Hello all,
I'm new to the forum and hope someone can assist with a style issue.

I am using BIAB 2018 for MACOS (Mohave) (Build 267) on a 2017 27"iMac.
I have been using BIAb for 3 years and all my song files and system styles function normally .. EXCEPT the "_Badwolf.STY"

Each time I load the _Badwolf.sty and press "play" it causes BIAB to freeze immediately and I have to re-start BIAB and start again.
No other files\style behave this way.

I sent a copy of an SGU song file I wrote using the _badwolf.STY to the support team in case there was something wrong with the song composition or it's content. The Support team emailed back 3 weeks ago saying they couldn't replicate the issue with the SGU song file.

I suspect the style (file) itself is corrupt and should be replaced. I have emailed support again a couple of times in the past 2 weeks with no response to my query.

If it is just the BIAB .STY file of the _badwolf.STY ... Can someone advise how I can fix this? Thanks in advance.

Gazman.

I have BIAB for Windows but I anticipate that BIAB (Mac) would be similar.

Have you tried the following...

Under "File" select "New" to create a new, blank chord sheet. This will create a chordsheet that loads with BIAB defaults.

Now try loading the _Badwolf.sty into this songsheet. Does it still play up?

Also, under the "Options" menu, there is a choice that allows BIAB to be returned to factory settings. This would be worth trying, too.

Before using that, though, save your current settings. This is also under "Options".

Lastly, if you upload your songfile into Dropbox, or something equivalent, and then post the URL link for that file here in the thread, I'm happy to try the file and see what happens. I can also see if it might be corrupt. (BIAB songfiles are interchangeable between Mac and Windows.)

Regards,
Noel

• my latest re-mix using multiband compression : Just A Little After Midnight

Hey Noel, thanks for your reply.
I have already created a "new" chord sheet and had the same result (freezes when the style is loaded and hitting "play").

I've also "returned to factory settings with same result.

The original SGU songfile was sent to the support team 3 weeks ago and they said they couldn't replicate the issue (which is why I thought maybe the style itself was corrupt).
I have since emailed them again without any replies.

This is driving me crazy and I really need this style to work.

The style works for me.

I notice that it is from XTRA Pak 2. Try re-installing that. If you don't have that package, if you log in into the PG Music Sales site (on the main PG Music webpage) and then go to My Products, your purchases should be listed there.

Also, the style is recommended to work best at a tempo of 100. Before loading, make sure that BIAB is set to a tempo of 100. It might be that when you load it, if the tempo is too far removed from 100, BIAB is trying to substitute Realtracks that better suit the tempo.

What version of BIAB did buy? That is was it the MegPak, ProPak, UltraPak?

Regards,
Noel

I upgraded to from 2017 to 2018 and bought the ultrapak a while ago. I'll look to see if I have (or can download) the XTRA PAK2 as you suggested. Thanks

Oh no good .. I downloaded and re-installed extra pak 2 and the style still hangs on "play"

This is a very strange problem.

The files below both use _BADWOLF.STY -- the top one is a simple 8-bar SGU file using only simple chords, the middle one is the same simple file but with frozen tracks, and the lower file is the demo that comes with _BADWOLF. Download them and see if any one plays for you.


(1) SIMPLE song using _BADWOLF.STY
https://www.dropbox.com/s/futle9adwaxcyja/Gazman_BADWOLF%20Demo.SGU?dl=1


(2) Same file as (1) above but with Frozen tracks.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kqpkpd7hw2fokvb/Gazman_BADWOLF%208-bar%20simple%20file%20-%20frozen.SGU?dl=1



(3) BADWOLF Demo SGU
https://www.dropbox.com/s/futle9adwaxcyja/Gazman_BADWOLF%20Demo.SGU?dl=1


Regards,
Noel

Hi Noel, thanks again for your help.

All 3 samples load each chart into BIAB, however on pressing play .. each one caused BIAB to freeze with the spinning beach-ball. All I can do each time is "force-quit" and start again. I am really frustrated with this! I am unsure why the BIAB support team hasn't been more helpful.

Firstly, I have reported this problem and referred the developers to this thread in the Windows Updates beta testing forum.

In the meantime, go to the link below and download update #263 or #266. I am not sure if Mac BIAB behaves the same as Windows BIAB but installing an earlier update in Windows takes BIAB back to that update.

I've done this a couple of times over the years when an update has not been friendly with my computer or BIAB and it has solved my existing problems (at that time).

I'm not sure if you want to try it or not. I'll leave it to you.

https://www.pgmusic.com/support_macintoshupdates.htm

Hopefully someone from BIAB will see my post regarding this thread soon.

