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Thanks rharv, very interesting. I'll do some experimenting with that. I love BB and RB - it's been a lot of fun for many years and I don't know what I'd do without it. But I have a flat spot on my forehead from beating my head against the wall quite often, and then another flat spot on the other side where I slapped myself very often and said "rats, I should have known that". But your hint saved me from that part because I didn't know about that. Thanks again for the advice. BluegrassPicker
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Snowflake is a BiaB feature. If I open a BiaB file (SGU not SEQ) I do a couple things. First I right-click the track and get to where it says "Make all BB tracks regular tracks". Caveat: you no longer have a BiaB song with BiaB features, like regenerate all the tracks using a style, etc. Instead you have all those tracks 'frozen', as in you have to intentionally record/generate a given track(s). In other words you don't worry about what you want to prevent from getting generated and instead focus on what you do want to generate. Then I save as a SEQ file so it is saved that way. Then you can safely work in RB focused on what you want to change vs what you have to try to prevent from changing. And you still have the original SGU file if needed. This is a huge difference in how RB and BB work, fundamentally, for me. Plus it's linear instead of chorus/verse options.
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BK. i'm not at my pc cos some minor surgery...but if i remember in rb prefs one can detail dir to be used. i have a dir for each song...into which all bb and rb files go and tracks and saves etc.) om Yes, it's under the File section in RB prefs. Check the box if you want the open and save as folders to open independently. Mine was checked. I'll do some experimenting. Thanks Quick recovery to you - been there done that several times. Some minor, some not so... But God's been good. BluegrassPicker
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Hi Hans! This is a great song! Pretty standard (yet cool) chugging rhythm guitar, THEN in the second half with what sounds like different chord variations that add some spice. Also love the stops around 2:35 followed by a very bluesy vocal ‘I came home …’. I like it a lot when an artist takes a repeating chord progression and develops it later in the song with inversions, extensions or chord substitutions to create a different flavour. I note you said you wrote this song after throat surgery - could it be that the song theme of a partner coming back is a metaphor for the return of your singing voice after surgery? Great song - I loved it! Andrew
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Hi Opur! Thank you for posting this song - I came across it when sampling your music the other day and it had instant appeal for me. I’ve always liked swing-feel acoustic guitar songs so was instantly drawn to it. The matter-of-fact approach of the lyrics is contrasted with the bouncy, upbeat feel of the music. I like how you brought in additional layers of instruments as the song progresses and then variation. The cello/strings add a nice touch as well, albeit with slightly too much volume that crowds out the vocal, but by the time they enter, the listener is already familiar with what the vocal is doing. Talking of vocals, I like how you used octave harmony on certain lines, then back to the main vocal only for a tinse of intimacy. In style, your song reminded me of one by the band ‘Her Space Holiday’ and their song ‘Sleepy tigers’ ( Here on YouTube ). Great song Opur - I’ve added it to my Soundcloud favs playlist. Andrew
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My recording computer had RB v7. No snowflake protection there. My working computer has RB v8. No snowflake protection. I just now updated the recording computer to RB v8. No snowflake protection there still. For testing: -I'm using a new unpopulated creation of a SEQ file (no SGU loaded) -selecting (arming) an empty audio track -recording a bar or two -applying the snowflake (via clicking the snowflake or via the menu) -recording a bar or two -Keep Yes -RB copies the new audio over the top of the previous audio everytime. Not a major issue for me, I was just hoping for something that I might have been missing. Thanks
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I actually like it the way it is now.
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BK. (i was in tech too...glad to be out of it....too many management fools who thought 5 year huge multi million projects need only take a month. i actually made a ceo once sit down and see what was involved...who went 'i never knew'... never bothered us again...lol.) i'm not at my pc cos some minor surgery...but if i remember in rb prefs one can detail dir to be used. i have a dir for each song...into which all bb and rb files go and tracks and saves etc.) om
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I believe Freeze from regeneration only applies to tracks generated internally by the BIAB style or adding a RealTrack SuperMidi or midi instrument from the MultiPicker.
