--
I used a couple of strips of stick on "velcro" hook and loop fastener to be able to attach my external little USB drive w/BiaB on it to the back of my laptop screen on gigs. You can get a package of 1" X 3" fasteners at Radio Shack or other places.
Keeps the drive right there with the lappy, can't get knocked around on the gig and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
--Mac
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