RealTracks - Bluegrass Back Up

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I only very occasionally pop-up here with a question and request for advice.
It relates to back-up tracks and relates to a forum discussion on www.banjohangout.com.

Here's the situation: When I download the mp3 back-up track from beckyboy's list on banjohangout.com and import it into BIAB, it comes up as Bluegrass 101 and plays in boring midi. I don't get the RealTracks sound.
When I load one of Dave Marshall's BIAB files which are all in 5String.sty, and try and convert them to one of the Bluegrass Styles with RealTracks on my system, it doesn't sound anything like beckyboy's quality mp3 sound that I get when I play it direct from his mp3 file.

So by deduction, there may be a difference between my 2009.5 BIAB and my RealTracks sets and what version you and others may have (2011 & 2012). Alternatively, Dave Marshall's files may have been upgraded since I downloaded them three years ago. And, maybe I may need to un-install and re-load BIAB?

I've previously found the BIAB forum helpful. I may try a post there to see if I can understand the problem I have.

I have RealTraks set 8 (Country Folk), RealTraks Set 11 (All Bluegrass (Rhythm), RealTraks Set 12 (All Bluegrass Solos) and RealTraks Set 33 (Bluegrass Medium Tempo).

I've had a love/hate relationship with BIAB because of it's apparent complexities. Now there's maybe a glimmer of hope.

Your thoughts and any further advice much appreciated.

Harry

Perhaps you could provide a link to this MP3, and someone here might be able to recognize the RealTracks used.

Blake,

Thank you for your interest in solving this mystery.

Two options: I can send you the mp3 to a personal email address or, follow this link:

www.banjohangout.org
|___Forums
|___Forums Home
|___Playing advice (Bluegrass Scruggs Style)
|___Backing Tracks (currently item #11 on the Topic List)
|___Page 1 of 18

There are several mp3's on this and the following 17 pages, but if we use the example right at the bottom of page 1 posted by: Beckyboy and dated 11/03/2011 entitled "Old Home Place" mp3 Backing Track - BIAB - Real Band.

The link is listed as: http://www.banjohangout.org/topic/218356.

The other information I have in playing the mp3 is BIAB will not save Style and no chord changes are shown.

Your thoughts requested.

Thank you.

Harry

Hi Harry,

**Band in a Box cannot show chords when an mp3 file of any kind is simply loaded to play because an mp3 file contains no chord data.**

**The ACW Chord Wizard can be used on a loaded mp3 file to extrapolate the chords from the mp3 file. This process is delineated in the BB Help files as well as in the BB FAQs and takes a bit of user intervention in order to have that happen.**

**There will also be no Style loaded with just an mp3 file, for the mp3 file does not contain any data about Band in a Box style files.**

While it is possible to take an mp3 file and "get" the chords using the ACW, you would have to pick an appropriate Style or Realtracks picked one at a time to build your Band in a Box Automatic Accompaniment songfile. This songfile will not be able to exactly duplicate the various lines and hooks that may exist in the original mp3 file, but will generate accompaniment and/or soloists according to the music recorded in the raw Realtracks files.

--Mac

Harry:

I have a couple of suggestions.

1. Perhaps you could ask "beckyboy" if he would just post his original BIAB files somewhere that you could download from. Then (providing you have all the same RealTracks) you could use them in their original format.

2. If that's not possible, the 2013 version of BIAB allows you to play an MP3 file as part of a normal BIAB song file, by using the "Performance" function, as stated by Peter (see his comment below)

I've tried the process and it works, mostly the way Mac described it. You open BIAB then use the ACW to get the chords. Then you use the Performance feature to have BIAB play the MP3 file, while highlighting the chords in the chord grid, as with a normal BIAB file.

Good luck!
LLOYD
***************************************************************************
Peter's comment from an earlier thread:

If you want to use a compressed file in a BB song, you can do that, using BiaB 2013 "Audio Performance Track" feature.

If you have My Song.sgu

and you call your mp3 file
My Song Soloist.mp3

then it will get loaded to the Soloist track, and will play along with the song.

This doesn't work for the audio track. In the case of the audio track, you can have My Song.mp3, and that will play, but it will create My Song.wav (just the first time, not every time). The reason for that is that My Song.wav is now editable, since the audio track is editable.

Thank you gentlemen.
I now understand the problem and I will follow your suggestions.
Your prompt reply is very much appreciated.

Quote:

Thank you gentlemen.
I now understand the problem and I will follow your suggestions.
Your prompt reply is very much appreciated.

Please post your workaround when you do it, so we can see your final results.. did you get in touch with BeckyBoy to post his SGU files??

A few years later, and I'm still no further forward in finding a suitable Bluegrass Backing Track "Style".
I have 2009.5 with Real Tracks 11 (All Bluegrass (Rhythm)), 12 (All Bluegrass (Solos)), and 33 (Bluegrass (Medium Tempo) and a heap of tunes in BIAB format. They're Midi's and "tinny" and need a Real Track format.

