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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 15
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 15 |
Greetings! I'm new to BnB and to this forum. I've been poking around the program for a couple of days and so far it's pretty impressive. There are a couple of questions I have I hope can be answered.
1) Is there a way to build in "breaks" into songs at specific area. An example that comes to mind is at the end of the lead section of the song "Peaceful Easy Feeling" by the Eagles. There are two bars where there is a single chord strum that holds for 4 counts before returning to the regular progression. Is there a way to do this in BnB? I've tried building in rests but that cuts the chord off abruptly instead of allowing it to naturally decay.
2) My second question: Is there a way of inserting certain instruments into designated places and having it "back out" again? For instance having a steel guitar coming in at bar 16 and out at bar 24?
I thank you for any help you might have!
JohnnyV
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
The answers are yes and yes.
You can mute parts using F5 in the PC version, I'm not shure when it comes to a Mac.
Standard Chord Entry allows you options to hold chords or change what you hear.
There are 3 types of breaks:
1. Rests, where the instruments stop playing
2. Shots, where the instruments play a staccato chord then stop playing.
3. Held Chords, where the instruments hold a chord.
Rests are put in by adding a single period after the chord.
Shots are put in by adding 2 periods after the chord
Held Chords are put in by adding 3 periods after the chord.
After typing the periods, you can type the letter names of instruments that shouldn’t rest.
You can use the letters b, d, p, g, and s for Bass, Drums, Piano, Guitar, Strings.
Examples:
C. This is a C chord with all instruments resting (also called an NC - No Chord).
G7sus.b This is a G7sus chord that rests all instruments except the bass.
Ab7..dp This is an Ab7 chord with a shot for all instruments except the drums and piano.
Cm7... This is a Cm7 chord with a held chord for all instruments.
And so forth, read it in the manual...
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
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Quote:
1) Is there a way to build in "breaks" into songs at specific area. An example that comes to mind is at the end of the lead section of the song "Peaceful Easy Feeling" by the Eagles. There are two bars where there is a single chord strum that holds for 4 counts before returning to the regular progression. Is there a way to do this in BnB? I've tried building in rests but that cuts the chord off abruptly instead of allowing it to naturally decay.
Hi Johnny,
I had a full head of hair and was playin' Bass the last time I was in a cover band that played this tune, but I think I know what you want to do, you are talking about that one bar before the guitar solo starts in the studio cut of this tune, right?
You don't want a Rest, you really want to invoke a Push on the second chord, second beat of that bar.
That will put the chord on the upbeat of beat one.
Problem is that BIAB will not be able to hit the chord again on beat two's downbeat exactly the way it was played on the record.
But you might be able to get away with just the second chord entered being "Pushed".
To apply a Push in BIAB, RightClick on the bar in question, choose Chord Settings. In the window that opens, use the top Radio Button to select the second chord in the bar, then choose Push by 1/8th in the lower LH side of the Chord Settings window.
|A - - - |A ^^B, B - |
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 15
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 15 |
I do so appreciate the answers from both you! You could have easily said "Read the manual, idiot"! After a couple of days of relentlessly beating on this thing, reading the manual and forums I've answered many of my questions and, of course generated several more! Slowly but surely, though, it's starting to make a bit more since and I'm not yelling at the computer quite as often! LOL! And I'm compiling quite the "wish-list" to add for the good folks at PG.
<<I had a full head of hair and was playin' Bass the last time I was in a cover band that played this tune, but I think I know what you want to do, you are talking about that one bar before the guitar solo starts in the studio cut of this tune, right?>>
LOL!!! Now, there's a quote! I know exactly how you feel! Actually, the part I'm referring to is the 3 bars AFTER the lead solo. It comes out of the lead, hits an "E", holds through 4 counts, then an "A" for 4 counts, back to "E" for 4 then starts regular playing on the following "A". I've been trying all the new combinations I've learned but still can't get decent holds on those chords. The Box seems to almost pull it off on the first one but the other two come out more like shots. Even if the chords held for 2 counts and faded it would be acceptable but they come out sounding like 1/8th holds. I'll have to give your pushing suggestions a try. Oh, well, I guess you can't have everything. . . another item for the wish-list! That AND intelligent scrolling!
