I seem to recall that you can set up BIAB, so that if you typically play with your guitar downed a half step, you can still input normal chords, etc. and the program will play them a half step lower to match your guitar.
Is this something BIAB can do, or did I just imagine it?
You can set the Master Tuning, at least on some sound cards. Find it in Options, GM Settings, Master Tuning.
I assume from your question you want to take a guitar where the top and bottom strings are E, and tune the whole thing down so the top and bottom strings now sound an Eb, but you want to read chords normally as if your guitar was still tuned to concert pitch.
Note: I'm answering this from the Help file, without a computer to try it, so I have no idea what this setting does to RealTracks.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Like with brass instruments, would it be possible to set BIAB to play lower but visually transpose one semitone higher? Because I don't play transposing instruments, I'm not sure of this.
For example, does it work as Frank would like, if the 'Transpose' option in "Chord Display" is set to +1. This will take the visual display up a semitone so that the chords should sound/play down a semitone from what's typed. (See 1, 2, 3 on the image below.)
Would this match his guitar?
Regards, Noel
P.S. Frank, if you display is not the same as mine, press CTRL+T to switch views.
I seem to recall that you can set up BIAB, so that if you typically play with your guitar downed a half step, you can still input normal chords, etc. and the program will play them a half step lower to match your guitar.
Is this something BIAB can do, or did I just imagine it?
Thanks.
You just click the Chord Display button, place your mouse over Guitar Tuned Down... and select the option for tuning down. I do this all the time to use with my baritone guitar so I can play regular open chord forms like C and they will show on the BIAB chordsheet as C.
Noel, It never ceases to amaze me how much useful info can appear in these forums. On your screenshot of the Chord Display Dropdown, I spotted "Guitar Capo (Visual Transpose). How did I prevously miss that?
Co-incidentally, today I am working on a song in F but because I want to fingerpick guitar the chord shapes in D with capo on 3 are more suitable, problem solved.
I only wish that this and some other settings could be made song specific and not global, since unless I reset, it messes up the display for subsequent songs.
There’s Guitar Capo in that screen shot by Noel, which I think means guitar tuned upward. But there’s also a setting for Guitar Tuned Down. Is that it? However, they also give you minus numbers as a choice in the Capo setting; not sure why...
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
They said it couldn't be done but this old dog just learned a new trick!
And this one too, although I just can't think why you would want to tune your guitar a half step down at all anyway, especially as the chords "on screen" would NOT be the ones that you would be hearing. Cheers Ian
Old Guys Rule.The older I get,the better I was! BB2023 ULTRA, 1013, Win 7 and 10
They said it couldn't be done but this old dog just learned a new trick!
And this one too, although I just can't think why you would want to tune your guitar a half step down at all anyway, especially as the chords "on screen" would NOT be the ones that you would be hearing. Cheers Ian
I have a guitarist friend whom can't play in the key of Eb. So for every Eb song he tunes his guitar down a half step. Now I can print a Eb song with the chords that he does know, like E, A, B7. etc.
In the early 1970's I played in a horn band so I had to learn to play in horn keys like Eb, Ab, etc. It was a great learning experience!
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
They said it couldn't be done but this old dog just learned a new trick!
And this one too, although I just can't think why you would want to tune your guitar a half step down at all anyway, especially as the chords "on screen" would NOT be the ones that you would be hearing. Cheers Ian
I have a guitarist friend whom can't play in the key of Eb. So for every Eb song he tunes his guitar down a half step. Now I can print a Eb song with the chords that he does know, like E, A, B7. etc.
In the early 1970's I played in a horn band so I had to learn to play in horn keys like Eb, Ab, etc. It was a great learning experience!
You and me both! Till '75 I played in Showbands with a big brass section. It was good grounding. I HAD to play in their keys. So Eb, Bb etc hold no fears even now when reading off the page or using BB to arrange material.
Old Guys Rule.The older I get,the better I was! BB2023 ULTRA, 1013, Win 7 and 10
The reason I tune down a half step is that I play slide guitar in Open D and Open G tunings. However, I find that my voice fits those tunings better if I'm tuned down a half step.
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
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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)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
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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)
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