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Using Presonus Notion to Make Your BIAB Melody Sound Better
by Matt Finley
Please let me know if you find errors. Thanks.
Let's assume you do not like the sounds you get on a Melody and/or Harmony part in BIAB, and you have not yet decided on a better software or hardware MIDI synth. Let's also assume you write music so you have Presonus Notion 6 for music notation. Notion 6 is normally $150 but it's on sale in April 2020.
Load and install the program, and don’t forget to install each of the five bundled sound packages. This will give you sounds from players in the London Symphony Orchestra!
1. In BIAB, File, Save Special, Save Song as MIDI File
2. Optional step: **check the default values. Otherwise, go to step 3.
3. Click the button, File on Disk to save the song. Accept the default name.
4. Exit BIAB. This step isn’t necessary, but it’s good practice to free up memory.
5. Load Presonus Notion 6.
6. In the initial screen, click on Import
7. Navigate to your MIDI file created in step 3 and load the file.
8. In Notion, the instruments will have default sounds. Play the song to check.
9. Adjust the sound of any track you wish. ***
10. Use the Mixer to silence any tracks you don’t want to send back to BIAB.
11. File, Export Audio. It will probably say Untitled 1.wav
12. Close Presonus Notion.
13. Find the Untitled 1.wav file and change the filename to the same name as your BIAB song.
14. Copy that .wav file into the same folder as your BIAB .MGU song.
15. Load BIAB. The audio file will automatically load as well if the name matches the song.
16. Reduce the volume of the original Melody track and use the Audio track melody instead (or mix).
** Optional step two, checking the BIAB defaults:
Make sure the MIDI file type is Type 1
Click on the Options button.
If you are also sending a Harmony track, make sure these two checkboxes are ON:
Write Harmony to MIDI file
MIDI File Harmony on Separate Tracks
You will probably want to uncheck Generate MIDI Drums
*** To change the sounds in Notion,
Click on Score, Score Setup
Click on the black cog settings icon
Select an instrument family and instrument
If you chose a sound from an optional package you don't have, you will see a triangle at
the top of the mixer for that track and the track will be silent, so choose another instrument.
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; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Joined: Dec 2018
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Nice tip! I'll have to give this a try. I have Notion 6 with all available instruments, so lots of options.
ThinkPad i9 32GB RAM 7TB SSD; Win11 Pro; RME Fireface UCX II; BiaB 2026 Ultra
Bitwig Studio 6; Studio Pro 8; Reaper v7; Melodyne Studio 5; Tonalic Studio 1
Gig Performer 5; NI S61 MK3; Focal Shape 65; Beyerdynamic DT 880 & 770
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You're welcome. Again, this is for folks who don't have any other access to good MIDI sounds.
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; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Looks like you got yourself a copy of Notion, Matt.
You can also purchase some additional soundsets to fill out the sound palette.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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Yes, I've purchased one already, the Jazz Bundle of course. I'm thinking of going for the whole thing. EDIT: yes, I bought the full pack of sounds.
For our Easter Zoom service, I converted my MIDI arrangements of my six-piece chamber ensemble to Notion, so I could use the London Symphony sounds. Worked great.
Last edited by Matt Finley; 04/15/20 01:40 PM.
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; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Post your own Tips and Tricks here
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John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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John, Presonus is one good company. I purchased the Jazz Bundle sounds for $70. Three days later, I decided to get the full bundle of sounds for $299 and discovered it included the Jazz bundle. I wrote to Presonus and they issued a credit for the first purchase.
Reminds me of something PG Music would do.
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; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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