PG Music Home Forums PG Music Wishlists Band-in-a-Box Wishlist Please post MIDI specific ideas here...

My view is its time to rewrite the whole applicication in 64 bit, (OK so may will disagree), but since your asking for MIDI ideas here, an idea someone had on this forum was to provide a Sampler to be abvle to map the sounds used in a particular song across a keyboard. This seemed to me to be an intriguing idea.

Thanks Bob. Yes, I did read Peter's thorough explanation about expanding the PPQ, but check the dates of his post and mine. You'll notice Peter's was written five days after I posted the request in this thread that you just quoted.

My request about clarification wasn't for me, but was to forestall some of the posts you have mentioned. Didn't work...

Oops, didn't notice the dates.

Bob

Not a problem!

ps I was really impressed by Peter's answer. Several had seconded my suggestion, and Peter was very thorough in his explanation.

More elaborate and easier insertion of midi strings

I would like to see an easier way to call up, from a ‘midi’ string menu accompaniment for a given tune that would have a more elaborate background generation of both violin and cello midi parts for a particular style. Not all styles would work of course but those with slower tempos such as ballads etc. would be suitable.

With the availability of VST in BIAB and for example the Garritan Instant Orchestra (GIO) this would be big plus for BIAB development. In my case I use EastWest orchestra sample libraries (and GIO) and these BIAB generated midi tracks can then be used directly in Sonar as a first pass for modification or improvement if required. While I have done this already it would be a big plus if this process were made easier than at present with more elaborate generation and selection as indicated above. This would greatly speed up the whole business of adding more realistic strings to a tune.

Dr. Gannon, thanks for asking...Blues all styles. walking bass...more shuffles I use the existing ones but a lot missing...thanks again for offer to work on more midi styles.

nice

There are ongoing discussions on the Yahoo BIAB forum that speak to some issues of the new and improved BIAB, midi wise. I am a old school user of the program, from the Atari platform. Over the years I've upgraded to windows 2009.5, which was the last version I found useful. Unfortunately, the improvements to the basic core (midi wise) have not inspired me to upgrade any further. I basically use BIAB for the scratch pad (notation) and basic midi functionality. If you were to follow some of the suggestions here and on the Yahoo group, you would see there is a genuine interest in a bare bones version of BIAB, especially for those that are just starting out using computer generated or assisted software and those that don’t require all the bells, gongs and whistle audio stuff. For your loyal user base, why not just embellish the basic midi features that the *initial* program was built on, before all the audio enhancements? Less icons or clutter on the menus to do simpler things. Basically, taking what you got, midi wise and upgrading it as you’ve tried to do in the 2012 newer version, but more.

For instance, the style windows could be laid out better. Columns could be wider without having to adjust your display to make everything smaller or more visual. I detest using zoom out to get everything displayed, causing the fonts and options to be smaller. Some of us older users have eye issues now in life...Another thing could be the inability to input more than 4 chords to a measure (better resolutions). Add more chordal options, especially for jazz. As far as the 2000+ BIAB styles, Bob Norton’s products and others that can also be purchased, how about better gui in the grids for making the creation or modifications of styles less complicated or simpler? I know you offer Finale, but what about enhancing the notation aspects of BIAB? Better editing capabilities, in terms of the ability to drag and drop notes and rests a lot smoother. Making ties, articulations, symbols, etc. easier to add and manipulate, much like a scaled down version of Finale, and similar to what BIAB already does, but better.

It was also mentioned about rewrites being more trouble than its worth, but what about all the features for midi that were put on the back burner, to make room for all the audio stuff? For some of us, using dedicated audio software for embellishing sounds is available with some of your other products, and found elsewhere by using either DAWs or other equipment and software.

IMO, BIAB is becoming more top heavy trying to stay relevant, lucrative or competitive with similar products that cater to audio. There a lot of us loyal users that would love to see just *basic* midi improvements to the program that made pgmusic's BIAB and some of your other products as popular as they have become. In short and as a metaphor, do all of us really need Monster truck wheels (audio) on a ten speed (midi) bike?

FWIW, and still loyal,
Wrk-in-it

+1 - biggest gripe I have is playing around to get more than 4 chords in a bar.

Plus I like Bob Norton's list a lot.

Well this seem a bit different but I like the way BiaB will start on the first MIDI key. To continue this thought have it end after 1 mesure of no Midi "IN" activity, or enter in to a 1 mesure ending. OK the reason is I play keyboard and use BiaB to support a live singer. I never know when he will end the song, depends on the mode of the crowd. So I have to follow never being able to progam a song end. So I have to smash the space bar as he reaches compleation, this makes for a abrupt stop. Would be nice to hold the last cord for 1 measure (no midi in change) and have BiaB do a 1 measure ending and stop. I use the drums and bass parts in most songs, but some drums only.
Thanks for a great program
roger

Do not reinvent the wheel. Just give us what you have.

For me, the #1 wish would be to include the StyleWizard functionality on the Mac version, which automatically enables to create a Band-in-a-Box style from a MIDI file. It is a huge time saver – no knowledge of the StyleMaker is required.

It has been available on the Windows version for many years. The only solution so far for a Mac only user, is to buy a Windows computer and buy BIAB Windows version to run it. Not acceptable to me.

Yes please! Bring Hotz technology to Biab, great idea

My wish is simple, though I know that its implementation is not. I would like to be able export to Sibelius, a close approximation of whatever is rendered and heard in BiaB.

Conductor MIDI bindings

I would very much appreciate the possibility to add custom MIDI bindings to the conductor. This would hopefully enable the use of the Behringer FCB1010 foot controller. This device sends C0 xx 00 Program Change messages. It would make perfect sense to map these messages to conductor actions.

While Real band allows a given midi track to be output to an available midi port/channel, BBW does not (allow say, drums, piano, etc, midi)as far as I can tell. An example: Using M-audio 4x4, I can (in real band), select port A, B, C, or D, and then (in Port D, also select a channel. Ports A, B, C appear to be limited to one channel, unless I've overlooked something). This would allow BBW users to send various midi instruments (guitar, piano, drums) to a mulit-port midi interface, then on to a particular sound engine, keyboard, etc.

Thanks,

Richard

You haven't missed anything; this is one of the main advantages for RealBand over BIAB.

+1 though.

How about a quick, easy way to change the octave on a track? Many times I've wished that a strings part was an octave higher throughout an entire song; the only way I know to do it is to edit the style and do a +12 to each component of the instrument I want to raise up an octave. If it has 4 lines of 5-8 elements in each, it takes awhile and is tedious. It would be wonderful if there were a "Change Octave" control that would allow the user to select -2, -1, +1, +2 for example.

Thanks for asking.

How about an Undo Button like in Real Band? Couldn't you use the same code that you already have written? Thanks.

Stan