I really like the chord setting feature of the BIAB plugin. I hope the BIAB team can add other notes to display. This will make it easier for music players like me to learn chord notes.
Have you looked at the Chord Builder window? The Chord Builder Window can be accessed by using Ctrl+Shift+B keys.The 2024 Band-in-a-Box describes the Chord Builder window starting on page 91.
Quote
Use the Chord Builder feature to audition different chords until you find the one that sounds best to you. In other words, you can enter chords “by ear” - without having to know the actual chord names or any music theory. This feature also illustrates the differences between various chord types.
Insert Piz Here-> midiChords (See http://thepiz.org/plugins for links to source code and other plugins)
Allows mapping of every input MIDI note to 0 or more output notes.
Welcome to the hastily-compiled documentation copied from KVR forum posts. Anything not discussed here may or may not be documented in GUI tooltips.
To install: put "midiChords.dll" and the "midiChords" folder in your VST folder.
Input/trigger notes are on the bottom; output notes/chords on top. Shift-drag or right-click-drag the trigger keyboard to set bypassed keys (orange). These notes are passed through without being affected by Transpose/Out Channel settings.
The copy/paste buttons use the same format as the saved chords/mappings, so you can copy from the GUI and paste into a text file and vice-versa. Ctrl-click on Paste uses the same pitches as the copied chord, otherwise it's relative to the new trigger note.
There is also a text box to type in chords directly. It can read four different formats: - Note names, like "C E G Bb D" for a C9 chord - Absolute note names, with octave number, i.e. "C3 E3 G3 Bb3 D4" - Interval names, like "1 3 5 b7 9" or "Root Maj3 P5 Min7 Maj9" etc. - Semitone offset from trigger note "0 4 7 10 14" (default, see below)
With any format, to assign channels to notes, use decimal points: "C.1 E.2 G.3 Bb.4 D.5"
The "Paste" button can also use any of these formats directly, if you copied them from a website or other source (so you don't have to paste them into the text box first).
Keyboard View: Each chord may contain notes for multiple channels. Right-clicking notes on the chord keyboard allows you to choose which channels each note is sent on. The channel slider above the Learn button lets you filter which input channel(s) are learned. This setting is also used for setting chord notes with left-click.
Guitar View: Also known as "Generic Fretted Stringed Instrument View." Some presets are provided, or custom setups can be defined, with up to 16 strings in any tuning. Each string is sent on its own MIDI channel, so you may want to use the main Out Channel setting to send them all in one channel. When switching from keyboard to guitar (or when changing tuning or number of strings), midiChords attempts to form a guitar chord using the same pitches. Any notes outside the guitar's range will be deleted.
Guitar definitions are filled in from text files in the "guitars" folder.
Strumming: Click "Strum" button to toggle strumming on/off. The other strum controls are disabled when Strum is off. Strum direction is set per trigger note; other settings are global. Strum Direction - Chord notes are sorted by channel first. "Up" will order notes from Channel 1 to Channel 16, then from note 0 to 127. "Down" is the reverse. Max Time - Sets the maximum time between the first and last notes of the strum. The actual time also depends on the Speed setting. Speed - controls the speed of the strum, where 0% corresponds to Max Time and 100% is instantaneous. Vel. Ramp - Applies a change in velocity over the course of the strum. Negative value means the velocity decreases over time. Accel - Speed up (positive values) or slow down (negative values) over the course of the strum. Overall strum time remains the same.
Presets menu: Presets are saved to and loaded from the "mappings" folder. Any files in .chords, .fxp, or .xml (Steinerg Chorder presets) formats can be loaded. Presets can also be loaded by drag & drop.
Saved chord shape menu: The "Chords" menu is built from plain text files in the "chords" folder. "Chords.txt" shows for the Keyboard View; for "guitar" view the chords file that is used is defined in the guitar preset (for example "Guitar Chords.txt" only shows for the Guitar View). "User.txt" is appended at the end for all views. Chord shapes are defined as the difference in semitones from the trigger note, in a space-separated list. Everything to the left of the colon is the chord name displayed in the menu.
Example:
Major Triad: 0 4 7
; comment # Section header -- separator
Chords saved from the plugin GUI are added to "chords/User.txt".
-1, there are many chord piano dictionaries available, several of them online and free to use.
BIAB can't (and shouldn't) do everything:
Oh, WOW, how perfectly does that describe what's going on here? 50 new features every year, times 30 years, = the product has One Thousand Five Hundred New Features. Excellent. Now, how many do I want to use? One thousand? No. Four hundred? No Three hundred? No Two hundred? Probably not (so far at least) One hundred? Hardly.
The answer is the major features that work properly, the mixer, track selection, editing, interaction, creativity.
The "Featuritis Factor" in this product is totally out of control. I would rather see just 50 features that work, and work properly. 50 improvements to fix buggy functions that just don't work properly. It can't be that hard, but needs a realistic shift in the think-tank that drives this.
Thanks Cerio, this is an important message. An important wake-up call in fact.
Actually, it deserves its own separate post in the Wish List. A reminder on how to get things done properly (how I wish).
Last edited by AudioTrack; 01/23/2402:44 AM.
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.
Oh, WOW, how perfectly does that describe what's going on here?
... and in so many products, actually. We used to refer to "creeping featuritis", where any particular feature in itself is small and sane, but as one adds more of them, things gradually fall apart.
Often part of this comes about by what we used to call "marketing check-box syndrome". The perception, sadly probably correct, is that when a potential buyer is comparing final candidates for purchase, they've eliminated the "won't do the job" products and now need to make a final choice from the remaining products. The approach is then to compare the features list, whether or not those features are relevant, pertinent, useful, or whatever, and choose the product that seems to offer the most such check-boxes.
