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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2008
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Dear All,
Is it possible to open a 'Blank' style at program bootup?
ie one with Volumes, Reverbs and Panning all set to 0, and preferably, with no RTs or RD's selected.
I've played around with:
- the three Preferences -> 'At Program Bootup' options
- the Styles-> 'Save Current Song as Style' option
- re-saving the MySetup.DK file
But none of them give me a zero-ed mixer at bootup.
I find the 2014 mixer significantly harder to zero than the old one (which had a common slider for all parts), and being able to load a blank, zero'd, start-up screen would be very helpful.
Thanks! Best - Andy
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I think this is more of a Wishlist item at the moment.
There is a BLANK.STY but at this stage I don't believe any styles zero the mixer. One suggestion we made in beta testing that we hope will be implemented in a future patch is to double-click to zero out controls in the mixer.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Hi Andy,
I can't imagine what the possible realworld use of such would be.
Band in a Box is not a DAW program, which is where I would think a fully zero'd mixer would be the way to go at opening.
But since the Mixer Settings are incorporated into each Songfile, and change according to those Saved Settings with each song, once a song is loaded to play, the desired zero'd out Mixer Settings would just change again immediately anyway.
I keep my BB Prefs set to "Open previously Loaded Song" which I find to be a good thing, when working up a new songfile BB opens that same file again, great for interrupted work sessions, when practicing with BB, same applies, for Live Performance use, I don't care what first happens when the program opens, as I will pick my first song in the set using the SongPicker button anyway.
What would be your reason for wanting this full mixer zero on program opening?
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 138
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Simple Mac: I never use styles - except to switch to 3/4 or 5/4 occasionally!
I load the RTs, RDs, STs, VSTis & loops I want, and then mix them.
I always want reverb, most volumes & panning on zero.
With the previous mixer it was quick to zero everything with the 'all tracks' slider.
It's much more fiddly with 2014 - I still can't get panning to 0 accurately !
I wish they'd kept the 'all tracks' slider for 2014!
Best - Andy
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I see what you want andy, but i have to somewhat agree with Mac. I see no real use for this, and BiaB is style based. You can not generate a song without a style involved. SO if you open it and do not change the style you are still using the old style from last time. The volume/panning issue i get, but again that is related to the style.
Why not pick a style you like, and zero everything, and save that style under a new name and see if it comes up like that each time, and maybe that will be a work around.
Another options is to do your work in RB. The style does not come to play there until you ask it to.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2008
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Hi Rob,
I found that trying to save a style with the Styles-> 'Save Current Song as Style' command doesn't save the mixer settings.
I perhaps should have mentioned the work-around I'm using :
Shift-Ctrl-M launches the old mixer. You can then zero everything quickly with the all-Tracks 'Combo' slider. When you hit 'generate' the new mixer then adopts the old-mixer settings.
It just seems a shame to have to go back to a pre-14 function, for something so basic.
I would have preferred the old Combo-slider to have been retained for 2014, rather than using precious space for the new 'This Song/All Songs' volume-boost slider.
(This was also why I suggested a 'double-click zero's the fader' function on another post.)
Best - Andy
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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If Andy thinks this would help his workflow, let's support his request.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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(This was also why I suggested a 'double-click zero's the fader' function on another post.)
I brought that up during the beta. We've been promised that in one of the upcoming Updates. I for one can hardly wait. --Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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If Andy thinks this would help his workflow, let's support his request. If implemented, I vote that it be a user-selectable from Prefs somewhere. You see, having all faders come up at zero could mean that many could start work and not know why they hit Play and see things moving around - but do not hear anything. --Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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There are four blank styles. Straight and swing 3/4 styles as well as straight and swing 4/4 styles. They are under the Utility / Miscellaneous category of the StylePicker. I frequently use one of the four in the beginning of a song if I want to begin with a few blank measures. They are also handy if you want to delete an instrument in an existing style. Just import a blank instrument from a blank style. Almost sounds inappropriate, doesn't it?  The blank styles do not change the initial mixer settings. You can have a blank style as the default style but you would have to choose from one of the four.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Thanks Jim....
But what I was really after was alternatives to having to zero 17 little faders manually before I start!
Using old-mixer is the best way I've found so far. It just feels sort of disrespectful to '14 to go that route each time!
Best - Andy
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Andy, my suggestion is to put this in the Wishlist. As Mac has pointed out, not everyone wants the same behavior, so it has to be an option. I could see having a checkbox option to "zero all faders upon booting the program", something like that. Would that work for you?
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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But what I was really after was alternatives to having to zero 17 little faders manually before I start!
As soon as you load any songfile with stylefile, they are gonna change anyway to suit the settings for that song. --Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2008
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Mac: It's just the way I work! As I mentioned, I've never paid any attention to styles. I zero everything; enter the changes; then the STs, RTs, loops, f5's etc; and then start mixing and testing.
Matt: Any or all of the three options we've discussed would be great imho:
a) Re-instate the old-mixer Combo/All-Tracks fader (tricky, for space-reasons, I realise)
b) Double-click zeros/centres the fader (no space required)
c) Your check-box zeros-all-faders idea (presumably somewhere in Pref's, so no space demands on the mixer)
Rather than expressing a preference, I'd be inclined to ask PG which is the easiest for them to code-up, I think.
All Thanks to both of you for your support as ever.
Best - Andy
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I often work the same way, Andy. I rarely start with a style. More often, when composing, I begin with a blank slate and one idea, and create from there. I too select RealTracks one by one. Your request makes perfect sense to me.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Many Thanks Matt - and Mac.
I'll summarise our discussion for the Wish-List now.
Best - Andy
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Thanks for providing a reasonable explanation, Andy, makes sense to me now.
a) Re-instate the old-mixer Combo/All-Tracks fader (tricky, for space-reasons, I realise) BB2014 Development isn't done. We've been promised some more ways to deal with the onscreen GUI, customization, ctrl-t toggles, etc. Stay tuned and watch the Updates as they are issued. b) Double-click zeros/centres the fader (no space required) I requested the DoubleClick Centering of PAN during the beta and PG stated that would be added to the list of things to come in updates. Didn't think of the DoubleClick also Zeroing the VOL faders - am going to pass that idea on to Development Team. You should also add it as a request on the Wishlist Forum as well. c) Your check-box zeros-all-faders idea (presumably somewhere in Pref's, so no space demands on the mixer) I would think that this one would serve you and others who work as you do better than having to DoubleClick on all the Mixer Faders each time you open BB to go to work. This is a good idea, then. A User Preference to open the program with Mixer sero'd out. I should think also that there should be a way to return the mixer to that zero'd status in the case where you are done with one songfile and wish to start another, perhaps that Prefs Toggle could also be made to apply as well when "New" Comnmand is hit. Rather than expressing a preference, I'd be inclined to ask PG which is the easiest for them to code-up, I think.
Now there's a great attitude that I wish would catch on around these parts! --Mac
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