|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Post your own Tips and Tricks here
|
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 603
Journeyman
|
OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 603 |
I idly looked into the free notation program MuseScore, since it makes decent scores, and its users sound pleased. Turns out the current version will not only dig melodies out of BiaB files, but it will also fetch the chords! Transcribing a MIDI melody is easy, but getting the chords has been elusive.
It took PGMusic 15 years to get around to adding limited window-size scaling. Instead of waiting for them to get interested in providing Music XML support at a speed like that, we might learn to use this to get nicer leadsheets.
Is anybody else using MuseScore this way? Any tips?
Last edited by allis; 03/27/11 12:26 PM.
Larry
______
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post your own Tips and Tricks here
|
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,607
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,607 |
Nice to know that, thanx. Just tried it. Looks good. Later, Ray
Asus Q500A i7 Win 10 64 bit 8GB ram 750 HD 15.5" touch screen, BIAB 2017, Casio PX 5s, Xw P1, Center Point Stereo SS V3 and EWI 4000s.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post your own Tips and Tricks here
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,867
Veteran
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,867 |
Yes, I tried it too. I see a lot of possibility here. Of course, without reading the manual, I ran into a few problems, like double-bars every part marker, and some chord names that ran into each other or appeared on the wrong staff after apparently wrapping around. It totally mistook quarter note triplets where the first note was a rest. But it is nice that this program understands the BIAB native file format, especially the chords.
Thanks for finding this, Larry. I did not see BIAB mentioned on their website, so how did you know it would work?
BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post your own Tips and Tricks here
|
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 603
Journeyman
|
|
OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 603 |
Hi, Ray and Matt.
I only noticed BiaB files mentioned in File|Open. Apparently the publisher is not advertising the feature, and I suspect perhaps we're not supposed to pay much attention to it yet. That same menu also lists SMF, Overture files, Capella, and some others.
I found the same unruly stuff Matt did.
The melody line shifting between two different treble-clef staves is a bit creepy. I am sorry to hear it confirmed. The idea of melody wrapping around its own saddle horn and popping out The Other Side in some Stephen Hawking maneuver may be the explanation, after all. Maybe it clears up when you peel down to a single leadsheet staff, once there's no wrong place left for it to stagger off to.
Double bars at the Style Markers are actually likable, if you're expecting them; that can be turned to account to denote song sections clearly. It is less handy if you have added many extra markers for kickers. BiaB does it, if you set the option
In a stock state, MuseScore was touchy and literal-minded about timing, which had to be miserably near nominal. It notates too many rests. A first-beat note pulled by a normalish amount yields a holdover from the previous measure. It mostly failed to handle mild eighth-note swing -- all sorts of 16th notes end up in the beams.
The mess all this makes is especially noticeable considering BiaB had already interpreted the same MIDI data in a musical, sane way. I hope that familiarity will enable some leeway dialed into MuseScore by the user to average things out more humanely.
It's free software, so we mustn't rely on changes from the publisher. But boy, don't those chords look good? That's an achievement, that right there
Larry
______
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post your own Tips and Tricks here
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,867
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,867 |
Actually I did not have any trouble with the melody (except the triplets); it was some chord symbols that admittedly are close to each other in BIAB that ran together in MuseScore, or one got bumped to the beginning of the next staff. To be fair, the chords in MuseScore looked better than in my BIAB chordsheet, even before adjusting the spacing, because BIAB uses a smaller font for long, complex chords. Yes, I'm not complaining about the part markers; I like double bars for sections. If PG Music could implement the Wishlist feature suggested by Ian, Jford and others to differentiate part markers from fills, it would work better. Read more here: http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/showflat.p...true#Post277811My next experiment will be to try exporting from MuseScore into other notation programs that I know better. I don't care how convoluted that sounds; it sure beats re-entering the chords. And, maybe PG Music could partner up with these folks.
Last edited by Matt Finley; 03/28/11 06:38 AM.
BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post your own Tips and Tricks here
|
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 603
Journeyman
|
|
OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 603 |
Quote:
My next experiment will be to try exporting from MuseScore into other notation programs that I know better. I don't care how convoluted that sounds; it sure beats re-entering the chords.
Agreed! The extra step need not add much effort, anyway, especially for the three or four leadsheets a week I make. These programs slurp up files instantly; re-import is likely faster than learning a new way of editing.
Users claim MuseScore is easy to learn, but I don't think they grasp how dumb I am.
PS EDIT:
Import into MScore is sometimes unable to handle repeats at all -- it may bail out and stop converting after the first ending. In other tunes, it transcribes the whole piece pretty nicely with complicated repeats, but always in an "unfolded" form.
It oddly prints the Time and Key signatures on a separate line at the end.
It sometimes leaves out notes in the pieces I've tried.
So the process will not be automatic, and there's plainly going to be a fair amount of editing to do somewhere. That's not a shock.
I haven't seen again the bad note timing I originally complained of. I may have arbitrarily grabbed a sloppy melody for the first go. The notes actually look pretty good, including most triplets. There's never many notes missing; at their worst, they could be moused in quickly.
Last edited by allis; 03/28/11 01:19 PM.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post your own Tips and Tricks here
|
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 603
Journeyman
|
|
OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 603 |
Got bad results using Overture 4 (the only capable program I have) to open XML exported from MuseScore.
Notes and staves were successful -- they transfer EXACTLY as they appeared in the original, but no chords survived the trip. Sad surprise. I tried this with tunes converted from BiaB files, and also some from native MScore sheets. In no case did chords come through.
So MScore may need more work, unless I am doing it wrong. Or perhaps Overture is flunking the course. MScore BiaB import is clearly labeled "Experimental" in its menu, so they know they are not done with that.
---------------------
Larry
______
Larry
______
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Update Your PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 Today!
The Newest RealBand 2024 Update is Here!
The newest RealBand 2024 Build 5 update is now available!
Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.
This free update is available to all RealBand 2024 users. To learn more about this update and download it, head to www.pgmusic.com/support.realband.htm#20245
The Band-in-a-Box® Flash Drive Backup Option
Today (April 5) is National Flash Drive Day!
Did you know... not only can you download your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase - you can also choose to add a flash drive backup copy with the installation files for only $15? It even comes with a Band-in-a-Box® keychain!
For the larger Band-in-a-Box® packages (UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition), the hard drive backup copy is available for only $25. This will include a preinstalled and ready to use program, along with your installation files.
Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.
Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!
Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.
Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
Learn more about this free update for Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/support_windowsupdates.htm#1111
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 Review: 4.75 out of 5 Stars!
If you're looking for a in-depth review of the newest Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows version, you'll definitely find it with Sound-Guy's latest review, Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows Review: Incredible new capabilities to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs.
A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."
"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."
"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."
Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!
The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!
There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.
If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.
We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!
Congratulations to the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!
We've just announced the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!
There are 45 winners, each receiving a Band-in-a-Box 2024 UltraPAK! Read the official announcement to see if you've won.
Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums66
Topics81,620
Posts735,182
Members38,517
| |
Most Online2,537
Jan 19th, 2020
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean