Hi Guys, I am a 2018 user. Since I started my journey with BIAB, I have been putting off, brushing aside, and generally avoiding all things midi, however, because it seems the only way to get a melody without painstakingly editing the notes on the notation thing-a-ma-bob,(I don't read music) I took the plunge and got myself an Akai LPK25 midi controller. It fired up and I was able to record a short piece of Jamaica Farewell in BAIB, no problem. Now I have to learn quickly whatever is necessary (and nothing more) . to make descent sounding interludes for my backing tracks. Where do I start?
When starting out don't try to use or learn all of the MIDI CC CC means Continuous Controller) as it will be very confusing. Start with the following:
CC7, CC2, CC11 = are all volume controls. If you use a wind controller you use CC2. For keyboard, bass, and guitar MIDI controllers use CC7 or CC11. Start with CC7 and once you get that down look up CC11: CC11 works in conjunction with CC7, but you don't need it to start.
CC1 - Mod wheel - its use is determined by whatever MIDI sound source you are using. Some MIDI sound sources use it as a volume controller. Others use it as a vibrato controller while some have specific parameters it controls.
CC10 - Pan will place and or move your sound from one side of the stereo spectrum to the other.
Pitch Bend - Pitch Bend will raise and lower the pitch of a given sound: the amount of change is determined by the sound source. Think of a horn player starting on a slightly lower pitch then rapidly moving to the correct pitch.
CC7, CC10, CC1 (Mod Wheel) and pitch bend are the ones to learn first.
Another thing to be aware of is Program Change, labeled PC. This will change the sound source to another sound, i.e. for instance a trumpet to a sax. If you are using a DAW you would probably put each instrument on a different track.
I will be glad to help you if you need further help.
PS - if this is redundant just let me know: I don't know exactly what you have already learned.
The bumper sticker said "I'm a veterinarian, therefore I can drive like an animal". Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
I'll go a bit further and say that for a beginner in midi... just learn how to get the notes in. Whether you "mouse" them in or preferably, learn how to play a midi keyboard well enough to get them in. The midi keyboard is much easier once you get the hang of it, and you can always easily edit any mistakes of simply try again, and again.
Once you have the parts.... you can convert it into audio and work with it like any other file. I have never, not even once, used any of the midi CC controllers in any of my songs. Never.
And a side note.... if you read the keyboard's manual, there;s generally a way to change the key that the midi is output as. What that means is if you can play in the key of C.... as in...all the white keys, you simply raise or lower the midi keyboards key and you can play in any key you want and use the white notes rather than the process of learning to play in all the musical keys with the black notes. For example... From the key of C, one whole step up is D with 2 sharps..... change the midi keyboard up two half steps ( one musical whole step) and you can play the white keys and it sounds like you are in D. I can't recall the times I have used this shortcut.
With BB that midi shortcut is not needed. You simply change the key of BB to C and play the parts..... Then, once you're satisfied, you simply change the key of the song in BB to whatever key and everything including your part changes.
Work smarter.... not harder.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Thank you Mario, not redundant ay all, I know nothing. I have a keyboard controller that plugs into the USB of my PC and I have Band in a box, and that is how much I know of Midi
When you say convert to audio, does that mean you can put real tracks to it? But that will screw up the melody. won't it?
No, it means that whatever you have in your MIDI file will be turned into an audio track, i.e. no realtracks. Realtracks are audio recordings of professional players, thus they can not follow MIDI.
I respectfully disagree with my friend Herb. If you have a say BiaB piano track that sounds great as is then yes Herb's method is OK. But a dull BiaB track converted to an audio track it will be a dull audio track. For example you have a sax track that is dull, that is no pitch bend, volume changes, or vibrato your sax audio track will be dull, regardless of the price of the MIDI sound source. But you can bring that MIDI track to life with the addition of subtle pitch bends, volume changes and vibrato. Then you convert that live sax track to a live audio track.
The quality of the MIDI sound source reflects mostly on the cost of the MIDI sound source. The expection is that there are some very good free MIDI sounds available BUT I would not encourage you go start getting better MIDI at this point in time.
I will warn you that the BiaB GM MIDI sounds are some of the poorest sounds are when compared to more expensive sounds. PGMusic suggest the free Cakewalk TTS-1 MIDI GM sounds and they are much better. Also some GM sounds may not accept some CCs so don't get frustrated. If you have problems feel free to contact me.
I hope this helps.
The bumper sticker said "I'm a veterinarian, therefore I can drive like an animal". Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
I respectfully disagree with my friend Herb. If you have a say BiaB piano track that sounds great as is then yes Herb's method is OK. But a dull BiaB track converted to an audio track it will be a dull audio track. For example you have a sax track that is dull, that is no pitch bend, volume changes, or vibrato your sax audio track will be dull, regardless of the price of the MIDI sound source. But you can bring that MIDI track to life with the addition of subtle pitch bends, volume changes and vibrato. Then you convert that live sax track to a live audio track.
About what? I'm missing the point or something. What do you disagree about?
All I mentioned was: 1. Get the notes in by any means possible 2. You can convert the midi to audio by freezing and it works like any other audio file. 3. You can change the key of the keyboard to make things easier.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
once you have a midi track it peoduces a sound. you can convert that to an audio once you've got it but the midi and the audio you produce still remain two different kinds ways of making sounds
I respectfully disagree with my friend Herb. If you have a say BiaB piano track that sounds great as is then yes Herb's method is OK. But a dull BiaB track converted to an audio track it will be a dull audio track. For example you have a sax track that is dull, that is no pitch bend, volume changes, or vibrato your sax audio track will be dull, regardless of the price of the MIDI sound source. But you can bring that MIDI track to life with the addition of subtle pitch bends, volume changes and vibrato. Then you convert that live sax track to a live audio track.
About what? I'm missing the point or something. What do you disagree about?
All I mentioned was: 1. Get the notes in by any means possible 2. You can convert the midi to audio by freezing and it works like any other audio file. 3. You can change the key of the keyboard to make things easier.
This is the line that I was talking about "Once you have the parts.... you can convert it into audio and work with it like any other file. I have never, not even once, used any of the midi CC controllers in any of my songs. Never." A static BiaB MIDI track when convert will be a static audio track. Adding various CCs will add realism to said static track, this is especially true with guitar, bass, and horn tracks.
In my mind your statement gave the idea that you do not need CCs, which of course I disagree. If I am wrong then I apologize.
Last edited by MarioD; 07/23/2303:01 AM.
The bumper sticker said "I'm a veterinarian, therefore I can drive like an animal". Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
As Mario mentions, BIAB's 'built-in' MIDI player is not great and it's well worth getting another. Curiously IMHO, PGM have quite a good engine 'hidden away' in a subfolder. It's VSTSynthFont and you'll find it in the PGM manual.
It comes with a passable soundfont, but there are other, better, soundfonts available free. I personally use mostly Compifont and "Timbres of Heaven". YMMV. Searching for "free sound fonts" may help.
There are also the bigger engines like Native Instruments' Kontakt.
With a user-played melody track, these can often sound quite good just as one recorded them, but as Mario points out, judicious use of MIDI CC command (continuous controller) can make a big difference, especially with some of the smarted sound engines. Those like the SWAM engines are amazing if costly, as are the Spitfire Audio tools for some things. There are lots of options. Small steps.
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 .
Uhh, uhhhm, thanx guys, I guess. So I managed, quite easily, to play and record an interlude/intro. It's the trumpet section of ring of f by JC, and it sounds like a piano, not a good piano. Then knowing everything I do about midi, I went and applied some patch, of a brass section, and I played it and it sounds, well, like a piano. And I tried a few other patches, including some of the Hi Q thingys and got it to sound like, well, a piano. It did change sounds when I tried flute and some Japanese sounding thingys, but they are so horrible that I prefer the not so good piano sound. I suppose part of my frustrations have been dealt with in your comments, i.e. get a better engine. Here I was thinking it could be a flat learning curve...sigh!
