|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Sep 2022
Posts: 9
Newbie
|
OP
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2022
Posts: 9 |
Hi,
I'm a brand new user and I'm starting to learn my way around BB...
What I currently can't quite get my head wrapped around is how (and if) the style has an influence how music is generated from the RealTracks that I might choose later on.
As an example, assume I have created a pretty standard blues progression with _BLSHUFF.STY and then I change the bass track to use a different RealTrack, for example "2610: Bass, Electric, SoulFunkSwingAlex Sw 120", and also swap Guitar 2 to "1585: Guitar, Electric, Rhythm TexasBluesRockShuffleSol Sw 130"
Does the style that I initially use have any influence on how music based on the RealTracks will be generated? For styles using RealTracks, does the style do anything else beyond selecting the tracks to be used?
Hope this makes sense...
Cheers!
Lars
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 1,690
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 1,690 |
You can do it, it's even the whole interest of BIAB. Each instrument has its own personality but if you're more or less in the tempo, the feel, it's bound to stick and amaze you. Creativity highly recommended in BIAB. The styles are an assembly prepared by the musicians of PG, but nothing is fixed, you can test again and again, and be pleasantly surprised by what you hear.
Biab Audiophile 2025 11.28 Win
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 836
PG Music Staff
|
|
PG Music Staff
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 836 |
The Style also loads the feel, time signature, and tempo into the song. So generally, it is best that after you select a Style you are also selecting additional RealTracks that have these settings that are close to the Style. If you try to load a RealTrack thats tempo is very different or was recorded in a different time signature, then it might not sound the best. Other than these parameters, the Style does not affect how an individual RealTrack generates.
Best,
Chantelle
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,480
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,480 |
Zack.
as a long time pg user i would advise the following…
1..for first time users to go thru' every style in the stylepicker , and every RT, and RD in their respective pickers. and note down your favorites you might use in songs.
AND each year if you get the new upgrade go thru the same for that years rt's//rd's and styles. yes it takes a loong time .. But…well worth it imho and you wont miss anything superb. this is what i do yearly on getting the upgrade.
2..i encourage you to 'cross pollenate'. ie…experiment with rt's from another style in the song. i've done many biab songs where bb told me 'naughty boy wrong genre etc etc' lol..and, in the process had lots of happy accidents by experimenting. i'm always searching for what i call 'interesting sound pictures'.
eg i might use a jazz bass in another genre if it sounds good.
frankly the possibilities are endless. (see my sig for examples of crazy biab songs ive done if your interested.). in summary i 'cross pollenate' often.
rules are made to be broken imho.
as to how biab works etc internally..obviously thats something maybe you might ask pg support.
i cant give you a definitive answer.
hth/happiness.
om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 09/19/22 03:15 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs(90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,278
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,278 |
The Style also loads the feel, time signature, and tempo into the song. Other than these parameters, the Style does not affect how an individual RealTrack generates. In the case of MIDI only, Styles were critical to the performance (what is played and how). However, once RTs came along "Styles" - if we can use that word, have essentially become presets for instrument, key, tempo and feel (i.e., time signature, Ev/Swing, 8/16 note). But, all those parameters can be overridden. It's a good question.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Sep 2022
Posts: 9
Newbie
|
|
OP
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2022
Posts: 9 |
Thank you all... this is very helpful.
@MusicStudent - this is what I suspected: styles were much more important in case of MIDI based material. It seems like the pattern stuff in StyleMaker for instance does not have any relevance when working only with RealTracks. Is that right?
For long-time users, this is probably a much more natural thing as it happened gradually over time but for a first-time user it's a bit odd in the beginning.
@justanoldmuso - the advice to try and mix styles is very good I am realizing. When the feel is off (swing vs. even), things are (obviously) much more likely to go awry, but other than that lots of happy accidents seem to be waiting :-)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,059
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,059 |
ZackPlonk, welcome to the forum. You immediately zeroed in on something many do not understand. This topic reappears periodically.
I think the long-time users are some who may not understand the relationship between RTs and Styles precisely because we learned it differently for MIDI, yes, but it was never clearly explained how RTs made styles different. Over the years I’ve given advice that people can substitute RTs and even save the result as a new style. It was just explained here that the supplied styles are well-matched. PG Music develops new combinations each year. But I often experiment with mixing genres and come up with some amazing sounds.
Your first post here is highly perceptive. As a former programming prof. I always value the observations of new users. Keep your questions coming.
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; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,674
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,674 |
There has always been confusion between the term "Styles" and "RealTracks", as I've found lots of folks here call RT's "styles" (as in, "I selected a different style on the bass track"). So the quick primer is:
BIAB has tracks, which (for the most part) represent the riffs that follow the chord progression played by a single instrument. Tracks can be either MIDI, SuperMIDI, or "Real" (RealTracks and RealDrums). How the track is generated is determined by its type.
Originally, there were X tracks defined, with the names:
GENERATED BY STYLES
* Bass
* Drums
* Piano
* Guitar
* Strings
FOR USE BY THE USER TO RECORD MELODIES OR SOLOS OR IMPORT FROM A MIDI FILE
* Melody
* Soloist
Styles, however, are a packaging of "auto-generated/auto-generating" tracks that follow the chord progression across multiple instruments and give you a full band playing the song.
Originally BIAB styles used only the Bass, Drums, Piano, Guitar, and Strings MIDI tracks and riffs to generate arrangements. The names were generally what instruments were used on those tracks, but other than Drums, the actual instrument could be any instrument (nothing keeps you from putting a trumpet on the guitar track). Today, you can have any instrument on any track and it is named accordingly, but there are still places where the legacy names can trip you up (such as for holds, shots, and rests), but I won't go there in this post.
Original MIDI styles used a weighted pattern editor to generate unique riff phrases that follow the chord progression. So depending upon the weight assigned to a phrase, it would play often or not. Also, it allowed for specific conditions that determine what is played (for example, play this riff right before a part marker). We as users have full use of the Style Editor to create our own patterns and MIDI styles.
SuperMIDI tracks are generated similarly to the original MIDI styles; however, it uses a different engine and we as users do not have access to that underlying technology to create our own.
With RealTracks (and RealDrums), they are all pre-recorded phrases from one to eight bars long. The RealTracks engine does not generate the riffs, but intelligently selects which phrases to include based on a number of factors such as: how long before the next chord change; is there a phrase recorded for a specific chord or will another phrase have to be transposed; etc.) and slices and dices to put it together. It's amazing how smooth this often works, but occasionally you'll hear something that sounds a little choppy. Also, BIAB lets you create your own "realtracks", which are called UserTracks.
Styles then just package a mix of MIDI and Real into a style file that can then be used to generate a number of tracks into a song with multiple instruments all playing the correct chord progression. While MIDI patterns are included in the actual style file, for RealTracks it is strictly "by reference". The Style file knows to use the RealTrack, but it passes that need on to the RT engine for processing.
With the addition of utility tracks utility tracks, it gets a little more convoluted, but hopefully the basics above made some sense.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 2x2TB, 1x4TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 2x1.5TB, 2x2TB, 1x4TB SATA BB2025/UMC404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/MixBus/Notion/Finale/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!
Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
- Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
- Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
- Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
- Playable RealTracks Set 4
- RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
- SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
- 128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
- Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
- Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
- RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 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 and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 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.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 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.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
Join the conversation on our forum.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums58
Topics84,407
Posts778,802
Members39,650
| |
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean