Hey, all. I’m new to this and jazz and I’m trying to practice comping on guitar. I have a jazz standard that I’ve entered and I want to comp for five different instruments played with real tracks that change every chorus. I can’t figure out how to make this happen. I’ve entered my chord symbols. Any help? I find the manual overwhelming. I haven’t used the program in years but I want to get back into it. I’m using version 2021 and plan to upgrade in December.
Last edited by doogiet; 09/01/2409:32 PM. Reason: Extra info
There are a fair number of pre-created medley tracks.
On the "Instrument: ..." part of a mixer track, choose either the RealTracks picker or the MultiPicker, clear existing search data if necessary and just type medley into the search box. They (normally?) list the instruments in the medley in order.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
I made this video many years back to show how to do something else, but part of it includes making a custom medley (about half way through the video) This was in BiaB 2018, or 2019, so will definitely work in v2021
Edit to add: You can add silence in any of those slots instead of a RT, for any number of bars/choruses of your choosing, for jamming your own parts
Last edited by DeaconBlues09; 09/02/2410:34 AM.
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One manual way to do this is load several tracks of soloists, then use F5 at each start of a new soloist and select Mute for most tracks and Return to Normal for the one you want to sound.
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.
You can load more than one soloist using RealTracks, and you could potentially have more than one playing at the same time. [ I am talking about RealTracks, some of which are soloists, and some of which are background tracks. The 'soloist track' in the mixer is different. ]
Try it.
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.
Yes, the "soloist" track is there for use by the "Soloist" feature, where BiaB generates solos onto that track, rather liike the "Melodost" and "Harmonist" features on their tracks.
RealTrack soloists can be put on nearly any track and you can have several RT soloists. each on their own track, and use, e.g., the F5 tools or volume-automation to mute and enable them. (Note: I can't remember how much F5 and volume automation are supported in 2021).
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
So if I want to have my jazz trio play (piano drums bass) and then have a horn section take solos while the trio keeps time and comps, I set them up on the soloist track with the medley feature?
There are two tracks in BIAB’s mixer that are best used for MIDI: Melody & Soloist. Strings, too, are usually MIDI when they are present in a style.
I won’t get bogged down here with workarounds and exceptions. I’m doing this without a computer, but try this:
Right-Click on the Guitar track’s name, which is normally a RealTrack. Select a new RealTrack that is a Soloist. Mute and Return to Normal at your chosen measures. Once you like it, copy that track to Utility Track #1
Repeat this procedure to select other RealTrack soloist tracks and put them on Utility Tracks 2, 3 etc.
I’ll try to do this myself tomorrow and correct any errors or omissions.
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.
So I found this with google. It’s PG music’s explanation for both a medley of songs and a medley of soloists, which starts at 4:15.
I think the solution is to set up my trio, then go to the soloist track and use the medley button from the real tracks picker to set up what solos I want and when.
Once I’ve gotten this down the sky is the limit. This will seriously transform my practice. Thanks to everyone who’s helped so far.
I have to say that I've several times tried the medley tool and have always given up on it. Maybe I expect too much, or maybe I over-think it. Personally I found it very frustrating and maddening. Maybe someone else who uses it successfully will give a better view.
For a quick group of soloists for practising, I now just pick one of the pre-built medley soloist tracks and just go with that. They seem generally to be OK and presumably prove that it's possible to get them to behave, suggesting that the problem is with me rather than the tool.
If I want to do something in more depth or breadth, then I'll build multiple soloists as Matt describes, putting each one on its own track (normally a utility track) and play/mute when I want or fade in/out when I want. That does also mean one can control things like, for example, having the soloist anticipate the chorus by half a bar.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
I got it to work this morning. Piano, drums, bass, a chorus of them playing with no solo so I can play the melody, then a trumpet, tenor, and trombone solo so I can comp, then a chorus for me to solo and a chorus for the final melody. It was flawless.
I must try it again, then. It's been a while since I last tried.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
Yeah. I have a love/hate relationship with BIAB but that definitely puts me more on the love side. Watch the video, it explains it all. The difference between “no change” and “silence” was key. I’m assuming if I can do this to the soloist track I can do it to the piano track to get it to drop out as well.
I guess part of the struggle I was having is that I rather expect the ending soloist to back off during the last bar of a chorus so that the next soloist can pick up the chorus at an anacrusis. I think BiaB tries to do something like that if one starts the chorus a bar early, but it's often a bit of a crash. IMHO.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
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