Uhh, uhhhm, thanx guys, I guess. So I managed, quite easily, to play and record an interlude/intro. It's the trumpet section of ring of f by JC, and it sounds like a piano, not a good piano. Then knowing everything I do about midi, I went and applied some patch, of a brass section, and I played it and it sounds, well, like a piano. And I tried a few other patches, including some of the Hi Q thingys and got it to sound like, well, a piano. It did change sounds when I tried flute and some Japanese sounding thingys, but they are so horrible that I prefer the not so good piano sound. I suppose part of my frustrations have been dealt with in your comments, i.e. get a better engine. Here I was thinking it could be a flat learning curve...sigh!
Funny... yeah, no learning curve is ever flat. It's simply a matter of exactly how steep is the curve?
It sounds like you are not assigning the trumpet sample properly. Piano is the default so that you have sound in a lot of the midi synths. You need to assign the proper sound sample to that midi channel or synth to get the correct sound. Each synth works essentially the same however, the method or process of assigning a different sound to that synth varies depending on the particular synth you are using.
I didn't see, but maybe I just missed it... what synth are you using for your sounds with midi?
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 07/24/2309:30 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
I suspected this. You guys are overloading this guy with the information dump about MIDI CCs and expensive, high-end orchestral libraries when he doesn't even know how to change patches yet.
BIAB. CbB. Mixbus 32C 8 HP Envy. Intel core i7. 16GB RAM W10. Focusrite Scarlett 18i 20. Various instruments played with varying degrees of proficiency.
It would be really helpful if you told us exactly what synth you are using. That way we can tell you exactly what you need to do to switch the sound from piano to horns
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
I suspected this. You guys are overloading this guy with the information dump about MIDI CCs and expensive, high-end orchestral libraries when he doesn't even know how to change patches yet.
I meant both to be pointer to future, not immediate.
I meant VSTSynthFont64 and some good free soundfonts to be the key, now, to getting a decent sound. It's surprising how good they can be just from the plain old MIDI note data.
Get the notes in, played with what expression you can; play them back through a decent sound engine; decide if that's good enough, or rerecord, or maybe dive deeper into MIDI CCs.
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 .
I suspected this. You guys are overloading this guy with the information dump about MIDI CCs and expensive, high-end orchestral libraries when he doesn't even know how to change patches yet.
I meant both to be pointer to future, not immediate.
I meant VSTSynthFont64 and some good free soundfonts to be the key, now, to getting a decent sound. It's surprising how good they can be just from the plain old MIDI note data.
Get the notes in, played with what expression you can; play them back through a decent sound engine; decide if that's good enough, or rerecord, or maybe dive deeper into MIDI CCs.
Same here.
But here is his initial post:
Originally Posted By: Oom Karel
Hi Guys, I am a 2018 user. Since I started my journey with BIAB, I have been putting off, brushing aside, and generally avoiding all things midi, however, because it seems the only way to get a melody without painstakingly editing the notes on the notation thing-a-ma-bob,(I don't read music) I took the plunge and got myself an Akai LPK25 midi controller. It fired up and I was able to record a short piece of Jamaica Farewell in BAIB, no problem. Now I have to learn quickly whatever is necessary (and nothing more) . to make descent sounding interludes for my backing tracks. Where do I start?
One would have assumed by this he already had at least some basics down.
The bumper sticker said "I'm a veterinarian, therefore I can drive like an animal". Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Thank you guys, I have a good grip on BAIB and am comfortable with assigning real styles and real instruments. But I know nothing about midi in Band In A box.Nada...One of you suggested I go and study exactly what midi is and how it works. Synths, patches, plug-ins, VST, Dxi....I love it when you talk forren, but I don't know what yar sayin. So where do I go to for Midi 101? Oh, and did I mention that I am using BAIB 2018?
I suspected this. You guys are overloading this guy with the information dump about MIDI CCs and expensive, high-end orchestral libraries when he doesn't even know how to change patches yet.
I meant both to be pointer to future, not immediate.
I meant VSTSynthFont64 and some good free soundfonts to be the key, now, to getting a decent sound. It's surprising how good they can be just from the plain old MIDI note data.
