|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41
Enthusiast
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41 |
Bluegrass employs a lot of half (two-beat) measures to alter the rhythmic feel of a song. Yet, when I program those measures in, they seems to confuse whatever RealTracks set I'm using. Has anyone else experienced this? Is there a way around it?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,026
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,026 |
Could you give us some more information on what Real Tracks and Style you are using?
Also, what version of BiaB?
That would assist to check further.
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,362
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,362 |
Bluegrass employs a lot of half (two-beat) measures to alter the rhythmic feel of a song. Yet, when I program those measures in, they seems to confuse whatever RealTracks set I'm using. Has anyone else experienced this? Is there a way around it?
Yes, I have experienced something similar what you describe. Try this... To get the Realtrack back on track, put a chord on beat 3 in the cell that you've set as 2 beats. This chord doesn't play (so it doesn't matter what it is), but it helps realign the Realtrack generation. If you have BIAB 2017, the chord on beat 3 in a 2-beat bar will be gray to show that it is inactive. This is the beat to use. Regards, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41 |
Could you give us some more information on what Real Tracks and Style you are using?
Also, what version of BiaB?
That would assist to check further. I'm running 2017 BIAB on a MacBook Pro. I use "_BG_Band" a lot and swap in "_BG_BDFS" (fiddle), "_BG_BDGS" (guitar), and "BG_BDMS" (mandolin) when I want a soloist.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41 |
Bluegrass employs a lot of half (two-beat) measures to alter the rhythmic feel of a song. Yet, when I program those measures in, they seems to confuse whatever RealTracks set I'm using. Has anyone else experienced this? Is there a way around it?
Yes, I have experienced something similar what you describe. Try this... To get the Realtrack back on track, put a chord on beat 3 in the cell that you've set as 2 beats. This chord doesn't play (so it doesn't matter what it is), but it helps realign the Realtrack generation. If you have BIAB 2017, the chord on beat 3 in a 2-beat bar will be gray to show that it is inactive. This is the beat to use. Regards, Noel Sorry, but this doesn't work. I get two beats of silence, then the RealTrack musicians are two beats ahead of the actual chord change.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41 |
If anyone is willing to try this, here's a simple experiment. Use _BG_BAND.STY as the style. Key = G; Tempo = 130; # bars = 9.
1) G
2) C
3) G
4) D
5) G
6) C
7) G D
8) G
9) G
Bar 9 is set to 2 beats using the Bar Settings feature. Everything else is standard 4 beats/bar.
When I do this, I get a pause during playback at the end of the chorus, and the instruments are out of alignment with the chords after that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,362
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,362 |
If anyone is willing to try this, here's a simple experiment. Use _BG_BAND.STY as the style. Key = G; Tempo = 130; # bars = 9.
1) G
2) C
3) G
4) D
5) G
6) C
7) G D
8) G
9) G
Bar 9 is set to 2 beats using the Bar Settings feature. Everything else is standard 4 beats/bar.
When I do this, I get a pause during playback at the end of the chorus, and the instruments are out of alignment with the chords after that.
Thanks for this. After setting bar 9 to 2 beats, did you set bar 10 back to 4 beats? Also... after entering chords on beat 3 in a 2-beat bar, all tracks need to be unfrozen and the song regenerated for the chord(s) to take effect. Lastly, I've put your above chord progression together and set bar 9 as 2 beats and bar 10 back to 4 beats. I then added an Eb chord on beat 3 of bar 9. After generating the song, it played fine for me (BIAB 2017 build 470). When you get a chance, can you try the chordsheet that I put together? You can download it from the link below. I'm interested in knowing if it works for you. Test SGU file with 2/4 in bar 9Regards, Noel P.S. I notice that bar 9 is the last bar of your song. Do you have multiple choruses by any chance?
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,382
PG Music Staff
|
|
PG Music Staff
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,382 |
Hi Slick Salmon,
Time signature changes when using RealTracks have been doing this in the Mac version for a while.
We don't have an immediate fix for you (sorry), but I'll check to make sure the development team is aware of the issue.
Thanks
Kent
PG Music
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41 |
Noel96, your file works perfectly. When I do it myself as a repeating 9 bar chorus with a 2-beat measure in bar 9, the problem persists regardless of whether I set bar 1 to 4 beats or not. However, if I do the tune as a continuous 18 bar chorus, setting bar 9 to 2 beats and bar 10 back to 4 beats, everything works perfectly. Apparently, the program gets confused when the 2 beat bar is the last measure of a chorus, but it doesn't mind if an internal bar is 2 beats. This is going to be tricky to program, since bluegrass routinely employs 2 beat measures at the end of a verse.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,382
PG Music Staff
|
|
PG Music Staff
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,382 |
Hi Slick Salmon,
If Noel made the test song with the Windows version, it will likely play fine on a Mac. When we tested this bug, we found that the difficulty generating RealTracks with time signature changes only came up if the song was created with the Mac version.
