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Just wasted three hours trying to compose a tune with occasional 6/4 bars in an otherwise 4/4 time sig. Utter fail.
BIB leaves blank beats after doing the 'beats in a bar' change as shown in the manual. Wont work by changing two bars to 3/4 either. Still drops the sound from the first beat of subsequent bars..
I could easily solve my problem by being allowed to create a tune in 2/4 and stick in an extra measure here and there..
why can't a 2/4 song be composed? Do y'all hate polkas that much?
Is there a solution?
Thanks,
Dave
Last edited by Cotts; 02/02/21 06:22 AM.
Taylor T5, Epiphone Masterbilt Frontier, iMac, MacBook Pro.
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+1 for all time signatures like 6/8, 5/4, etc.
Dad, how will I know when I've become an adult.
When your day is ruined because they rearranged the grocery store.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Dave, more info about what steps you tried could be helpful. Without knowing the song or the groove you’re trying to get, I think, based on your clues, I would try alternating measures of four beats and two beats. Use F5 and change the number of beats in certain measures to 2. You also have to change the next measures back to four beats.
Could you post an audio sample or the name of the song and tell us exactly what you’ve tried?
What version of BIAB do you have? Version 2021 for Windows added simulation of 2/2 and 2/4.
I don’t know anything about polkas, but I’m pretty sure BIAB has some. Are they like
Samba and bluegrass, sometimes written in cut time? If so, I think we can help you do what you want.
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.
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I'm on Mac platform running Mac 2020 version so "F5" is a mystery to me..
There doesn't seem to be a way to attach the SGU file of my test 'song'.
Dave
Taylor T5, Epiphone Masterbilt Frontier, iMac, MacBook Pro.
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The crux of the problem: I want to write a 4/4 song with occasional 6/4 bars. I understand that BIB doesn't like adding beats to a bar... Fair enough. The 6/4 could be easily done by changing a bar to 2/4.
But what happens and what I wasted a morning on, is that when I change a 4/4 bar to 2/4 BIB just keeps it in 4/4 and puts in two rests in the last half of each bar...for all subsequent bars. So I get two beats of music and two beats of silence... If I try to change the next bar after the 2/4 back to 4/4 then the first two beats of that bar become rests and then it plays the rest in 4/4 but two beats out of synch with the barlines....
I use the manual's method. Highlight the measure to become 2/4 and use the dialog box to change it to 2/4. I even tried making a brand new song and before entering any chords I highlighted 32 bars and tried to make them all 2/4 via the dialog box. Result is 32 bars of 4/4 with the 3rd and 4th beats as rests...
Could this be peculiar to the Mac version?
BTW the song isn't actually a polka... It's a 2-beat 'feel' country song.....
Dave
Last edited by Cotts; 02/02/21 07:40 AM.
Taylor T5, Epiphone Masterbilt Frontier, iMac, MacBook Pro.
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I doubt Dave Brubeck would approve of BIB...
Dave
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There’s a lot here. Give it time and we’ll get there.
If by Dave Brubeck you mean his odd time signature songs, all of them that I know can be done in BIAB. It just takes some contriving. As Mario said, this is an area BIAB could improve.
The F5 key in Windows brings up Bar Settings. Find out in Help how to do that on a Mac.
I’m puzzled when you refer to silence for two beats. I think the first step here is for you to find Bar Settings.
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.
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Cotts, There are several different ways you can access Edit Settings for the Current Bar, or F5 Bar Settings, in 2020 BiaB for Mac. First you must select the bar to be edited. Then you can use the F5 Bar Settings button on the toolbar, keystrokes of Option + B on your keyboard, navigate to Edit then select Bar Settings or use the F5 keyboard shortcut. I found this tip in the 2020 BiaB for Mac user manual, page 151. If the F5 key (or F8 key) does not perform the expected function in Band-in-a-Box, you will need to go to the Apple® System Preferences and uncheck the system setting in the Keyboard Shortcuts list.
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I can't upload an screen grab here?
Anyway, I can access a window from the 'tools' 'settings' in the upper right that offers the chance to alter the number of beats in any bar. this is also accessible with FN-F5 on my Mac.. Just did it. Same screen. And I have described the result. There are literally silent beats as a result. Making a 4/4 bar become a 2/4 bar simply makes the 3rd and 4th beats silent. The beats still exist if you count along 1,2,3,4.... so not even 2/4 in reality..
I can access a different window if I click the blue 4/4 beside the Key icon in the top centre. It offers many choices from 2/4 to 11/4 but it causes the same chord-dropout effect.
and there is still no way to set up a song in 2/4 even if the entire song is to be in 2/4....
Dave
Last edited by Cotts; 02/02/21 09:36 AM.
Taylor T5, Epiphone Masterbilt Frontier, iMac, MacBook Pro.
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Yes, you can upload a screen grab here. Look for File Manager below.
EDIT: I have been informed that this feature is only available after making 25 posts.
EDIT: and now I have been informed the required number is lower than that. I really don't know. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Last edited by Matt Finley; 02/02/21 04:55 PM.
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.
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25 posts? Well I'd better get cracking then!!!
Dave
Taylor T5, Epiphone Masterbilt Frontier, iMac, MacBook Pro.
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
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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
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- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
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Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
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Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
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