The last bar in a great majority of the 4/4 country songs from the 1950s through the 1980's contained only 3-beats. But when I posted a question about how to do this with BIAB back quite a few years ago there didn't seem to be a satisfactory way to do it.
Users' suggestions included disabling the automatic ending and changing the final chord settings to "Hold Chord" or "Shot", but I found the results to be unsatisfactory in that they do not produce the same clean natural sounding decay as the default automatic ending on the 1st beat does.
I finally devised a rather complex way of doing it by importing the BIAB song into RealBand and manually creating an appropriate final bar there, but that's definitely a desperation way of obtaining something that should be selectable in BIAB itself.
I was hoping that with all the enhancements that have been made to BIAB in the last ten years, that simple feature might be among them. If anyone knows if there is now such a feature I would very much appreciate knowing about it. If there is not such a feature yet, I will be glad to share my step-by-step way of doing via RealBand with anyone who is interested.
Two bar ending, two chords in the penultimate and one with hold in the final PLUS fade? Your requirement is very specific but, as it pertains to a genre & era, you may have success placing this on the Wish List.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
The last bar in a great majority of the 4/4 country songs from the 1950s through the 1980's contained only 3-beats. But when I posted a question about how to do this with BIAB back quite a few years ago there didn't seem to be a satisfactory way to do it.
I like rayc's suggestion. Am not familiar with this style of ending but if you can link an example or two I'd be happy to look at it as well.
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
DC Ron: Here are three Youtube links that demonstrate the three-beat ending that was ubiquitous in country music of the 1960s and 1970s. In those endings neither the drummer, the bass player, nor any other member of the band ever did anything fancier than was done throughout the entire song but merely let the last beat decay normally.
DC Ron: Here are three Youtube links that demonstrate the three-beat ending that was ubiquitous in country music of the 1960s and 1970s. In those endings neither the drummer, the bass player, nor any other member of the band ever did anything fancier than was done throughout the entire song but merely let the last beat decay normally.
Got it. Those are all really nice, and I know this ending more than I remembered when you first posted. (Thanks, Porter)
Following rayc's lead, I was able to get an I've Got a Tiger style ending as shown below. Bar 3 is 3 beats (F5) and uses microchords to place the B chord before the final sustained E. Bar 4 is back to 4 beats (F5 again). The E decays over 3+ bars but could perhaps use a fade.
Last edited by DC Ron; 06/07/2302:42 AM.
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
Thanks for the quick reply. I just purchased BIAB 2023 Pro today so I could try out the microchords, which I'm not familiar with. Is it possible for you to provide me with your project file for the example you've shown?
Last edited by Benevolent Deity; 06/09/2310:41 PM.
Thanks for the quick reply. I just purchased BIAB 2023 Pro today so I could try out the microchords, which I'm not familiar with. Is it possible for you to provide me with your project file for the example you've shown?
Sure. Here's I've Got a Tiger and one of your other examples, Each Time. The 2nd one didn't need microchords since it is SW8 and not SW16. Use F5 on the next to the last bar to see beat and tempo changes for each.
Ron, I messed around with it a bit to try to get a clean 3-beat ending for a 4/4 shuffle but ended up resorting to modifying the BIAB tracks in RealBand. I used the following four steps. A link to the result is provided below those steps. There might be a way to achieve the same result directly in BIAB but that's something for another day :-)
1. Set BIAB for a standard 2-bar ending with a 4-bar ending for RealTracks.
2. Create a BIAB song, but include 1 extra bar just before the ending bar with the same chord as the ending.
3. Import the BIAB song into RealBand.
4. In RealBand, delete the first two beats of the 1st automatic ending bar for all tracks. NOTE: If any of the tracks play something that is unwanted during the ending, delete two leading beats from them in some bar prior to the ending bar.
Hey, that sounds nice! I try out RealBand every other year or so just to see what's new, but have never gotten it into my workflow. Know there are power users on this forum who are true believers.
Should have been able to get about as close by shortening the bar length in BiaB, but there are no doubt many ways to get to that ending type. Glad you found one that works for you!
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
PowerTracks 2026 is here—bringing powerful new enhancements designed to make your production workflow faster, smoother, and more intuitive than ever.
The enhanced Mixer now shows Track Type and Instrument icons for instant track recognition, while a new grid option simplifies editing views. Non-floating windows adopt a modern title bar style, replacing the legacy blue bar.
The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.
Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!
Get started today—first-time packages start at just $49.
Already using PowerTracks Pro Audio? Upgrade for as little as $29 and enjoy the latest improvements!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean