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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 3
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 3 |
OK guys, forgive me I am only a drummer, so,.....
Anyway, just got BIAB Megapak. I want to make more drumless music for me to play with, and learn more about music to be more musician, and not "just a drummer."
Here is my question, I have entered chord changes from songs into BIAB and gotten some really cool results, but not what I was looking for. I understand styles affect the song results, but the songs, while they sound cool, sound nothing like the songs they are supposed to sound like! LOL! I would like to know how do I enter specific note values, so I can say a rest, followed by 2 1/8th notes played as a triplet, etc.
Really look forward to learning a lot with this program, and sorry for such silly questions to start with.
Thanks in advance,
Tom
RIT Rocks, Cancer Sucks!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,071
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,071 |
Hi Tom
Firstly, Welcome to the forum!
When you mention 'specific note values', do you perhaps mean creating your own MIDI drums, or using the Chords for input but creating a rest on certain beats etc?
You can create a Rest for any beat in a Chord by following the Chord with a period character (1 dot)
From the help:
C. indicates a C chord that is a Rest.
C.. indicates a C chord that is a Shot.
C... indicates a C chord that is a Held Chord.
Nominate instruments that are supposed to play during a rest, shot, hold etc like this:
C.bd will put a Rest on all instruments except for Bass and Drums
Check out the help under "Rests, Shots, and Holds"
You can also Rest only certain instruments
BTW: No questions are considered silly on this forum!
Hope this is at least a starter
All the best
Trev
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,869
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,869 |
Hi Tom welcome.
BIAB will definitely be a great investment for your time. It has lots of uses.
But I wondered, if you learnt a little keyboard - some simple stuff, it will orientate you in the world of harmony, which you need to understand, in order to progress. I am just guessing of course..
I started on trumpet, but it was only when I got to play the piano that it all fell into place - its about the visual map of the keyboard, its versatile capabilities.
Z
Win 11 64, Asus Rog Strix z390 mobo, 64 gig RAM, 8700k
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,741
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Veteran
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,741 |
Hi Tom,
Welcome to the forum. I am new here also. I am not sure just what you are looking for in a song you are trying to create with Band In A Box. Also I also do not have much experience with this software.
I sort of got the idea you may be trying to create a cover tune or some original that you have a very clear idea in you head what you want to hear.
While a ton of stuff is possible, just putting a chord structure in place and picking a style will not create a cover tune. For example, the intro to "Riders On The Storm" by the Doors has a descending organ line that does not exist in BIAB.
To get something like that there are a few ways someone who does not play organ can do it, none of which are simple.
You can write it out note for note in a notation software and have a midi synth play it out. That gets complex real quick even for someone with a lot of technical understanding of both music theory and notation software.
I really understand why a drummer would want to learn more about what other players are doing.
I am not a drummer so I have a huge desire to know more about drum lines and what the drummer is doing and thinking.
There are many demos in BIAB and when you load them you can see how someone put things together and what that sounds like.
I may be best to start with something simple and see how to put that together.
Best of luck with all this and feel free to ask questions.
Cheers,
Billy
Last edited by Planobilly; 07/27/15 02:24 AM.
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 697
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 697 |
Win 10, 64 bit, love my Lenovo T420, BIAB 2019 (613), RB 2019 (2)
Short term memory is getting shorter.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 3
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 3 |
Thanks all! Lots of help! I am headed off to work now, and have onc appointments later this week, and next and,.... LOL! Will go over this when I have a little more time. I appreciate all the help greatly.
So far as the keyboard goes, I had some piano in 9th grade, and picturing a keyboard in my head is the ONLY way I can remember the scales! LOL! Yeah, I try remembering "whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, etc" but it is really the keyboard that allows me to remember!
I don't want to be one of those drummers who does everything he knows in every song, or is playing super hard during guitar solos, etc, you know where the guitar player is looking at you like "You know, it is your turn shortly, what are you going to be able to do you have not done already!" I want to serve the music, and properly participate in the "conversations" or the other instruments to I am adding to the music, not taking from it.
I truly appreciate all the help here, and really look forward to growing!