Replies 11
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Andrew it's a cool thing. Occasionally your vocal pitch bothered me, but only very occasionally. The song, arrangement and mix are excellent. I'm a Sexsmith fan more than Smith but they are both fabulous and worthy reference points. Thanks Ray - glad the song pleased your ears. Regarding my vocal, many years ago I decided I was not going to let my vocal imperfections stop me - I think I am with many others on this forum in this matter - and in this case, they suit the song topic and also match Elliott a smith’s own imperfections. I doubt whether I will attempt to mimic Ron Sexsmith however - his singing voice is sublime. Thanks for listening! Andrew, this is an intriguing piece. Your unusual chord changes and slow tempo in 3/4 time really add heaviness to the story of trudging north after a horrible tragedy. It's very well crafted. I'm not familiar with Elliot's music. I looked him up in Wikipedia to get a summary of who he was. Thanks John! For chord progressions, I am not averse to taking ‘the road less travelled’ as long as they sound good (I.e. can lead to a satisfying melodic and harmonic outcome). Knowing your own diverse music styles, I recommend you do a deep dive into his work - it’s very rewarding. You mention ‘trudging north’ - I was wondering if any northern hemisphere members would comment on ‘heading north for the sun’ being an abnormal concept, but maybe everyone realised it was set in the southern hemisphere, or assumed the bomb cloud was south? Most scenarios of a nuclear apocalypse are assumed to be set in the northern hemisphere. I hesitate to say "a beautiful" song, because of the grizzly story it tells – most fitting is: "impressive". Especially in times like these. I like it, and it's beautifully sung as well! Hi Opur! I think the beauty in the melody and 3/4 time was aimed at expressing the love and care for the man’s daughter, set against some somewhat dark chord moves. The vocal recording technique worked well and I think I will use it again sometime. Thanks for listening and commenting - I think your insights will be gratefully received by many forum members, just as I have appreciated them. Andrew
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Views 214
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Hi BGP. I've just tried it in Build 8 of BIAB, and Freeze is working correctly. (I also get a message pop-up to say that the track is frozen so it won't be generated.) Have you installed Build 8 yet? To check which build of RB you have, have a look under the Help menu and select "About Realband". If Buil 8 is not installed, it can be found at the link below. https://www.pgmusic.com/support.realband.htm --Noel
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I have a permanent license for ACE Studio to generate choral demos for a few clients. This can import MusicXML from a notation app giving me notes and words to which I assign singers or ensembles. For what I do, the $528 license has paid for itself. Being based in China, not one of their "singers" pronounces American English or Latin convincingly. Since I'm doing demos, I don't care. The downside to this in-the-box app is that rendering a 3 minute 4-part choral track takes a couple hours in my Mac Studio M2 Ultra 192GB RAM 8TB SSD. If I'm going to do a lot of this, I'm "going to need a bigger boat". I've tried other AI apps but haven't found any worth a damn for use in my creative process.
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I the last two years RB generation is so much faster than before i get a song generated in a few short seconds now that took a minute before.
Replies 31
Views 10,779
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I hesitate to say "a beautiful" song, because of the grizzly story it tells – most fitting is: "impressive". Especially in times like these. I like it, and it's beautifully sung as well!
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Views 214
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I was just looking for that. Thanks.
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This one’s for Andrew Dee, who has already checked out my Bandcamp collection … It’s been ten years since I recorded the following song, but it’s been 47 years since I wrote it. At that time, I was still young and naive and, for quite a while, very much in love with a girl who had, unfortunately, a very different view of the world than I did. It was then that I realized how important this is in a relationship. Title: »Daughter of Light« Based on the style TRAVEL!.STY Key: G minor 170 BPM At that time, I only used GarageBand to finish what I got from Band-in-a-box. Unfortunately, GarageBand also changes with every version of macOS – different instruments, different sounds, etc. –, so again, it’s impossible to remix the song today from the old files. Here’s the song in Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/opur-music/daughter-of-light And here the lyrics: Daughter of Light Because you are a daughter of light and I’m a son of the earth there’s no bridge from me to you no way to understand Because you are a woman from heaven and I’m a man from the world you’ve fascinated me with every move and I tried so hard to reach you REFRAIN I thought I could love you, but now I see our two worlds can never be joined But please believe me, I regret that it ended like this Because you are a daughter of light and I’m a son of the earth I never felt your hope as you’ll never feel mine Because you are a woman from heaven and I’m a man from the world our ways couldn’t be more than parallel lines and now they must lead apart REFRAIN Because you are a girl from the angels and I’m a boy from the men my love destroyed more than it built and was hopeless ever to find it’s aim Because you are not from my world and I am not from yours I could never really see your thoughts and maybe I’m still mistaken REFRAIN
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Andrew, this is an intriguing piece. Your unusual chord changes and slow tempo in 3/4 time really add heaviness to the story of trudging north after a horrible tragedy. It's very well crafted. I'm not familiar with Elliot's music. I looked him up in Wikipedia to get a summary of who he was. John
Replies 17
Views 214
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Aww, Mario, thank you. Coming from you, what a massive compliment this review of yours is, to me. Thank you! 
