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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2010
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I have lots of songs in MIDI format. Some of them I'd like to convert for use with RealTracks but, evidently when I ask BIAB to use a RealTrack Track, it wants to recreate the notation.
Is there a way to convert to RealTrack without it automatically changing the notation? I like the songs I have with the original notation but I like the RealTracks too.
I do understand that MIDI and RealTracks are different and that RealTracks are played 'segments' whereas MIDI is played note at a time. I was just wondering if there is a part of the program I'm not understanding or if there's another program available to convert a MIDI to a RealTrack note for note. If not, it doesn't seem reasonable to me why someone has not developed such a conversion -- as this says that there isn't any one-to-one conversion available anywhere (not even at PG)???
Thank you,
April
P.S. I'm using my friend Russell's user id here as we're collaborating on some arrangements together for our ensemble using his PC with BIAB to do this.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Short Answer: No, RTs will not follow a MIDI chart note for note. MIDI and RT's are two different beasts.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Any clue as to why PG wouldn't have addressed this -- possibly with another conversion program? I realize that RT is a PG product but not providing for existing MIDI to RT? Not even an attempt to get somewhat close to one's original MIDI tune?
Thank you,
April
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Because, when you get right down to it, what you want already exists.
MIDI samples played by MIDi data.
One note at a time.
There would be no "real" to it then.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Hi ikeinblackriver,
What I would be doing in your situation is to load in a song, then choose a style with Realtracks in it that suited that song. I'd then save the song with a new name so that I had the Realtrack backing version as well as the MIDI version. MIDI and Realtracks are essentially two different ways of doing the same thing - that is they both create backing tracks. Whether you have RT backing or MIDI backing is totally dependent on the style you choose.
Regards,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2010
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My name is April. I'm part of a small jazz ensemble (the same one that Russell belongs to). I'm using his PC here because I don't have one at the moment and we are attempting to collaborate on some original arrangements. I am just learning how to use BIAB software.
In answer to the previous post, no, it's not what I want. Seems like others on the forum are wondering the same thing as I've now discovered. What I'm hearing is that we accept either MIDI or RealTracks but right now, we can't expect the two to behave with one another. Yes?
What I / we do want, is the sound of a RealTrack played note for note as it appears in an existing MIDI file. I don't want to play a MIDI file. I like what I hear from the RealTracks but not at the expense of changing the notation I've created.
As an example: If the 'Silent Night' MIDI tune I got from my collaborator has the melody buried in the melody track ... and if we want to collaborate on a tune that sounds the best we can make it ... (short of diddling with MIDI synths and stuff), seems we would need (and want), to use RealTrack replacements for the existing MIDI tracks. However, the trade-off seems to be that if I use a RealTrack on my melody track, I will lose the note-for-note arrangement that I've created (in a MIDI format). If I chose to do this (for the sake of quality), I lose Silent Night as we know it! Yes?
Now, according to the user manual I can exchange MIDI for a RealTrack for any track I desire. AFTER the RealTrack has been applied / generated I can go back into the track via Editable Notation Mode and manually type my score back in. Yes?
Sorry but I'm very new to this and computers.
Thank you,
April
Ike
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2002
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BIAB Realtracks are “fixed” in the way they play, as they are not samples of notes that you would get in a sound library for example. They are only flexible in the sense that you can get RT’s to play according to the chord(s) that you enter.
You therefore either need to get a better sound module such the SD2 together with midi tracks or go a step further and use more elaborate instrument sound libraries. There are a number of these on the net based on what instruments are required.
To use these you need to get a sequencer such as Sonar for example. Use BIAB to generate the midi tracks (modified as required in BIAB) and then drag and drop these midi tracks into the sequencer and set up each instrument to play the corresponding instrument from the sound library note for note. You can of course change notes in the sequencer as well.
I am doing this at present and also using BIAB Realtracks as a backing where its not critical that the specific instruments are not played note for note. (Bass, rhythm guitar and drums in my case)
Cheers F
Last edited by FrankK; 04/27/10 11:13 AM.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2006
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April, the point is that as Mac said what you want already exist. You can use far more real sounding sample based VSTi or DXi instruments to play the midi notes. There are some very good ones out there. If PG were to try to create a "real" type of notation that uses real notes they would have to do the same thing that everyone else has done, fire those notes with midi. We would be back in the same boat, i.e. it would only sound as good as the samples it was triggering, and subject to midi issues bending and such. There is no magic answer. Realtracks are very cool where they can be slide in to fill in around midi and play the backing tracks, they can not go note for note since that would just be as i said above limited to the midi instructions again.
The other options is to play the notes off the charts and record the audio "live" tracks in from actual instruments hand played. Or collaborate with other artist to get them to play a track for you.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Zoom Livetrack L-8
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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April,
Do you know of any software that allows a Real Instrument to play a midi file note for note? Other then a soundfont or VSTi? I would be very interested in that software, if it exists?
Thanks,
Trax
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Sample players, Sound font players, and such are actual samples of live instruments. These are tha same as Real tracks with one exception, RTs are phrasing plaers and Samplers are note players.
The issue as most of us know is that when you play a one note at a time method like samplers it takes a midi note to tell it what to play, and that is subject to the issues of midi.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Zoom Livetrack L-8
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Hi April,
Just to clarify my earlier post.
How I am understanding your posts is that you want (say) a Realtrack trombone to play a melody that you have written. This is not possible. BIAB is essentially accompaniment software and it does this incredibly well. Even though it has Realtrack soloists, these are the type of solos that are heard playing fill-ins or improvisations in a song. As such, they still belong to the accompaniment structure of the song because they are not the song's melody.
The upshot of BIAB's design is that Realtracks in BIAB are made for accompanying. As others have indicated above, only MIDI is available to play melodies. (As opposed to the accompaniment's being able to be played by either MIDI or Realtracks, or even a combination of the two.) To get more realistic sounds for the melody using MIDI, it would be necessary to use the solutions offered in above posts.
Kind regards,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Expert
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Thanks to all the posters on this thread. These are excellent, down-to-earth, explanations. Real Tracks DO NOT EQUAL real notes--I get it.
Stan
FWIW....I just read this in the BIAB 2009 User's Guide:
"Real Charts
Most RealTracks now display notation showing the the notes that are being played. .....................The RealCharts can be saved to MIDI file or Songs (MGU). "
I haven't tried this to see if you can actually do it.
Last edited by Shastastan; 04/29/10 03:37 PM.
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