Get the notes in, played with what expression you can; play them back through a decent sound engine; decide if that's good enough, or rerecord, or maybe dive deeper into MIDI CCs.
Same here.
But here is his initial post:
Originally Posted By: Oom Karel
Hi Guys, I am a 2018 user. Since I started my journey with BIAB, I have been putting off, brushing aside, and generally avoiding all things midi, however, because it seems the only way to get a melody without painstakingly editing the notes on the notation thing-a-ma-bob,(I don't read music) I took the plunge and got myself an Akai LPK25 midi controller. It fired up and I was able to record a short piece of Jamaica Farewell in BAIB, no problem. Now I have to learn quickly whatever is necessary (and nothing more) . to make descent sounding interludes for my backing tracks. Where do I start?
One would have assumed by this he already had at least some basics down.
Yeah. You would think.
Apparently not, judging from his posts.
Byron Dickens
BIAB. CbB. Mixbus 32C 8 HP Envy. Intel core i7. 16GB RAM W10. Focusrite Scarlett 18i 20. Various instruments played with varying degrees of proficiency.
Thank you guys, I have a good grip on BAIB and am comfortable with assigning real styles and real instruments. But I know nothing about midi in Band In A box.Nada...One of you suggested I go and study exactly what midi is and how it works. Synths, patches, plug-ins, VST, Dxi....I love it when you talk forren, but I don't know what yar sayin. So where do I go to for Midi 101? Oh, and did I mention that I am using BAIB 2018?
One of the first things that I would suggest is to load a few BiaB MIDI styles and via the mixer look at the patches, that is sounds, that are being used. Just use the GM MIDI Coyote DXI sounds that comes with BiaB: set it up like I have pictured in pic 1: left click in order 1,2, and 3 then set yours like 4,5, and 6. note you MIDI input may be slightly different looking as mine.
Look at BiaB's MIDI channel table, pic 2, again left click 1,2, and 3. Note that the bass will always be on channel 2, the drums channel 10, piano 3, etc. Now look at the patch numbers. They will be the GM sound number from the GM MIDI standard list, see
BiaB's MIDI channel will not change, the piano is always channel 3, but the patch number/sounds will change but they will always be GM MIDI. That is the patch may be patch 2 bright piano, or 4 honky tonk piano. Note that the GM MIDI list always stays the same, that is patch 2 is always a bright piano, patch 41 a violin, etc.
Sometimes there will be different instruments listed. Don't panic just look at the mixer under patches to see what instrument is listed, i.e. pic 3. The patches are listed in the identical order as BiaB's MIDI channel, thus the organ in pic 3 is channel 7, i.e. the organ replaced the strings.
Let me know if this helps any.
See next post for better pics.
Last edited by MarioD; 07/25/2301:36 PM.
The bumper sticker said "I'm a veterinarian, therefore I can drive like an animal". Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
So, I opened BB and had my midi keyboard turned on with it's sound turned off.
I played a few notes and heard the piano. All good. I observer the following on the screen.
THRU on the mixer screen was showing me activity. So.. I right clicked on THRU and a new window opened.
It had 4 options. The bottom one is SELECT MIDI INSTRUMENT (patch)
Clicking on that one gave me a new drop down with a variety of options. Near the middle of the list was favorite patches. One of those was Muted trumpet and below that was Tenor sax. Clicking on those gave me that instrument immediately.
I did a screenshot with my camera and attached it as a file you should be able to open.
One would have assumed by this he already had at least some basics down.
Yeah. You would think.
Apparently not, judging from his posts.
The catch is that the OP may know too little about MIDI to know how best to phrase the post. I think the post was a little unclear for that reason and we perhaps presumed too much.
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 .
BIAB. CbB. Mixbus 32C 8 HP Envy. Intel core i7. 16GB RAM W10. Focusrite Scarlett 18i 20. Various instruments played with varying degrees of proficiency.
One would have assumed by this he already had at least some basics down.
Yeah. You would think.
Apparently not, judging from his posts.
The catch is that the OP may know too little about MIDI to know how best to phrase the post. I think the post was a little unclear for that reason and we perhaps presumed too much.