Replies 9
Views 141
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Thanks, Andrew! You got what I meant by this song "in one" , so I'm glad the meaning came through! What else can a songwriter ask for? And what an in-depth, wonderful review! Thanks again for taking the time and the thoughtfulness required to write it!
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BK... a simple way is to duplicate the track to a new track and mute the dupe. ya got 255 tracks. i also back up...works for me. om That's what I've been doing. Would be simpler just to be able to check a box or padlock icon on the track to lock it and be done. What happens, and it's probably just my ignorance, is that I'll select a track for recording then move the mouse over to some other track to check something out or whatever, then come back to the track to record, then lay down my masterpiece recording that just nailed it in one shot so absolutely beautifully (yeah right) and then get the "Do you want to save" box, punch Yes and then find out that I just recorded over my previous other masterpiece track of a different instrument or vocal. Like I said, my ignorance and my bad, and I'm far more careful now than I used to be. Live and learn. I back up frequently as well (fanatically, having worked many years in IT) but that leads me to another wish-list item. As I progress in the project I do a "Save As" and add an incremental number such as "MySong-1.SEQ" then "MySong-2.SEQ" etc. That way I can go back prior to the latest changes or additions to "before" if the latest needed to be undone. Many programs have a History window that can be used to step backward. I haven't seen one in RB. So, in RB when I select "Save As" I am often taken to some directory other than where the original file is located. If I simply add my incremental number to the file, the file is then created in that other directory, not the original. That happens often if you go to a VST directory to choose a plugin preset, etc. You're taken to the last opened directory to save your file, not the original. I learned I've gotta be on my toes and pay attention and not get lazy or I end up having to search around to find where that "lost" file went. If there was a way to keep a "Save As" file in the original file's directory, that would be helpful. Also - and this is a real wish-list item for many programs like RB - have a "Save As Incremental" that adds a number to the filename so you can just select that and keep on with the project. I guess it's laziness on my part, but when I get into a project I get super focused and "stuff happens". That's why I was curious if there was a locking mechanism. Thanks for your reply, much appreciated. BluegrassPicker
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Great vid, DrDan - thanks very much! Catherine
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Thanks, Hans! Really kind of you to listen and to write such a nice comment
Replies 38
Views 1,945
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Thanks, Scott! Much appreciated!
Replies 38
Views 1,945
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I will often use the idea from AI or give it my own ideas and music/lyrics to see what it would do. I'll edit the parts, and deconstruct the song. I analyze what parts I can play, and if I determine that I can, I will play the piano, strings, guitars, and bass or the other option is to use Real Tracks. I often like the "feel" that AI imparts to it's version and I try to get as close to that same groove as possible. It's part of my work flow. I will rebuild the song in BB and then select the style that best fits and rebuild the song from there. I've been using AI vocals for a lot of the productions with several of my songs in the latter part of 2025 being nearly all RT's and live tracks with AI vocals. AI vox have gotten so good even the professionals can't tell. Since I write music for the purpose of sync placement, and sync libraries and publishers are currently 100% set against using any generative AI in the creation of the music and lyrics, I don't use it in the music I submit to my publishers. (mostly due to the inability to obtain copyright on machine created content) Most of that music, due to the restrictions and requirements of the publishers themselves, never gets posted here. So the things I post here are for fun and personal enjoyment 99% of the time, and that has no prohibitions against the use, or abuse of AI. It's often a pretty big challenge to merge the AI music into something that I find to be a quality production. A lot of my songs that get started, never get finished because of some sort of glitch that ruins the project.
Replies 4
Views 217
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