3/4 to 4/4 in a song - PG Music Forums

Used style _CWALZSP.STY for first 4 bars with NashClassicWaltzSw^1 drums
at bar 5 used F5 and changed "# of beats the bar" to 4 and changed the RD to CountryEven8
at bar 11 used F5 to switch back to 3 beats per bar and NashClassicWaltzSw^1.

The supposed 4/4 section never seemed like it was in 4/4. Well, the drums were in 4/4 but they didn't seem to "respect" the measure markers. Watching the bars change made it seem like it was still in 3/4 -- I could never count 1,2,3,4 in a bar.

I then tried changing the style at bar #5 to a 4/4 time -- but that didn't work either.

I did a search in the forums and could find anything -- I am doing this the way it is supposed to be done?

Edit: The Edit | Set Time Signature (range of bars) did the same thing.

To intermix 4/4 and 3/4 in BIAB, you have to tell BIAB the song is 4/4 and have the first measure be 4/4. What you can do is make that first measure a dummy measure with C. for no sound, and begin the real song in measure 2. In measure 2, use F5 to select 3 beats per measure. Then proceed normally.

Ha, ha -- you mean if I had started out with 4/4, it all would have worked OK? I'll give that a try (dang, I didn't save that test file, I have to start over -- but it's quick).

Is that in the help file anywhere -- or is it just a discovered thing?

Yep, FAQ #18. Actually, they recommend 2 bars.

http://www.pgmusic.com/techfaq28.htm#18

Quote:

You need to set the overall style of your song to a 4/4 style, since Band-in-a-Box finds it easier to drop a beat than to create one that doesn't exist.

If you try to use a 3/4 Style as 4/4, there will not be any data for the 4th beat in the 3/4 style.

A 4/4 Style, on the other hand, has data for all 4 beats, so truncating it down to 3 beats will work fine.

Be sure to read FAQ 18 on this.

--Mac