Watch my workflow as I start a new song in BIAB 2024. Can I get a consistent finger picking guitar to sound like my original vision?
Songwriting punctuates our lives. It is alchemy, turning pain into gold. Songs choose their composers when they enter the world. I try to remain open and ready.
I'm learning along with you guys. Let me know if you can shortcut my workflow.
Songwriting punctuates our lives. It is alchemy, turning pain into gold. Songs choose their composers when they enter the world. I try to remain open and ready.
Yep.... I didn't watch the entire video but you can add chords on the quarter notes in the same way you add chords to the bar.... Simply press the ENTER and it move to the second half of the measure.... just enter the two chords with a comma in between. >>>>> C,D <<<<< That's a lot faster than opening a window, doing the input, and closing the window.
Use copy and paste to replicate the repeated sections. However, since the tracks are real tracks you can't copy and paste it in BB like you wanted to do. I like to take my tracks and export them to Sonar..... or any DAW will actually be the same. Set your tempo and then you can easily edit the audio with copy and paste. I will often pull fills that I like from other sections of the song and copy/paste them into the part I want.
I often find it difficult or in many cases impossible to replicate a certain finger-picked part or the rhythm of an acoustic guitar for a song. In that case I have two options..... change the song to accept whatever BB is able to deliver, which is often not what I was looking for ....OR.... play the part myself and record it into the DAW as an audio track.
Unlike you, I always do all of my editing in my DAW. There's nothing wrong with how you are doing it. I just do it differently. It's interesting to see others doing it differently.
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.
One good way to do this is to record your fingerpicking that you want and save it as a loop. Most DAW programs allow this you can save as a acidized loop so it has information included. Then in BiaB i would open a utility track and add the loop then set my chords so BiaB would play the loop over those chords.
Here is the directions for this in RB
Render - Export Acid Loop
Now you can render an audio track (a highlighted section or the whole track) as ACID Loop and save it to the Loops folder. Select a track or a section of the track and go to menu Render | Export ACID Loop - Highlighted section or entire track to WAV in Loops Folder. This will open the Export Section of Current Track to Wave File dialog.
Select a file name and press the [Save] button. When the track is successfully rendered to a .WAV file, a flash message will display and the Acidize this .WAV file dialog will open. When you press [OK], RealBand will write the Acid info into the .WAV file.
Once you do this you can then add the loop to the song in BiaB as follows
Select Loops
You can add your own or third-party loops to any track. Loops are audio files (WAV, wma, m4a, mp4, mp3) that reside in the Loops folder of the RealTracks folder. You can add your own files to this folder.
Loops support many types of ACIDized Loops (for WAV and MP3 files). And, if you add an Acid loop that is on a certain root (e.g., F), Band-in-a-Box will instantly allow you to use that as a complete style, by transposing that loop to the current chord of the song in Band-in-a-Box, so that the loop follows your chord progression.
Click on the [Loops] toolbar button to open the Pick a Loop dialog. You can also right-click on a track at the top of the screen and choose the menu item Select a Loop for this track. Pressing the R L Enter keys also opens the dialog.
[Tip: You can also use the MultiPicker Library floating window, which allows you to select any type of tracks, not just the Loops, to generate a whole or partial track. It has many useful functions for filters, audio demos, searching, and more. You can open it with the F7 or M Enter keys.]
Double-click on the list or use a transport control button at the top of the dialog to preview the loop. The instant preview sometimes plays demos from the internet. You can save any file that is being played from the internet by clicking the folder icon. You can control the volume of the demos with the speaker icon.
Double-click on the list or use a transport control button to preview the loop. The instant preview sometimes plays demos from the internet. You can save any file that is being played from the internet by clicking the folder icon.
You can control the volume of the demos with the speaker icon in the transport control.
Normally, the loop will retrigger when it ends, but it can be retriggered at certain points using the Also retrigger WAV every option.
For a nature sound, there is no tempo, and you don’t want to select Stretch Tempo. For a Drums loop, you want to stretch the tempo. Once you select Stretch Tempo enter the tempo of the WAV file (if known), and if not known, enter the # of beats in the wav file. For example, 2 bars would be 8 beats.
For a nature sound, you don’t want any transposition. For a melodic sound, you might want to transpose to the root of the chord in the Band-in-a-Box song. If so, enter the root of the WAV file, and set the Transpose type to chord root.
The Timebase option allows you to select a timebase (normal, half-time, double-time, or triple-time) for any Loop.
If you want a different sound for the “b” substyle, enter that WAV file name in the ‘b’ substyle loop setting.
The [Open Folder] button opens your Loops folder and allows you to add audio files (loops) to it. If you add files, you need to press the [Refresh] button, or exit the dialog and re-enter it to refresh the list.
There are many good sources for loops and sounds on the Internet. One is freesound.org, which has many sound effects. The [Get Sounds] button launches your internet browser to search for free loops.
(Technical Note: The settings that you make to the WAV files are stored in .bt6 files in the Loops folder. If you don’t make any settings, then default settings are used, which would be a "nature sound" type of loop, that wouldn’t be transposed or tempo stretched.)
Click on the [Rename] button to give a loop a new name.
Click on the [Clone] button to duplicate a loop. You can then use it with different parameters.
Hotkeys:
Alt+T for Settings for Track
Alt+F for Filter String
Alt+A for Show All
Alt+N for No Loop
Alt+I for Audition
Alt+M for Rename
Alt+E for Clone
Alt+R for Stretch Tempo
Alt+P for Transpose
Alt+Y for 'b' substyle Loop
Alt+ B for Choose 'b' Loop
Alt+' for Clear 'b' Loop
Alt+L for Open Folder
Alt+S for Refresh
Alt+G for Get Sounds
Alt+O for OK
Alt+C for Cancel
Alt+H for Help
Tutorial Demo Songs - Loops
To see the Loops feature in action, open this folder: C:\bb\Documentation\Tutorials\Tutorial - BB2012 and open one of these files:
_ELECTAM Demo ('Loop' feature with tambourine percussion added).SGU
=THUNDER Demo (New Age style with Thunder Loop).MGU
In the first example, a percussion loop has been added to a rock song, in the second example, a rain & thunder sound effects loop has been added to a new age style.
When you play these songs, press the [Memo] button on the toolbar to read about the feature and the demo song.
[Tip: Loops can be combined with RealDrums, drum/percussion instruments, UserTracks drums, and even RealTracks, on the Drums track. To do this, open the Crate Multi-Drums dialog by right-clicking on the Drums track button and selecting Multi-Drums | Edit Multi-Drums for this song.]
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB 2025, Realband, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 9 32c , Melodyne 5 editor, Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, Presonus control app.
Such a detailed deep dive, It's going to take me some time to absorb it all. Thank you for taking the time to share the information. I will take the time to work through your tips and advice.
Regards Brian
Songwriting punctuates our lives. It is alchemy, turning pain into gold. Songs choose their composers when they enter the world. I try to remain open and ready.
I think I will be using my DAW more into the future. I do love to have a completed arrangement in BIAB before I export it. Like you say, different strokes and all that.
Thanks for watching, commenting and advising.
Regards Brian.
Songwriting punctuates our lives. It is alchemy, turning pain into gold. Songs choose their composers when they enter the world. I try to remain open and ready.
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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