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Joined: Aug 2005
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I would love to have a way to change the octave of a chord entered into Band-in-a-Box, or of using inversions or triads instead of the chords that sound when I enter the name (letter) of that chord. For example, in the song Little Latin Lupe Lu by The Kingsmen from about 1963, the song progresses with the following patters: E-A, A-D, and B-E. The first E chord is lower than the last. When I try to create this song in Band-in-a-Box, the first E and the last E sound the same, but the last E should be higher. Is there a way to do this?
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Great questions but you might get better responses by posting in the appropriate Band-in-a-Box section of the forum. If it turns out that BiaB can not do what you want it to do then you would post a wishlist request and everyone that likes the idea can support the idea by posting a +1.
I am not aware of a way to designate to take a chord up or down an octave. RealTracks likely does not have the audio available to play multiple octaves.
I believe you can get a chord inversion by placing a 2 after the chord name. For example a "C" inversion is written as "C2".
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I think this is correctly in the Wishlist forum. BIAB cannot control inversions in RealTracks, only in MIDI and then only manually by editing.
C2 adds a D to a C chord, that's all. It will not cause an inversion.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Ya, Matt beat me to this one. I have always been interested in the ability to control Chord voicings (inversions). BIAB does not permit this other than what Matt has indicated. Best I have seen it done in software is in EzKeys which permits flexibility in setting chord voicings. 
BIAB – 2026, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud.
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+1 for inversions in MIDI tracks.
I suppose it could be done in RTs but that would mean 3 - 4 different wav tracks for each RT. That could mean 3 -4 times the cost for PGMusic and for the customer. Plus you would need 3 - 4 times the HD space.
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64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Yikes. A 6 TB drive for the audiophile version?
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Computer: Macbook Pro, 16 inch 2021
DAWs: Pro Tools, Logic, and Maschine
plays drums, percussion, bass, steel pan, keyboard,
music producer/engineer
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I'm reminded of my failed Pachelbel experiment, +1 for sure.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
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BBox 2022 Audiophile, Mac Pro Intel, OSX 10.6.8, 800x600 (TV VGA)
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+1.
Matt, can you explain more what the 2 in a chord name tells BiaB or RB?
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Hi Jim. I'll bet you're going to flip when you read my answer.
First, to make sure, some basics:
Let's say that a C chord (C Major) is spelled C,E,G going up from the root, C.
Then a C2 would be spelled C,D,E,G.
The number '2' comes from the count up the major scale: C is 1, D is 2, E is 3 etc.
It is much the same as a variant, Cadd9 which is C,E,G,D or in other words, the same notes as C2 but where the D is voiced (played) up an octave.
9 and 2 are both the pitch of D (in the key of C), because in any upper extension chord, the number 7 may be subtracted to get the same tone. So the pitch of a 9 is the same as a 2 (just up an octave); the pitch of an 11 is the same as a 4 up; the 13 same as 6.
Make sense?
X2 is a very nice chord in folk music. Guitarists often play that in fingerpicking for interest and fullness. Would that I could do it.
Probably you already knew all that. But BIAB plays a 2 chord the same as an add9. They can sound the same. Whichever octave the D plays on is determined by the program's voice leading and some other magic under the hood.
And if you want to look under the hood, here is how I know what BIAB is doing: the file, /BB/pgshortc.txt
PG Music treats all these chord types as a '2' chord: 2, add2, add9, and sus2! So, about the original wish to control inversions, on these four chords it doesn't matter! You hear the inversion the program (player, in the case of RealTracks) thinks best in the context of the chord progression.
Still with me?
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Although, technically, there should be a difference between the "2" (which includes the add2 or add9) and the sus2. A sus chord substitutes the 3 with either a 4 or a 2. When you see sus4 (or just sus, which implies sus4), you substitute the 3 with a 4 (or in Matt's example, the E with the F). In a sus2 chord, you substitute the 3 with a 2 (or in the example, the E with a D).
A Cadd9 chord includes the E (C E G D); a Csus2 does not (C F G).
I wish PGMusic supported the different variations here accordingly.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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Although, technically, there should be a difference between the "2" (which includes the add2 or add9) and the sus2. ...
I wish PGMusic supported the different variations here accordingly.
Absolutely right.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Matt & JFord,
Thanks to both of you for your explanations.
And Matt, you can never provide explanations of music theory that are too basic for me.
So, back to my original response, was I correct when I stated "I believe you can get a chord inversion (in BiaB) by placing a 2 after the chord name. For example a "C" inversion is written as "C2""?
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Yes and no, Jim.
In a C2, the 2 is not some code to cause an inversion; it's just another C chord like C7, C9, C69 etc.
But any chord can be played as an inversion, and your statement said 'can'. The key point is 'can' not 'must' and that's true for any chord. The C2 chord could just as easily be played C, D, E, G and not be an inversion at all.
How are we doing?
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Matt,
We're back to the part where the musician decides what is most appropriate to the content. I'm back to where I was before I asked the question (sigh).
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Then I don't think I've understood the question. Perhaps try again another way?
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Matt,
We're back to the part where the musician decides what is most appropriate to the content. I'm back to where I was before I asked the question (sigh). Jim, maybe this will help you: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inversion_(music)
Principal: Your child always causes trouble in school.
Me: My child causes trouble at home, do I ever call you?
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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