No not dense at all. When BiaB generates it starts playing before the generation is actually done. It looks ahead and then starts as the process continues. The plugin does not do that because it’s prime directive is to create tracks to be used in the DAW for those who prefer to work there. Since you can’t drag until they are generated, it completes the generation first. The actual generation time to completion is similar in both the program and the VST3, you just don’t see it. One of the reasons for the early start during generation in BiaB is for those using it to play live they can run through the jukebox feature and and keep playing files as needed with out any delay.
As far as the wave files they are created as a convenience for those who might want to drag them, just as midi charts are created with the Real Tracks. When you generate Midi only you can ignore the wave files, when you generate RTs you can ignore the midi charts. They are there if you want them.
I hope that helps you to wrap the gray matter around the process.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB 2025, Realband, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 9 32c , Melodyne 5 editor, Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, Presonus control app.
David, you seem to want a different answer. Sorry, you just need to use the .wav or ignore them cause they are there. But your suggestion is a good one. Others have suggested to minimize or eliminate the .wav generation and storage unless you pull to the DAW. It has been proposed to keep all the audio in RAM and not write to disk. This makes a lot of sense as it would speed things up. Maybe BAIB 2023?
There seems to be an apples and oranges thing going on here.
If I am in BIAB, and I am using midi tracks ONLY, and I change a few chords and hit generate it will NOT generate a .wav, only a new midi file, and it does so in a second.
In BIAB, you will only get the .wav file of a midi track if you RENDER it. That is, in BIAB there is a difference between generate and render as they apply to midi as far as I can tell.
Why is this important?
Because when I am fiddling with a song, and making numerous changes to the progression and such, I do not want to wait for the length of time it takes to generate a RT .wav or midi to .wav. So I will work in midi until I am ready to get .wavs.
But in the VST3 it seems I have NO CHOICE. I have to get the .wavs alongside the midi, even if I have a midi only style, and I have to wait, twiddling my thumbs, while it does so. And I have to go into my hard drive and erase all those .wav backups I will never use and never wanted in the first place, each time I generate.
So, what I am asking, as only an ask, is this:
Since the technology already exists, why can't I just get a midi generation in the VST just like it is possible in BIAB, without a .wav RENDER each time????
It makes the process much longer, and thus, will dissuade me from using the VST3 inside the DAW for very much because of this one quirk.
I will just say forget it, and work in BIAB, generate .wavs when I feel like it from BIAB, and drag them to the DAW when I am ready.
Ok, so be it.
But WHY can't I have the best of both worlds????
That is question I am asking.
David Snyder Songwriter/Renaissance Man Studio + Fingers
David, you are not alone. I gave up working on MIDI songs while using the VST because of the must save wav feature(?). All it does is slow you down and load your HD with useless wavs.
It takes courage for a man to admit his wife was wrong.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
And from my new workflow vantage point, it would be a DREAM to have the simple midi/no .wav capability with the VST3 inside my DAW so I would have a one-stop show and never have to leave.
But now I have to leave.
Songwriters can be finicky, I know, but hey, aren't songwriters what BIAB is for?????
David Snyder Songwriter/Renaissance Man Studio + Fingers
There is an option in the Render tab option to have a MIDI track that does not generate audio. It is disabled by default.
If that does not work, it may be a bug that can be fixed.
Studio One (latest version), Win 11 23H2 , i9 -10940X 3.3 GHz, 32GB Mem, a 4K 40" monitor, PreSonus Studio Live III Console as interface/controller. secondarily test on Reaper, Cakewalk, and S1 on Surface Pro 3 Win 10 (latest versions).
David, Dan got me thinking about the MIDI only option so I did some experimentation. Would you verify this method for me.
1-Load the VSTi with a MIDI song 2-Under generate/custom click on all pages (MIDI only)
I am using BiaB 2021 and when I do the above the generation is almost simultaneously. Also only the tracks' mid files are saved in C:/bb/bbplugin. No audio tracks were generated. This is a game changer for me.
It takes courage for a man to admit his wife was wrong.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
I mentioned looking at the custom drop down, and also the no audio option. I wonder if the later is broken.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB 2025, Realband, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 9 32c , Melodyne 5 editor, Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, Presonus control app.
Sorry Dave, you must feel like you stepped on a hornets nest with your simple question. So, ya the picture I posted is VST 4.0. In the past hour I have not been sucessful in playing only midi with no audio being generated. I have taken this to our develpers over in the beta forum and am asking them "what gives?". Will let you know when I know.
I just tried what Mario said in BiaB VST3 2021 on my Mac and it worked perfectly. It was immediate generation, and nothing but midi was generated. I also was able to drag and drop the midi as well. The point being that there is hope that we can figure out why your doesn't work.
Last edited by Rob Helms; 12/03/2101:40 PM.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB 2025, Realband, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 9 32c , Melodyne 5 editor, Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, Presonus control app.
When I click all pages midi only, it still generates .wav files. ..................
That is weird! I just ran a couple more tests and each time it was a fast generation with no wavs being generated.
Note my tests were done with all MIDI styles. I just tried a test with a MIDI style that contained RT drums with MIDI charts. Using the same MIDI only method I got both wav and mid files of each track. Thus it appears that this method only works with pure MIDI styles.
It takes courage for a man to admit his wife was wrong.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Thank you for all the great feedback! It sounds like there is a bug in version 4 of the plugin to do with "midi only" generating (from the Custom... menu or the preferences setting) that did not exist in version 3. To be clear, the function of the "Midi Only" option in the Custom... menu is to not generate the audio files for MIDI-Only styles. If you tried generating a MIDI-Only style and saw that AUDIO RealCharts (.wav) files were generated, than this is a bug. I'll look into this issue and try to fix it for the next build.
Mario you need to weigh in on this question from Adar:
Quote:
If you have generated a MIDI-Only Style and you want to hear the actual midi played by a synth, then you will need to set that up in your DAW. The plugin actually does have an embedded synth, but it is currently only being used for previewing MIDI chords in the chord sheet and chord settings dialog. In most DAWs routing midi to a synth is a simple process of just adding the instrument after the BIAB plugin in the processing chain and making sure that the plugin is outputting midi to that instrument. Having said that, it would not be very difficult for me to add a preferences setting that routed all MIDI to the embedded synth (on windows its VSTSynthFont and on mac its Apple's DLS Music Device) if that is something that you would like to see. Let me know what you think!
I have strongly endorsed this idea from Adar and suggest you and others who understand what is being proposed here, second me if you can.
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
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Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
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Not sure if this is "midi tracks" or midi styles (all tracks midi). 
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