It has been suggested that _BLUGRAS.STY is what I should use as per the links below.

Any suggestions to where to locate this style?
I can't find it.

Here is a link to the sound/style I'm trying to achieve:

https://soundcloud.com/fiddlinsteudel/sets
https://soundcloud.com/fiddlinsteudel2/sets
https://soundcloud.com/fiddlinsteudel3/sets

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks.

Harry

I do not see that particular style in my directory either and I have everything that PG Music has put out for BIAB up to and including today's patch.

You sure you spelled it correctly?

All styles should be, by default, in your BB directory.

Here are the styles I have that come close to your spelling using the filter _blug*.sty. Perhaps it is one of these instead.

_BLUG2BT.STY
_BLUGRGS.STY
_BLUGRSF.STY
_BLUGRSM.STY
=BLUGR_E.STY
=BLUGR_S.STY
=BLUG_ES.STY

Thanks for this jcland. I will check.

This is the link to the mp3 that is the Real Tracks sound I am trying to achieve:

https://soundcloud.com/fiddlinsteudel/sets
120bpm in Cherokee Shuffle Backup Tracks

On my Style List (with Real Tracks discs 11,12 and 33 installed), I have:

BG_Band Ev16 165 Straight Ahead Bluegrass (130RS)
BG_BDBS Ev16 165 Banjo Solo (130RS)
BG_BDFS Ev16 165 Fiddle Solo (130RS)
BG_BDGS Ev16 165 Ac Guitar Solo (130RS)
BG_BDMS Ev16 165 Mandolin Solo (130RS)
BG_BNJR Ev8 100 Bluegrass Pop (100RS)
BG_FDM_F Ev8 100 Driving Bluegrass (100RS)
BGM_BNJ Ev8 100 Med Temp BlueGrass w/Ban (100RS)
BGMA_B Ev8 100 Med Temp Bluegrass (100RS)
FIDRHYT Ev8 100 Driving Bluegrass (100RS)
BAG_BBG Ev16 120 Straight Ahead Bluegrass (130RT)
BANJ&MAN Sw16 130 Banjo and Mandolin Sw 16th's (130RT)
BG101_D Ev16 165 BG101 w/drums Unplugged (130RT)
BG_BOOGIE Ev16 80 Bluegrass Boogie Unplugged (130RT)
BGAS101 Ev16 165 BG101 Unplugged (130RT)
BG_WALTZW Sw8 130 Bluegrass Waltz Unplugged
BG_WALTZD W Sw8 130 Bluegrass Waltz W/drums Unplugged
BL_GRASS1 Sw16 125 Bluegrass1 Soundtrack

What "Style" or system tweaks matches the mp3?
Any advice gratefully received.
Thank you.

The style playing on the link you provided sounds exactly like this one.

_BG_BAND.STY Straight-ahead Bluegrass(130 RS)
All RealTracks! Acoustic Bass, Banjo, Mandolin, Acoustic Guitar, and Fiddle
Rhythm parts. T=100-160 (Ac.Bass, Mandolin, Banjo, Ac.Guitar, Fiddle)

Thanks jcland.
I've got the Style. I just need to know how to use it..!! :-))

Hhrryt8, there seems to be some confusion on what exactly your problem is. Is this a correct assumption on my part?

1. You have BIAB 2009.5 with RT's 11, 12 & 33 installed. You also have the patch that will update 2009.5 to build 288.

2. You are asking how to use _BG_BAND.STY Straight-ahead Bluegrass(130 RS) style in your version of BIAB.

If this is correct, I need you to do this:

1. Start BIAB
2. Go to your style picker and choose _BG_BAND Straight-ahead Bluegrass (130 RS) as your style. It may be preceded with an * in the style picker. No big deal. You need to highlight that style with your mouse.
3. Once it is highlighted with your mouse, click on Load Song Demo. You should see the song load in the background and you will see the measures populate with chords.
4. Click on OK and your style picker screen will go away. Your resulting song should be titled Swampy Blues - Bgrass101.sty demo - - and should be 16 measures long.
5.Click on Play and the song should generate without any problems and you should hear it play as a RealTrack, not a midi. Your Bass, Piano, Guitar and Strings tracks at the top left of the screen should be GREEN (denoting RealTracks) and the Drums will be Yellow (denoting MIDI)

I also need to add that this 'experiment' was done on my end using BIAB 2009.5, the same version you are using.

Let me know if this is what you achieved.

Thanks jcland.
I'm away from home at the moment. Back in a few days and will experiment.
My problem is not loading that style. It was what style to use (which you've very kindly identified).
However your instructions are much clearer and are a much more precise and informative guide about how to use this particular aspect of the program.
Thank you so much.