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usalabs Offline OP
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OK, I don't know how to word it in the Subject box, but this is what I'm trying to do.

1st bar for 2 counts has Em... then for the rest of the 1st bar (IE, for the remaining 2 counts) it has Dm... meaning sustain the Em for 2 counts, the sustain the Dm for 2 counts, now the problem here is I have a 2 bar intro, the 1st bar has those sustained chords, but I want to be able to keep the Dm sustained throughout the 2nd bar but start the drum fill too, now, here's the dilemma on the 2nd bar:-

1.....Using Dm.d will silence the chord and play the drums.
2.....Using Dm..d Will stuccato the chord and play the drums.
3.....Using Dm...d will replay the sustained chord and play the drums.

I don't want Dm to repeat after the first bar, I just want the Dm to continue being sustained into the 2nd bar and the 2nd bar would trigger the drum fill for the start of the rest of the tune.

EG
Bar 1--------------Bar 2
1----2----3----4 - 1----2----3----4
Dm...-----Em...-----Drum Fill with Em still sustained without sounding again.

Text formatting is not very good in this box, for tabulation I have to replace spaces with -.

Last edited by usalabs; 09/28/23 10:41 PM.
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I’m not at a computer to give you exact steps, but there is something you can experiment with: freezing a track or tracks when you want shots, holds, or silence to affect some tracks but not others. For example, use the dots to get the drum track that you want, then freeze that track. Now alter the use of the dots to get the rest of the tracks to play what you want. Or reverse that - depends on what you want to do which way might be easier editing.


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usalabs Offline OP
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Freezing only freezes the enter track, IE, if I hit the snowflake for that instrument track (no matter how many chorus or repeats there are), the entire song's instrument is frozen, freezing doesn't freeze bars.

Have a look at this screenshot, you'll notice the first 2 bars as the intro, the first bar's 4 count has 2 sustained chords, but the last sustained chord (Dm) I need to carry over to the 2nd bar but without playing that chord again, but the 2nd bar would trigger the drum fill, atm, the 2nd bar has a Dm.d which kills the chord and only playes the drums fill, which I don't want, just imagine on a guitar, hit an Em for 2 counts then a Dm for 2 counts for the first bar, but let the Dm sustain for 4 counts starting the second bar while the drummer would do a fill without the guitar hitting that same chord again, so in reality, the guitar is sustaining Dm for 6 counts.

Describing what I'm looking for is super hard when trying to explain in text. smile

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You might achieve what you want by using Utility Tracks and cutting/pasting audio into the relevant bars.

What version of BiaB are you running. Utility tracks became available a couple of years ago.


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As ever I'm on the wrong platform to try this, but this looks like it may be worth experimentation...

From the manual page 112, near the bottom:
Quote:
Type a chord with a break followed by a number (N), and this will copy the break for the next N bars.
e.g. C7...4 will enter held chords for 4 bars.
Gm7...bd5 will enter held chords (bd=except bass and drums) for 5 bars


The usual function of BIAB is to end the hold when the next chord symbol appears, which is what's breaking your attempt. Hopefully what's shown above will honour the x-bars even with another chord.

Another possibility might be to mute or otherwise turn off the drum track in the first bar, but mute (e.g., via F5) can be a bit brutal.


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One thing of interest is exactly what instruments do you want to sustain?

Organ, Brass, Woodwind, and Bowed instruments lend themselves to this. Piano, Guitar and similar instruments - not so much. They have a natural decay.

Is a gradual decay allowable?


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Assuming there is no natural decay here is what I would do.
1-mute the drum track
2-get the instruments to play like you want using the hold settings,that is
Bar 1--------------Bar 2--------------Bar 3
1----2----3----4 - 1----2----3----4 - 1...etc
Dm...-----Em...-----------------------C
3-freeze all tracks except the drum track
4-unmute the drum track
5-add your fills where you want them

That should work. Let us know how you make out.

Last edited by MarioD; 09/30/23 02:11 AM.

I think my wife has started to show the first signs of dementia.
She said she can't remember what she ever saw in me!

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usalabs Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: AudioTrack
You might achieve what you want by using Utility Tracks and cutting/pasting audio into the relevant bars.

What version of BiaB are you running. Utility tracks became available a couple of years ago.


