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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Nov 2012
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I'm liking BIAB with the real-tracks, and only bought BiaB when I could actually get backing tracks that sounded authentic, and not canned/synth-y.

However, I'm having problem with how the software creates a comping "solution" when applying a realtracks style to a chord progression. Even if I never "freeze" the accompaniment solution with the FREEZE feature, if I ever edit the chord progression because I wanted to try a different chord, when I re-play, the playback will still play the old chords. I have to transpose to a new key, re-generate a comping solution, then re-transpose back to the original key for the new chord substitution to "take."

Worse yet, when I add a repeat with a first and second ending, as for a common AABA jazz standard form, the playback will continue to play the last chord that was in the first ending for measure after measure, instead of going back to the typed-in changes the second time thru the A section! This is really an annoying bug. Similarly, I had a first ending that had a STOP command to hit the chord only on beat 1 (to create a solo break) of the two-bar first ending. However once the song repeated to the top, the cursor advanced thru the chords, but NOTHING PLAYED. Again, it's like the BIAB playback coding got hung up, and didn't re-reference the first chord of bar 1 of the form.

I'm really hoping a bug fix is forthcoming for this!

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Hi saxguy,

Here's a link to a PG Music tutorial on 1st/2nd endings.

http://www.pgmusic.com/tutorial_repeats.htm

The issue you mention has been brought up a couple of times in the forum and it has always turned out that the process of 1st/2nd endings is not initially intuitive. This has proved to be a bit of a stumbling block sometimes. The above tutorial seems to solve most people's problems.
Quote:

if I ever edit the chord progression because I wanted to try a different chord, when I re-play, the playback will still play the old chords



When chords are changed, it's necessary for the song to be regenerated (click on the "Play" button) so that the new chords can be created. If "Replay" is used, then BIAB will play the the previous chords.

How BIAB works is that it creates the accompaniment audio first and then it plays it. When replay is used, it literally replays the most recently created temporary audio file(s). Regenerating (the "Play" button) deletes the old temporary file(s) and creates new ones with updated information.

For what it's worth, I constantly modify chords etc, and I've never had to do what you describe to get those chords to 'take'.

Hope this helps,
Noel


MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2026
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Ok, thanks!

What's that saying in software development? "It's not a bug, it's a FEATURE!"

Indeed, this repeats stuff seems more complex than I had thought. If the cursor is going back to bar 1 (per my instruction to repeat the material), one would think the software should invoke whatever chord and playback style (stops,holds or standard comping) was originally specified for bar 1.

When you repeat a piece of sheet music, you perform it the same way both times, unless you see a text cue otherwise, or "mf-ff" in the dynamics....

I guess I'll have to untoggle fake-sheet

It looks like my problem with playback is that I use the space bar to get some sounds, but that may be "re-play" (existing playback solution) and not "play" (re-generate a new solution then play it).

Last edited by saxguy007; 11/20/12 12:15 PM.
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>>> When you repeat a piece of sheet music, you perform it the same way both times, unless you see a text cue otherwise, or "mf-ff" in the dynamics....

I disagree. The repeats you see on a leadsheet do not instruct the performers to "perform it the same way both times". All it says is that the chords and melody notations are the same.

For example, a singer doesn't sing the same words twice, or even apply the exact same dynamics to words that are the same. Similarily, the bass, drums, piano won't play exactly the same thing. Or a pedal steel player (or guitar soloist) won't play the same riffs that he just played again.

This is why BB's design allows you to have the best of both worlds. You can see a fakesheet display that shows the repeats, but you still can customize it, providing custom instruments, chord changes etc in the 2nd repeats for example.


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Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Quote:


I disagree. The repeats you see on a leadsheet do not instruct the performers to "perform it the same way both times". All it says is that the chords and melody notations are the same.






Indeed. I overstated the point, especially with respect to jazz. I was really referring to the core chord progression.

I untoggled the fake sheet box and saw the shadowed second time thru the A. I will try to use this to add a solo break to one ending, but not the other. To make a solo break in one other song, I had to expand the repeated chorus to one long linear form so I could specify a two-bar solo break for the first chorus only.

I'm just wondering if BiaB might avoid similar queries if the default settings were a little different somehow. I was trying to create something based on chapter 6 of the spiral bound manual, where p 90 mentions the fake sheet toggle button, but doesn't describe it. I'm just very relieved that this is intentional and solvable, and not a bug.

I think I'm on track now, thanks!

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