PG Music Home Forums PG Music Wishlists Band-in-a-Box Wishlist Simple Songform Creator - a Dialog Window that would have helped me as a new user

I also just used band in a box
My experience is very interesting. I actually used band in a box on my friend's computer ten years ago, but my final decision was not to use it.
However, now I see the progress of band in a box, and I choose to use it.
At the initial stage of use, it was also difficult for me to adapt. Asked a lot of questions. Everyone has been helping me in the forum.
Now I have basically found my own operation method. I think it's very easy to use.

I mainly use BB VST + STUDIO ONE Daw now

Pipeline, button 1 still inserts an F-Chord (and then highlights the next bar).

swingbaby,

it just depends on what you want to do with BiaB.

For one of my purposes, one method works quite good already. But for some other purposes, BiaB is just close to work well, but it's not yet above the degree where I can use it efficiently enough - and therefore I don't use it for those other purposes, which is a pity.

Look at what Action01: is doing,
to do it line by line you can add a line

MsgBox, Paused

or comment out (disable) the other lines with ;

this way you can get one step at a time working.
So below it should pause after opening insert bars dialog.


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

WinMenuSelectItem, ahk_class TBandWindow, , Edit, Insert Bar(s)...

MsgBox, Paused

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

Pipeline,

Button 1 now produces a "Paused"-Window with an OK-Button.

You must have a German language menu for Edit > Insert Bars ?

WinMenuSelectItem, ahk_class TBandWindow, , Edit, Insert Bar(s)...

I don't think that the software uses different languages for the functions, it will only display them in different languages toward the users.
However, this really gets too complicated, in relation to the low factual benefit as an external tool. As swingbaby said: Let's hope that PG will integrate something like this for BiaB-newbies into the regular UI.

It is YOUR menu in Biab it has to be in English to work as the AutoHotkey is reading the menu names.

Yes PG implement things usually right away they are really good like that.

Ah AutoHotkey executes the click on the button with that name, instead of sending specific commands to BiaB?

I know it can take quite some time for PG, I totally agree on that. But an external tool only makes sense when its benefit is bigger than the input for creating and using it. Since this is only helpful for new users and since new users will not know about such a tool, and then installation process is more complicated than getting used to the unconventional current BiaB method, plus now it even would work only if the user translates parts of the script into his language (or the scripter makes the tool in 200 languages), plus the user always needs to have extra stuff opened in the background ... really, an external tool just doesn't make sense here.

PG has made Biab for beginners since 1990. If you are a beginner learning you have to put effort in.
Yes I see the 200 languages for Win & Mac:

Ah, yes you're right, BiaB doesn't exist in all languages, for sure.
But Button Names might be renamed by PG, or replaced and so on. Then they'd all have to be updated in such a script. However, this is just one aspect - I listed many other aspects in my last posting, and the list as a whole clearly shows that we would really waste our time here.

You are in the English forum, there is a German forum that uses German language, you can post your script there.
As I said if you want to learn you need to put effort in but if you want to make it sound like a really difficult thing and give up I can't help you. Hopefully PG will have it implemented and released for you next month.

Pipeline, there is no reason to be ironic. I have put a lot of time in writing down what in my opinion is helpful for new BiaB users. But I can't put in even more time in learning how to script software.

MoveToGroove:
<< I have put a lot of time in writing down what in my opinion is helpful for new BiaB users. >>

swingbabymix:
01A << 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. >>

MoveToGroove:
01B << I agree with swingbaby, in particular for this tool here. >>

MoveToGroove:
02A << it just depends on what you want to do with BiaB. For one of my purposes, one method works quite good already. But for some other purposes, BiaB is just close to work well, but it's not yet above the degree where I can use it efficiently enough - and therefore I don't use it for those other purposes, which is a pity. >>

swingbabymix:
02B << Now I have basically found my own operation method. I think it's very easy to use. >>

________________________

No. You've spent a considerable time writing but not about how "Simple Songform Creator - a dialog window" is helpful for new BiaB users. Most of this discussion has been about scripting this specific feature.

Unless I totally misunderstand the above conversation, you don't agree with swingbabymix. You're proposing a new dialog tool to help you do song forms in BIAB. Swingbabymix clearly states he's found his way with the program as it currently exists and that for him, it's easy to use.

Interestingly, you both registered as new users the same day.

No one has discussed any deficiency of the suite of SongForm Tools that already exist and reside beneath the SongForm Icon posted on the Main Page Tool Bars Menu.

We here on the forum can't know new users musical theory background and I personally find it unclear if in less than a month, a new user will know enough about the BIAB program to effectively suggest new options when they don't mention or discuss existing tools that accomplish the task.

I don't think any person that understands the song form concept should have any difficulty with BIAB's Songform option and this discussion hasn't even acknowledged a suite of tools for creating song forms in BIAB. It leaves me in a position that I'm unable to form an opinion of any validity to the Wish List request.

The better option to me is if one does find a tool too complex or too difficult to manipulate, then the discussion should start with questions, concerns and recommendations to improve any existing tools rather than ignore such existing tools and request a 'new' tool as if it doesn't already exist.

Charlie,

I started this thread with the follwing explanation (you can look it up):

"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."

This contains a clear statement that I don't suggest this for myself (I have already found out a way how I can handle the songform), but just for other new users. Also the past form in which the topic is written clearly points to that. And the quoted part of my initial posting also contains examples about what's difficult for new users.

However, I admit that I might assume a bit too much empathy for how a new user probably thinks, but I really just found it quite self-explanatory that this - see pictures below - is totally weird for a new user (and that's why I didn't start my explanations with Adam and Eve - anyway, its always good to ask friendly questions):

I agree for a new user that all those menu screens may confuse someone not familiar with song construction but here's the menu I was referencing. I overlooked adding a screen shot.

Hey Charlie,

I haven't recognized that window, so far. Maybe it's new for BiaB 2021? Haven't seen that in the two New-features-in-2021-videos either.

I go to the trouble to make up the script for you and all you need to do is change the name to the German name
WinMenuSelectItem, ahk_class TBandWindow, , Edit, Insert Bar(s)...

It's a normal thing over at Reaper, that's why it's way more popular, maybe that's why Biab was stuck in the past for so long, ask yourself.

Pipeline,

this tool is not meant for ME, as I've said repeatedly - I've requested it for other users. Also, I've written 3 times, that it doesn't make sense to make an exernal script for this tool - you've ignored it all three times. I didn't want to say "no" when you asked me several times to test something, because I found it very kind of you, that you want to help those new users. So I did the testing - but it became more and more time consuming and even more and more unreasonable to go on with this external approach.