What I encourage you to do is to write to support@pgmusic.com once more and refer them to this thread so that they can see all that has been tried. It will also help them isolate the problem.

I just tried opening a few songs I've been working on, and applied the _Badwolf style to them and they seem to work fine here.
Wow... that's really strange since I'm running the latest version of Mojave and the same version of BIAB as you, and it seems to work here.

Hopefully someone from PG can look at the file you sent them, and come up with something more concrete, but that style seems to be working fine here for me.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help, hopefully the PG folks can come up with an answer for you.

- Jay

Did you try and remove each RealTrack/Drum one at a time from the song then generate to see if any of them are causing the issue.

Gazman,

In an earlier post Noel96 suggested downloading XtraStylesPAK # 2 from your PG Music account and reinstalling the PAK. Like Noel I'm thinking the installer or one of the files that make up the _BandWolf style might be corrupt.

If this assumption is true the question becomes how do you replace the corrupt file with a good one. It may not be enough to run the XtraStylesPAK # 2 installer again.

I'm thinking you may need to remove the installer and _BadWolf style files from your computer then perform a fresh download and install.

Try deleting the installer and the files associated with the _Badwolf style. Reboot your computer to flush the computer memory cache. Download the installer for XtraStylesPAK # 2. Run the installer.

I don't know what files Mac uses since I use Windows but if you perform a storage drive search using the search term "_BandWolf" you should find them.

This would not be necessary, it should be enough to just to reinstall. However just to be sure you *could* remove just the _BADWOLF.STY and _BADWOLF.STX from the Styles folder before the reinstall of the Xtra Styles PAK as suggested.



I agree, it might be a specific RT or RD track that has some issue, maybe an audio file is bad.. I don't know. Open the _BADWOLF style and jot down the RT #s that are part of the style. Then, open a new style like ZZJAZZ.STY and try adding each of the RT #s in turn, pressing Generate after each one you add. It looks like badwolf.STY uses:

RT2613
RT2623
RT1073
JazzShuffle^2
And a loop.... Loop: Dubstep straight_gee.....

Let us know what you find.

Thanks Jayo .. I'm going through the additional posts in the thread now to see what else has come up

Hi Andrew.,
I had removed the _badwolf.STY & .STX files from the BIAB Styles Folder yesterday and then followed up by downloading the ExtraPak 2 installer from my PG account files.

I re-installed Xtrapak2 and re-booted the computer with the same end result (_badwolf.STY freezing on pressing play).
All other files and styles still work fine EXCEPT _badwolf.

I'm thinking maybe un-install and full new re-install of BIAB with all extras and PAKs may be the only other option.??
Do you have a recommended step-by-step method of doing that?

Thanks,
Gary.

Just curious, if you hilight the 2 files _BADWOLF.STY and _BADWOLF.stx, and do Command+I to get info on them, does your account have "read & write" permission for those 2 files ?

Just a shot in the dark, but I have seen a couple of problems with permission settings on some installer packages.

- Jay

Hi Jay.,
yes the access is indicated as read\write.
Also, I had been using the style without issue previously, it was just the one time when it "froze" on pressing play and it's been the same ever since.

Strange, do you have a time machine (or any other) backup ?
If so, maybe try restoring the main BIAB app and the preferences folder from a backup before these freezes started.

- Jay

Thanks Jay, I'll look into that .. I do have a time m\c backup but the external disk was full and I stopped the back up pending a replacement external disk .. will have to check to see if the time m\c went back to a suitable date. (BTW I hate time m\c) :-)

Did you try disable each track

Pipeline thanks for your your comment and yes I have done that ... unfortunately no change.
I also loaded the "_howling.STY" which has similar tempo and similar\same RT's (except of realdrums and it has the same dubstep loop track and this style also "hung" on pressing play. (there were only the 1st 4 bars of new chords entered)

What if you put all new RT/RD in the tracks does it still do it.

I changed teh R\D to macth the R\D's from _badwolf.sty and no change.
I'll swap out the other R\T's and try but I am losing all confidence that anything short of a full re-install of BIAB with a re-install of Xtra Paks\Styles will fix this.

Try the modifies demo and you can replace the style files if you like.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bxv5060xr9r3zw6/_BADWOLF_Modified.zip?dl=1

I replaced the 2 system files with the ones you sent into the appropriate folder and opened the modified SGU file you sent and unfortunately got the same result.

Hi again, Gazman.

Here's what I'd try out (given all the above). It may or may not work but it's worth a shot.

I'd create my own style and build it into a song.

To do this...

1. Go into Stylepicker, filter for the BLANK and load the blank 4/4 style into BIAB.

2. Switch BIAB to standard view (as opposed to Full-Screen View) -- in Windows this is CTRL+T (the options is also under the "Windows" menu option).

