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Well, I don't have any personal stakes in this suggestion, it's just what I would have wished to find somewhere in the menues as a new user and what might help other new users (and even more: people who are quite new to making music in general) in the future: A Dialog Window for creating a Simple Songform in order to get started smoothly for the first weeks in BiaB - no Codas etc., no "Minus 1"-Count-Ins, and no weird Ending-Settings.

A short explanation of the picture below, although the most components should be quite self-explanatory:

  • The user begins with a start setup - e.g. BiaB offers 10 Start-Setups to choose from, like Intro-Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Ending, Intro-Verse-Chorus-Verse-Prechorus-Chorus-Ending, Intro-Verse-Verse-Chorus-Verse-Ending, etc.; from there the user can then customize to a certain degree in the bottom area of the window
  • The Minus-symbol deletes the according section
  • The Plus-Arrow-Up-Button adds a further section right above the according section
  • The Plus-Arrow-Down-Button adds a further section right below the according section
  • The Arrow-Up-Button moves the acccording section in front of the section that is currently right above
  • The Arrow-Down-Button moves the acccording section behind the section that is currently right underneath
  • The user can define the length of all sections
  • The Intro-Section and the Outro-Section can't be deleted or moved in the dialog-window, but they can be set to zero bars, so that they would then not appear in the resulting songform
  • The dialog-window also allows to go back a couple of steps, which might be helpful if the user deletes a section by accident or the like.
  • The dialog-window also allows to restore a couple of steps that the user had rewinded before
  • If the user wants more options like Codas and so on, he has to use the Regular Songform-Options.
  • The "Type-in-Custom-Name-for-this-Section"-fields could be completely left out of the dialogue-window, if the programmer's goal is to make the window as slim as possible at all
  • In regard to a strictly modular approach which could surround a Simple Songform Creator as suggested here, you might also like to check out this thread: https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=676320

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Last edited by MoveToGroove; 10/07/21 02:05 PM.

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I haven't studied this enough but at first look it looks like this can be made by script and included in the Script menu.
It is just a thought as things can take years to be implemented if at all, this is the very reason I have been using AHK scripts, it's different in Reaper you have all the api access.
I made the Chord Picker Tool below with AHK scripting.

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Hey Pipeline,

I can't build a clear opinion on things like that, since I only have trivial knowledge at software scripting. But I would think that especially for a Songform Tool, the work of an externally created script wouldn't pay out: Although beginners have to fight through some unconventional songform creation aspects in BiaB, they'll find their way to a process which they can live with at least quicker than they would get aware of a user-generated solution. So if this is not built into BiaB by PG, it would probably "come too late" for BiaB-Newbies.

I'll check out your Chord Picker Tool!


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Is this what you are trying to do ?

there are sections
|a)%|%|%|%|%|%|%|%|
|%|%|%|%|%|%|%|%|
|b)%|%|%|%|%|%|%|%|

that could be created as txt with the drop downs you have then inserted as below:
Full Screen


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Hey Pipeline,

Uuuh, maybe I haven't used the right musical terms in English;
  • 1 Bar = 4 Beats (=> "12-Bar-Blues"), right?
  • A section is a complete verse or a complete bridge or a complete Chorus (and the like), no matter out of how many bars it consists. Isn't it?

I hope that I haven't caused the misunderstanding by using some wrong vocabulary.

From that apart, the general function is what I mean, yes.

Last edited by MoveToGroove; 10/08/21 01:43 AM.

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The point that I'm trying to convey is: is this what you would like to do, insert song parts ? just look at what the script is doing and think can this be modified and used just how you want ?

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Yep, I think it can be modified to function as suggested.

But we should be clear about the terminology, just in order to avoid misunderstandings. I'm quite sure that I used "Bar" in the right way, but maybe I used "section" wrong.

