Not sure about the correct terminology (no native speaker here - but even in German I wouldn't know the right term, ha!), but I'd like to be able to use an option for "slow-down endings".

Almost never I use simple fade-outs (booooring!); almost always I create a real ending for a song (as you would for a movie, a book etc.!), and in some cases, it just would be nice to slow that ending down; in fact, quite often I feel some kind of urge to do exactly that - you know, like a band on stage would ...?

I hope at least someone understands what I'm talking about and can maybe lend some support. ^^

Hi ThorstenV, your description is perfectly understandable.

Their is an option available in Bar Settings (Function key <F5>) to slow down the song (ritardando)

Unfortunately, it only works at Bar level, not Beat level, but may deliver what you meed.

Near the end of your song, select the required bar / measure, and press function key <F5>, and change the tempo (based on absolute or percentage value) as shown:

Hey Videotrack,

thanks for the quick reply!

So what I meant is called "ritardando"? Makes sense, since it derives from classical music. And yeah, I heard that word before!

Will have to try what you're suggesting - though I guess it won't sound as "organic" as it should be... Or does it? Did you yourself ever use it for that very purpose?

But thanks anyway; I'm at least one step further!

I don't think that it sounds "organic". If you want a smooth ritardando you should use a DAW. I believe you can do this is Realband if you have a PC. I know nothing about a Mac but maybe you can do this is GarageBand. You would complete your song in BiaB, export it as a wav/aiff, then import it into the DAW.

I have not needed this, because I take the project into a DAW and do a ritard there. However, I recall someone suggesting that a way to overcome the limitation in BIAB of the tempo being full-measure based, is to create more measures of fewer beats. Then change the tempo on each of those.

I achieve good "slow-down" endings (I like that name better than "ritardando") with Band-in-a-Box (BiaB).

I've found the top, numeric entry works well when abrupt tempo changes are desired, such as a tempo change between verse and chorus.

The bottom, percentage entry works well at the end of the song. I stretch the tempo change over three to six bars with each bar having a progressively higher percentage.

Slowing down over multiple bars and then using a hold ( chord with three dots like C ...) in the last bar works great in a ballad.

All you're all doing is giving the poor new guy some convoluted "workarounds" suggestions instead of simply create the necessary support to his original request, namely that BBox should be able to do this AUTOMATICALLY!

Excuse my disgruntle, but I myself made this very same request in here so many years ago that I cannot even ruddy find it anymore! And I too got bombarded with these same types of "well meaning" suggestions of how to get PG off the hook about this (which is how I see it), instead of gathering the necessary support and pressure on PG to feel compelled to actually do something about it - Only to have this periodically suggested all over again every 3-5 years since by newcomers, just like here.

This should have been made possible by PG ages ago!!!

Eddie I respectfully disagree. I like the fine control over a fade out Band-in-a-Box for Windows provides.

One issue with an automatic fade-out is the lack of control. Tempo, instrumentation, genre, time constraints can affect what is the "right" fade-out for a song.

But I wasn't talking about Fade-outs, those are an entirely different things conceptually to SLOW-DOWN

The observation about which precise values are the optimal ones per each case is, however, absolutely valid.

I didn't provide a workaround. The O/P requested: and I provided the BiaB method to do exactly that.

I didn't read anywhere in the original request that "BBox should be able to do this AUTOMATICALLY!". Have I misinterpreted the request, or responded incorrectly?

Well, I'm obviously very biased by my own notions (and said request from ages ago) about this concept or its implementations, so that could easily have been me as well as you
Would be best to leave the answer to that question to the OP, if he has the thread monitored and could follow up with his thoughts...

Thanks, Icelander, for your support! I just noticed that the discussion on this subject went on since the last time I checked, so here I am.


Well yes, automatically is what I actually had in mind, and indeed I regard every suggestion made as just a workaround - and as useful as they might be: I find it all way too fiddly. The ideal thing would be too mark the bars you want to be involved and then simply press a button that says "ritardando". And I don't think that's too demanding because we already have all kind of options for stops, breaks, tempo changes and the like, enabling us to arrange quite complicated stuff (sounding natural and "band-like", too), so what's necessary for an automatic ritardando is basically a combination of these functions.

So again, guys, I'm really grateful for all your suggestions and happy to always, no matter what, be able to find support within this great community; really I am! But Icelander is absolutely right: We should convince PG to implement such a feature - particularly when asked for time and again!

Unfortunately there are hundreds of 'nice to have' suggestions out there that will probably never get to see the light of day. There are also many real bugs that need to be fixed but probably never will. PGM is, after all, in business to sell product, and these nice to have changes or irritating errors don't sell as well as 200 new real tracks.

BIAB is a great product. You just have to learn to live with its oddities and use the work arounds that have been developed by users over the years. But don't give up on asking for changes or new functionality, but be prepared for your request to be lost in the bottomless request bin.

Dave.
dont know if this helps...but you could take the traks into reaper from biab..and do slowdown..?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B249b9oZEk

ymmv/best
om

It's not easy at all but the Audio Chord Wizard can do slow down endings by changing the tempo map. It's not automatic because the 'slow down beats' have to be programmed and set, then the action is done automatically.

Audacity can also do slow down endings using either of two commands; Change Speed or Change Tempo. Change Tempo is preferred.

RealBand can do slow down endings by applying the Time Shift plugin or the Audio Chord Wizard or the Click Track Feature. The Click Track Feature would be my preference.

So basically, ask but just for the sake of asking?! Riiiight...

It never hurts to ask - just don't be too disappointed when you don't get it.

You're right, Dave. Maybe one day this will happen:
Count-in based on time signature of first bar.
But I digress. Back to the program.

Well, with this sort of attitude...

So much for the garner of support & pressure, eh, mr. OP

I just think we all have been disappointed over the years and realize the PGM will probably never fix or deliver our wish. Some of it must be caused by the "old" code. You might be able to easily change new code, even though we know it can often introduce new errors. But the old legacy code is full of landmines that no ones wants to go near.

It would be nice for PGM to at least acknowledge the request, saying "thanks, but no thanks", especially if there is a work around that gives most of the functionality.