God Bless
Tom
RIT Rocks, Cancer Sucks!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
I understand styles affect the song results, but the songs, while they sound cool, sound nothing like the songs they are supposed to sound like! LOL! I would like to know how do I enter specific note values, so I can say a rest, followed by 2 1/8th notes played as a triplet, etc. This is one of the biggest misconceptions of this program. It doesn't sound like a specific song because that's not what Biab is. Nowhere in the documentation does it say you can use Biab to create a song specific cover of whatever tune you're interested in because that's a copyright violation from the PGM's pov. However, you can do it but you're jumping into the deep end of the power users pool right out of the box. Without going into a 5 page detailed answer start with the styles. Biab is governed by styles and you can write a style that contains the exact or very close elements of one particular song. Understand though once you write that style it's really only good for that one song. If you use it for a different song it's going to sound like the tune it was written for but with different chords. The next thing is freezing tracks. Working with midi only, not the RT's you can take a Biab generated bass track for example and going into the midi sequencer edit that bass track to match whatever you're looking for. Once you do that you have to remember to freeze the track otherwise as soon as you regenerate the song again Biab is going to regenerate the bass track according to the style and wipe out what you just did. The third thing is loops. Lots of songs have repeating patterns or hooks. You can either find a loop of that or create it yourself and put into Biab's loop folder. You can assigned it to any instrument part you want. That alone is a whole other discussion. That's enough for now, there's other power tricks available but again Biab is not designed for this. It's designed to give you good backing tracks to play along with in a style that could be "similar" to certain songs. For creating covers you're better off using Real Band which is a whole other discussion. Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 128
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 128 |
Not to jump in the deep end of the pool or to hijack this thread but I am using BIAB to do backing tracks for a cover duo and for the most part I am able to get an acceptable backing because we are able to play keyboards, guitar, and guitar synth over top of the backing. How is RB better at making backing tracks? Is it because it is easier to record tracks into? When I tried RB it still uses a style that may not play exactly what I would want. Here is an example (a stupid one at that) I want backing tracks for Louie Louie....all the chord progressions are the same only difference it the starting bar the organ plays a E note then goes to A....not much but a signature start. The chord pattern doesn't change but chorus and verse are played in an entirely different rhythm. I can play this song in my sleep but the best I can do in RB was to get adequate bass, drums, and a simple chord strum. I know I can easily do backing tracks for this playing each part myself in Sonar but I use it as an example that would easily explain the issues I have run into. Don't get me wrong because for what I need BIAB will work wonderfully I just want to understand how to corral it into playing some parts a bit more specifically. Thanks for all the help as this forum has made my learning curve a lot less steep.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,163
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,163 |
Welcome to the forum :-) Do you own a set of Tux Tails? I can play the drums Kidding. There are demo videos of Biab on the support page. Be sure to go through some of them, they helped me when I had specific questions about Biab. In the style list, you can search by specific song or band and if there is a match, the styles will get listed in the right column of the style menu. Make sure to have the "All Styles" (top left of menu) hi-lited by clicking on it before entering your search terms. This will eliminate the unnecessary styles that won't match. Most of the Biab styles were built around specific songs/bands. As an example, the AWB style (Average White Band) was built for the song Pick Up The Pieces. Or, Choose the blank.sty 4/4 and start selecting your Real Tracks to "roll your own" style for a song. If you get stuck on something, this forum is the friendliest on the internet and people help each other here, like family. Welcome to the family. Trax
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,848
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,848 |
Not to jump in the deep end of the pool or to hijack this thread but I am using BIAB to do backing tracks for a cover duo and for the most part I am able to get an acceptable backing because we are able to play keyboards, guitar, and guitar synth over top of the backing. How is RB better at making backing tracks? Is it because it is easier to record tracks into? When I tried RB it still uses a style that may not play exactly what I would want. Here is an example (a stupid one at that) I want backing tracks for Louie Louie....all the chord progressions are the same only difference it the starting bar the organ plays a E note then goes to A....not much but a signature start. The chord pattern doesn't change but chorus and verse are played in an entirely different rhythm. I can play this song in my sleep but the best I can do in RB was to get adequate bass, drums, and a simple chord strum. I know I can easily do backing tracks for this playing each part myself in Sonar but I use it as an example that would easily explain the issues I have run into. Don't get me wrong because for what I need BIAB will work wonderfully I just want to understand how to corral it into playing some parts a bit more specifically. Thanks for all the help as this forum has made my learning curve a lot less steep. RealBand specifically lets you regenerate portions of tracks or the whole track, create multiriffs and is a DAW so you can cut/paste and copy riffs into tracks once you have created the authentic sound you want. RB allows you to have multiple tracks of the same instrument with each creating a unique version of the chord progression. RB is more intuitive to work with plug-ins and VST's. RB can import multiple audio and midi files. RB is better suited to edit midi files. BIAB is not a DAW and RB is.
BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 3
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 3 |
Welcome to the forum :-) Do you own a set of Tux Tails? I can play the drums Kidding. There are demo videos of Biab on the support page. Be sure to go through some of them, they helped me when I had specific questions about Biab. In the style list, you can search by specific song or band and if there is a match, the styles will get listed in the right column of the style menu. Make sure to have the "All Styles" (top left of menu) hi-lited by clicking on it before entering your search terms. This will eliminate the unnecessary styles that won't match. Most of the Biab styles were built around specific songs/bands. As an example, the AWB style (Average White Band) was built for the song Pick Up The Pieces. Or, Choose the blank.sty 4/4 and start selecting your Real Tracks to "roll your own" style for a song. If you get stuck on something, this forum is the friendliest on the internet and people help each other here, like family. Welcome to the family. Trax Thanks for the help, and the video was AMAZING! I used to edit Video for paid TV programing, what you did was an amazing amount of work! Loved it!
RIT Rocks, Cancer Sucks!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 128
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 128 |
Thanks for answering my question.....seems I need to dig deeper into RB because it sounds like it would be easier to get what I want. I was having an issue with it not playing the style demo when I was using ASIO4ALL and had to switch to MME to get it to work. Still have to sort that issue out. Thanks again.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
I know I can easily do backing tracks for this playing each part myself in Sonar but I use it as an example that would easily explain the issues I have run into. That's exactly what you do in RB if you need a signature lick or feel that you can't play live because you're playing something else. In RB you simply play the exact part on another track and then fade it in and out as it fits with the generated style parts. Once you get good at crossfade looping with no pops or other glitches, nobody but you would ever tell that you just switched from the backing parts to a part that you created and then switched back again. Also, you can cop a trick from the rappers and sample a couple bars from a commercial recording and paste that in too. RB will let you import a CD file and convert it to a wav. That's a bit tricker because you have to spend some time using RB's audio editor to get the part to match the key and tempo but it's fairly easily done. Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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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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Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® users: Build 1237 is now available!
Already a Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows user? Stay up to date and download the build 1237 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
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The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.
Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!
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Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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Happy New Year!
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Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!
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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