I BiaB would only once do what it promises. The context menu on right click in the chordsheet in the VST Pluging offers "load chords from midi file" yet does nothing at all :-(
Maybe I get a little depressed in Corona times. I should not have been happy to find this possibility. Is that a real function an a bug that it is not working or an overpromises from PGM?!
Thanks for your insighs.
Cheers Stefan
DAW: Studio One 6.2 Pro Interfaces: StudioLive AR12c, Scarlett 8i6 Windows 11 Professional AMD Ryzen 9 4900H, 16GB, 3,30 GHz
Well I believe it does work as claimed, but like much of BIAB you have to know the fine details. In this case the midi file has to have the chords labels in the .mid file present in order to import them. Most\many .mid files will not have this.
So here is what you need to do. First Right-Click "save chords to midi file". Then "load chords from midi file". This action simply moves the chord labels back and forth. I attached a file. Try to load the chords from this (btw, a most beautiful set of chords from my current project)
I know you may wonder what the heck is the good of that, if you first need to save the chords in order to load them? But, this is actually a pretty nice feature once you realized what is being done. There is no actual midi data involved (well I don't think so) or at least there does not need to be. But this will allow you to moved chords sheets from BIAB to other midi applications, for example Scaler, when needed. So this case, it is more about having the chord labels in a .mid file.
Do you know, why importing Midi data with function key [F7] does not work. Nothing plays back after the import but the C chord that is default in bar one when loading Biab. I try to progress with this terrible, exciting program. But it let´s you stumble with every step you take.
Thanks for any comments. I am on the latest version of BiaB.
Cheers Stefan
DAW: Studio One 6.2 Pro Interfaces: StudioLive AR12c, Scarlett 8i6 Windows 11 Professional AMD Ryzen 9 4900H, 16GB, 3,30 GHz
It works here. F7 brings up a list of MIDI files; note you must know where to look for said files. Then just click on the file and it loads into the utility tracks. Note that I had to mute the original BiaB tracks before playing the MIDI file. Below is an example:
Back in my day the only time we started panic buying was when the bartender shouted "last call"!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
yes, I saw it too in the utility tracks. That is what the import dialog already says.... Two features would be nice (for me at last)
If the default behaviour of importing midi files would mute the BiaB standard tracks. The mash up rarely sounds good (at least as I would use it). maybe other musicians use it differently. Second, if the chords sheet could show the interpreted chords (as Realband does).
Thanks all!
Cheers Stefan
DAW: Studio One 6.2 Pro Interfaces: StudioLive AR12c, Scarlett 8i6 Windows 11 Professional AMD Ryzen 9 4900H, 16GB, 3,30 GHz
OK Stefan, I think I know what you are trying to do. Do you want to bring in a MIDI song file, have BiaB figure out the chords, then play said file? If so here is what you need to do:
1-file/import/import chords from MIDI file 2-click on interpret chords now 3-you will get a MIDI file not found message - click on OK 4-find MIDI file, mine was on the desktop, highlight it then click open 5-if your BiaB's key signature is not the same as your MIDI file you will get another message that will enable you to correct that. click OK 6-after the interpretation was completed you will get a message window - click on OK. 7-click out of the interpret chord window
Now all of the chords are in BiaB's chord window AND the MIDI melody line is in the melody track.
PS- So far helping you I have learned a lot about BiaB's MIDI import utilities! Thanx for that.
Last edited by MarioD; 02/13/2111:40 AM.
Back in my day the only time we started panic buying was when the bartender shouted "last call"!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
It looks like Mario has figured out what is wanted.
I want to drop back a bit and correct what might be a mistaken assumption that BIAB is somehow failing. The MIDI standard does not support chord info. I'll say that again: the MIDI standard does not support chord info. Not even the proposed MIDI 2.0.
When BIAB shows you chords from a MIDI file, it is because it has figured them out, not revealed what wasn't and couldn't have been there in the file.
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; Presonus Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
When BIAB shows you chords from a MIDI file, it is because it has figured them out, not revealed what wasn't and couldn't have been there in the file.
That may be true for BIAB but not for the BIAB-VST. Remember, this thread started with "can not load chords from midi file - In the BIAB-VST. I do not believe the BIAB-VST "figures them out" as in BIAB when it "loads them". If it did we would not have started this tread. Instead it looks for the chord label, if its there your good, if not you get nothing. I was pretty involved in the initiation stages of this and watched it grow, so I believe I understand it correctly. But of course I do at times get a bit confused by all of this and this threads goes in several directions...
Stefan got me confused on exactly what he was trying to do. So I went back to initial post
"I BiaB would only once do what it promises. The context menu on right click in the chordsheet in the VST Pluging offers "load chords from midi file" yet does nothing at all :-("
Then this later post "The thing is, that there is no midi data after the import with F7. At least nothing is show, nothing is heard."
I thought that at that point he was talking about BiaB as F7 does nothing in the VST. However I think that I answered his BiaB F7 question.
For his initial post I went into the VST and duplicated his problem. Right click on the chord sheet does bring up a ""load chords from midi file". I clicked on it, chose a MIDI file, and nothing shows up in the VST chord window. I think he has found a bug. Would someone else please verify this, thanx.
A side note, I also learned that I can load a chord sheet from the VST to Studio One Pro 5 by clicking on the C7 icon in the lower right hand corner and dragging it to my DAW. I've learned a couple of new things today, I am whipped!
Back in my day the only time we started panic buying was when the bartender shouted "last call"!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
For his initial post I went into the VST and duplicated his problem. Right click on the chord sheet does bring up a ""load chords from midi file". I clicked on it, chose a MIDI file, and nothing shows up in the VST chord window. I think he has found a bug. Would someone else please verify this, thanx.
I explained this is not a bug. A generic midi file will not have Chord Labels. However, if you save the midi with chord labels as provided in the current VST, then it will bring the labels in when you load. Again, these are just Chord Labels. They are not midi data. Chord labels are popping up in Reaper and Scaler both as this becomes more common. Chord labels are one of the new features which Pipeline had been pushing for the couple years.
For his initial post I went into the VST and duplicated his problem. Right click on the chord sheet does bring up a ""load chords from midi file". I clicked on it, chose a MIDI file, and nothing shows up in the VST chord window. I think he has found a bug. Would someone else please verify this, thanx.
I explained this is not a bug. A generic midi file will not have Chord Labels. However, if you save the midi with chord labels as provided in the current VST, then it will bring the labels in when you load. Again, these are just Chord Labels. They are not midi data. Chord labels are popping up in Reaper and Scaler both as this becomes more common. Chord labels are one of the new features which Pipeline had been pushing for the couple years.
OK now I understand. I know that MIDI does not have chord labels but the way PGMusic has labeled that "load chords from midi file" gives the impression that it can read chords from a MIDI file, much like BiaB. BiaB's "import chords from a MIDI file" and the VST's "load chords from midi file" are very close in nomenclature thus can be very confusing, at least to me.
Stefan, if you have a BiaB native file then with the VST you can load the MIDI chords by using one of the two methods I have previously posted.
If you have just a MIDI file then you must load that MIDI file into Studio One Pro 5 and have it determine your chords.
Hopefully this ends this thread and Stefan can change the post to status to resolved
Back in my day the only time we started panic buying was when the bartender shouted "last call"!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
OK now I understand. I know that MIDI does not have chord labels but the way PGMusic has labeled that "load chords from midi file" gives the impression that it can read chords from a MIDI file, much like BiaB. BiaB's "import chords from a MIDI file" and the VST's "load chords from midi file" are very close in nomenclature thus can be very confusing, at least to me.
It should read "Load chord labels from midi file" in the BIAB-VST. And I am afraid the confusion will never end with this program. Too much tribal knowledge needed to understand what is being done and how it is being done. Some day the old chiefs will be gone and the young bucks will have to figure it out on their own.
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But, this is actually a pretty nice feature once you realized what is being done. There is no actual midi data involved (well I don't think so) or at least there does not need to be. But this will allow you to moved chords sheets from BIAB to other midi applications, for example Scaler, when needed. So this case, it is more about having the chord labels in a .mid file. 
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