If I should go on using both as I've defined them in my last posting (otherwise let me know), I'd suggest the following modifications at first:

  • Renaming your "Insert Chord"-Button to "Insert Basic Songform"
  • Renaming your "Insert Bar"-Button to "Insert Verse" and letting it insert an 8-bar-A-Section.
  • Adding an "Insert Chorus"-Button and letting it insert an 8-bar-B-Section.
  • Renaming your "Delete Bar"-Button to "Delete Section" and letting it delete the whole section (= the complete A-Part resp. the complete B-Part) that contains the currently marked bar.

Afterwards, there would be also needed a user-friendly way to toggle Count-In, Intro and Ending, as well as to shift a specific section to another place.

Last edited by MoveToGroove; 10/08/21 11:31 AM.

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Don't worry about the look of the GUI I'm using, that is just the Chord Progression Library script that I was using for a demonstration.
The proper script will look just like your GUI pic.

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I see


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Here's a basic script you can try.
Download https://www.autohotkey.com/
If you have Biab running As Administrator go to the install folder
C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey and set AutoHotkey.exe to Run As Administrator.
Run my script.ahk

You can put any name on the end of the button code
Gui, Add, Button, x430 y80 h38 w130 gAction08, Action?

and it will run the Action08: function below in the code.

You can style it with some colored buttons.

Copy the text into notepad and save as my script.ahk
Code:
#NoEnv
#SingleInstance Force


TransColor = D4D1C8
Gui, Color, %transColor%


Gui, Font, S10 CBlack Bold, Arial
Gui, Font, 03b1fc


Gui, Add, Button, x10 y10 h38 w130 gAction01, Insert 4 A bars
Gui, Add, Button, x150 y10 h38 w130 gAction02, Insert 4 B bars
Gui, Add, Button, x290 y10 h38 w130 gAction03, Set A
Gui, Add, Button, x430 y10 h38 w130 gAction04, Set B

Gui, Add, Button, x10 y80 h38 w130 gAction05, Insert 4 bars
Gui, Add, Button, x150 y80 h38 w130 gAction06, Delete 4 bars
Gui, Add, Button, x290 y80 h38 w130 gAction07, Action?
Gui, Add, Button, x430 y80 h38 w130 gAction08, Action?

Gui, Font, S20 CBlack Bold, Arial

Gui, Add, Button, x100 y150 h30 w30 gAction09, ^
Gui, Add, Button, x100 y200 h30 w30 gAction10, V
Gui, Add, Button, x75 y175 h30 w30 gAction11, <
Gui, Add, Button, x125 y175 h30 w30 gAction12, >

Gui, Font, S20 cBlue Bold, Arial
Gui, Add, Text, x100 y300, Some Text

;GUI, Color, 333333
Gui, +AlwaysOnTop
Gui, Show, x277 y206 h640 w600, Action Buttons, 

return



Action01:
winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow
Send, {RIGHT} 
Send, {LEFT}

WinMenuSelectItem, ahk_class TBandWindow, , Edit, Insert Bar(s)...
Sleep, 200
Send, 4
Send, {ENTER}
Sleep, 200

Clipboard := "[Chords]`n|a)%|%|%|%|%|%|%|%|`n[ChordsEnd]" ; "`n" = new line


;winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow
Send, ^+v ;send ctrl+shift+v to Biab (paste chords from clipboard)
;Sleep, 100
Send, {ENTER}


Return

Action02:
winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow
Send, {RIGHT} 
Send, {LEFT}
WinMenuSelectItem, ahk_class TBandWindow, , Edit, Insert Bar(s)...
Sleep, 200
Send, 4
Send, {ENTER}
Sleep, 200

Clipboard := "[Chords]`n|b)%|%|%|%|%|%|%|%|`n[ChordsEnd]" ; "`n" = new line


;winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow
Send, ^+v ;send ctrl+shift+v to Biab (paste chords from clipboard)
;Sleep, 100
Send, {ENTER}
Return

Action03:
winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow
Send, {RIGHT} 
Send, {LEFT}
Sleep, 200
Clipboard := "[Chords]`n|a)%|`n[ChordsEnd]" ; "`n" = new line



Send, ^+v ;send ctrl+shift+v to Biab (paste chords from clipboard)
Sleep, 100
Send, {ENTER}