3, Once in Standard View, there's a button called "Realtracks". Click on this and select "Realtrack Dialog". (IMAGE 1 below.)

4. When in Realtrack Picker, select "Bass" (in the region I've labeled #1 on IMAGE 2.

5. Set the Bass to RT #2613. To assist with this, type 2613 in the Filter (#2 on image), press Update (#3) and then click on the appropriate track.

6. Back in the region I've numbered #1, select Piano an repeat the above process. NOTE: with the Piano and Guitar, they need to be set to "Simpler" (#4 on image).

7. When this is done, exit Realtrack Picker. Now everything is set except the drums.

To set the drums...

8. To the immediate right of the "Realtracks" icon that you clicked to get into Realtrack Picker, there is a "Realdrums" icon. Select this and enter Realdrums Picker.

9. Now use the filter and update (#1 and #2 on IMAGE 3) to filter for ROCK. Select RockSwing16^ (#3) and then select variation04 (#4 on image).

10. Exit the Realdrum Picker.

11. Save the file as a SGU file -- e.g. MySong1. Now try generating the chordsheet with just the C chord in bar 1 and see if it works.

12. All that needs to be done now is to add the loop.

13. On the mixer and in the region where the Realtrack names are located, right-click on the STRINGS track and choose "Select a loop".

14. Once in the Loop Picker dialog, filter for DUBSTEP and then scroll down to "Dubstep - straight_gee_70_drum_loop_1_a_minor ev8.wav"

15. Exit back to the chordsheet. Save the songfile with a new name (e.g. MySong2).

16. With just C in bar 1, try generating.

Hopefully this will work for you.

Regards,
Noel

Hi Noel.,
thanks for all this .. that's a huge amount of effort you went to in order to illustrate this and I really appreciate it.
I'll give it a shot asap and post back as soon as I can.

Hello All,
well, I have tried everything suggested so far without success. I am now of the opinion that I will have to uninstall BIAB and re-install from scratch including all Extra Paks\styles etc.
In order to do so ... on a MAC .. is it simply a matter of removing the BIAB folder from the Applications Folder and re-installing? ..or is there a specific removal process?
Thanks to all for your support.

check in <user>/Library/Application Support/

Gazman,

If you worked your way through my last post using the _BLANK style as the starting place, it is unlikely that the problem is related to the the _BADWOLF style because that was not used.

What seems more likely is that it's either the loop that's causing the problem or the realdrums or one of the realtracks.

Out of curiosity, did you try generating the playback as suggested in #11 in my above post? This was before the loop was added. Is this where it seized up?

Regards,
Noel

Hey Noel.,
sorry for the delayed reply. I've been laid up with an illness for a few days .. I am on the mend now.
Thanks a bunch for your post again, I went through the process as you suggested without a freeze which also reveals the _badwolf style itself is ok .. it's the loop which causes the issue.
I have reverted back to _badwolf for the arrangement and used a different loop file (not as good as the previous BIAB loop but it works) .. I just need to find out now if the previous loop file is ok to be used elsewhere .. or if it's corrupted in some way.

Thanks to all forum contributors for the help and advice. (Still haven't had any email back from PG Support after a number of email attempts)
Cheers!

Hi Gazman,

Sorry to hear that you haven't been well. It's good that we've narrowed it down to the loop.

If you purchased BIAB on a USB drive and you installed the full program from the USB drive onto your main computer, go to bb\Realtracks\Loops on the USB drive, locate the loop in question and copy the files associated with that loop over to your computer -- put them in \bb\Realtracks\Loops (this will overwrite the faulty file(s)). These paths related to Windows BIAB and I'm guessing they might be the same on Mac BIAB. With BIAB (Windows), there are three files associated with each loop.

The above will only work if you have a version of BIAB on USB and you don't use that USB when operating BIAB. I don't know which installation file adds loops.

If you didn't install from a USB...

...email support@pgmusic.com, include the URL for this thread in the email and ask Support how you can get a copy of the files associated with the required loop because you would like to have this loop. Point out that by building up the _BADWOLF style step by step from scratch, you have isolated that it is the loop that is causing BIAB to freeze.

Alternatively, you could use Live Help to chat directly with a rep. from PG Music and ask how to go about getting a replacement copy of the faulty loop.

Regards,
Noel

Thx Noel,
I have heard from a PG rep who has sent me a PM though due to being a newer forum user I don't know where to find the message ??

Scroll right up to the top of the webpage and under the foum heading "My Stuff", you'll find a link to messages.

It's also possible that an envelope will be flashing in the heading line alongside "My Stuff". If it is, click on the envelope and it will take you to messages.

Regards,
Noel

Thx again Noel