Thanks
Kent
PG Music
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,362
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,362 |
Noel96, your file works perfectly. When I do it myself as a repeating 9 bar chorus with a 2-beat measure in bar 9, the problem persists regardless of whether I set bar 1 to 4 beats or not. However, if I do the tune as a continuous 18 bar chorus, setting bar 9 to 2 beats and bar 10 back to 4 beats, everything works perfectly. Apparently, the program gets confused when the 2 beat bar is the last measure of a chorus, but it doesn't mind if an internal bar is 2 beats. This is going to be tricky to program, since bluegrass routinely employs 2 beat measures at the end of a verse.
I'm glad to read it worked. If your song is less than 255 bars long, why not set it out as a linear progression rather than using repeats or multiple choruses. That's what I always do. I like the control that it gives me to add part markers where I like. If you want to use multple choruses, though... .... have you tried setting (say) bars 1 to 4 as the introduction and then have the song repeat using bars 5 - 14. I've done that in the songfile that you can download from the link below. See how it goes. Since the song repeats from bar 5, I've set that to 4 beats. Test file (2) - with introRegards, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41 |
Noel -- I wasn't able to play your second file, because it crashed my program. I don't know why, since your first file ran just fine. Given Kent's comment, I'm becoming increasingly convinced the BIAB is not happy running on a Mac. Nonetheless, the structure you used with the four intro bars is one I use all the time, so I'm familiar with it.
As for laying out tunes as one long chorus rather than repeating choruses, I just don't know the correct approach. The program seemingly wants you to use repeating choruses and provides a wide assortment of tools (eg., jumps, sections, first/ second endings, etc) that make traditional composition possible. It certainly make printing chord sheets a lot easier. On the other hand, the way the program manages soloists makes such a layout challenging. I haven't landed on a comfortable approach.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41 |
Hi Slick Salmon,
If Noel made the test song with the Windows version, it will likely play fine on a Mac. When we tested this bug, we found that the difficulty generating RealTracks with time signature changes only came up if the song was created with the Mac version.
Thanks
Kent
PG Music Just for clarification, Kent is correct. The fix that Noel provided initially appeared to work, but doesn't reliably do so. The Mac version of BIAB is unable to handle time signature changes with RealTracks. Frankly, without this ability, the utility of this program for me is significantly compromised. I'm going to have to switch to a PC version.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,362
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,362 |
As for laying out tunes as one long chorus rather than repeating choruses, I just don't know the correct approach. The program seemingly wants you to use repeating choruses and provides a wide assortment of tools (eg., jumps, sections, first/ second endings, etc) that make traditional composition possible. It certainly make printing chord sheets a lot easier. On the other hand, the way the program manages soloists makes such a layout challenging. I haven't landed on a comfortable approach.
To lay out a song a single chorus is just a matter of (a) setting the number of choruses to '1' and (b) manually adding part markers to define the various sections of a song. Part markers are obtained by clicking on bar numbers. The first click will put a blue box around the bar number, the second click changes the box to green and the third click removes the part marker. - Blue part markers tell BIAB to create a backing that is simpler and with less energy. These are usually well suited to verses.
- Green part markers tell BIAB to create a backing that has more rhythmical and performance energy. I use these for choruses.
To see these in action, simply open up one of your songs that uses multiple choruses (by 'chorus' I mean 'once through the entire song') and then go to "Edit | Song Form Unfold" and the song will be turned into a single chorus song, 'once through' format. This is linear format. EXAMPLE SONG
Let's say the below is the song that I want to generate.
1. Time signature: 4/4
2. Key signature; C
3. Intro: 4 bars
4. Verse 1: 8 bars
5. Chorus: 8 bars with 2 beat bar following the 8th bar (i.e. in 9th bar)
6. Verse 2: 8 bars
7. Chorus: 8 bars with 2 beat bar following the 8th bar (i.e. in 9th bar)
8. Repeat Chorus
I'd set the "number of choruses" to '1' and then layout the song as shown in the following SGU file. link to example songGiven that my original files with the bar changes worked for you, this one should work, too. The Eb chords are on non-playing positions in the 2-beat bar. They should just help to re-align the Realtracks for the change back to 4-beats in the following bar. Let us know how you go. All the best, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 41 |
Thanks for sticking with this Noel, but laying out tunes as one long chorus isn't helping. I got it to work once, but haven't been successful after that. Kent is saying that it's a fundamental problem with the Mac version of BIAB, and I'm inclined to believe him. I'm working with customer support to try to transfer all my work to a PC. I'd rather work on a Mac, but if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I don't know what else to do. It's either that or abandon the program altogether.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginners Forum
|
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,362
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,362 |
Just one very last thought...
Rather than use my file, have you tried creating your own by starting with a brand new, blank chordsheet.
To do this....
1. Select "File | New". (Don't simply delete the chords on an existing chord sheet. It's important to create a brand new, blank one.
2. Now select a style, tempo.
3. Set number of choruses to 1.
4. Add a couple of 2-beat bar mid-sheet.
5. On beat three of the 2-beat bar, put in some chord (it won't play).
6. Make the subsequent bar 4 beats.
7. Generate and play.
Does that bring any joy?
Regards,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
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!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
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®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Happy New Year!
Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.
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
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 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 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums57
Topics85,749
Posts795,745
Members39,950
| |
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean