Is It Just Me?? BIAB Manual

Hey, I don’t know if it is just me, but I think the BIAB manual could use one simple overhaul for something that seems to be missing in almost any query or content search—THE BUTTON IS HERE, and it looks like THIS. Here is a RED CIRCLE around the button, and HERE IS WHERE YOU WILL FIND IT.

I will give one example of something simple that made me want to smash myself in the head with a hammer, but I have seen many, many more.

I wanted to transpose a midi melody in the melody track—just that, down an octave.

So, I look at the screen, my eyes get crossed, and I go to manual. There is page after page of text telling you all the things you can do with references to submenus, but nothing with a picture of the button and how you get to it from the main dashboard. As in WHERE IS IT??? And WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE????

Oh wait, it's not a button, it is actually on the main screen, I think, is that it, under "melody," in 6 pt. type? Should I have guessed???? Hmmmmm. Should someone have said "Main screen, across the top, look for drop down menu, before you get to the rows of buttons?" Should that have been intuitive???

Ok, maybe being goofy, but it is very easy to go blind looking for stuff, and the wording of the manual is not super user friendly at times.

Just one example, but I have found in the majority of major function searches, I just want to know what the button looks like (or, which menu are you talking about and WHERE IS THAT???) and where you access it, and I can take it from there. That instant specificity really seems to be missing most of the time and it drives me nuts.

Am I being the cranky old guy who just needs to shut up or does anyone else go nuts trying to use the manual???

But, I love me some Band-in-a-Box though!!!! Don’t want to be a whiner!!!

If I am being unreasonable, just let me know…

When I first bought BIAB in 2012 I was thrilled to find it had a HUGE PDF manual. I am old school. I LOVE big, thick software manuals.

But I quickly soured on the BIAB manual because 1) I could never find what I was looking for and 2) I would find plenty of things referencing obscure functions that no longer seem applicable to the modern versions.

I finally gave up and now I have a 3-pronged approach to using BIAB,

1) try to muddle through and figure it out

2) ask in the forum

3) give up, settle for some great RealTracks and do the heavy lifting in my DAW

More and more I have learned to resort to #3.

I sympathize with your experience of the BIAB manual.
Been using BIAB since the last millennium and always find more useful info on this forum.

Vintage

Thanks guys!

Nice to know it is not just me.

If anyone at our beloved PG Music is tuning in, please consider pictures under every major topic.

Like, TRANSPOSING in music, or TRANSPOSING MELODY is one of the top 5 things done in music.

SO--give us a picture or two, show us the dashboard, how you go from Button A to Button Z, circle the knob in red with an arrow.

This applies to most major topics. There is a TON of text, but at the end of super long sections you are often left without the answer to this question:

SO WHERE IS THAT BUTTON, EXACTLY???

Help us PG Music! Please help us!!!!!

Like this. This is what I'm talking about. This is not a button, and it isn't clear where you go, until you guess. Oh yeah, the little main menu across the top. Oh Doh. Now I get it, and I'm squintin'.

I KNOW IT MAKES ME LOOK STUPID WHEN I FINALLY FIND IT, but it is easy for eyes to get crossed, and this might be a bad example, I dunno.

However, some little pictures with an arrow or two pointing to where you go, on any given top would be very helpful, as things can get real confusing real fast. More visuals.

A simple picture with drop downs would help. This is the case throughout the manual. It seems like such an easy/fix.

Ah, you too?!
Bests
ian

I think the problem may have to do with things moving every year.
Every year people want a GUI makeover .. so stuff moves. And yes it can be frustrating sometimes.

I remember one year I was looking for the millisecond clock in RB where I expected it to be, and emailed dev telling them it was missing .. and their reply was 'you don't see it in the tiny bar just above the Taskbar?'

Well not until you told me where you hid it! The option used to be by the from:thru, now it's a tiny clock way down in bottom left corner .. almost looks like it is somewhere between RB and the Taskbar.. dang near on the Start button for Windows <grin>
I got used to it eventually, but I agree the unclear changes every year can be frustrating at times

Hold it...., you say there is a manual??

Great dragons above, David, you're singing the song of my people!!!! The manual makes my eyes cross and I never do find what I'm looking for. SO much easier (and faster!) to ask here in the forums.

> Like, TRANSPOSING in music, or TRANSPOSING MELODY is one of the top 5 things done in music.
SO--give us a picture or two, show us the dashboard, how you go from Button A to Button Z, circle the knob in red with an arrow.
This applies to most major topics. There is a TON of text, but at the end of super long sections you are often left without the answer to this question:
SO WHERE IS THAT BUTTON, EXACTLY???

David,
You don't need the manual to get answers to questions like this.
Use the Feature Browser.
Inside the program, from a screen that you type chords, instead type '/' and hit <ENTER> (or press the (?) Feature Browser button on the main toolbar), and you will enter a world where you can find out where/how to use a feature by typing word(s) that describe the feature.

For example, start to type the word "transpose" and you'll get shown how to do it.This will list the menu items, hot keys etc. to help you transpose the melody. For example, it will tell you that there are hot keys to transpose the melody up down an octave (Ctrl-Alt-1) or up an octave (Ctrl-Alt-2).


But wait.... there's more!

For many of the items, in addition to telling you how to do it, there is a Do-It button. And there is for the transpose, so you just press that "Do-It" button.

There's more information about the Feature Browser in the online manual, chapter 2. It was one of the "50 new features" introduced a couple of years ago. https://www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2021full/chapter2.htm#-feature-browser

The Feature Browser is also available from the main screen toolbar, with the word "Browser" on it and a "?" icon, and a tooltip that tells you the same information I'm providing in this post. To see this graphic, click on "featurebrowser1.jpg" below.

Agreed!

Thanks Peter!!! Ha ha ha, I didn't mean to bother such a high level authority with my boneheaded question, but I will check that out!!! Maybe by tomorrow I will be a true expert.

On a happy note, BIAB 2021 is smokin'! There is some CRAZY cool stuff in this addition soundwise and I am loving it!!!

You guys and gals have really outdone yourself with 2021.

Every four or five years I'll order a hard copy of the BiaB user manual. You get one with your initial PG Music order but upgrades do not include a hard copy.

The last few times I've ordered a manual the cost is about $15 US including shipping.

Wow!! I learned two key things about BIAB in this thread:

1} Peter Gannon's explanation of the "Feature Browser"
2} The option to order a printed manual from PG Music.

Thanks Peter & Jim!!

Hey Peter,

I checked this out and I think it is a really cool feature. Thanks!

For the future an idea or two:

If you see the links below I still think it would be helpful in the online manual (and the print too I guess, if people still use it) to see a picture similar to what I pasted in one of my post replies above (the one with the attachment) as a refresher. From these links, you now know what you CAN do, but if you are trying to remember a lot of BIAB functions, you would not necessarily remember that "melody menu" refers to the tiny type at the top of the GUI. Know what I mean?

For every major function, I think a small simple orienting screenshot back to the dashboard would be helpful.

https://www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2021full/chapter6.htm#_Transpose

https://www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2021full/chapter15.htm#_Transpose_Melody


Also, if you click the "Do It" button on transpose, it gives you one option I can see, but not the myriad, which you would see if you were to go to the drop down menu on the melody menu, which you need to be reminded of. Make sense?

I have no idea how you would address all of this though, with all of your major functions--the program is now so deep and rich and does so many cool things, it might actually take another staff to describe it all in a way that mortal human beings can absorb.

There are A LOT of tools now!!!

David,
Thanks for the good suggestions.

Oh my gosh!! Thank you, Peter!