In previous years versions of BIAB, you could change MIDI patches on the Thru track, replay the song from the beginning and the song would play with the new patch as long as you didn't do a "Save" or "Save As". You could do this over and over again auditioning new patches every time you restarted the song. If you did do a "Save / Save As", the song would then be saved with that new patch and the song would use that patch from then on.

This all changed in 2021 for reasons unknown to me. Now, it seems that a song is locked into whatever MIDI patch that is used on the Thru track when the song is first saved. Any change of that patch on the Thru track will be ignored when the song is replayed even if you use the "File...save special...save song with patches and harmonies" pull-down.

For me, this is the most frustrating thing about BIAB 2021. I can't start a song with a new MID patch on the Thru track, it always reverts to the old patch every time the song is replayed. Forget about auditioning sounds. This has required a major change in my workflow.

This behavior does makes some sense though...frustrating as it is! When you play the song from the beginning, the programs pulls in all of the previously saved parameters...Realtracks, styles, volume setting, reverb etc...including the MIDI patch that was saved on the Thru track when the song was first saved.

After weeks of frustration with this, multiple 2021 version updates later and after posting several postings about this on the beta tester forum...I think have found a way around this behavior.

1. Open a song that you have previously saved that has a higher bank Thru track patch assigned to it

2. In the upper left hand corner of BIAB, click on "File...Save Special...Save Song with Patches and Harmonies". This will open a pull down box called "Assign Instruments and Harmonies to the Song".

3. Make sure the Thru track is checked "on" on the left side

4. Here's, the secret: click on the right side of the pulldown for the Thru track and regardless of what it says select " 0 No Patch change". This will result in the mixer on the right of BIAB immediately showing <Instrument 0 No Patch change> on the Thru track.

5. You can either save the song now with these new settings or audition new higher bank patch with each new play.

6. Once you make this Step 4 change, you can freely audition new Thru track changes midway through a song or from the beginning with each new play.

7. Once you find what you like, again save the song with a new or the same name

8. Now when you pull up the song again, even days later, you will still be able to freely audition new higher bank Thru track patches and play the song from the beginning with the new patch.

Long winded yes, don't know why this works, but it does. I hope that might help you too.

Jeff

Great information Mountainside! Thank you for taking time to share it in Tips & Tricks.