Well, it sure sounds like a great idea. Until I went and actually tried to use it. Here's what I've got going on. I would like to put together a "long-form" AABA song. BiaB restricts the AABA form to a total of 32 bars. What I want to do is assemble an AABA tune where each A and B section are 32 bars long. So the piece will end up being 128 bars in total.
I've written the A and B sections, and I've designed the B section specifically for it to be inserted where I want it to be.
The Medley Maker seems easy enough to follow. I loaded A then appended another A, then appended B, then appended another A. It would seem to be very straightforward. But what I get is what I can only describe as the MM reinterpreting what I've written. It's added chords that I don't want, changed others, and even added two measures. Down in the bottom left corner, I unchecked all the boxes except "Chords" and "Melody/Soloist Tracks"
It has this "Chord transition" function, where it will insert chords for a number of bars I specify between the inserted tunes. Well, I didn't want transitions, I just want the tunes to play front-to-back, so I indicated "0" in that box.
Below that I indicated 2 choruses and did not check "Loop." I also did not check "Include lead-in when playing."
All the info on top was loaded correctly. Now, what's curious is, if I highlight the song I want to "Demo", it plays the correct piece, even showing the correct chords. So, why the changes? I don't want the MM to get creative. I want it to be completely unimaginative, and just do its job.
Oh, also one curious thing -- dunno if it matters. The first piece I imported (ie, "A"), it didn't recognize the file name and imported all three instances of it as "Untitled Song," but the second piece, "B", was added showing its correct file name. I don't know if this makes a difference or not, especially since MM got the B part wrong just as much as it did the A part.
So, is there any way to get the MM to behave or am I just stuck with this unwanted creativity? I know, I know, I can just go back and edit things, but it fouled up the melody too, so editing won't be so simple.
I would like to put together a "long-form" AABA song. BiaB restricts the AABA form to a total of 32 bars. What I want to do is assemble an AABA tune where each A and B section are 32 bars long. So the piece will end up being 128 bars in total.
I'm certainly no expert on the Medley Maker, but I wonder if this value is controlling the 32 bars limit you experienced?
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.
I'm not having a problem with the number of bars. The Medley Maker had no problem putting together a 128 bar piece for me. The problem was it reinterpreted the chords and also changed the melody in places. Plus, it added a couple extra measures to boot. So, no, there is no 32-bar limit problem.
Unfortunately I can't offer much to assist, except to mention that BiaB seems to handle a user-entered Melody a little differently to other tracks. I've also had issues copying parts of the Melody track, especially when it has some bars that have less beats than the other parts of the song. But this is not using the Medley Maker though.
Do all of your bars have the same number of beats?
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.
All I was trying to do here was save some work. I've done it the hard way before, just wanted to see if there was an easier way.
Since it didn't work, I just created a blank workspace 128 measures long, then just copied the chord progressions into the locations I wanted. Then came the part I'm not all that thrilled with -- dragging my mouse cursor across the melody, then doing a copy and paste. Sometimes it's tricky getting everything to line up on the right beat(s). This time I had only one do-over. So, not too bad. Shame the Medley Maker doesn't do what it's supposed to do, though.
I'd be inclined to set my preferred length in the bar# spot, create one of each of the the A & B parts in the standard chord entry screen then use the form feature from the tool bar to assemble the song. That way BIAB is doing most of the work, copying and pasting. This is, for me, the most useful songwriting tool in BIAB as I can structure my ideas to get the length and flow I want with a few clicks.
Last edited by rayc; 08/12/2201:45 PM.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Have you tried using Song Form? It's available at Edit > Song Form > Song Form Dialog (Arrange song like AABACAA). You define which bars are A, which bars are B and so on. Then you can arrange your song using A & B parameters.
Note: Song Form is also available as a button in the Tools section.
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