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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 330
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 330 |
Speaking of using BIAB live I've currently switched to playing my back-up tracks from an Android tablet. The problem I'm having is that a lot of my gigs are outdoors and there is a glare problem making the tablet very hard to read clearly.
I've looked at glare screens on Amazon. Do they work?
Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,622
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Joined: Jan 2015
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Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I have black card shade that I put around my tablet outdoors. It works OK-ish, but it isn't great. For my lead-sheets, I now print the set-list on paper and clip them to a music stand. The black shade may well be OK for playing MP3s or similar, but it's not good for reading the music in whatever form.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11
BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software.
Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 582
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 582 |
I just walked in from a gig with BIAB and read this thread. I’ve been playing live with BIAB for years, straight from a laptop through the mixer/PA, along with guitar and vocals. Never had a major problem. Even though I often use mixed-down wav files from a tablet, the BIAB files work well, when other musicians sit-in and I can add extra choruses for soloing. Plus, I have many folders of tunes save, such as, country, pop, jazz standards, rock, waltzes, Broadway/show tunes, movie themes, and such. I can access any of these rather quickly. I average about 3 gigs a week on the “retirees” circuit.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 330
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 330 |
Thanks Gordon. I tried a shade myself, but it's more the general glare on the screen from being outside. That's why I'll probably just try one of those glare screens.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,622
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,622 |
I've just remembered another issue ... photochromic lenses make everything darker :-(
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11
BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software.
Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts
.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,461
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Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,461 |
We do a lot of outdoor gigs, but we stipulate in our contract that we need protection from sudden rain, which can happen anytime in Florida. We even got rained on when the odds were 4%. That also gives us shade. But I found wearing sunglasses while trying to look at a computer screen complicates the matter. Some polarizing lenses block out the screen completely, others make it very, very dark with low contrast. But you gotta adapt, play the hand you're dealt, and go with the flow. (I could go on with the clichés, but that's already too many.)  Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,622
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,622 |
One can buy high brightness, sunlight viewable monitors, but they're quite costly.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11
BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software.
Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts
.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 734
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 734 |
We do a lot of outdoor gigs, but we stipulate in our contract that we need protection from sudden rain, which can happen anytime in Florida. We even got rained on when the odds were 4%. That also gives us shade. But I found wearing sunglasses while trying to look at a computer screen complicates the matter. Some polarizing lenses block out the screen completely, others make it very, very dark with low contrast. But you gotta adapt, play the hand you're dealt, and go with the flow. (I could go on with the clichés, but that's already too many.) Notes On an off-topic note, some friends said they caught the Sophisticats at the Ft. Pierce farmers market and really enjoyed your music, Notes. Especially God Bless the USA apparently!
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 186
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 186 |
I've used BIAB live for over 15 years and never had a problem. Gigs are solo / duo, standards-based improvisational restaurant or cocktail party gigs. I use it on whatever decent reliable laptop I'm using for other general purposes. Sometime when there's three of us I remote another display. I'm lucky to play with jazz teacher level partners who like the fact that we can all see and play from the same changes. And all are impressed by the way BIAB's Realtracks sound and are so easy to program. For these type gigs I use good QSC powered speakers and a small mixer. Simple.
Gigs have been down since the virus, so for simple house-type gigs I started making videos of BIAB playing the tracks, then move videos into a phone or tablet then blue-tooth the audio to a small amp. It's a bit of a hassle making the videos and converting them for Android compatibility but I'm surprised at how good they sound.
There is one thing. I've hoped and wished for it and commented about it several times here on the form, but the Conductor function has never worked reliably on Real Tracks.
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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 |
I have been and still am using BIAB live straight from the laptop to a Bose LII for the past 16 - 18 years at one time 100 plus gigs per year, now around 50 or so . . . with no glitches. If I can help in anyway please feel free to PM me.
Best to ya!
Danny C.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 20,979
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 20,979 |
I have been and still am using BIAB live straight from the laptop to a Bose LII for the past 16 - 18 years at one time 100 plus gigs per year, now around 50 or so . . . with no glitches. If I can help in anyway please feel free to PM me. Yep, you can check out Danny regularly appearing at StreetJelly
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,707
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,707 |
I haven't really "gigged" live very much since the last band I was in crashed and burned. However, I was active in a church ministry that went to a prison once a month and I was responsible for the P&W music. I would simply create the tracks in BB and export them to my phone. This prison did allow us to carry our phones into the facility. Minimum security. The less we had to carry in the better off we were getting through the security checkpoint. A small PA and we were in business.
I'd recommend that you export your songs and use a laptop or some other kind of player that lets you access the songs quickly and in varying order as needed. Carry a backup player in case of crashes and other such glitches.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,461
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Posts: 6,461 |
<...snip...>
I'd recommend that you export your songs and use a laptop or some other kind of player that lets you access the songs quickly and in varying order as needed. Carry a backup player in case of crashes and other such glitches. Definitely carry a backup. On stage, I have two computers up and running at all times. I only really need one. But the show must go on. Since I started using a computer on stage in 2002, I've had to go to the spare twice. 1) The hard drive started making a mechanical noise, so I switched the USB to Audio Interface to the spare computer between songs, and nobody but Mrs. Notes and myself knew there was a problem. I had the drive replaced the next day and the tech even put my software back on. 2) I went to boot up the computer and the CMOS battery was dead. I didn't know at the time I could boot it up by manually entering the date. I plugged the USB into the spare and gigged. The replacement was $5. Besides carrying a backup computer, I have all my songs saved as 192k mp3 files on a flash drive. If worse comes to worse, I can pick up a computer anywhere, plug the drive into the USB port, and let Windows Media player play the files. Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
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Season's Greetings!
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The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
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