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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 22
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OP
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 22 |
Quote:
I have never reached near 255 bars for any song I have done within Biab.
Trax
I reached it the day one.
Maybe it's me, but I really cannot get used to that repetition system....
In fact BG-help topics (within BIAB) suggest to make your songs as a whole, not using repetitions at all.
I miss a lot a good marker system, and repetitions referred to them.
...one more for my wish-list
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,598
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,598 |
Quote:
I miss a lot a good marker system, and repetitions referred to them.
...one more for my wish-list
Sometime ago I made a "demo" of what should be, IMHO, a must-have feature of the program:
Working with structures without a proper marker system built-in BIAB is in some cases really annoying.
PS: The request was already posted here
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
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Joined: Sep 2003
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I made a similar post. Have intro, outro, and Parts A - Z.
Each part starts and stops at the predetermined point.
You then have the ability to write the final product as
Intro A B A A B C Outro
Now that would be cool.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 22
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OP
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Posts: 22 |
That's it !!
That would be the 10 for BiaB.
1) No bar limits.
2) Markers.
3) Easy song structure construction via text files o direct text editing within BiaB.
Using text files would allow to work on structures without the use to have BiaB available, and after that cutting and pasting or opening a text file.... mmm, great.
These are the "urgent" issues IMHO.
Added to these (I can live with that by the way)
1) Re-design of the user interface making it less sophisticated: less icons, smarter functionallity grouping, etc...)
2) Ease the use of the piano-roll and allow patterns to be edited with it.
=============
Around that it would be great that PG would leader a repository (or the links) to a huge musical database made by users and professionals including all type of styles (classical, hardcore, dance, house, D'n'B, etc...), and all type of BiaB elements: patterns, styles, songs (if copyrights permit...)
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,538
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,538 |
Alberto, I can not get used to the way BiaB wants songs structured either. Yesterday I extended a song in RB, adding a new section that started on the 'B' pattern and ended on A before going back into a verse. It worked really well in RB, but would have been a pain in BiaB.
I'm mentioning this because you (like me) *may* be one of the people that finds things much easier in RB. You can still generate like in BiaB (both MIDI and realtracks) but it removes some of the restrictions you dislike and adds some other benefits that really make it much better in my opinion. Just a different way to work.
Not as fast, but more control.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,944
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,944 |
>>> 1) Re-design of the user interface making it less sophisticated: less icons, smarter functionallity grouping, etc...)
Have you tried the existing configuration options? For example, you can customize the icons on the toolbar to show/hide icons (click arrow key at right of toolbar). In addition, they are floatable/dockable.
Also, you can change toolbar size/text and hide piano window, Prefs-Display
Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,598
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,598 |
Quote:
You can still generate like in BiaB (both MIDI and realtracks) but it removes some of the restrictions you dislike and adds some other benefits that really make it much better in my opinion. Just a different way to work.
Yes, but the point is that Realband still lacks a lot of BIAB features that are very useful when working with songs, specially when working in the chord view: transposing chords, preview chords, Jazzup/down chords, Search/replace chords, reduce/expand duration of chords...
In addition, the program can't export songs (chord progressions with bar changes, style changes, etc.) back to BIAB and, at least in my experience, is considerably slower and more unstable than BIAB.
For these reasons, although theoretically it would be easier using RB when working with song structures, I've finished working exclusively with BIAB, a much more powerful program IMHO.
Latest BIAB version, latest build.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 85
Enthusiast
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 85 |
I hit the 255 bar limit at 128 bars in my song when I tried using Realtracks in double time. I had to replace them with less favorable substitutes that used normal time to get them to last the whole song. I could cut and paste sections in Realband, but I want to go directly from Band in a Box to Sonar, starting with a complete song.
---- Jim Green
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 23
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Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 23 |
Hi All,
I'm a BIAB 2014 Mac user with the Everything Pak which I've had for about a month. This is my first version of BIAB.
Just checking to see if this 255-bar limit is still there in the 2014 version. Is there an adjustment to be made to expand the number of bars, and if not now, is this something that can be incorporated in future versions of BIAB?
I encountered the limit for the first time today when programming a RealTracks accompaniment for "Piano Man" which is a fast waltz and over 300 bars long, running about 5 1/2 minutes. Although the song seems relatively straightforward, because of the lack of uniformity to the form of the song, it's impossible to use the chorus repetition feature as an approach in this case.
Because I'm on a Mac I'm not able to install RealBand. It would have been convenient not to have to create a song in two parts and complete it in a separate program - e.g. Logic - because all I'm looking to do is create a simple accompaniment track, which BIAB would be able to do a magnificent job of on its own if not for this imposed bar limit.
Looking forward to any updates on this issue from fellow BIAB users...
Thanks!
Last edited by edwardjc; 08/10/14 08:02 PM.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,489
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,489 |
Alberto,
<...snip...>
I have never reached near 255 bars for any song I have done within Biab. Maybe at a tempo of 300 it will go through them fast, but you can set the number of chorus' and playback as well.
Trax I write fake disks for BiaB, based on popular off-the-shelf music books, and I've hit that 255 brick wall limit dozens of times. I'd love to do a disk that corresponds to the Sher "Latin Real Book" but unfortunately too many songs in that book need more than 255 measures to do. Also, some songs need more than 4 chords per measure, or a chord both on the beat and the upbeat before it. To solve this problem I invented EXPANDED styles. They turn two BiaB cells into one bar of music, thus allowing up to 8 chords per measure. The problem with that is that it cuts the 255 measure limit to 127.5 measures. Personally, I'd love to see the 255 limit doubled. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely love BiaB, and it has steadily improved since I discovered it in the Atari/ST, IBM DOS5, Mac OS6 days. I hope to see more improvements in the basic structure in the future, and I would be delighted if expanding the 255 measure limit was one of them. Insights and incites by 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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