Return

Action04:
winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow
Send, {RIGHT} 
Send, {LEFT}
Sleep, 200
Clipboard := "[Chords]`n|b)%|`n[ChordsEnd]" ; "`n" = new line


Send, ^+v ;send ctrl+shift+v to Biab (paste chords from clipboard)
;Sleep, 200
Send, {ENTER}

Return


Action05:
winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow
Send, {RIGHT} 
Send, {LEFT}

WinMenuSelectItem, ahk_class TBandWindow, , Edit, Insert Bar(s)...
Sleep, 200
Send, 4
Send, {ENTER}
Return

Action06:
winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow

WinMenuSelectItem, ahk_class TBandWindow, , Edit, Delete Bar(s)...
Sleep, 200
Send, 4
Send, {ENTER}
Return

Action07:
winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow

Return

Action08:
winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow

Return

Action09:
winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow
Send  {UP}
Return

Action10:
winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow
Send  {DOWN}
Return

Action11:
winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow
Send  {LEFT}
Return

Action12:
winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow
Send  {RIGHT}
Return




GuiClose:
GuiEscape:
ExitApp

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Action-Script.png (9.79 KB, 94 downloads)
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Pipeline,

I've installed AutoHotkey now, and I've started both BiaB and AutoHotkey as Administrator.
I've stored the script as "my script.ahk" on the desktop, from where I open it by double-click on the icon.
I can see the Window with the buttons then - but if I click on a button, nothing happens in BiaB.

Maybe the script has to be in a specific folder?


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If Biab was already set to run as administrator then you set Autohotkey.exe to run also so it should be the same as the pic below, you can remove run as admin on both and try:

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Ah, I had to set them permanently to Run as Administrator.

Well, now it does something - but no matter on which button I click, it just puts in an F-Chord.

What do you think about an area within the tool, where the user can first see/plan/construct his whole Song Form as kind of a compact sketch - and when he has done that, then he sends the complete desired Song Form to BiaB as a whole?
Since if he sends each "add section" and so on directly to BiaB, there is not much additional benefit in comparison to doing it just with a couple of more clicks via the regular BiaB-Right-Click-Menu.


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I think this mode of thinking is in line with modern software.
However, if you adapt to the band in a box mode, it is actually very convenient.
According to the current situation, I suggest adapting myself to the method of band in a box.
As users, we must make a compromise in order to feel some functions of the software.
I believe band in a box also knows that it may need to be revised in some aspects. It is estimated that it will take some time.
Let's adapt to the current band in a box, and we can make our favorite music accompaniment
Especially BB VST, I think it's easy to use


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I agree with swingbaby, in particular for this tool here. Since users that are new in BiaB will not come across this external tool anyway, as I've written above.


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Yes it can do all what you are saying as I described earlier.
The thing is just to get the basic functions working.

If you replace this button & function:

Gui, Add, Button, x290 y80 h38 w130 gAction07, Play/Stop


Action07:
winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow
Send, {SPACE}
Return

it should Play/Stop when you hit button 7

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Done - that works


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So is it doing this:

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The Arrow-Buttons work, but Button 1-6 all insert an F-Chord. Button 7 Start/Stop Play now, Button 8 nothing

Edit: 1-2 and 5-6 insert F-Chord, 3-4 work like an ArrowRight-Button

Last edited by MoveToGroove; 10/08/21 10:56 PM.

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Try changing this then try button 1

Code:
Action01:
winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow
;Send, {RIGHT} 
;Send, {LEFT}

WinMenuSelectItem, ahk_class TBandWindow, , Edit, Insert Bar(s)...
Sleep, 300
Send, 4
Send, {ENTER}
Sleep, 300

Clipboard := "[Chords]`n|a)%|%|%|%|%|%|%|%|`n[ChordsEnd]" ; "`n" = new line


;winactivate,ahk_class TBandWindow
Send, ^+v ;send ctrl+shift+v to Biab (paste chords from clipboard)
Sleep, 300
Send, {ENTER}


Return

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