Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Post your own Tips and Tricks here
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,312
PG Music Staff
OP Offline
PG Music Staff
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,312
Like what you hear in Band-in-a-Box®? Make sure to Freeze the track(s) or song! Once frozen, it won't be regeneraged or change when you play it again - and your choice isn't final, since you can unfreeze them just as easily:

  • press the blue snowflake button within the track name of the mixer window
  • press the blue snowflake button within the expanded toolbar of the program (Ctrl + T will swap between the two toolbar views), and select the track(s)

Note: If you want to force Band-in-a-Box® to generate tracks without adjusting the Freeze settings, hold down the Shift key as you press the [Generate and Play] button (the fly-by hint will remind you of that) or choose the menu command Play | Play Special | Generate (even if tracks are frozen).

To learn more about freezing your Band-in-a-Box® tracks or songs, visit Chapter 5: Playing Songs | Freezing tracks of our Online Manual.

Reasons to Freeze a RealTracks track (audio):
  • Frozen tracks will play back instantly, not requiring time to generate.
  • They play back the same way each time, so if you like a solo, you can "freeze it."
  • If you send a song to a friend as "frozen," they will hear the same performance.
  • For the Soloist track, if you generate a solo, it can now be saved (by freezing the track).

Reasons to Freeze a MIDI track:
  • You can edit the MIDI data, to customize the performance to match a certain song, and this will be saved. Use the Notation or Piano Roll window to edit the track.

More reasons to freeze any track:
  • Frozen tracks play back instantly, without requiring time to regenerate.
  • They play back the same way each time.
  • You can change the chord progression of the song and have one part playing a different chord progression than the rest of the band. For example, type a “blowing” chord progression, generate a solo, freeze the solo track, then type a normal chord progression and generate the rest of the instruments (bass/guitar etc.) that will play the normal changes.
  • Have different instruments play different styles. For example, the Bass could be generated using Reggae, then Frozen, and then the rest of the instruments generated using a Techno style.


Callie
Marketing Representative
PG Music Inc.
Post your own Tips and Tricks here
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,615
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,615
Great tip. Never used this feature but will now. Rob

Post your own Tips and Tricks here
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,786
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,786
More reasons - Shots, Rests & Holds:

1. Using holds & shots often will affect the soloist, so that it instead of actually soloing over those bars, it goes along with the rest into shots & holds (which is rarely what you'd want). Solution: Generate the soloist before you enter the Chords Options for the SRH (shots/rests/holds), then freeze Soloist and now adjust SRH for the other tracks (see/hear for instance my "Modern Mozart" in Showcase where I've done precisely this).

2. Rests (generally) work far better artistically when entered via the Chords Options instead of the brute force muting in Bar settings, but there could be cases where you wanted a rest for an instrument at a bar where you also wanted a hold for another instrument. Or in the case of drums, often a hold for drums will sound far more pleasing than the Shot, particularly on slower tempos, even if the Shot is what you wanted for the overall instruments -> Freeze to the rescue!!
First do the 'odd one out' exception, freeze it and deactivate the SRH for that track (once frozen it should still play that way) so that you can then do the SRH that's intended for the majority, and presto!

Last edited by Icelander; 11/21/18 06:01 AM. Reason: Correcting mistakes

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
BBox 2022 Audiophile, Mac Pro Intel, OSX 10.6.8, 800x600 (TV VGA)
Post your own Tips and Tricks here
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,055
Productor Musical
Offline
Productor Musical
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,055
Nice tip!! Freezing tracks is a cool feature I use a lot since it was implemented in Band-in-a-Box some years ago.

Here an additional little "service" trick around this tip: in the case when I need go back to the original progression after freeze or have extra or modified chord progressions at hand, I use the 'not played chord area' (the unused chord area after song END ) as a "chord scratch pad". That way I avoid having to re-type enter it again, save and reload again the song or write the chord progression manually out of BIAB.

- Just copy and paste in the unused chord area the chord(s) or chord progression that you want to keep for later recover. You can even include your bar settings: pushes, shot, hold chords, rest, as Icelander point in his excellent Tip. Sometimes I have several saved progressions there.

Of course, this is useful as long as that area have bars available, which is quite likely happens most of time. So, If your song is very long then you can run out of space for this workaround.




NOTE:
I don't know if it has already been posted, but it may be useful to those who have not seen it before. Please, let me know if not, to post it apart.

Post your own Tips and Tricks here
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,786
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,786
Originally Posted By: CarlosEArellano

NOTE:
I don't know if it has already been posted, but it may be useful to those who have not seen it before. Please, let me know if not, to post it apart.
The only comment I have about your post is that it should be in its own thread, if for nothing else than because the tip itself has absolutely nothing to do with freezing.


Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
BBox 2022 Audiophile, Mac Pro Intel, OSX 10.6.8, 800x600 (TV VGA)
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

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.

PG Music News
Band-in-a-Box 2025 French Version is Here!

Bonjour à tous,

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music

Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:

BIAB 2025 - francisation
RealBand 2025 - francisation

Voilà, enjoy!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 German Version is Here!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!

Die deutsche Version Band-in-a-Box® 2025 für Windows ist ab sofort verfügbar!

Alle die bereits die englische Version von Band-in-a-Box und RealBand 2024 installiert haben, finden hier die Installationsdateien für das Sprachenupdate:

https://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/languagesupport/deutsch2025.exe
https://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/languagesupport/deutsch2025RB.exe

Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!

Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.

Stay up to date—get the latest update now!

Update to RealBand® 2025 Build 5 Windows Today!

Already using RealBand® 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 5 now from our Support Page to ensure you have the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.

Get the latest update today!

PowerTracks Pro Audio 2025 for Windows is Here!

PowerTracks Pro Audio 2025 is here! This new version introduces many features, including VST3 support, the ability to load or import a .FLAC file, a reset option for track height in the Tracks window, a taller Timeline on the Notation window toolbar, new freeze buttons in the Tracks window, three toolbar modes (two rows, single row, and none), the improved Select Patch dialog with text-based search and numeric patch display, a new button in the DirectX/VST window to copy an effects group, and more!

First-time packages start at only $49. Already a PowerTracks Pro Audio user? Upgrade for as little as $29!

www.pgmusic.com/powertracks.htm

Video: Summary of the New Band-in-a-Box® App for iOS®

Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new Band-in-a-Box® app for iOS®! Designed for musicians, singer-songwriters, and educators, this powerful tool lets you create, play, and transfer songs effortlessly on your iPhone® or iPad®—anytime, anywhere.

Band-in-a-Box® for iOS® :Summary video.

Check out the forum post for more information.

Introducing the New Band-in-a-Box iOS App!

We’re excited to introduce the new Band-in-a-Box iOS app, designed to enhance your music creation. The Band-in-a-Box iOS app is the perfect companion to your desktop version, giving you the freedom to sketch out ideas wherever you are and develop them further when you're back at your workstation. Now, you can create, play, generate, and transfer songs seamlessly between your iOS device, and desktop.

Key Features:

- Easily Create and Play Songs – Build and play songs effortlessly on your device.
- MIDI and RealTracks/RealStyles Support – Generate MIDI tracks and RealTracks/RealStyles right on your iPhone or iPad (RealTracks/RealStyles require an internet connection).
- Notation Support – View chord sheets, professional notation, tab, and drum notation for all tracks.
...and more!

Watch the Band-in-a-Box iOS Overview Video.

Visit the Band-in-a-Box for iOS support page for more information and to listen to demos of our RealStyles catalogue.

Download the Band-in-a-Box iOS App from the Apple App Store today!

Forum Statistics
Forums58
Topics83,975
Posts773,067
Members39,515
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
Newest Members
timroberts, Heliosis, zcr, DaveC3, Luicocca57
39,515 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 168
DC Ron 98
rsdean 89
Noel96 74
WaoBand 66
Today's Birthdays
valentimo
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5