I know that I did!
The bumper sticker said "I'm a veterinarian, therefore I can drive like an animal". Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
I've just posted 'Are RTs killing midi' in the BIAB forum. Maybe I should have posted here. Not sure if cut and paste between forums is allowed but here's what i said..............
buy BIAB today and you can jump straight into RTs. amazing real isntruments playing in wonderful styles.
i have every RT and every style so far, and i must admit i tend to use real styles almost automatically these days on new projects.
but i have midi when i need it. i have favourite midi parts i drop in - like a wonderful strings part i discovered years ago.
and for solos i often use midi - exactly the notes and timings i want and after hunting around for samples, exactly the instument sound i want.
but there have been a number of recent posts which suggest new users have no idea about midi. and given that RTs are so good they have no need to learn midi to create superb songs. but i can't help but feel they are missing out on a wonderful musical tool.
if their experience is the mickey mouse sounds of a bad midi player then no wonder they get put off. but a little extra work and investigation will open up a huge sonic arsenal that broadens their musical horizons.
what do other users think? is the excellence of RTs killing midi? and how do we sell the benefits to new users that make the learning curve worthwhile?
some users may not know it, but MIDI is what allows RTs to even exist, so I don't think RTs are killing MIDI at all, just showing the possibilities .. though a beginner may not grasp that yet Without MIDI Key and Tempo, RTs would be like canned loops from the 90s (just prerecorded audio)
Plus without MIDI there would be no Kontakt, GM sounds etc. so eventually it becomes something new to learn, just depends on your starting point and path to learning music Some of us old users learned MIDI first, I suppose some very new users may not have learned it yet, but it is definitely not 'killing MIDI' by taking advantage of it
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Thank you Mario D. I really appreciate yours and everyone else's input. I am working through your suggestions and I am sure I'll get the hang of it. It does seem that I am doing something wrong somewhere, because now I got the brass(ish) sound, but trying to figure out how, I cannot get any other(ish) sound. It's like playing golf: that one time you get it perfect, you don't know what you did...
some users may not know it, but MIDI is what allows RTs to even exist, so I don't think RTs are killing MIDI at all, just showing the possibilities .. though a beginner may not grasp that yet Without MIDI Key and Tempo, RTs would be like canned loops from the 90s (just prerecorded audio)
Plus without MIDI there would be no Kontakt, GM sounds etc. so eventually it becomes something new to learn, just depends on your starting point and path to learning music Some of us old users learned MIDI first, I suppose some very new users may not have learned it yet, but it is definitely not 'killing MIDI' by taking advantage of it
Indeed. Many of the early DAWs including Cakewalk started life as Midi sequencers before they added audio capabilities.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
rharv makes a very good point and Guitarhacker expands it well. those of us of a certain age started out with midi only and we learnt how to manipulate and edit our tracks. i used the same work process then as i do now. rough out in BIAB then edit the midi in PowerTracks. except today its RB for the edit and polish.
then the wonder of RTs came along. we got a huge bonus in musical terms.
but come to BIAB today and you can just plug in RTs and get great sounding music without midi. and the call is for extra funcionlaity within BIAB rather than use a separate DAW.
I made a prediction (always risky!) in the BIAB forum - i think one of 2024's suite of 'improvements' will be making playable RT's capable of taking a keyboard input and recording parts from scratch or at least adding hooks and riffs in the right places to a generated RT.
We all know that that will in fact be mainly a midi process but BIAB will become the 'front end' of midi much the same as windows became the 'front end'of DOS.
