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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,047
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,047 |
When you have the melodist selection screen open.
Select with one click the melodist style you want.
Now click on EDIT just below the box displaying all the styles.
Note top right of the edit box the number of variation.
I think default is about 100. There are also many other settings
there, but beware... you can screw up things also...
I have several times. The melodist edit area is new ballgame.
Sheez...now this will be Pandora's box.... SEE Maj7th goes over
the edge...Meant in jest.....
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 60
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 60 |
Haha, you're hilarious, Frank.... yes, it's that involved! And yes, I am going insane, haha.
Does anyone have any experience with getting some useful melodies generated over their own chord progressions? Is anyone a "Melodist Maker: EDIT" MASTER?
Mmm... gotta take a break from this, and fall asleep to Loretta Lynn.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,982
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Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,982 |
Ah, crap. Well, ok... sigh.
Here's something I discovered though, when it comes to the Melodist...
1. If you disable ALL instances of the "count in" - no lead-in bar, no count in, nothing.... right after you generate a melody with Melodist (but KEEP your chord changes AND keep the style and tempo)... it usually generates a bigger variety of melodies on the melody track.
2. Is there a maximum set of rhythms and phrases that Melodist creates? It doesn't seem to be fully "random." I hear the same melody AND rhythm repeated almost every 4 or 5 times I use Melodist over the same progression (in my case, the "Let It Be" verse chords). I just wanted to see how creative BIAB could get, but it seemed like it had a maximum of 10-12 "melodies" or at least, melody rhythms that it uses. Quite bizarre...
Thoughts?
I have not done #1. I have noticed what you refer to in #2. It did replicate a melody riff which appeared in a song I had done..... a few weeks later in a totally new song in the same general style. so..... I mute the melody now and don't let it play. That way, I'm free to do my own melody in the chord progression it creates. As time goes on and you learn more about this program, you will find a way to work that you like and things will smooth out... for now however, please do continue to experiment and discover what it can and can not do. That info will serve you well later on.
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: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
The Melodist works in the same fashion as the Style files in that there are selected phrases that fare given weighting when you generate a new performance.
That means that you will indeed notice some phrases that are the same within a given Melodist file.
Hitting the Gen/Play (or Play button in older versions, does the same thing), generates a new performance of Style accompaniments. If I have something in the way of a performance that I prefer, I have found that reclicking the Gen/Play can get it back again. Then Freeze that particualr performance.
Likewise, I have found that going back into the Melodist and choosing to REgenerate a particular Melody can yield those different performances as well. So if I'm not liking some of what a Melodist generated, I will indeed go back and run it again, looking for a different Melody arrangement.
One trick I like to use is to SaveAs with a slightly different filename for each iteration generated.
ex:
MySongMeldst01
Then regenerate a new Melodist:
SaveAs MySongMeldst02
etc.
Then I have a few different iterations in which to load and audition, from there I can better make decisions.
Of course, if you are in need of a specific Melody line, the Melodist is NOT the way to get it. Instead it should be entered onto the Melody track as a MIDI instrument, either thru Step-Entry methods, use of the marvelous QWERTY Keyboard Wizard, or a fullblown MIDI controller recording in realtime.
--Mac
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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.
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