Have been working trying to add BIAB backing tracks to an existing recording using the BIAB plugin. The existing audio didn't use a click track, but in my DAW (Reaper), I was able to tempo map it without affecting the recording. However, the BIAB plugin had several issues - not respecting the tempo (largely due to the decimal bpm changes in the track - even when I 'sync' the DAW), and very inconsistent behaviour generating audio (loops didn't work at all).
Be that as it may, I figured that if I had a click track (I first tried with a rim shot in a loop, but BIAB VST doesn't seem to work with this...), I could stretch the BIAB audio to the original. BIAB doesn't have any click tracks that I could usefully find (there's a midi metronome style, I think, but stretching from midi seemed tricky in my use case...).
So... I created a set of RealDrums click tracks of various styles. They click ABAB, BABA, _A__, A___, A___x___A___x___, etc. In the VST, just add them as an extra drum track, and you'll get a clean click to export with the BIAB audio. In the DAW, group the tracks, create a dynamic split, and the snap the BIAB tracks to the grid en masse. (You can do it in Reaper, but I imagine that most DAWs can do it one way or another.
Why so many variations of click track? Well, if you do it every measure, and if the original (tempo mapped) audio slips a lot, things may map to the wrong measure mid song. Wider stretches (4 bars, etc...), and a lowered resolution tempo grid in the DAW reduce the chances of this from happening.
Bottom line, it's a workaround, but it's workable. It'd be better, of course, if tempo syncing worked with finer granularity, or if loops worked in the VST, but I can live with this for the moment.
Since I could not find any samples of the Click Tracks anywhere online, I made some...:
I created a MIDI click track about 10 years ago. Should be sidestick on most drum patches, if not adjust the note number.
It can be used two ways As MIDI and follows existing MIDI clock Convert to Audio and adjust with the ACW or other tempo adjusting tools.
indigomirage, you may want to try the Audio Chord Wizard feature; it not only tries to find the chords, it also allows adjusting the Tempo map to an audio track(s). And you can manually adjust it by tapping a key on the '1' of each measure if needed. Then it exports the newly adjusted tempo map.
YES, Biab Plugin needs decimal tempo maps !! I made up some scripts to do all that in Reaper to fit a constant tempo audio item to the tempo map in Reaper, but they have now built it into Reaper after some nagging. You can go into the item properties and set the bpm of the media if it don't get it from the filename or ACID info (you can add ACID in the Biab Plugin Preferences).
I've had a similar problem taking a BIAB track into the studio. BIAB said it was 120 bpm but the studio calculated it to be several hundredths less than than. More precision is indeed needed.
+1
BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."
"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."
"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."
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Video: Enhanced Melodists in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®!
We've enhanced the Melodists feature included in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows!
Access the Melodist feature by pressing F7 in the program to open the new MultiPicker Library and locate the [Melodist] tab.
You can now generate a melody on any track in the program - very handy! Plus, you select how much of the melody you want generated - specify a range, or apply it to the whole track.
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