|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 19
Enthusiast
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 19 |
Hi Folks. A few months ago I posted a link to a song titled "If I Could Only Fly" generated in BIAB and sung by Norma Kelly from Perth, Western Australia. Since then we have completed six more songs and have almost completed the project and I have uploaded all of them to a site called Sound Cloud. For those who are interested I have included a link to the site where the songs can be played, however, they are not downloadable as this is a commercial project. If you have any trouble with the link just go to soundcloud.com and search for "Norma Kelly". the songs are in .wav format for best quality. I would be very interested in your much valued comments as I am still on a fairly steep learning curve, however, BIAB has made the journey somewhat easier. What a fantastic piece of software. Best regards, Paul Young http://soundcloud.com/search?q%5Bfulltext%5D=norma+kelly
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
Awesome job. I like the jazz stuff, that said I don't know many country tunes at all.
What was your workflow, ie Band in a Box to...then plug ins etc?
John Conley
Musica est vita
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 14,576
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 14,576 |
It's a really nice, full, sounding opus. Very nice level of compression I noticed. Not a lot of dynamics tho'. But clean as a whistle.
Wish some harmony had been done there Mate. Otherwise, good on ya.
Russ Anyday above ground is a good day Computer is Hp Pavillion Vision 6 Ghz quad core AMD processor 8 Gig memory 1 TB hard drive 6 GB hard drive Windows 7 Premium Loose nut behind the keyboard 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 19
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 19 |
Hi John and Russell
Thanks for taking the time to comment, it is much appreciated. This journey is about learning, learning and more learning!!!
To answer your question John, all the instruments are generated using Real Tracks however there are a couple of tricks I use before rendering to give me
more control over the final mix. Firstly I pan all the instruments to the middle and then remove all the reverb to give me completely dry tracks. The drum track is stereo by
default so panning within the kit is already done. I then render all the tracks to individual .wav files in stereo with the exception of the bass and solo tracks which are rendered
in mono. I find it's particularly important to have the bass in mono as this helps it sit comfortably with the kick drum in the final mix. Most bass guitars are played through a mono amp
in a live situation anyway. I then import all the tracks into my DAW, Nuendo 4, where all the tidying up is done and the vocals added. Nuendo comes bundled with a great
selection of VST"s however, after doing a bit of research on the net, I decided to invest in a VST package called Mercury Waves Bundle. It wasn't cheap but boy was it worth it.
This package is used by most professional studios around the world and the results speak for themselves. I probably will never use most of them, however, those I do use
have made the investment worthwhile. For guitar and bass I use a plugin called Amplitube X Gear. This allows you to build your own amp and speaker box combination to suit the song
as well as an array of effects pedals that guitarists use. Outboard hardware consists of a Phonic Helix Board 8 channel fire wire desk which has zero latency and a Samson CO1
condenser Mic....surprisingly inexpensive but it dose a great job. Once the final mix is done I then import it into Wave Lab for mastering. One thing I have learnt is that you
can have the best gear in the world but you have to learn how to get the best out of it.
Russell, your comment regarding vocal harmony is spot on. Norma, in spite of her obvious vocal ability, just don"t have an ear for harmony....something I consider a gift. In all her
years as a professional singer she has always had backup vocalists. Unfortunately my vocal ability leaves a lot to be desired so I have not been able to contribute in this area.
We have put the word out around town but so far we have not found anyone suitable, however, the search will go on. For this reason the mixes you have heard are
not set in concrete and are open to interpretation.
Once again thank you both for your comments they are much valued. We will keep on rockin' and see where the journey takes us.
Best regards,
Paul
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,508
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,508 |
A little carefull use of the TC harmony plug in in biab would be an option.
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,699
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,699 |
Nice work. I'd like a touch more reverb in spots, but that's personal preference. That's for both instruments and the vocals in spots.
There are a few spots (like at 2:08 on "Young At Heart" where Norma sings "extremes") that show up now and then where Norma gets a bit sloppy. You might want to have a close listen and clean them up. Or not.
The vocals on "Misty" sound a bit quieter than the instruments around it. I didn't notice that on any other song.
