PG Music Home Forums PG Music Wishlists Band-in-a-Box Wishlist Developers! This one simple thing, would HUGELY improve Band in a box - "live feel"!

I do hope you give this SERIOUS consideration.

This idea can hugely improve BIAB. Further, it does not seem too difficult to implement. Essentially this is making specific BIAB parameters respond to custom CC assignments, which are then sent to pedals and made available to the user via a custom settings panel.

Core idea: Make BIAB Custom respond to MIDI pedal CC assignments!

Give the user a "Pedal Assignments" settings window where Custom MIDI assignments can be selected and sent to sustain or expression pedals. (see below)

Basic Note for MIDI newbies: Two basic pedal types: Expression pedals are able to ramp a parameter 0-128 degrees. A Sustsin pedal is an on/off switch which can respond to any on/off parameter. Sustain pedals can be made to "toggle"- that is to switch on a function, until a second press turns it off, or they can be made to perform a function on a press but when the pedal is lifted the function ceases. MIDI instructions can be "assigned" to control almost anything. There are 128 possible CC numbers. Each CC can be made to respond to any parameter. There are standard Ccs CC1 is modulation for example, but there are many CCs that are not assigned as standard and can be utilised.

Examples of the use of MIDI pedal assignments, BIAB could be made to creatively LIVE respond to:

Expression-type pedals could control:

1] Volume of the track (crescendo decrescendo)
2] Volume of nominated instruments (or thru)
3] Tempo (ritard/accelerando)
4] Fade outs and ins
5] Any synth parameter!

Sus pedals could LIVE control: (using wither toggle or switch)

1] Whether nominated tracks play
2] Change from chorus to verse, segueways or fills
3] Whether to repeat or not
4] Make a song loop, then on press of the sus pedal, goto a coda, major change or outro
5] On press bring in (or out) nominated instruments (Maybe bring in more instruments for last verse)
6] Control Modulation or transpose on the fly - useful for exercises too.
7] Choose between alternative changes in a phrase

Basic Note: Expression pedals can be made to act like sus (on/off) pedals by simply assigning values 0-63 to state A, and values 64-128 to state B. Expression pedals can also be assigned so that the can give 'n' ranges where n is an integer less than 128, for example, to give 4 ranges simply divide 128 into 4 sectors and assign all numbers in each sector different values. For example, three levels of tempo could be assigned "slow - say 60 bpm" ; (0-42),"mid" 43-84 - 70 bpm; fast (84-128) 100 bpm.

Many more possibilities! You can probably come up with more ideas!

The point is that these changes can be performed LIVE (without fingers) and this allows the music to customise itself dynamically (literally) to the performer's wishes - live whilst they are playing.

Even in practice situations, Pedal assignment is very beneficial.

Example 1: Imagine you have a song consisting of a cycle (say fourths) of two bar ii V7 1s. You set the loop to play the first ii V7 I in C. You start slow, with the expression pedal up. You are a bit wobbly, but after a few minutes you get the hang of things, you ramp the expression pedal to next notch. When confident Without the need to stop, you simply press the sus pedal and it moves on to loop the next two bars (ii V7 I in F). You get comfortable and move to the next - a ii V7 I in Bb. The point is you are proceeding at your own pace and at a speed you control. As you get more confident, you gradually increase the expression pedal.


Example 2: Imagine rehearsing some intricate phrase in a 2 bar loop. First you start slowly, but as you get better, when YOU know you can get faster, you can press the expression pedal a little bit and things get just a bit faster - testing your skills, but in a personally controlled way.


So many creative LIVE uses! - If pedals were enabled via a user-friendly menu (shielding the CCs). Band in a Box would be far less of an automaton and more like a human. On stage one could accommodate an extra guitar solo with a touch of a foot, or one could slow the tempo down gradually, then jump back up. The song can repeat until the performer decides it is time to end. Songs could use "grooves" and then go up a fourth at a whim, and go back down to the root - or what is desired.

SO many more possibilities!!!!!!!

This ONE feature would add a huge new dimension to BIAB usage, it alone would make everyone update!

Please development team consider this seriously and discuss!

Z

+1. Simple, I don't know. But I know what you're requesting CAN be done because Band-in-a-Box supports the +++ Frontier Design TranzPort +++.

There have also been multiple requests for Band-in-a-Box to support the Mackie surface controller specification since the specification has no license fee and is supported by many controller interfaces.

+++ HERE +++ is an example of a four position foot pedal that outputs midi commands.

I think this is a different idea Jim. Not many have these sort of pedals. Sustain and Expression pedals - MIDI assigned are much more common. I would say that almost all users at least have a sustain pedal.

Z

There is Control Biab Functions with Midi Input
I think you can set that to any midi input, to any Biab function.