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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 89
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 89 |
Thank you Fred B.
I found that last night. I got all the tracks to load but I could not hear anything. I think I need to set my QuickTime to play midi.
In the pop up box I could see QuickTime but it was grayed out.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 66
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 66 |
If I just want to preview an SMF I'll use the shareware QMidi (buggy and stupid but it's enough for previewing and it will display Karaoke lyrics). My workhorse MIDI editor is Metro, by Sagan Technologies. It plays SMFs with ease, either through the MIDI port or via AppleDLS and lets me edit anything I want. (Metro was bought by Cakewalk years ago and became Cakewalk for Mac; it was later returned to the original developer who now maintains it as a Mac-only product.)
IMHO, the DLS (QuickTime) sounds are pretty awful; if I'm rendering anything to audio I play it through my external keyboard and use Audio Hijack Pro to record the results.
Stephanie
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 404
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 404 |
Quote:
In the pop up box I could see QuickTime but it was grayed out.
That's normal. It just means that QuickTime is selected by default.
You may try this little test.
1. Assign the DLSMusicDevice to an instrument track.
2. Create an empty region of 4 bars on this track.
3. Open the region in Piano Roll and insert a note at bar 2.
4. Start the sequencer and you should hear the note playing.
By default the note will play with piano sound. Now, if you create a program change message in the Event List at bar 1, the note should play with the corresponding GM instrument.
Note: personally I don't advocate using Logic and DLS for handling Standard Midi Files, but just wanted to explain that it's possible.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 13
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 13 |
Quote:
Hello Saxy831,
It is possible to do with Band-in-a-Box, it's just that it's not a one-step process. You need to import the MIDI file to the Melody or Soloist track, then change that track to a multi-channel type track, and mute the other tracks. Here are the basic steps.
1. Choose MEL |Import Melody from MIDI file. If you wanted to import to the Soloist track, you would use SOL | Edit Soloist Track | Import Soloist Part from MIDI File
2. Select the MIDI file from the open dialog. Select all MIDI channels. Click [OK]
3. A dialog will appear informing you that the file has been imported. Click MEL | Track Type and set it to Multi-Channel
4. MUTE all Band-in-a-Box tracks except for the Melody. There are a few ways of doing this. You could mute them by soloing the Melody track using the control-click option in the instrument panel, or you could rest all instruments for the entire song (e.g. type C. in the first bar, that's C followed by a period), or you could choose a blank style from the utility category.
5. Now your MIDI file should play by itself as it would if you imported it into a sequencer.
Andrew, you've now succeeded in completely confusing me. Can you explain how muting all the tracks but the Melody will play all the tracks, as if imported into a sequencer?
What I am concerned with, as I believe Saxy 831 to be as well, is how can we import the chord structure & arrangement of the midi file, in order to use a BIAB style, & make other adjustments, so the final result is a backing track that will sound different than the original.
The melody is the least important aspect, & really, not even needed at all.
"Music is my religion" - Jimi Hendrix
"MUSIC IS A PAINTING YOU CAN HEAR" - Miles Davis
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
To hear a MIDI file you don't need to hear any of BIAB's auto-accompaniment instruments or even anything at all from a BIAB style file.
The entire MIDI sequence is imported into the Melody track and plays back on the Melody track.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 2
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 2 |
Andrew:
Thanks for your post above on using the melody track as a midi sequencer.
I found this useful as I can use it as a reference when trying to match a style to the music i have imported from midi.
One small note is that there seems to be a bug which crops up after importing midi files - I find that stop, pause and space bar do not work and I need to do a CMD A to restart before the stop or pause icons will work.
Is it just me or does anyone else have a similar issue?
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 7,728
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 7,728 |
I'm not sure why that would happen. Perhaps you have 'pause play will key pressed' selected in Preferences?
Andrew
PG Music Inc.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 13
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 13 |
Quote:
To hear a MIDI file you don't need to hear any of BIAB's auto-accompaniment instruments or even anything at all from a BIAB style file.
The entire MIDI sequence is imported into the Melody track and plays back on the Melody track.
--Mac
If the whole file plays on the Melody track, then how would you use the BIAB styles to change the feel, or edit individual tracks, like change instruments, keys, etc...?
"Music is my religion" - Jimi Hendrix
"MUSIC IS A PAINTING YOU CAN HEAR" - Miles Davis
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
You can change Patch assignments by channel in the SEQ window, so changing instrument choices is not a problem.
--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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Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
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