Originally Posted By: Jim Snodgrass
... I can see importing these audio files into cubase as a whole in the tempo, key, with their chord progressions and mixing several of these together and cutting, splicing, more or less orchestrating them--taking parts out, shifting from one track to another. Much as one would do in a studio setting with audio tracks. I've watched engineers bouncing from one track of mine to another trying to get a decent take.

Is this an appropriate use of the real tracks to you?


Very viable, known in the trade as "Comping" - short for Making a Compilation Track.

One very easy way to do this is not to try actual physical editing via cutting, pasting, etc. but instead to simply have several tracks that constitute different takes of the same instrument or vocal playing back simultaneously and use the ability to Draw Volume Envolopes on the Tracks to bring the desired one up at the right time while turning the others down.

That method preserves the Time situation, does not require fiddling with cut points that may result in pops and clicks and etc. anomalies on your audio due to same, and can be easily changed at will as the project progresses, simply by revisiting and changing those Volume Envelopes as needed.

However, this is not the question you originally asked. That concerned use of MIDI, which is what prompted my original response to your post.


Quote:
When I think about it, the only thing I can see not being able to do is changing tempos. Is that doable with audio? I doubt it.


It can be done, with varying degrees of success, most of them dependent upon how much you wish to spend on the program and algorithms used to Stretch digital audio. Some work better than others, in the sense that some will leave behind what we call Digital Artifacts. However, it is indeed possible to stretch Tempo without also stretching Pitch in the digital domain. Also possible to change Pitch without changing Tempo. Gets rather tedious when in the middle of song mixing, though. Be forewarned.


Quote:
I find the vital flaw in BIAB is that you just can't use one song file in an entire piece. It just gets too boring.


That might be due to not using BB to the fullest extent, but don't overlook the included RealBand program, which has features as concerns the usage of Band in a Box Styles, RealInstruments and MIDI accompaniment parts that Cuhase does not. For one example, it is possible inside RealBand to highlight just one bar or several of a Band in a Box track and regenerate just that segment. RealBand also lays the entire song out along the timeline, no "choruses" etc. and lends itself to the creation of full recordings like you seem to be most interested in doing.


--Mac

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