Hi All New purchaser of BIAB 2021 and loving it! I am working on my 2nd original song, just kind of winging it, and I know I am barely scratching the surface. Admittedly, the first song was pretty straight forward, and things just fell together pretty easily, although still trying to figure out a few things to improve what I have. My next tune has a few more complex things going on though(at least for my knowledge) Working on them all, but one thing I'm trying to do has me stymied. The song in in 4/4. I have used part markers at the beginning of my chorus so I get a nice drum fill going into the chorus, but at the end of the chorus, I want to have one chord hold for 1 1/2 measures (6 beats) and then a drum fill for the last 2 beats of the 2nd measure. I've experimented with various options in Bar Settings and Chord Settings, but can't seem to get it. If anyone could point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it. Thanks all!
2023 BIAB Ultrapak, Reaper, EZDrummer 2 & 3, Roland VS-2480, Tascam 38 Reel to Reel 8-Track
Yes, this is what really starts to make a song sound realistic.
Let's say the 6-beat held chord is a G7 chord and it starts on measure 30.
Put this: G7... in the beginning of measure 30. Yes, that's three dots after the chord name.
Go to the second cell of measure 31 and put C.d
In measure 32, you will probably want to put a new chord so chords start playing again.
Explanation:
If you look in Help, Index, Rests, you will see how to use one, two or three dots after a chord name to make a rest, shot, or hold respectively.
C.d means, play a C chord but rest all instruments EXCEPT the drums.
This will give you just a drum playing. I used the chord C because if you are resting all the other instruments, it doesn't matter what chord you put here.
Next you can also experiment with substyle part markers (the blue or green colors you get by clicking over the measure numbers) at the beginning of measure 32 because they will generate a drum fill pattern and you can try to get the one you want.
Play around with these and you should get to the next step. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
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.
Yes, this is what really starts to make a song sound realistic.
Let's say the 6-beat held chord is a G7 chord and it starts on measure 30.
Put this: G7... in the beginning of measure 30. Yes, that's three dots after the chord name.
Go to the second cell of measure 31 and put C.d
In measure 32, you will probably want to put a new chord so chords start playing again.
Explanation:
If you look in Help, Index, Rests, you will see how to use one, two or three dots after a chord name to make a rest, shot, or hold respectively.
C.d means, play a C chord but rest all instruments EXCEPT the drums.
This will give you just a drum playing. I used the chord C because if you are resting all the other instruments, it doesn't matter what chord you put here.
Next you can also experiment with substyle part markers (the blue or green colors you get by clicking over the measure numbers) at the beginning of measure 32 because they will generate a drum fill pattern and you can try to get the one you want.
Play around with these and you should get to the next step. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
Thanks so much Matt! That was extremely helpful. I'm still trying to figure out how to get passing notes/chords, and how to change chords for each beat in a 4 beat measure, instead of every 2 beats. Would that mean finding a style with a different time signature? LOL Sorry...hitting you with more questions!
2023 BIAB Ultrapak, Reaper, EZDrummer 2 & 3, Roland VS-2480, Tascam 38 Reel to Reel 8-Track
Wow! Now that indeed is easy. I will try that. OK, here's another one. For the first two tunes I'm working on, I have picked a Style, and that's worked out pretty well. But, is there some way to change one of the instruments selected in that Style? If not, how does one pick individual instruments? I promise that's all for today!
2023 BIAB Ultrapak, Reaper, EZDrummer 2 & 3, Roland VS-2480, Tascam 38 Reel to Reel 8-Track
You should be able to change instruments for a particular style. Click on the track in the mixer, and select the instrument you want. For RealTracks, you need to have the required ones installed beforehand of course.
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.
Hi, and thanks for the response. (sorry it took me so long to try that). Anyway, when I try that it brings up a window with description but no actual tracks to choose from. Is that because I have a style selected?
