Scenario: I have that chord in my head and I'll know that I've got it when I hear it, but I've got nothing at hand to play around with to find it.
What to do?
My first thought was to use the Big Piano interface, but so far I've only been able to click on individual notes with the mouse, and finding a chord that way, let alone identifying it for the sake of then correctly type it into the sheet, is looking less than ideal or simple. Is there a way to play chords on the Big Piano without an external device that I just don't know about? Or will I just have to accept that BBox is pretty useless for those without an external instrument, at least in this respect?!
ooh, is that cake?! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BBox 2022 Audiophile, Mac Pro Intel, OSX 10.6.8, 800x600 (TV VGA)
Interesting, if slightly convoluted, idea, thanks for the input.
Are you by that suggesting that my hopes for the Big Piano having the solution are a dead end, then?
ooh, is that cake?! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BBox 2022 Audiophile, Mac Pro Intel, OSX 10.6.8, 800x600 (TV VGA)
I think the limitation with the big piano is not the piano but that the mouse can focus on only one location at a time. The Chord Builder provides a method for multiple notes to be selected.
The Chord Builder is always just a button click away from opening.
I suppose that's true, but on the other hand, to use the chord builder for this particular purpose (i.e. not really what it was initially conceived for, I'd wager) has its limitations too. For one thing it rather depend on the user having some elementary notion of the connection between the sounds and the chord's names. On a keyboard you can e.g. change just one note with your finger and instantly hear if you're getting closer to the mark while the name of what you did doesn't matter one bit, whereas attempting to do the same - while at the same time having no idea what the chord names in that interface actually mean (not even that a "minor" chord means that a certain note of the chord is a half-tone below a "major" chord!) - will have you face a helluvalot of some very random guesswork. And again, are you sure you can't somehow use the computer keys to play that Big Piano thing? I haven't found a way, but if there is one I very much would like to know about it!
p.s. Maybe this just requires some designated implementation of something new by PG worthy of a request thread...
ooh, is that cake?! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BBox 2022 Audiophile, Mac Pro Intel, OSX 10.6.8, 800x600 (TV VGA)
One way to accomplish your idea (multiple contacts on the onscreen piano keyboard) would be to add multi-finger touchscreen support to the program. I can't think of an easy way to do it using a computer mouse.
I know it is guitar, but here you can find the chord based on the notes you play - and I found quite a few chords that are not in the BIAB supported list (or are yet to find out -that my music theory stinks, and the chord is there just in a different name).
I hope it helps a bit
MacMini M1 - BIAB2021 - Logic Pro X - iZotope Music Production Suite - Scaler 2 - far too many Waves plugins and Line 6 Guitars and boards + a fantastic Yamaha THR10ll mini Amp - Avid MBOX Studio
Peters' Garage is available on all major streaming services
Well, this seems like a bit of let's go around rather than across, but to venture outside the Box (pun intended) for the answer is an angle I admittedly have overlooked. So I'll absolutely give this one a look, thanks for the tip
And now that you mention it, I've got another "long way round" inside my Daw, where I can use a feature which attempts to define (in writing) the chord of any cluster of notes that are playing simultaneously, so there's that too... but again, those do still fall under that "let's go around rather than across" which I find so annoying as solutions...
ooh, is that cake?! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BBox 2022 Audiophile, Mac Pro Intel, OSX 10.6.8, 800x600 (TV VGA)
Another workaround is to play the notes of the chord in your DAW - save it as/render to MP3, and let Audio Chord Wizard do the translation and see if that works.
Again it is not that path across - but maybe the view from going around is not the worst ;-)
MacMini M1 - BIAB2021 - Logic Pro X - iZotope Music Production Suite - Scaler 2 - far too many Waves plugins and Line 6 Guitars and boards + a fantastic Yamaha THR10ll mini Amp - Avid MBOX Studio
Peters' Garage is available on all major streaming services
I don’t have the Mac version here, but doesn’t it have MIDI Chord Detection? This is one of my favorite functions in the Windows version. It’s in the Windows menu, and I don’t know what that might be on a Mac.
BIAB 2023 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6 Pro, Swam horns, Audition 3, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & A5X monitors
I don’t have the Mac version here, but doesn’t it have MIDI Chord Detection?
If by that you mean that quick'n-easy holding down the notes on your midi instrument and hit a certain keystroke combo to enter that chord into the sheet, then yes that's available on our end too. But that still hinges on actually having a midi instrument, which goes against my initial premise of this thread. If, however, you are thinking of something entirely different, then a screenshot would be just the thing to clarify.
ooh, is that cake?! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BBox 2022 Audiophile, Mac Pro Intel, OSX 10.6.8, 800x600 (TV VGA)
Band-in-a-Box® 2023 for Mac is macOS Sonoma Compatible!
