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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 225
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 225 |
Hi
I'm new to BIAB, but I'm already hooked to the idea of creating usertracks. Incredible, wonderful feature.
A few thoughts / questions - beware, English is NOT my mother tongue, please be patient :-)
1) I looked at the templates provided by PG Music (especially the 30 minutes one) and I was wondering what is the most effective / efficient way of making good (or excellent) UTs.
I am especially thinking about creating UTs from sounds and loops taken from other Virtual Instruments - in that way, awkard, hard to use VIs may become suddenly useful and usable :-)
And here's my thoughts / doubts about it.
In the available templates, there are a lot of chords that are repeated several times over and over. Now, I understand that this is useful when you create UTs from a recorded human performance, because this allows BIAB to (re)create the variety that human performances provide. But, when you DONT have such variety (or, when the variety is limited) because the source is inehrently limited in performance variety (like in the case of loops from other VI), then I guess it doesn't make any sense to create more recordings / combinations of exactly the same performance (loop). In that case, the best I can do is to bring into BIAB just ONCE each loop / performance that I have available (of course adjusting the templates accordingly).
Am I right?
2) I noticed that BIAB transposes certain chords even when a recording of the exact chord is available. This may create more variety, but it also creates some side-effects and some artifacts (which may be more or less audible depending on the source material, etc.). My questions:
a) is it possible to tell BIAB NOT to transpose IF a recording of the exact chord is available?
b) is it possible to tell BIAB to limit the number of semitones that the transpose algorythm may utilize (provided that something closer to the required chord is available, of course)?
c) is it true that the more recording variety the UT provides to BIAB, the less the transposing process will happen? In other words, if I record Gmaj7 only once for my UT, then BIAB will be more likely to use (for example) Fmaj7 transposed up to 2 semitones, but if I record Gmaj7 several times, BIAB will be less likely to use transposed chords to play it back? And, if this is true, to what extent it is useful to record MORE instances of the same chord in order to limit transposed playback?
Hope I was clear .. :-)
Thank you for your thoughts.
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,969
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Veteran
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,969 |
Mr. Michio,
Welcome to the forum!
You are correct one example of a chord will work when using a VSTi as the sound source.
You can go into the UserTracks settings to modify how each bar of the UserTracks can, or can not be used. Access UserTracks settings by highlighting a bar, press "F5" on your keyboard, select the "UserTracks Development" button. The Band-in-a-Box user manual or help file describes how each selection on the UserTracks Development page works. One of the choices is "don't transpose this bar".
Hope this helps.
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 225
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 225 |
Thank you Jim, I completely missed that little button! :-)
Very useful indeed, thanks.
However, I don't see the "don't transpose this bar" option that you mentioned .. maybe it's the "Only choose this bar if the key matches"?
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,969
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,969 |
I'm not at my computer at the moment to see but I'm sure you are correct.
There are two issues of note, both have been acknowledged by Dr. Gannon. Both are supposed to be fixed in a future patch release. One issue is UserTracks audio does not play correctly when 3/4 time signature is used. Issue two is stereo UserTracks get imported as a mono track. I believe issue 2 was resolved in the most recent patch releases but I have not verified that.
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 225
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 225 |
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 225
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 225 |
Hey Jim (and all you guys)
I tried the suggested method in order to tell BIAB not to use transpose for a certain usertrack, but it doesn't seem to work - BIAB still seems to use transposed bars, here and there.
Here is what I have done.
I have set ALL the bars of my template song (the song I used as template for my usertrack) with the following setting:
"Only choose this bar if the key matches"
I can clearly see that this setting was applied to all the bars, because I see the thin red line under each bar in the template song.
However, if I understand correctly, the purpose of this setting is NOT to tell BIAB to avoid transposing.
According to the help, the purpose is the following:
(I'm quoting)
"allows the bar to be used only if the user’s song key matches the key of this song. So, if this is the IV chord, it would only get chosen if it will be the IV chord in the user’s song.".
(I am assuming that "this song" is the "template song" for the usertrack, and the "user's song" is the song where the usertrack will be utilized for playback).
So, If I understand correctly, this setting tells BIAB to use the current bar only when the user song chord matches the template song chord. So, for example, if the template chord of a certain bar is Cmin, BIAB will not use it to reproduce a Cmin7 in the user song.
This, I believe, has nothing to do with transposing. Again, if I understand correctly, even when this setting is active, BIAB might use a Bbmin7 transposed up by 2 semitones to reproduce a Cmin7 in the song.
So, my question is: did I understand correctly? And, is there a method to tell BIAB not to use transposing?
If not, I will add this to the wishlist :-)
Thank you all guys - I am new, so I am just trying to understand all the subtleties of making the best possible usertracks ...
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 225
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 225 |
Ok, I just discovered that in the "Song Settings" there is actually an option to prevent transposing of real tracks for the current song. I completely missed that :-)
Happy New Year everyone!
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 7,954
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I tried that on mine but it still transposes the the chords maybe that is just for the real tracks
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 225
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 225 |
Yes, I think you are right. That option seems to apply only to realtracks, not to usertracks.
I surrender.
I'm starting to think that there's no way to tell BIAB not to transpose usertracks.
I will add this to the wishlist. It's probably a very simple option to add, and I REALLY REALLY hope it will be implemented soon. I think it's quite important. I'll try to explain why in the wishlist forum.
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Add-ons and UserTracks for Band-in-a-Box
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 116
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 116 |
Hello and Happy New Year to all I am new to the forum and I do not speak English so I use a translator please excuse me.
from what son when I generates a user tracks it will implement agreements alot while these agreement are available in the user tracks. What can we do to remedy this and can be a notice of PGMUSIC we'd be very helpful thank you to all
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