Thanks, again!
Johnny
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
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Veteran
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Posts: 8,333 |
I have said this before, but using Band in a Box to make tribute band stuff or try and get the thing to be a copy of the original will drive anyone nuts. I played in a band once, and they did not notice I was packing up. The lead guitarist and the backup guy were arguing, about 20 minutes of it, on how so and so did some lick. This was really common. I did not start playing keys for them as a member of a Roy Orbison tribute band, I wanted to do our own takes on good tunes for dances.
In the end it is about making music, your way. It is more fun to mess with the styles, mute and unmute parts, and put the song in a folder because you like it, and revisit it over and over, making it better.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,840
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,840 |
I know others will disagree, but to me it's important to capture the essence of a tune, maybe with a few recognizable riffs thrown in for familiarity, but then do it your own way.
Otherwise, everyone listening will be comparing you to the original and you will never win. You may get close, but you'll never get there. Well that's just too much work to me.
The Eagles or [insert group name here] have already done their thing, and they did it well. I'm certainly not going to make it better. But I can make it different. If you want to listen to the Eagles, listen to the Eagles.
That's not to say don't learn the phrases, riffs, styles, etc. That only makes you a better player. But what you do will always be different and never exactly capture the sound, style, feeling, whatever. So in the end, be your own musician.
To each his own, however...
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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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 15
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 15 |
I believe, perhaps, the reasons for my inquiry are being misunderstood by some. I am, by no means, trying to copy the Eagles version of the song. I don't think I've ever played a song the way it was recorded. I mostly use a 12 string acoustic when I'm playing casuals so naturally Eagles songs are in my list--and because I'm very much in the learning process of the program I'm playing around with songs I'm familier with (I've played that song since it was first released---opps--did I just date myself?). I used this song only as an example, because that particular passage is so obvious. I could, off the top of my head, come up with many songs that use that type of passage (I use it in songs I've written, in fact). I was looking for the technique to do it, the how to do it, if you will, for any piece where it might be used. As 4 count holds, or any count holds are common, I am simply looking for a technique to accomplish one that sounds clean and natural, which I assume was the reason for the folks at PG to come up with Real Tracks and Real Drums in the first place. It's a light year improvement over the sound of midi--which, BTW, I never got into simply because it never has sounded natural. I make my living doing live sound, have for over 25 years (this, coming after struggling for 15 years and coming to the conclusion I wasn't going to hit the big-time as a guitar player! LOL!). I've been fortunate to have become fairly successful on this side of the console--I mix for several name (and many no-name) acts in venues from small to huge--and I still cringe whenever I hear someone using midi backing tracks even when it's done on some VERY high-end equipment. I realize it's a fact of life, but still, nothing sounds like a pedal-steel like a real pedal-steel and I've never heard a midi acoustic guitar that sounds like a real acoustic guitar. That's the reason I jumped into BiaB at this point. Real Tracks and Real Drums, though by no means perfect, are a giant leap forward--especially for someone like me who now plays casually but who knows enough about music to be really dangerous.
Forgive my rambling. My point is my questions concern using and learning the program and techniques, it's great points as well as it's limitations, not to precisely copy an old song from the 70's
I greatly appreciate your responses and insight!
Johnny
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
I believe holds do not work in Realtracks, might be wrong there but it seems to pop up from time to time.
As to midi, I have the Ketron SD2, which PG music sells, and with the realism of realdrums and realtracks, the midi is quite good. There is a place here to listen to samples.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,730
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For this kind of playing i prefer Real Band over BiaB, since i can do more with midi files, there are some very good midi files on the net, and some very bad ones. I do "Peaceful Easy Feelin'" in my set, and i have it pretty much nailed. I do not play the riffs exactly the same but my own take, but the background music is very close. I do a lot of songs from that era, and have found just about every one so far as a midi or .kar file. Chck out a site called karaoke bash, there are 3000 of them there. also Allanah's site around here has a link to i believe Another site near the bottom of the page with another 3000 files. here is the link for the later http://www.members.shaw.ca/glitch/leaman.html
Last edited by Robh; 08/07/09 12:36 PM.
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