MIDI is either - artists playing MIDI ( we call that MIDI Supertracks) Or - computer using patterns and mapping to current chord ( no specific name, so just called MIDI style) ( this is what most consumer keyboard like Casio do)
Most of the people who use the Users Showcase Forum have a free account on Soundcloud and upload songs to there. That being said, some users prefer Soundclick and others use Youtube. There are are couple of other sites but I can't recall them off hand.
Originally Posted By: Big john
why do you go through a dxi software, Is that not a midi thing...?
But we have realtracks audio..??
What you say is all correct.
BIAB is not simply Realtracks based, though. A very large component of it is MIDI based. In fact, I find the MIDI side of BIAB very versatile when it comes to providing inspiration for writing songs. In my latest song below (see the link in my signature), I used a MIDI Supertrack for the piano. It is because of the MIDI side of BIAB that the VSTi/DXi softsynth is required for generating wav.
Yep, RealTracks are already audio, so they will simply mix down to stereo audio (wav); however, if there are MIDI tracks, then you need a way to convert the MIDI performance to audio WAV as well. When you just listen on the computer, you might be listening through a DXi or VSTi, or an externally connected MIDI synth. However, to render the MIDI to WAV you will need to use a DXi or VSTi to do so. You can get the external MIDI synth to so so as well, but you have to actually "record" the output of the synth to capture it and it takes the length of the song to do so. Direct rendering with DXi or VSTi takes seconds, because everything happens inside the computer (you don't have to play through the song to get the output).
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 2x2TB, 1x4TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 2x1.5TB, 2x2TB, 1x4TB SATA
What seems to me baffling in biab is when you render , why
do you go through a dxi. software, Is that not a midi thing...?
In the old days, before VSTi and DXi, which are virtual instruments, we would have the midi player play the hardware synthesizer and we would connect audio cables from the synth to the recording device. The audio recording time would be the length of the song. Ex; 4 minutes 20 seconds. That was the only way to get the sound of the synthesizer recorded to a track on the tape.
Since DXi and VSTi are software synthesizers being processed inside the computer we can now "render";(cause it to become) an audio or wave file internally without the need to route cable/s from the synth back to the recording device/computer. And, without the need to wait for the entire song to play back each midi track to separate audio tracks.
Of course it can still be done the old fashioned way when you want the sound of your favorite hardware synth on a track. You would connect a midi cable from your computer to your hardware synth, connect audio cables back to your computers soundcard or audio interface. BIAB or RealBand becomes the midi player and also the recording device.
As jford and Noel96 covered already; RealTracks are not midi and therefore not playing through a software synthesizer. But, if you have RealTracks and non-RealTracks BIAB and RealBand will render the RealTracks and midi via DXi/VSTi simultaneously along with any recorded audio tracks. You can also render one track at a time so you will have all your individual tracks in the same format. YOu can then import each one into a DAW such as RealBand.
Your question about where to upload your song files was answered. Most sites need MP3 formatted files. If you can, use the 320kbs sample rate. Back off that only if the song site has a maximum file size and 320kbs puts you over the limit. And upload the higher kbs mp3 even if the site says they compress to 128. Trust me on that one.
Sites like Box and Dropbox let you load waves. I haven't used either of those in a while so I'm assuming they still allow wave audio.
Next... you need a synth because midi by itself doesn't make any noise. You need the synth to change that data into music. Most folks use either TTS or Coyote depending on which one you have on the machine already. Both are about equal in sound quality, meaning they're not the worst but there's a bunch of better options. HOWEVER... I have TTS set as my default midi synth for BB. I use my better synths in my DAW in the production stage of the process.
As far as real tracks.... yes... they are audio, not midi. Depending on the style you selected, you may have a totally midi style, you may have a totally real track style, or you might have a combination of both in the style. You need that synth loaded so that if the style you selected has midi in it... perhaps the bass line or drums are midi, it will play like it's supposed to play and not be missing the midi tracks. In those sorts of combo tracks, you can opt to load a real track in place of the midi. It's just that the RT didn't fit with the style so midi was selected for that style.
Hopefully I splained that good and clear.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
I was talking about biab I have a song finished all real tracks.
Now wanting to take it all into my daw.
Do I render ,If so why do I have to render through dxi midi yea.
when all my tracks are real tracks no midi.
I am curios to know if I am going along the best route for this.
Oh... in that case....
You can export the tracks one at a time....I'll tell you how I do this.
So you have a song finished in BB. Save the file....close BB and open Real Band and then open the file from BB.
All the tracks will populate with the real tracks. Click on a track to SELECT the entire track. Export the track to a folder or simply drag and drop into your DAW. I like to export the tracks to a folder for the song on my desktop. This keeps all the tracks in one place and everything connected to that song, including finished mixes and lyric sheets are all in one place. I also save the BB & RB files there. Later, I move that folder to a spare drive for storage.
I then open each track from my DAW to import them in one by one. (I'm old fashioned and tend to do things the long way around.)
That's how I do it. Just one of many paths to get the job done. You will eventually find the work flow that works best for you.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
You may be referring to the "Render To Audio File" dialog... which does have a button that says "DXi - Direct Render" - which is a bit confusing... but, Yes, that is the button to click to render all your tracks to a folder so you can then use them in your DAW.
MAKE SURE you select the right folder - the "Choose" button - to put them where you want them...
BTW... it may depend on what version of BIAB you have (year) and what operating system you are using... so you might indicate that...
Here is another way....
Open the folder where you want the files in the Windows File Manager (assuming you are using Windows.)
From the main BIAB screen, click on one of the green track names along the top - like "Drums" or "Guitar"... while holding the mouse down (right-click button), drag to the folder and drop it.
Along with the very informative tutorial videos (http://www.pgmusic.com/videos.bbwin.htm) all here are very helpful. I've watched and revisited most of them.
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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
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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!
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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.
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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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