2023 BIAB Ultrapak, Reaper, EZDrummer 2 & 3, Roland VS-2480, Tascam 38 Reel to Reel 8-Track
Hi again Matt! Once again, thanks for your help. That worked for me at the end of each verse and chorus. But...I have a problem with the ending of the song. I want to end with a C chord held for one bar, followed by the next bar having the same thing (held C), and ending with a held G chord. So, I am putting C...in Bar 102, C... in Bar 103 and then G...in Bar 104. But, it doesn't want to play the chord at all in Bar 103. I'm thinking, the held chord from Bar 102 is still ringing possibly, preventing the new held C to strike in Bar 103? For reference the instrument is a piano, and I am bringing the tracks into Reaper and eventually into my Roland VS-2480 24track. Thanks for your time, and let me know what you think.
Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
Yes, this is what really starts to make a song sound realistic.
Let's say the 6-beat held chord is a G7 chord and it starts on measure 30.
Put this: G7... in the beginning of measure 30. Yes, that's three dots after the chord name.
Go to the second cell of measure 31 and put C.d
In measure 32, you will probably want to put a new chord so chords start playing again.
Explanation:
If you look in Help, Index, Rests, you will see how to use one, two or three dots after a chord name to make a rest, shot, or hold respectively.
C.d means, play a C chord but rest all instruments EXCEPT the drums.
This will give you just a drum playing. I used the chord C because if you are resting all the other instruments, it doesn't matter what chord you put here.
Next you can also experiment with substyle part markers (the blue or green colors you get by clicking over the measure numbers) at the beginning of measure 32 because they will generate a drum fill pattern and you can try to get the one you want.
Play around with these and you should get to the next step. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
2023 BIAB Ultrapak, Reaper, EZDrummer 2 & 3, Roland VS-2480, Tascam 38 Reel to Reel 8-Track
Hey Matt, 1) 6 103 1 2)Not sure what a Tag is, but I am using two repeats. I liked the piano part the Style was using, but it would change sometimes at a particular chord that I didn't like, and I couldn't figure out how to stop it. BIAB Help guy suggested doing a Repeat so I have the first verse repeat once, then to to the chorus, than the third verse repeats once, than the chorus again. Than a new verse plays and then the chorus. There are two choruses at the end, but I just did a copy and paste for that. Thanks Matt and let me know what you think. I probably screwed something up unknowingly.
Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
There are two things I need to know:
1) what are the three numbers above the tempo (bar for beginning of chorus, bar for end of chorus, and number of choruses)?
2) are you using a Tag, and if so, what are those settings?
It sounds like your song is set to end a bar too early.
2023 BIAB Ultrapak, Reaper, EZDrummer 2 & 3, Roland VS-2480, Tascam 38 Reel to Reel 8-Track
i rarely get every bar of every part 'right' in BIAB. In fact i've stopped trying. once i've got the form right i open the file in RealBand where i can regenerate whole versions of tracks and cut and paste the bits i like or just regenerate individual parts or bars.
Thanks for the idea Bob. Have not explored RealBand as of yet, so that is definitely on my very long list! That Cutting and Pasting sounds like a good workaround for those disliked sections. I kind of have a convoluted way of recording, so I should mention I love my old Roland VS-2480 24 track. For live recording it has very nice preamps and I have some excellent Effects cards. I also am an old school guy and love riding the faders, plus it has a great Automix function for recording fader movements. Anyway, I have the Midi Out from my Roland going in to my computer. I bring my tune into Reaper with the BIAB plugin. Then, with Reaper recognizing the Roland Midi signal, when I hit Play on my Roland it kicks off Reaper perfectly. I'm hoping I can get RealBand to do the same so I can avoid the Reaper step.
Originally Posted By: Bob Calver
i rarely get every bar of every part 'right' in BIAB. In fact i've stopped trying. once i've got the form right i open the file in RealBand where i can regenerate whole versions of tracks and cut and paste the bits i like or just regenerate individual parts or bars.
something to try when you've got BIAB sorted
2023 BIAB Ultrapak, Reaper, EZDrummer 2 & 3, Roland VS-2480, Tascam 38 Reel to Reel 8-Track
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!
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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.
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.
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!
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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)
Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
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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)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
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