A(blue part marker) and B(green part marker) are called "substyles" and yes, A is typically the verse and B the chorus, because the B substyle is generally 'busier' or more intense.
While the change to a different substyle results in a drum fill, that can now be turned off if you have a recent version of BIAB. Also, the intensity of fills depends greatly on the style selected.
In jazz, a form of Intro, AABA, Tag might be done as B,A,A,B,A,B
There is a possibility of using a style with more than two substyles, called a Multistyle. BIAB introduced some of these quite a few years ago, but if I recall correctly, they were MIDI-oriented. It was possible to click through more than A and B; you could get C, D and more and they used different colors.
I believe if you wish to build and save your own style, it should be possible to combine RealTracks in a way to construct a user style that would allow you to do this. Often just changing the drums used makes a major difference in the feel of a song.
You can read more about this by going to Help, Help Index, Substyles. They discuss pre-verse, interlude, drum fills and more.
Also note, you do not have to change the feel of the song by using substyles. You can press F5 (Bar Settings menu) and change the style at any measure. I suspect this technique is used more often than multistyles.
Let me know if this helped you, and ask your questions.
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
Band In A Box is not designed to follow a pop style song form as in Verse - Prechorus - Chorus - verse - prechorus -chorus - bridge - chorus - etc... It follows a traditional jazz and blues form where a chorus means one time through the entire main section of the song. Then it allows you to add repeats of the chorus, intro, tag, ending and such. Best to expand to one big chorus and ignore BIABs use of the term "chorus". 100 bars is usually enough for a moderate tempo song. But, as you build the song you might find it helpful to keep the bars to a minimum for faster regeneration up to the section you are working on. Set your final last bar when you approach completion. Most of my songs are done this way.
You can use Bar Based Lyrics to designate your form.
Many styles allow you to change the drum pattern and rolls used by right clicking on the A or B part marker.
The A Blue and B Green part change markers are used to change the A - B style for verse and chorus and to force a drum roll just before the part marker.
To create a blank bar or blank beat's in a bar insert a chord with a period and make it a rest. "C." It will rest until your next chord.
Right click on the bar for more on bar settings. right click on the blue or green substyle part marker for more on drum pattern and other choices.
Do most people work with BIAB without using the "a" and "b" markers?
I would really like the option of being able to name and tag a section chorus, or bridge or Intro with a different letter and have BIAB react to that labeled section.
Here's how I look at it. It's simple, but I try to keep things organized in my head at a basic level before expanding.
Any time you put a marker (an A or B change) in the song, the preceding measure will get a drum fill at the end of it (or a 'lead in').
Whether it is two A's in a row or A/B changes or two (or three) B's in a row. In my simple mind, this is how I can force/control a fill. Whether I call them chorus or prechorus or George, I control the drums/fills for a given section with this one simple rule.
There are also actual literal 'Markers' where you can label a section whatever you want, but the above is how I control the drums, which is what I think you were asking.
Make your sound your own! .. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
I'm not using MAC so I don't want to how to label a bar. And, I don't normally label the bars in BIAB. I label them in my DAW, Reaper.
rharv said; "Any time you put a marker (an A or B change) in the song, the preceding measure will get a drum fill at the end of it (or a 'lead in')."
But in BIAB2016 for Windows I can right click on the style change marker or blank space where the style change/part marker would be and in the dialog I can remove the check mark for "Allow Drum fill before this part marker (normal)" and no drum roll/fill when I don't want one. I'm not sure if this is true for all styles but so far so good.
Can someone tell me how to label a bar? I'm using the Mac 2016 version
Not sure about the Mac, in the PC version you can add a letter to a Bar (with or without a part marker). Right-click where the part marker displays, and choose Bar-base Section Letters:
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Add updated printing options, enhanced tracks settings, smoother use of MGU and SGU (BB files) within PowerTracks, and more with the latest PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 update!
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.
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!
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!
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.
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