Just messed with some newer RTs sending them to my DAW. Too many holds once again are not found, and some chord errors also appear it seems. Just gave up my current project using BIAB .... Toontracks EZkeys is sometimes even a better option for finding some suitable backup style ...
BTW i spent some time finding missing holds myself, but as there is only an occasional indication of matching hold numbers of similar RTs in the RT picker list, and no list published by PG regarding hold numbers with any description of them, it's no easy job. I guess skipping (half) a year updating BIAB until a proper RT update with all fixes comes out might save me at least a lot of irritation.
Now i realize that it must be tons of work hours, and the pricing of BIAB seems quite reasonable, but still ... grrrr. F
Yes I'm extremely fed up since my original post on the missing holds, 2 Dec 2018.
At that time I got a speedy response from some of the forum gurus that all will be well since: "In the past, shots and holds for most of the new Realtracks have arrived after the release of the new version."
I can't see any logic behind this thinking.
Then in January we had a rather ambiguous response from Andrew of PGM suggesting that all would be well in the next patch.
Now it's The latter half of February and we're still asking!
The holds fix I mentioned was added to the Band-in-a-Box patch shortly after I mentioned it. The issue was that some of the new RealTracks were not assigned holds and this was fixed. All of the actual holds wave files etc. are already present from the beginning. It's true that not every RealTracks has a dedicated hold file, and this has always been the case. Mostly this is RealTracks like Sax that don't need them.
Hi Andrew, just searched for missing holds for about 5 RTs i wanted to use, found some, most to do with acoustic guitar, piano, pedal steel. A lot seems to be fixed since my earlier post about holds and BIAB 614. But at least not all were fixed with the 619 update, and sometimes it can be nice if you have a filling or end note/ chord with an instrumental piece, so saxes and choirs should be on duty too.
So i fixed about 10 myself recently, a lot are not there still:
Andrew, Due to my initial disappointment with RT Holds and other 2019 issues I have used BIAB infrequently to date. When I have used it with arrangements containing holds, I have avoided new RTs, so I should have checked before sounding off today.
I am pleased to see that the holds I need are in place, but I found some other issues while auditioning those RTs that interest me:
3130 Mandola - Plays on holds only, no sound in "normal" bars. 3129 Mandola - Plays on holds only, no sound in "normal" bars. 3127 Mandola - Plays on holds only, no sound in "normal" bars. 3126 Mandola - Plays on holds only, no sound in "normal" bars. 3150 Mandola - Plays on holds only, no sound in "normal" bars. 3148 Mandola - Plays on holds only, no sound in "normal" bars. 3094 Fiddle - Plays on holds only, no sound in "normal" bars. 3093 Bass - No sound. 3090 Guitar - No sound. 3180 Guitar - Plays on holds only, no sound in "normal" bars. 3138 Resonator - Plays on holds only, no sound in "normal" bars. 3139 Resonator - Plays on holds only, no sound in "normal" bars. 3136 Resonator - Plays on holds only, no sound in "normal" bars. 3137 Resonator - Plays on holds only, no sound in "normal" bars.
A way with the nice mandolalas i found, is using the jazz it up function, then they work. Alas, you'll have to cope with major 7 or 6th chords then ....
We were unable to recreate the issue of only the holds playing and not the normal bars. We were able to recreate the issue with RealTracks 3093 and 3090. They will be fixed in an upcoming patch.
If the holds are working and the normal bars are not it would seem to us that the issue does not lie with the holds but something else. It may be possible there is an issue with the song file that you were using to test the holds. What I would suggest is loading the demo song for one of the RealTracks and then right clicking on any chord and select 'chord settings' or press Alt + F5. Change the chord to a shot or a hold in this window and see if it works. You can try this with one chord or with a few different chords. Try this with any of the RealTracks that you had an issue with and let us know if the issue still occurs.
Dave, thanks for advice, Mandola 3148 played from the demo, but not for only a few chords played in my used songfile.
Solution: 'Force track to simple arrangement' in Track Settings was active; switching that off EUREKA ! Maybe a fix for that is somehow possible? It's kind of confusing ...
Loaded the song demos for several of the above RTs, no sound, but holds sounded when I altered some bars. Also tried with Simple Arrangement off and on, no change.
Thanks for the test. That helps narrow down the issue. I think the next thing to do would be to send a frozen song file that is not working for you to support@pgmusic.com so we can have a closer look at what is happening. Please make sure that the file is frozen. If you need detailed instructions on how to do this just mention it in your reply and I'll give you instructions.
I figured out what your issue is. For each track that is not playing you have the track set to "Force Track to Simple Arrangement" under the individual RealTrack option. To fix this right click on the RealTrack name at the top of the screen or in the mixer and go down to Track Settings. Now uncheck the Force Track to Simple Arrangement option and unfreeze the song. When you generate the song again the track should play.
PS jut installed the 621 update ... the missing holds list from above seems to be still the same, among them some pianos, Joe Robinson and Brent Guitars, and accordion stuff. It seems the RT selection page loads a little slower than before, maybe i am wrong though. But if so any opinions or possible fixes ? ... there seems to be nothing missing using rebuild and fix.
The reason that these RealTracks are silent is due to the fact that there are no simple bars assigned for those particular RealTracks. We can look into this issue and maybe we can create a pop up message that lets a user know that since there are no simple tags the playback will be using regular chord progressions instead of silence.
As for the files reverting after saving I can not say for sure why this is happening. It's not happening on my end so it may be possible that you are opening an older version of the song file. There isn't an overall setting that would cause this issue to occur.
Do you open your song files from inside Band-in-a-Box or do you double click on a song file inside of Windows file explorer? There is no difference in loading a song with either option but it is possible if you are using Windows file explorer you are not opening the song from the same location you saved the file previously.
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.
Video: Enhanced Melodists in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®!
We've enhanced the Melodists feature included in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows!
Access the Melodist feature by pressing F7 in the program to open the new MultiPicker Library and locate the [Melodist] tab.
You can now generate a melody on any track in the program - very handy! Plus, you select how much of the melody you want generated - specify a range, or apply it to the whole track.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.