but come to BIAB today and you can just plug in RTs and get great sounding music without midi
I think that's incorrect; as I understand it you are still using MIDI to generate those RTs behind the scenes I am pretty sure the whole basis is still MIDI .. the tempo and key sig are still based on MIDI
You may not be using MIDI for 'sounds' but it still uses MIDI
//not trying to be snarky, just pointing it out for clarity
Last edited by rharv; 07/29/2312:39 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
yes of course midi is involved but maybe the phrase should be 'without consciously using anything to do with midi and without learning any of its capabilties' which was my main point
I think that, in addition to RealTracks that are 'controlled' by MIDI as described by rharv and others above, PG Music has delivered on exactly what so many people requested: the ability of RealTracks to play your melody. Again, it's under control of MIDI. Playable RealTracks are more related to MIDI than most users may realize.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Hi folks, Thank you for all your comments and help. I am only beginning to understand what I am confused about, but
I have as Midi Output Driver selected VirtualMidiSynth which I downloaded from Coolsoft. Synthesizer Sound Card setting is :Coyote Wavetable DXI GM2 Support is General Midi 2 Support When I tick Use VSTi/DXi Synth I get a screen that looks like some sort of a control panel which says sforzando, but when I do that there is no midi sound. When I untick it, I get midi sound if I select the sforzando plugin. I also downloaded Compifont_NEW.sf2, but don't know what to do with it. I am beginning to understand what I am confused about, but not near having it under wraps yet.
BIAB. CbB. Mixbus 32C 8 HP Envy. Intel core i7. 16GB RAM W10. Focusrite Scarlett 18i 20. Various instruments played with varying degrees of proficiency.
I have as Midi Output Driver selected VirtualMidiSynth which I downloaded from Coolsoft. Synthesizer Sound Card setting is :Coyote Wavetable DXI
If I understand correctly what you've written, I think that means BIAB is still using the Coyote synth for you sounds
In the "MIDI/Audio Drivers setup" dialog, I think you want the "MIDI Output driver" set to "<No MIDI/sound output>", the two checkboxes to the right checked and to set the "VSTi/DXI Synth" to be VSTSynthFont64. See pages 8 and 9 of the manual.
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 .
Thanks to all of you, I am beginning to have fun with Midi, I don't know waht I am doing, but its fun experimenting. I have another question, this time about real tracks. I want to make a real track start playing on beat3 instead of beat one. I tried the push feature in the chord settings, but it does not quite work. Ideally I would like only a drum fill on beat 3 and 4 before the other instruments come in on the next bar.
Thanks to all of you, I am beginning to have fun with Midi, I don't know waht I am doing, but its fun experimenting. I have another question, this time about real tracks. I want to make a real track start playing on beat3 instead of beat one. I tried the push feature in the chord settings, but it does not quite work. Ideally I would like only a drum fill on beat 3 and 4 before the other instruments come in on the next bar.
Oom, on beat one of your first measure type N., on the third beat of the first measure type N.D.
N in your chord name so if your's is a C you would type C.(that is a dot or period) on beat one and C.D on the third beat. N. mean a rest and N.D means rest all instruments except the Drums.
I hope this helps.
PS - under help/index search for add breaks for more detailed information.
The bumper sticker said "I'm a veterinarian, therefore I can drive like an animal". Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
I'm back on track, midi wise. Would that be a pun? Actually I am not yet midi wise, but I have been able to download a midi file from the internet (still Ring of Fire) and I got close to the trumpet sound that I want. I even managed to import only the trumpets into the melody file (ovation please!); but now, when I load a real style it seems impossible to match the tempos. The midi tempo is exactly what I want, but the real styles won't "sync". Trying to adjust the tempo results in adjusting both the real styles as well as the midi. I know, I know, Band in a box is not a DAW, but I am convinced that something seemingly so fundamental would be easy to get right in BAIB. As always, most grateful for all the advise and tips from the wonderful people on this forum (maybe that sounds a bit korny, bit it is heartfelt)
Well, here is an update on my progress: I have managed to make a tune with my mini midi controller. I have had to use the controller's software because I could not find a way in BIAB to make the controller sound when I press the key, not after supper. I then managed to get the midi file onto the melody track in BIAB and used the notation editor to adjust the time and notes and... anyway getting that far took hours! The melody time kept shifting; it seems when you save you have to choose the "save patches....etc. Then I got an MGU file which I was happy with and, like always, exported to MP3. which is my preferred format for backing tracks and Lo and Behold......there is no melody. Imagine my dismay? Now, please, how can I convince Band in a box that the melody track which contains the midi tune, is part of the backing track?
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If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
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.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
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One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
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