Originally Posted By: muzikluver
So, if this limitation doesn't exist in RB, then why would anyone who has a song with more than 255 bars even use BiaB followed by a workaround to this limitation? And why do users keep asking whether or not this limitation has been removed in BiaB, as some did when PG Music announced the 64-bit version of BiaB 2019?


Who knows? Lazy, inertia, Biab is all they know, etc, etc. Speaking very generally now, most on this forum are fairly basic users. They download some Biab files or create some using basic song forms. AABA kind of stuff. They set it up for 3 chorus repeats hit Play and that's it, done. Once someone asks about more complex things it gets trickier. Yes, Biab can be made to do lots of things BUT...

I've been preaching the virtues of RB since it was created from Power Tracks years ago. The biggest knock is it's not as elegant or full featured as the other big name DAW's. But none of them can generate squat using Biab styles and Real Tracks.

Here's a very basic overview, and you should start haunting the RB forum. First, I don't think there's any bar limit other than your computer maybe and it has 48 tracks. Second it can open Biab files. Third you have a choice of it acting like Biab or a DAW. By that I mean if you leave it acting like Biab then when you open a Biab file the Biab tracks that show up in blue can all be generated at once like Biab will. BUT, if you check the box to make all Biab tracks act like regular RB tracks then it's no different than any other DAW. Each track stands on it's own.

With 48 tracks I'm sure you know about comp tracks? In RB you can arm a track, select a style MIDI or RT, change the chord grid if you want, pick an instrument and generate meaning you can create a bunch of comp tracks for each instrument using different styles for each, different RT's, different chords, whatever. Then start cutting/pasting the best parts of those tracks to create your final track. Do that for each instrument or vocal. In addition if you don't want an entire track to be filled with the same instrument/style just swipe the bars with your mouse to highlight just the bars you want to generate.

If later on in your work you decide to add a chorus or a additional 12 bars of solo, delete some bars, you have the Bars window. This is a basic grid layout of the whole song. Again swipe your mouse, highlighting the bars/tracks you want to move or delete and hit Enter. You get a window with choices, Copy/Paste/Delete. If you're copying bars to a new location, put the cursor on the bar you want to paste and voila! It's done. These functions are easily laid out in front of you like any other DAW. You can do this in Biab too but menus are hidden, functions are hidden, they work differently and most importantly you only have 7 instrument slots. Biab doesn't work or look like a DAW but if you dig deeply enough it does have some DAW functions. But why limit yourself when you have RB right there ready to go?

RB also handles all the VST's we all know and love including mastering suites. It's a pretty good MIDI editor and audio editor. You can also simply swipe some bars on a track and just delete the data so you can put something else in there or just leave it blank. You can draw in volume envelopes. This is all basic DAW stuff and RB does it just fine. The complaints come when people compare these functions to other DAW's. They may do it better or the function is expanded with more choices but still, RB has these functions and they do work.

That's enough to give you a taste of what RB can do. It can do a lot more than this.

I see someone just mentioned baggage implying RB is somehow broken, it doesn't work. It works fine. 99% of people who say that have not taken the time to learn it properly. There's a learning curve like any other audio/midi program. Some say it constantly crashes. Not so, it's simply user error. Sorry if I offended anybody but it's the simple truth. Some don't understand digital audio and all the little quirks that can crop up.

Bob

Last edited by jazzmammal; 06/04/19 10:40 AM.
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