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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 60
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OP
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Posts: 60 |
Using _PJONPB2.... simple country ballad.
I used Melodist to generate a quick song. I noticed that some notes just cut off randomly, especially at the beginning of a new chord change. Is this normal?
The Lead Sheet/notation shows say, it's supposed to be two half notes... but they play staccato.
Don't know if this is normal (this is with a RealTrack, piano)... but it certainly does not sound very professional, as advertised.
Been messing with the program all night... trying to figure it out better.
Thanks!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,272
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Using _PJONPB2.... simple country ballad.
I used Melodist to generate a quick song. I noticed that some notes just cut off randomly, especially at the beginning of a new chord change. Is this normal?
The Lead Sheet/notation shows say, it's supposed to be two half notes... but they play staccato.
Don't know if this is normal (this is with a RealTrack, piano)... but it certainly does not sound very professional, as advertised.
Been messing with the program all night... trying to figure it out better.
Thanks!
It will take a lot more than a night to figure this program out. Really! it is that complex. I did listened to the RT you mentioned. When I added a new track via melodist, I remembered immediately the strengths and limitations of this feature of BIAB. Never actually used it much. The melodist creates a midi file (computer generated) with a patch (distorted guitar) which I didn't bother to figure out where it was coming from. That would explain the "sound quality". The notation to the midi track was interesting but I did notice the staccato which was not surprising given the midi source. Were you expecting to make you next song based on a computer generated midi melody track? Then you likely have heard enough from the Melodist. But, If you were interested in seeing how phrasing and styles could be adjusted to create ideas for your melodies than you will want to spend more time in the Melodist feature. Either way, good luck.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,272
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,272 |
Don't know if this is normal (this is with a RealTrack, piano)... but it certainly does not sound very professional, as advertised.
We should clear this up. Maybe I missed the whole point here.  I am certain that the melodist track is not playing the midi lines via a Realtrack. That is not how it works. The real tracks I listened to sounded "professional, as advertised". I thought it was the melodist track you had a problem with?? And regarding the notation some RT notation is "as played" and other are notated after the fact. Is this the problem.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud (Tip: No need to create a SC account to hear music - just hit ESC ).
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Dan is correct, the Melodist is producing MIDI and is not related to RealTracks. BIAB does have the ability to edit the whole MIDI track for note length, if that's the question. Maybe even adding some reverb to that track will help. The patch (instrument) is critical; a guitar will fade quickly. And we need to know what is playing your MIDI, since MIDI has no sound at all - it's just instructions.
Dan is also correct that the notation for RealTracks is of differing accuracy (I did a few of these) but that is not relevant to the Melodist.
Once we get the basic concepts down, then we can hone in on the solutions needed.
And Dan is particularly right about learning the program. I learn something new every day after using it for 25 years.
So let's try again. Tell us exactly what you did, what it did, and why that's different from what you expected. Also tell us what your Preferences, MIDI driver, Output is set to.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 60
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OP
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I understand what you guys are saying, but it was actually the main piano part, in the RealTrack. It wasn't just the Melodist. I only used the Melodist to generate a song/chord progression. But the piano part, I thought, was supposed to sound flowing, as it was a rhythm part, and not a lead part.
Thanks for any additional advice!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Ok, very helpful.
Forget all that about MIDI.
What is the number of the RealTrack (you can see that in the Mixer)? Did you turn off Natural Arrangement?
RealTracks are what I call 'audio snippets' that may be anywhere from one to eight measures long. Sometimes the voice leading is smooth, sometimes less so. You can freeze the other tracks you like and regenerate/play the song until the piano backing may improve.
What are the chord changes?
And, there is a small possibility that this one RealTrack may have a programming error if this is reproducible, especially if it is a new RealTrack. That can be fixed by PG Music.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,693
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The biggest problem with all the piano RT's is the lack of sustain between chords and there's nothing that can be done about it.
A piano has a sustain pedal that the player uses to smooth out chord transitions. Another technique is to use your fingers to hold down the common notes between two chords so only those notes sustain. What do those two techniques have in common?
THE PLAYER KNOWS WHAT CHORDS HE'S PLAYING AND WHAT IS COMING NEXT.
RT's are prerecorded phrases. The player does not know what chords a user is going to use therefore it's impossible for all the chord changes to have proper sustain between the chords unless somebody actually records every possible combination of all the chords both major, minor and all the common extensions and sustains all those combinations IN ALL KEYS or at least the minimum needed for an RT. Short of that, if you put in two chords that were not recorded together originally, you're going to hear the first chord chopped off.
This is one of the really big tradeoffs between the Real Tracks and midi. With midi it's easy to simply write in those sustains after the fact but to do that with an audio file? It's like listening to a chopped guitar chord on one of your favorite CD recordings and thinking how cool would that be if he held that chord? How can you sustain a chord on an audio file after it's been recorded?
This is complicated stuff and it's amazing to me it works as well as it does.
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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This is complicated stuff and it's amazing to me it works as well as it does. Yes, I could not have summed it up more perfectly. Some very clever algorithms must be involved to create the subtlety we actually experience.
BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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........
This is one of the really big tradeoffs between the Real Tracks and midi. With midi it's easy to simply write in those sustains after the fact but to do that with an audio file? It's like listening to a chopped guitar chord on one of your favorite CD recordings and thinking how cool would that be if he held that chord? How can you sustain a chord on an audio file after it's been recorded?
This is complicated stuff and it's amazing to me it works as well as it does.
Bob
Excellent points Bob. FWI - There is one way to make an audio file piano sustain if one has a 64 bit DAW and Melodyne 4 Editor. You bring the RT wav into Melodyne, highlight and extend the notes you want to sustain. It is is very time intensive exercise but the results are excellent. I have done this a couple of times using Sonar and Melodyne. I also have changed chords in audio. For example if one played a Gm and we wanted a G in Melodyne I move the Bb up to a B.
I got banned from Weight Watchers for dropping a bag of M&Ms on the floor.
It was the best game of Hungry Hippos I've ever seen!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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True but Mario, we're not talking about spending another $500-1,000 for more software here. Sure, lots of things are possible if money and time spent learning it is not an issue.
If Major7th is willing to do that, we can certainly discuss it in more detail. Maybe if he gets good enough at this he'll get a promotion to Major9th...
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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New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!
Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
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-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
- Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
- Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
- Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
- Playable RealTracks Set 4
- RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
- SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
- 128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
- Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
- Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
- RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
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Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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