We're over the moon to announce that the latest Band-in-a-Box® 2023 for Mac Build 707 is compatible with macOS Sonoma!
Refresh your Band-in-a-Box® 2023 for Mac today with this free update to resolve visibility of notation in the Notation Window, apply smoother use of notation features, update to the Drums VU meter, and add the newest version of the DAW Plugin (5.5.13).
Revisit: Eyes on Success featuring PG Music Inc., Band-in-a-Box®, and the Updated JAWS Script
In the past, Eyes on Success featured an episode that discussed our company history and Band-in-a-Box® program with Tobin, our chief development officer, including how Band-in-a-Box® is even more accessible with the help of their JAWS screen reader scripts!
Later on this month, Eyes on Success will be releasing an episode that features Gudrun Brunot talking about her new tutorials about how to use Band-in-a-Box® with JAWS.
It's a great idea to pair the two episodes together!
Eyes on Success is a weekly radio show / podcast geared to the visually impaired called "Eyes On Success" and that can be found at www.EyesOnSuccess.net.
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User Tip: How to add drum fills without changing any other tracks
MarioD has shared some great advice when it comes to adding drum fills without changing any other tracks in your song:
There have been a number of questions asking how to add drum fills without changing any other tracks in a song. This is especially important if one is holding a chord for a few measures and wants to add a drum fill prior to the next chord. The following is how to accomplish that:
1-get the instruments/tracks to play like you want but don't worry about the drums for now.
2-generate the song.
3-freeze all tracks
4-unfreeze the drum track
5-add your fills where you want them
6-generated the song again - note this will only generate the drum track and not the frozen tracks
7- when you get the drums like you want them freeze the track
Review - Band-in-a-Box® 2023 for Windows is Overflowing with Features!
Dennis posted his very thorough Band-in-a-Box® review recently, where he dives into some of the new features added with version 2023: Sound-Guy's Band-in-a-Box Review
Read his thoughts on the Download & Install Manager, partial track regeneration, Playable RealTracks, Audio Editing, the addition of SynthMaster, the VST DAW Plugin, and more!
"Band-in-a-Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is, without negative connotation, a monster of a program. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. No DAW can do some of the things BIAB does, while BIAB can do a lot that DAWs do."
Band-in-a-Box® Tutorials for Low-vision and Blind Program Users
Our friends at EyesFree_Tutorials have just released their Band-in-a-Box Tutorials, Bundle 2!
Created for low-vision and blind program users, this collection of Band-in-a-Box for Windows tutorials includes 31 audio instruction files and 19 music files for practice, plus help documents. Specific topics include "ABACA, let's make a song form," "Recording melody and lead-in," "Playing and editing: part markers; the handy clipboard. The play function. Search and replace," and more!
Learn more about their new tutorials, and connect with Roy & Gudrun to order the Band-in-a-Box Tutorials, Bundle 2 here.
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We will be constantly updating the resources for this powerful addition to our website based on suggestions & feedback, as well as all of the questions that have been asked by program users and website visitors.
Videos! Get To Know XPro Styles PAK 5 & Xtra Styles PAK 16 for Band-in-a-Box® 2023
XPro Styles PAK 5 adds 75 new RealStyles for rock, pop, jazz, funk, and country, and 25 styles based around MIDI SuperTracks that utilize the SynthMaster plugin!
Here's just a taste of what XPro Styles PAK 5 has in store: electronic Latin funk, spacey dancehall grooves, soulful Americana ballads, heavy house beats, vibin' cool jazz, rollicking country train beats, playful pop country jams, gritty blues rock, modern disco funk, moody synthwave, subdued bossa nova, lo-fi jazz, and many more! Pick up XPro Styles PAK 5 today!
What are XPro Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2023 (or higher). Each PAK includes over 100 styles!
XPro Styles PAKs aren't exclusive to Pro users, there's a huge range of RealStyles available for everyone - even Audiophile customers! That's right, XPro Styles PAKs can be used with ANYBand-in-a-Box® 2023 package!
Xtra Styles PAK 16 includes an absolute plethora of styles... 200 to be exact! 50 new styles each for Jazz, Country, Rock & Pop, and Praise & Worship!
Take a gander at what you can expect to find: modern disco funk, exciting gospel shout, busy jazz fusion, soulful R&B ballads, various Americana styles, modern pop country, blistering heavy metal, uplifting worship rock, lo-fi hip hop, a plethora of progressive rock, old-timey autoharp, modern surf rock, and many more!
What are Xtra Styles PAKs?
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2023 (or higher). With over 2,600 styles included in Xtra Styles PAKs 1-16, the possibilities are endless!
Xtra Styles PAK 16 requires the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® version 2023. They won't work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the 2023 UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition..
How do I know if I have XPro Styles PAKs or Xtra Styles PAKs?
You can find out in Band-in-a-Box® by clicking the "Add-ons" button in the StylePicker. Show me how.
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