I'm using 2023 version, I opted to only show active tracks and hide inactive ones, when I click on the eyeball, I can see all the utility tracks.

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The method Mario detailed is what I had suggested. Have you tried it?


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Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
The method Mario detailed is what I had suggested. Have you tried it?


I apologize Matt. I had forgotten that you suggested this.


I think my wife has started to show the first signs of dementia.
She said she can't remember what she ever saw in me!

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No, no - you gave the steps to try. I wasn't at a computer. Thank you!


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Originally Posted by Matt Finley
The method Mario detailed is what I had suggested. Have you tried it?

I did try it, but it didn't work, have a look at this screenshot, notice the 4 bars as the intro, the first bar has c... to sustain all instruments that are sustainable, (drums don't sustain as they are only a one shot), for the 4 bars (16 count at 4/4), but on the 4th bar during the sustain, I want to trigger the fill for the start of the 5th bar, I know BiaB stops any sustains after the 4th bar that's fine, but usually I use something like c.d to trigger the fill, but doing so will kill the sustain.

It's hard to explain in a post, try this, all sustained instruments from bar 1 would sustain for a count of 16, but stop after the 16th count, that's fine, but on the 12th count while the instruments are still being sustained, trigger the drum fill, without stopping the sustain until the end of the 4th bar.

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if you can get the sutain you want, forget about the drums for a minute. open the file in RB and then cut and paste a drum fill where you want it on a spare audio track. erase any drums you don't want in early bars on the original drums track.

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It works here, see below.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/f24rlwkyfa8s2wljksefx/demo.SGU?rlkey=9v840a17ichnu11sv72ssusp2&dl=0

Try this:
Assuming there is no natural decay here is what I would do.

1-get the instruments to play like you want using the hold settings,that is
Bar 1--------------Bar 2--------------Bar 3
1----2----3----4 - 1----2----3----4 - 1...etc
Dm...-----Em...-----------------------C
2-generate the song.
3-freeze all tracks
4-unfreeze the drum track
5-add your fills where you want them
6-generated the song - note this will only generate the drum track and not the frozen tracks


I think my wife has started to show the first signs of dementia.
She said she can't remember what she ever saw in me!

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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usalabs Offline OP
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Originally Posted by MarioD
It works here, see below.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/f24rlwkyfa8s2wljksefx/demo.SGU?rlkey=9v840a17ichnu11sv72ssusp2&dl=0

Try this:
Assuming there is no natural decay here is what I would do.

1-get the instruments to play like you want using the hold settings,that is
Bar 1--------------Bar 2--------------Bar 3
1----2----3----4 - 1----2----3----4 - 1...etc
Dm...-----Em...-----------------------C
2-generate the song.
3-freeze all tracks
4-unfreeze the drum track
5-add your fills where you want them
6-generated the song - note this will only generate the drum track and not the frozen tracks

Yay, you hit that nail right on the head. I loaded your sgu file, and that's just what I was looking for, but to do that during the song creation won't work, but, I figured out that I would need to create a complete song first, generate the song for the first time, then freeze all tracks except drums, then add fills where I want them, then add the C.d on the 4th bar, re-generate, then freeze drums, so that all tracks are then frozen, I tried this with the song I was creating (the screenshots posted here), and it worked.

Thanks MarioD

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I'm glad you got it working. Actually it was Matt's suggestion, all I did was give you the step by step method to accomplish it.

You should mark this thread as resolved.


I think my wife has started to show the first signs of dementia.
She said she can't remember what she ever saw in me!

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Thanks, Mario, for giving the details. I often answer questions when I'm not at a computer, and I hope that people like you will give the specifics if you see it before I can do so.

We have seen a lot of variations on this question. This would make a good topic for the Tips and Tricks Forum, don't you think? If you agree, could you post something there?


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Originally Posted by MarioD
I'm glad you got it working. Actually it was Matt's suggestion, all I did was give you the step by step method to accomplish it.

You should mark this thread as resolved.

I would mark it as solved, if there was an option to do so, I don't see any buttons or links that say 'Mark as solved' anywhere on this thread page. Usually on other support forums there's a button that says "Reply and mark as solved", but there isn't one.

Last edited by usalabs; 10/13/23 11:44 AM.
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It’s there. You have to go back to your first post at the top of this thread. That post has the option called Mark as Resolved.


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