Is there a difference between ‘resting’ an instrument (in the chord settings) vs muting it (in the bar settings)? I’m not really sure what the difference is between the two…
Is there a difference between ‘resting’ an instrument (in the chord settings) vs muting it (in the bar settings)? I’m not really sure what the difference is between the two…
Firstly, welcome to the forum pages.
Generally, muting the instrument is used to dynamically listen the the song without that particular track playing.
On the other hand, resting (following the chord with a period character) allows a specific instrument (or all tracks) to be rested usually only for that particular bar.
Muting (from bar settings) removes the track for (usually) a specific number of bars. As examples, this might be to bring in an instrument after an introduction, or to remove an instrument from playing during a specific chorus etc.
Last edited by AudioTrack; 10/03/2410:36 PM. Reason: Clarified the differences more accurately (I hope).
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Just so I’m clear in my mind then, is there a reason I would pick one over the other? At first glance, it seems the mute is the better option as the tracks stay silent until brought back in. I wouldn’t have thought there’d be that many situations where I’d want stuff to stop just for a single bar…
Just so I’m clear in my mind then, is there a reason I would pick one over the other? At first glance, it seems the mute is the better option as the tracks stay silent until brought back in. I wouldn’t have thought there’d be that many situations where I’d want stuff to stop just for a single bar…
Personally I would use rests to stop an instrument for just one or two bars, I would use mute to stop a block of bars, e.g., a whole chorus, multiple choruses, trading-eights or similar.
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Gordon's answer (above) is the way I would treat Rests versus Muting also.
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In addition to the what others have said, with Chord Settings, they only last until the chord changes. This means that if you have (say) six chord changes through which you want to rest an instrument, you will need to add that rest to those six chords using chord settings. On the other hand, 'mute' in Bar Settings works independently of chord changes.
I also encourage you to have a look at using the volume envelope in Audio Edit. This gives a more professional sound when regions of tracks are silenced as it is possible to fade out or fade in using volume envelopes. If you are interested in finding out about volume envelopes and using volume notes, I encourage you to have a look at the video below. The relevant section begins at 51:18.
And, rests can be added within a measure. Muting only is possible at the beginning of a measure.
Yes, very good point. Thanks for that clarification.
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And, rests can be added within a measure. Muting only is possible at the beginning of a measure.
As I do not do a lot of work in BiaB I didn't know that so thanx for this info.
Although the topic is rest vs. muting may I add why not try volume automation? That is all I use in my DAW and I can raise or lower, sometimes to zero volume, anyplace in a track. I can also slowly increase or decrease volume. Are those options available in BiaB?
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... volume automation? That is all I use in my DAW and I can raise or lower, sometimes to zero volume, anyplace in a track. I can also slowly increase or decrease volume. Are those options available in BiaB?
Mario, no. This is a request I've been making for two decades. I would like to see control over the faders in the mixer by a MIDI Control Surface using the Mackie protocol. It's the next logical step to the improvements in audio editing that have recently been made.
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Regarding Volume Automation, many may be unaware that although Volume Automation is located in the Audio Edit Window, automation also works for midi tracks. There's no waveform so automation is done by ear rather than site. As Mario pointed out, it is a very accurate method.
An example to test is to load the demo for the default Midi Style ZZJazz and using Master Track from the Audio Edit Window and activate the Automation and do a fade-in at the beginning and then fade-out to end the song. The Master Track affects the Stereo Mix of the song.
Just so I’m clear in my mind then, is there a reason I would pick one over the other? At first glance, it seems the mute is the better option as the tracks stay silent until brought back in. I wouldn’t have thought there’d be that many situations where I’d want stuff to stop just for a single bar…
Noel's recommendation to explore using the volume envelope is also another great suggestion.
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 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.
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