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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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nzpaul Offline OP
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I apologise in advance if this is a stupid question smile

I've noticed that if I create a new song and set the tempo, when I pick a style in the style picker and ok it, it changes the songs tempo to be the new style tempo.

Is there a way of stopping this as I don't want the tempo of the song to change?

I noticed also that if I load BIAB projects from older versions it doesn't happen - the tempo stays the same when I load a different style!

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Originally Posted By: nzpaul
I apologise in advance if this is a stupid question smile

I've noticed that if I create a new song and set the tempo, when I pick a style in the style picker and ok it, it changes the songs tempo to be the new style tempo.

Is there a way of stopping this as I don't want the tempo of the song to change?

I noticed also that if I load BIAB projects from older versions it doesn't happen - the tempo stays the same when I load a different style!

Firstly, there aren't stupid questions here. Maybe some silly answers though crazy

Presumably you are choosing a RealTracks Style. These styles are real performances by real artists, and the styles are based on the tempo that the recording was performed at. The tempo can be changed, but not extensively without introducing undesirable artifacts into the audio.

If you select a style, it will associate the original tempo that the style was recorded at so as not to introduce audible distortion (artifacts) into your song. Instead, consider choosing a style that includes a tempo filter that more closely matches your song tempo and I think this will work better for you.

Hope this helps.


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Paul.
actually in the stylepicker if you choose towards bottom right play with current chord sheet and make sure the bpm is what you want. i do this all the time.

another little idea is when i do an original song i purposely go outside the recommended bpm bounds for a style. i have lots of fun this way, and by auditioning
lots of styles at my chosen bpm i get happy accidents of sound....and neat sound pictures sometimes.
sometimes i DO get artifacts , but sometimes not.
and there are little triks one can employ if one does get artifacts, by masking them with a dsp plug in, and if not critical by putting the sound low down in the mix after detailed editing.
for example tother day i got a real nice lead break and by useing a gtr amp plug in managed to mask the artifact.
lots of fun if you experiment.

i know people will think i'm mad...but if i'm doing a serious song rathedr than a demo ruff , after finalising the chord sheet in biab i audition every one of the thousands of styles in the stylepicker. yes it takes a loooong time but i get happy accidents that way.

best
om

Last edited by justanoldmuso; 10/07/21 02:08 AM.

my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs
(90 songs created useing bb/rb)
(lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
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In addition to choosing a Style with an approximate tempo that you like, choosing a Style that is in the time signature that you want is also useful. Time signatures of Styles can be changed, but there are some limitations. For example a Style that is in 4/4 can be changed to 3/4, but a 3/4 Style cannot have additional beats added to it to make it 4/4.

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style_picker_tempo_time.png (28.42 KB, 91 downloads)

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Chantelle
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nzpaul Offline OP
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Thanks for all your help here.

I've noticed that the tempo is frozen (as in doesn't change when I change style) on some of my recent projects too, and it just froze in a new test project but I can't seem to reproduce it by following the same steps again.

I suspect it's either a bug or a feature that I just haven't got my head around. I couldn't find anything in the help file about it.

I may raise it with support to try and clarify. I'm hoping my projects aren't corrupt for some reason.

It's a shame if it is a bug because I find it very useful. The first thing I do when writing a song is work out the right tempo, so whenever I audition a different style I have to remember to set the tempo back to what it was, even if it's a small change it can still mess me up, especially if I've already copied some instruments to my DAW.

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To maintain your song tempo when auditioning styles, click the ACTION box at bottom centre of the Style Picker, then click SET DIALOG OPTIONS.
This opens a menu with two of the options allowing control of Tempo.
Be aware, as others have stated, that RealTracks may not sound good outside their recommended tempo.
Hope this helps.

Vintage

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nzpaul Offline OP
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Ah, thanks so much - that explains it all - it wasn't a bug after all, but a quirky (or obscure) feature.

The reason I couldn't understand why some of my songs had the tempo locked, but I couldn't reproduce it easily with a simple test case was because of the 'always change tempo to best tempo for style' setting.

By default this is unset so you'd think the tempo would be locked (which is exactly what I wanted), however on the tool tip it has a note that says if there are no chords past bar 5 then it considers the song to be blank and will change the tempo regardless!

Glad I got that sorted out - thanks for all your help.

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