I said somewhere else in these fora, that we should be aiming for a bit more Occam's Razor. We should be aiming for the simplest solution to produce what's needed.
Ideally one distils the pure essence of what's needed to do the job fully and properly. But those creeping features and marketing check-boxes can be an absolute nightmare. Steve Jobs was right on an awful lot of things.
Last edited by Gordon Scott; 01/23/2411:36 AM. Reason: typo
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 .
-1, there are many chord piano dictionaries available, several of them online and free to use.
BIAB can't (and shouldn't) do everything:
Oh, WOW, how perfectly does that describe what's going on here? 50 new features every year, times 30 years, = the product has One Thousand Five Hundred New Features. Excellent. Now, how many do I want to use? One thousand? No. Four hundred? No Three hundred? No Two hundred? Probably not (so far at least) One hundred? Hardly.
The answer is the major features that work properly, the mixer, track selection, editing, interaction, creativity.
The "Featuritis Factor" in this product is totally out of control. I would rather see just 50 features that work, and work properly. 50 improvements to fix buggy functions that just don't work properly. It can't be that hard, but needs a realistic shift in the think-tank that drives this.
Thanks Cerio, this is an important message. An important wake-up call in fact.
Actually, it deserves its own separate post in the Wish List. A reminder on how to get things done properly (how I wish).
I completely agree!
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Cerio, you are a genius! This is exactly what several of us have been saying for years. Simplicity, and solid functuality is the key to the user experience. Please PGM listen to this. We need to make a quantum shift to solidifying the current features, but even more important it the idea of fixing the nagging little bugs and incomplete features from the past. MTP and TV are great. Finish them and polish them. Tso me the worst thing that happened this year was the Reaper add on to the Plugin. Cool idea but isolationist implication. The plugin was great without that feature and just polish up the partial regen, and a couple more features that needed attention. It did what it was designed to do. If people want a play along plugin create one for them, and don't try to make the plugin everything to all people.
Same goes for BiaB! It is light years ahead of simple synth generators, and any other track creator. Polish it up and make the current features shine. then add more really incredible content. No 50 new features, how about 20 refined features and 400 new RT/RD/Stems/Loops/midi loops?!?!?!?!? Spend a year bringing RB into the now!!!!!!!! It is so close just work it over and clean it up a bit. Add MTP and Modern Riff window. Clean up the mixer, and the menu paths. These things will make it special to use. Really look hard at the workflow in it. Let RB replace PST completely and sell it instead of give it away. Bring it to Mac.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
The video is good, Steve Jobs was a brilliant innovator, and too many features can be counter-productive; but many other things can also contribute to counter-productiveness.
Simple-to-use/user-friendly/snappy programs and feature-packed programs need not be mutually exclusive. One can have/needs both at the same time.
Case Example: Studio One. Studio One is an extreamely feature packed program. Two major revisions ago it could do everything I wanted a DAW to do; yet more and more capability continues to be added always staying 3 steps ahead of my needs. This may not say much as I'm not a pro power user, but there are hundreds if not thousands of happy S1 pro power users out there. AND, from my experience the thing is laid-out logically, is easy to navigate and easy to use despite new features continually added.
Observe how simple (yet capable) the Options menu is designed . . . what you need, when you need it.
In my view, it all starts with focused brain-storming sessions on the conference room white board. Then when the team feels they finally have it, the boss walks in and says "make it simpler".
Albert Einstein said (per my recollection) "Make it as simple as possible but not simpler."
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
It's a bit like apple these days, they bring out a knew OS just about on a weekly basis with new fancy features, then apps stop working and developers have to work overtime getting another version of the app working for yet another version of the OS.
Now that Biab and BB VST integrate so easily with Reaper I can add any feature I need in Reaper with a script rather than have to ask to get it added to Biab, like the CHORD TOOL asked for, there are plenty of them made as addons for Reaper. Unless you are using it for practice/learning or auto accompaniment the sooner you can get out of Biab the better.
The Midi Chords VSTi you can set it as default synth and it will be there all the time:
I remember making a Chord Picker Tool for Biab years n years ago, the same thing can be done with it to create a chord note input one. Biab Chord Picker Tool With AutoHotkey you can make so many GUI Tools for Biab without waiting years for something to be Added. So many things users ask for can be accomplished with it. It works so easily by calling Biab commands and functions, Biab users shouldn't be scared of it, they should embrace it as millions of AHK users do.
i nearly went apple this go around as i love the tech behind their m processors...but ended up with this ryzen mini pc that has not given me one prob. boots into win 11 in a few secs. it was dirt cheap with m2. rb reports 200 tracks plus... latency mon says extremely low core microsecond latency. it was meant to be an interim el cheapo buy cos processor tech is changeing...but so far its a keeper. all i need as i do max in a song is 40 tracks and a smattering of fx plugins. mostly pg ones. i also was schooled once by a LA producer that if ya need more than 40 tracks your probably putting lipstick on a...words i cant mention...lol. all the songs in my sig were done with less than 40 tracks.
great work mcity as always. dont ya just love that groovy nice new bb track view.
happiness.
om. 🇨🇦. 🇬🇧
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 01/23/2403:11 PM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
I loved the Mac OS but I couldn't take the apps not working after update anymore, it all just got too much. The Windows apps just keep working on any version. So the only Mac I want comes with fries
That little MidiChords VSTi is great, I was just trying it and it has a strum mode to strum the chord when using the guitar view.
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
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Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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