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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 58
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 58 |
Been a BIAB user since the early days and have upgraded along the way proably every other version, havent upgraded this year yet.
My question is what approch do you use when creating your songs in BIAB?
I have tried the following:
1. Composing writting in the chords into band in a box then picking a style and "tweaking" to get the right sound I want.
2. Using the melodist to generate a chord progression then "tweaking" it to get a sound I like.
3. Using the melodist to autogenerate melody and chords then "tweaking" it.
The above has proved to work really well but I have always felt that a lot of the songs I have done have had that "BIAB" sound about them so for the next CD project I am working on I am changing it up a bit.
I'm composing the tracks in ezkeys, exporting the midi into BIAB adding realtracks, exporting them into Logic and doing the "tweaking" under logic. So far the two tracks I have done are giving pleasing results.
I'm also "stiching" together a melody line from multiple takes of the realtrack soloist.
I just wondered what others were doing to see if there may be another beter way of working and beter workflow.
Kindest Regards
Adrian
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,322
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,322 |
I write using BB as the notepaper and pen as I play the acoustic guitar. I try to settle on an acceptable style that doesn't inhibit the groove I feel for the song.
I tweeze the style later. Especially if the ideas are flowing well, there's no need to worry with the style when the ideas are coming. I don't want to interrupt that flow.
All my melodies and chords are from the heart, not from the melodist. There was a time that I used the Melodist quite a bit, but I have stopped composing that way. Nothing I every composed that way involved lyrics. So, should I decide to start working instrumental jazz based stuff anytime soon, that would be an option.
I was never a big fan of using a melody that BB had created. So I don't think I ever really used the melody creation function in BB beyond playing around with it early on.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,772
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,772 |
I will work out a chord progression and/or lead first, usually on a guitar. I then put the chord progression into BiaB and play around until I get a style or styles that I like. I use the plugin mode to transfer everything over to Sonar. In Sonar I will either tweak the BiaB arrangement to my liking, it’s easy as I work mostly with MIDI, or I will replace some tracks with my playing. Sometimes I will bounce back and forth between Sonar and BiaB a couple of times to get exactly what I am looking for by adding or replacing MIDI tracks, styles or RTs.
I am also not a big fan of the melodist when it comes to generating complete melodies. However I have found it to be a very valuable tool for stimulating ideas. That is I will generate a complete lead line and most all of the time I will find a few measures that can become my main theme. Sometimes both a verse and chorus idea can come from one melodist generation.
But because BiaB is such a powerful program the above is not in stone! Sometimes what ever BiaB gives me is perfect as is. Sometimes I will just input chords, select a RT style and just jam along with the pros, i.e. mega-fun!
One thing to remember with Biab is that there is no one workflow that fits everyone. Everybody may have a different workflow. Just don’t forget to experiment with BiaB. You may be surprised at what you find.
Me, it's not about how many times you fail, it's about how many times you get back up.
Cop, that's not how field sobriety tests work.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 954
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 954 |
What Herb and Mario said....
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,095
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,095 |
Also what Herb and Mario said from me too.
Prior to having BIAB, I wrote with a guitar usually developing a song that came to mind as I was driving in my car. Most of my original songs still originate from hums, buzzes, whines or other random, repetitive sounds along the highway. Occasionally, I'll hear a phrase or word that will trigger a lyrical idea, but left to my own devices, that rarely happens. I have found it helpful or less distracting to my thoughts on the song I'm writing to simplify the BIAB tracks so I initially select guitars from the campfire Realtracks. Once I've structured my song, I begin to experiment with different styles, instruments and chord changes and variations. I find for me, I am able to retain more of my original melody and song structure doing it that way rather than being influenced and pulled off track by what BIAB generates.
Since I began using BIAB, I have also found Melodist to be a useful tool in a similar way that sounds from the roadway has worked in the past. I guess that is a good way for me to save on gasoline...
Last edited by c_fogle; 05/20/14 08:20 AM.
BIAB Ultra Pak+ 2024:RB 2024, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 108
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 108 |
I am constantly changing the way I do things.
Right now I am picking a style I want to work with
picking a root key. I like to use the demo sometimes to get ideas on chord patterns.
Then I copy those to a notepad or text editor and start new with the style. Then I'll jam with my guitar in the root key and add in some of the chords that I copied or add in new ones.
After I get my pattern ok then I put my sub style changes in the sections then num of choruses ecttt.. All my tweaks... Then unfold the song, and copy the tracks into my daw...
Biab 2019 ultra pack
Dell laptop I7 running windows 2010
Midi keyboard
Roland BR600 8 track recorder
Sonar X3 producer
flstudio 20
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,048
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Veteran
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,048 |
We agree on much of the above.
The Melodist feature works very well to create a general song structure.
However, it may be worth the trouble to add a bridge to the song. This is something you have to do by yourself. Usually its a combination of some chords already present in the song, but in a different order.
A real challenge is to create a bridge and do a modulation (higher pitch) after that.
Another tip you may find useful: when you include a solo in the song, using the soloist, you might want to change some chords (or use totally different ones). This works best while playing an acoustic guitar (or keyboard) by yourself to see which chords work well. It's our experience that the solo part doesn't need that many different chords.
regards,
R & AM
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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.
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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
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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.
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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!
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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!
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