Dear all,

In another thread, I saw the user Rustyspoon# notes that: "Did you know that BIAB can output chord file of current arrangement? You can use this to create tracks of any genre by using arpeggio / modern based instruments in Kontakt or such and blend results with Real tracks."

It sounds very useful but I don't understand what it means.

Could you pls advise the meaning of "BIAB can output chord file of current arrangement". I am very interested in learning about this feature.

My sincere thanks,

One use, and I’m not suggesting it’s the only one, is to drive auxiliary equipment. I have an interesting unit, old now, called a Voice Live Touch. It will generate Harmony automatically to the voice input in my microphone, and use the underlying chord progression to choose the correct notes.

Hi, in the manual, I managed to find this use for the external device, as you suggested:

"Outputting MIDI to an External Device
Some external music hardware devices require chords played in root position to drive them in real time.
An example of this is the Vocalist. It will let you sing into a microphone and harmonize your voice according to the
chords that are input to the device. Band-in-a-Box has the capability of outputting a separate channel with the chords
in root position to support such external devices automatically.
There are also settings such as complexity of chords, output channel, velocity, and note range. It will also drive “Real
time Arrangers” like the Roland RA series. The best way to accomplish this is to access the Options | Preferences
and select the [OutputCh.] button. You will then be given a window like this..."

But I have not found yet other uses. More advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

I use the chord output file while in the BiaB VSTi. I drag and drop the chord output track to my DAW, Studio One Pro, then have the DAW read the chords. This puts chord labels on top of the DAW tracks. I then can either use the BiaB chord track for sounds or delete it as the chord labels stay with the DAW.

I was wondering, but hadn't tried, how to do this!

Thank you!

...Deb

Mario, since I've never tried it and you have, do complex BIAB chords get recognized in Studio One correctly? For example if my chord is D13#11? B7alt?

JMorgan, did you see this other recent thread?

https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=657808&gonew=1#UNREAD

Good catch Matt. I saw the common topic but decided to respond over in the other thread since JM asked so specific a question. But my response did combine what was being asked over here. Hopefully, won't confuse the important aspects of the topic.

Matt, some do but most do not. Studio One will yield the closest chord it has in its chord dictionary and most of the time they are way off. However you can globally type in the correct chords, i.e. change all G7s to G7b5#9. That is how I have to do it.

{edit} PS - it does not like alt chords. You have to exactly specify what notes are in the chord,i.e. B7alt = B7b5#11 if B7b5#11 is the chord you want.

Like Matt Finley, I use the chord output to drive the harmony engine on two outboard units, the TC Helicon VoiceWorks rack, and the TC Helicon VoiceLive Play.

Works nicely for generating vocal harmonies for the Chorus parts of a song. Also use it to generate fake backup singers by upping my voice an octave and setting chord-based harmonies around that higher octave, using the option to cancel the lead (my) voice. Hard for listeners to tell that all the backup voices are just me and an easy way to enhance a cover song or a composition.

Mario (and anyone else interested), I have done extensive tests on BIAB Music XML output. A 7alt chord, for example, is exported as a specific alteration of fifth and ninth, rather than the flexible meaning of alt that could have a b5 one time, a #5 the next. I would not be surprised to learn that the OutputCh selects the same chord spellings as Export Music XML.