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I thought I'd like to start putting lyrics into a BiaB song.
I looked in the manual, which started by telling me that BiaB supports lyrics in three different ways, Note-based, Bar-based and Big Lyrics.
Hmm; Okaay.
Then it goes on to say it no longer supports line-based lyrics, what they were, and how to migrate them, in some detail. Why here and now? Surely this is just a distraction for anyone reading the manual to find out how to add lyrics. Put this stuff in a margin note or in a migrations section, not here!
OK, lets go find a tutorial or video or something.
Yep, here's one, OK, here we go....
And darn it, the video does almost exactly the same thing ... virtually the first activity it shows explains how to migrate the obsolete line-based lyrics to bar based. Again ... why here and why now? When I say "almost the same thing", it's because here it mentions note-based and bar-based but not "Big Lyrics".
That would disruptive enough if there was a structured way to skip that bit, but there isn't ... either we watch through it ... possibly every time we watch the video, of we make our own shortcuts once we've found where the it is.
This is crazy.
One of the reasons it's crazy is that humans have a limited short-term memory, capable of handling only a few ( <= 7 ) ideas at a time, so every distraction like this pushes a distraction into the short-term memory and, potentially at least, the items of interest out of short term memory. That can result in confusion and potentially in demoralisation.
The video then goes on to show how one can import all the lyrics in one go ... but shows us first the hard way to do it, then the easier way. Think that through guys. Why on Earth would you explain it that way? Why not just start with "Probably the best way to do this..." and introduce the second method first. Explain editing and adjusting elsewhere.
I almost wonder if it's possible to make a couple or so paragraphs of manual and a few minutes of video more confusing, even if one deliberately tries.
Please focus on the main event.
Last edited by Gordon Scott; 01/25/22 04:14 AM.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11
BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software.
Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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I hear your frustration, Gordon. I think much of this is due to the way that the program has evolved over many years. Originally there was one way to achieve something, and this was subsequently improved, so now the instructions advise the original way and then the improved method, and so on.
Many people have asked for a complete rewrite of the manual / instructions / tutorials, etc.
Big job, I know, but overdue.
+1
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Joined: Jun 2021
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That would disruptive enough if there was a structured way to skip that bit, but there isn't ... either we watch through it ... possibly every time we watch the video, of we make our own shortcuts once we've found where the it is. Which is why I deplore this trend of releasing videos instead of maintaining good, searchable, written documentation. Imagine you ask a company for directions to their headquarters, and they send you a link to a dashcam video made by the CEO driving to work, yapping about the product.
Last edited by Mark Hayes; 01/25/22 07:08 AM.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Nov 2005
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Many people have asked for a complete rewrite of the manual / instructions / tutorials, etc.
There was a time when PG Music's help files and manuals were an example in the industry, and a delight to read. +1
Last edited by Cerio; 01/25/22 06:53 AM.
Latest BIAB version, latest build.
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Which is why I deplore this trend of releasing videos instead of maintaining good, searchable, written documentation.
Videos have some benefits, particularly where there are language constraints, and sometimes it's easier to watch rather than do, but either way focus. I think I see a trend towards shorter videos, which is a stepo in the right direction ... wading through an hour to find a two-minute clip is sould destroying. I fully agree with AudoTrack that it's a symptom of the gradual evolution and I definitely approve of not just dropping features, but I think the documentation should push the oddities, migrations, exceptions and various "not the main task" features to the side on an annex or wherever. Use hyperlinks.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11
BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software.
Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
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Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
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