"If I Could Fly Away" could definitely use harmony! There are a couple approaches you could take. Perhaps simplest would be to add a backing of "oooh" and "aaaah" in back based on the current chord. For example, if the current chord is a "C" (C,E,G), multi-track her singing those notes. That wouldn't clever writing, but would fill things out and be pretty darned effective.
If you want to get a bit more clever, you could write a harmony part in thirds and sixths below the melody.
=== START OF REALLY BORING STUFF ===
I'm including this here because you sort of allude to coming up with a harmony part as being some special skill. It is, but with some effort just about anyone can come up with something good and usable.
The general rule to follow is to give good harmonic support. So if the melody note is a "basic tone" of the chord (root or 5th), use a "guide tone" (3rd or 7th of the chord) on the harmony, and vice versa, sticking with a note that's a 3rd or 6th below the melody. If the melody note doesn't belong to the chord, use the 3rd or 6th which creates the smoothest (i.e. shortest distance) motion. For the start and end of the phrase, you can use other intervals, like a unison, octave or fifth.
For example, if you've in the key of C and have a Cmaj7 chord (C,E,G,B), the "basic" tones are "C" (root of the chord) and "G" (5th of the chord), and the "guide" tones are "E" (3rd of the chord) and B (7th of the chord).
Continuing the example, if the melody note were an "E" (which is a "guide" tone, because it's the 3rd of the chord), you would use a "basic" tone on the harmony - either a "C" or a "G". You want to pick the note which forms an interval of a 3rd or 6th. The "C" is a 3rd under the "E", and the "G" is a 6th under the "E", so they both are good to use. So you'd pick the one which moves the smoothest (shortest distance) to the next note.
If you've got a note like "D" in the melody against a Cmaj7 chord, the note obviously isn't a chordal. So you'd pick either a "B" (a 3rd under the "D") or an "F" (a 6th under the "D") - whichever gives the smoothest voice leading.
These are jazz harmony rules, so it assumes there's a 7th in pretty much every chord, be it a Major 7th or a flattened 7th. As with all things musical, use your ear as the final judge, and you'll be able to work something out.
If you'd rather not go those routes, you could enter the melody into BiaB and have it generate a harmony for you.
=== BACK ON TRACK AGAIN ===
Recording a harmony part is pretty straight forward, once you work out what you're going to sing. Record the part onto a guide track. Set your multitrack on "loop" mode, and sing along with the guide track. Repeat a bazillion takes. Eventually you'll end up with something usable, and you can stack several takes to get a nice, fat chorus behind you.
Another option is to take the melody and slice it into parts (at each note). You can then manually pitch-shift the melody the a harmony part. But it's always better to have someone sing the part!
Anyway, nice work.
Last edited by dcuny; 10/11/10 10:43 PM.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
The XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs special offers are now available until August 31st at 11:59pm PDT!
Ready to take your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 experience to the next level? Now’s the perfect time! Expand your style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs—packed with a wide variety of genres to inspire your next musical creation.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-9 includes 900 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). With over 3,500 styles (and 35 MIDI styles) included in Xtra Styles PAKs 1-20, the possibilities are endless!
Get the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: 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.
Get Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 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.
Don’t miss this chance to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box setup—at a great price!
Mac 2025 Special Upgrade Offers Extended Until August 15th!
It's not too late to upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® and save! We've extended our special until August 15, 2025!
We've added many major new features to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, including advanced AI tools like the amazing BB Stem Splitter and AI Lyrics Generator, as well as VST3 plugin support, and Equalize Temp. Plus, there’s a new one-stop MIDI Patches Picker with over 1,100 MIDI patches to choose from, all neatly categorized by GM numbers. The MultiPicker Library is enhanced with tabs for the SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles Browser, and the tabs are organized into logical groups. The Audiophile Edition is enhanced with FLAC files , which are 60% smaller than AIFF files while maintaining identical audio quality, and now ships on a fast 1TB SSD, and much more!
Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:
Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, 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, and more!
Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!
New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
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
Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)
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!
The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!
Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!
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
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!
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!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums58
Topics84,592
Posts781,387
Members39,693
| |
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean