In the Song Settings dialog, there is an option to avoid transposition of Real Tracks. The ToolTip says, "...since the guitar isn't transposed..."
90% of everything I do is drums, bass and guitar in various incarnations. My only two complaints with BiaB are the triplet issue and few chords in guitar shots and holds.
Is this related? Piano has lots of choices,but guitars (mostly jazz,some pop or country) not so much. I presume you are trying to avoid 'unplayable' fingerings, can we get more samples and choices to compensate?
I guess what I am asking is: How does this affect my workflow? Is there something O could be doing that would give me more options?
When someone kind has a moment,can you explain what transposition is please?I dont think you mean change keys.Is it a way of stopping them RTs from playing chords in positions where they wouldnt go normally?Like a guitar playing ,say,E chord in first position and then going to the following B7 way up on the 7th fret-or worse? In the meantime-Happy New Year to everyone at PG and on the Forums who have been so generous with their time and effort in geting through to these little grey cells when Im stuck,which is often but not as often as it used to.lol. Tonight I am singing for my Supper for the last time this year.Im hoping 2019 is as good. Wendy x
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If I understand your intention correctly Wendy, Transposing is essentially changing a song by moving all of the notes up or down from their original positions by a relative amount. This could change the key signature, or the notes could be moved by exact octaves, which would maintain the same key signature. That is the musical definition of transposing.
The method you described is not transposing, but using different inversions to play a chord in the same key, but using a variation in the sequence of notes. Yes, some inversions that could be written on manuscript could not (easily/practically) be played.
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Changing keys. With regard to RealTracks, because they're audio and not MIDI, transposing can produce annoying little imperfections in the sound ("artifacts"). I almost always select the option to avoid transposing them, at least on slow songs where they seem more noticeable, especially on piano.
Last edited by 1manband; 12/31/1803:54 AM.
Jim Psalm 33:3 Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise.
In this context, transposition does not refer to changing keys, per se, but the process of moving the pitch of the audio (RealTrack) up or down to match the key of the song.
For example, if you recorded the RealTrack using only D, G, and A chords (and their corresponding variations - minor, sus, 7th, aug, dim, etc), but your song needs to play an E chord, BIAB (after finding out that it doesn't have an E chord) will instead take the D chord and raise the pitch (transpose it) one full step (two semitones) to get the sound of an E chord. Fingering-wise for a guitar, it would be as if the guitarist quickly put on a capo on the 2nd fret and then played the chord as a D (which would sound as an E chord). Clearly a guitarist can't do this in real time, so in reality, the E chord would be played with different fingerings. But in this case, there is no recorded E chord, so the program has to transpose the D chord up to get the right chord sound.
Now, the PGMusic RealTracks actually record a whole bunch more chords than that, but not every variation of every chord. So while maybe a RealTrack has an E7, but not an E9 (but does have a D9), then if you did not turn off transpositions, if your arrangement called for an E9, it would transpose the D9 to an E9 and that's what you would hear. If you turned off transpositions (where it wouldn't use transpositions), then BIAB would instead play the E7 instead of the E9.
Don't know if this helps or muddies the description.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 8TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 11TB SATA
What John is describing uses the Elastique algorithm, introduced several years ago to BIAB. It allows pitch shifting without artifacts if the shift is only a step or two.
What Trevor is describing, inversions, cannot be directly controlled in BIAB. The best you can do is continue to regenerate until you hear an inversion you like. RealBand can do this on specific phrases.
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Thanks everyone for weighing in. John and Matt have the definitive explanations, and my take on it is that looking for the maximum options most of the time, I should leave Natural Arrangement defaulted to Always. But it also tells me I STILL need to ask/beg Oliver to kick out a slew of alternate voicings for shots and hots.
... and my take on it is that looking for the maximum options most of the time, I should leave Natural Arrangement defaulted to Always...
I personally don't have any confidence at all in Natural Arrangements. Try this experiment for yourself: 1: Create a new song, key of C Major, 32 bars. 2: Choose _B140_GB as the style. You should have 32 bars of C (and a 4 bar ending in C) 3: Click on generate.
I don't see any complex 9th or 13th chords in the song.
Knowing (and admiring) your playing style and established skill level Soundsmith, I'm not sure that Natural Arrangements really always helps. YYMV of course.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Professional & Windows 11, Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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