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#858752 07/29/25 07:15 AM
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MattLou Offline OP
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I want to make a punch-in midi recording but it seems impossible to do that, to my knowledge at least. I wish to re-record for two bars within a recorded melody. It is possible in audio recording. But I can't do that in midi recording. Any walkaround about that?


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Absolutely it can be done. It's just like any other audio punch in/out. Set your punch points and just do it. You arm the track as usual, with punch recording selected, and it automatically does it's thing.

You didn't mention the program you are using, but I know this is a given function in any DAW. I don't record audio in Band in a Box audio track nor do I use Real Band as my DAW so I can not speak to their ability to punch record.

I use it quite often in Cakewalk Sonar when I record midi piano or any other tracks where I hit the totally wrong chord in an otherwise flawless performance. Just rewind to right before it, set the punch points and play though it. I like to delete the bad parts first and then record it using punch. Super quick fix. In Sonar, as soon as you set your punch points, it automatically assumes you want to use punch in/out and when you hit record, it does what it's supposed to do. Doesn't matter if it's audio or MIDI. In Sonar you can select Sound on Sound to add notes in the same track, or overwrite mode to delete what was there before and lay down the new stuff in it's place.

If you don't have Sonar, it's still being offered free online.


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FWIW, RealBand does this with ease
Select From-Thru
Set cursor to before the From point, hit Record - Punch In and it punches you In/Out as you go (on the selected/highlighted track)..

Last edited by rharv; 07/29/25 03:15 PM.

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RealBand is unavailable on the Mac version of BIAB.

You’ll notice that many of us have our BIAB and OS included in our signatures. This eliminates a lot of guessing when questions like these are asked.

Click on your name in the upper right of the screen and you will see how to add this info to yours.


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My response was meant to GuitarHacker
" I don't record audio in Band in a Box audio track nor do I use Real Band as my DAW so I can not speak to their ability to punch record. "


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Originally Posted by rharv
My response was meant to GuitarHacker
" I don't record audio in Band in a Box audio track nor do I use Real Band as my DAW so I can not speak to their ability to punch record. "

While I do appreciate knowing that.....I have never used RB for recording and since BB is now a VST, I haven't opened RB in the past 2 years except when I click on it accidentally. I actually figured it did allow punch capabilities but when I'm not 100% sure, I don't like to venture a guess one way or the other. But again, thanks.


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.
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its a darn pity more people havent delved into rb.
the equation is simple....lol...

the more you use it the more youll realise its tricks and power and its advantages.

however its not for people wanting gimme now solutions cos its very very deep. as one of my university profs once schooled me 'ya gotta be willing to put in the work'. sorta like my uni degree. lots of study and work..BUT...over time...results.
twas always thus.
for audio and midi i far prefer rb to bb cos of not just the large track count but cos of a boatload of other features.
editing in bb drives me nuts...different story in rb.
also there are various features in rb that bb doesnt have.
op...just read the rb manual to save me pages of typing.

om

Last edited by justanoldmuso; 07/30/25 08:49 AM.

my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
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om, I agree that working in a DAW is far easier that working in BiaB.

I think you have a typo. You said "editing in bb drives me nuts...different story in bb". I think you meant "editing in bb drives me nuts...different story in RB". Correct me if I'm wrong.


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MattLou Offline OP
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Thank you, I think the world is made of BIAB and a MAC:)
Unfortunately this strange web page stopping me to add a signature. I don't want to struggle with it. I am tired of these, err, anyway. It warns me to make my signature shorter to "None".


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Mario.

apologies re typo.
thanks corrected it.
in my defence lol... it was my wifes cooking diverting my attention.

to any lurkers or the op deciding whether to start getting into rb...if you take the time and go thru the rb manual (also the tons of helpful tips of the day in rb itself) you will see that rb has unique features ive never seen in another music app.

happiness.

om


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.)
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Originally Posted by justanoldmuso
........................
in my defence lol... it was my wifes cooking diverting my attention.
.................................
om

I got a chuckle out of that line. My wife is an excellent cook also. Love those cooking aromas!


Love is grand.
Divorce is twenty grand!

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MattLou Offline OP
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Thanks, guys. What I meant was: Is it possible to do punch-in MIDI recording in Band-in-a-Box? I don't usually edit MIDI in BIAB either, but it's an important part of my creative process since I'm not a trained keyboard player and often need to make corrections.

I’ve discovered that PG Music hasn’t improved much in this area for over two decades — it's hard to believe. Making corrections while recording a melody is surprisingly complicated. As I learned yesterday: first, you have to go to Edit → Erase (just the Melody track, not Chords or Soloists), and then start recording. If you play a note in a bar, it only clears that bar. Also, the "Overdub underlying MIDI" option must be turned off. Honestly, it's kind of ridiculous. Frustratingly primitive — sorry to say.

That said, I still use BIAB to sketch out a solid outline of my songs — lyrics, chords, melody in notation, etc. It's a great tool for getting a printed lead sheet. Doesn’t anyone else use BIAB this way? I imagine a lot of people rely on it during the writing or pre-production stage.
(BIAB, Mac Mini, Sequoia 15)


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Originally Posted by MattLou
.........

I’ve discovered that PG Music hasn’t improved much in this area for over two decades — it's hard to believe. ...........

That said, I still use BIAB to sketch out a solid outline of my songs — lyrics, chords, melody in notation, etc. It's a great tool for getting a printed lead sheet. Doesn’t anyone else use BIAB this way? I imagine a lot of people rely on it during the writing or pre-production stage.
(BIAB, Mac Mini, Sequoia 15)


I use BB to build a song structure with the chords and of course verses, choruses, bridge, pauses, endings and then to generate the tracks I want. Normally the drums, bass, and the ancillary tracks such as fiddle, mandolin, steel, dobro, B3. Once I'm satisfied with the structure, tempo and key, I export the tracks to my DAW. It's in the DAW, which is actually designed for easy audio and midi editing, that I will record the guitars, vocals and the midi piano.

That is the easiest way to work. While if I understand you correctly, you're using a Mac, there are a number of options for excellent DAWs for that OS as well.

I'd recommend that you look into changing your workflow to use the most effective method to accomplish the job. Use BB for what it's better at than anything else on the market currently, and that is building the songs structure. Use the DAW to edit and record the rest.

Edit: PG is busy with updates and new features, especially with AI rushing headlong into music. They are adding hundreds of styles and tracks so while there are things that might be in need of fixing, they have a responsibility to cater to the needs and wants of the majority. Not everything will be to everyone's satisfaction.

Hope this helps


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
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< Is it possible to do punch-in MIDI recording in Band-in-a-Box? >

This seems possible if you use the Audio Record Button. In my test, I saved the midi input and didn't save the Audio Punch-in and the midi data was retained.

Attached Files (Click to download or enlarge) (Only available when you are logged in)
Use Record Audio Menu.jpg (190.58 KB, 25 downloads)
Piano Punch in.jpg (202.12 KB, 25 downloads)

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