It's a machine, I was trying to do shots on D bass in a 12 bar blues in D, but it kept playing different notes. After trying for hours I thought it was a bug until seeing your post, then the penny dropped, it was shot-ing on D but hitting random chord tones so I had to enter Bb/D to make it work.
Now I want to enter a 4 bar drum solo & can't find a drumkit in the soloists list, PG customer support maintains that drummers don't play solo's.
I’m not at a computer now, but you can set a Pedal bass in BIAB, so I wonder how short it can be. I think I recall it would have to be a full measure minimum, perhaps more. If anyone could check that, it might explain why we get these results, that PG Music expects us to use another method.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
It's on the chord settings (right-click->Chord Settings, or Alt-F5).
I found the D/D and similar curious. In a purely notational sense, there's no need for it. but as a means explicitly to instruct the bass to just follow the bass line, it's kind-of reasonable, maybe even inevitable.
Code:
Track Settings and Actions->Options for selected track->simpler
(F7) might help. In my limited tries, it seemed to change bass to alternating just the root and the fifth, rather than arpeggiating the whole chord.
Last edited by Gordon Scott; 09/06/2203:26 AM. Reason: added "F7"
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
A D chord entered with a slash note for the bass on D.
In this case, since the D note is the root of D chord, it's a given so it defaults to the normal view of D unlike if you wanted a D chord with a G in the bass..... D/G
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
A D chord entered with a slash note for the bass on D.
In this case, since the D note is the root of D chord, it's a given so it defaults to the normal view of D unlike if you wanted a D chord with a G in the bass..... D/G
But it doesn't accept D/D as the input, neither does it play a D bass. All of these chords were entered as D/D. That is what has become the conundrum here:
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
This is interesting and indeed a bug that should be fixed. But it seems there is a somewhat complicated way to force Band in a Box to play the root of the key as slash bass. To do this, you have to specify the slash bass in each bar individually via the chord builder, for example D/D. If you only copy the bar into others or make no chord input in the next bars, the slashbass will be suspended again. In my example below I did it like this for the first two bars, then it works with the D in the bass track. But I have not tried this with other styles. It will not show the slash bass in the chord view and notation view. By the way: the keyboard shortcut ALT+F5 should also get fixed as this still does not invoke the chord settings.
Biab/RB latest build, German Language Pak, Win 10/64 Pro, 1 TB SSD, 32 GB RAM. Notation SW Finale, StaffPad, SmartsScore – Playing Double Bass, Guitar, Piano
Brille, appreciate your input. Inspired by what you mentioned, I tried many different ways with varying levels of success. In my case, I 'think' the constant D in the bass was more of a coincidence than my designed outcome. I tried the slash D in beats 1&2 and also 3&4. Each generation gave a different outcome, and this first screen capture was the closest after several tries. The second screen capture was another generation from the same file. Bass line has the note D in different parts of the bar.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
Audiotrack, you're right, I looked at it again after your post and it really was just a coincidence. Too bad, it seemed to work that way initially.
Appreciate your input and feedback, Brille. I think that we have identified either an issue or an undocumented feature. I can see no reason why the slash note should not follow the chord. I think we'll take this to the developers for clarification / resolution.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
Floyd Jane Quote, 4/14/21: << You can then import that into you other BIAB file as an audio track. I believe that if you name it properly (I do not know what that name IS, but others can probably tell you - Charlie Fogle or Noel Adams would likely know), and put it in the same folder as you full SGU, it will automatically load it to the Bass track... >>
Floyd is correct and he's referring to Artist Performance Files. (PG Music refers to them as Performance Files in the Mixer settings. One can see that this is a very versatile and powerful tool from the description below.
PG Music, Andrew Quote 12/4/13 from the UserTracks Forum: << ----- 7. Artist Performance Files.
These are audio files, that you put on a track, that can also have the MIDI transcription of it. People hear the audio, and see the MIDI in notation/guitar tab etc. For example, if you are a great bluegrass fiddle player, you could put your songs in this format. People can listen to your real playing, see the notes on screen, slow them down etc. - all inside Band-in-a-Box where they can do other things like solo/mute other tracks, mix them etc. >>
FYI Audiotrack passed this to the developers, and a little more discussion has taken place. While we would never write a chord like D/D in regular notation, it would be useful to be able to have this level of precision in programming BIAB.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
FYI Audiotrack passed this to the developers, and a little more discussion has taken place. While we would never write a chord like D/D in regular notation, it would be useful to be able to have this level of precision in programming BIAB.
Though it might perhaps be better as a bass-specific option rather than a notation option. Of course there's a significant overlap, but to me the slash-chords approach just feels like a kludge.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
Yes, it is a bass-specific option just for BIAB programming. It’s not a request for this to be notation. It’s no different a direction to BIAB than is ^D/C..bd which is also not notation.
For example, if I want to force a descending bass line I would like to be able to write D/F,D/E | D/D,D/C
Writing just D instead of D/D does not guarantee BIAB will play a D in the bass there.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Yes, it is a bass-specific option just for BIAB programming. It’s not a request for this to be notation. It’s no different a direction to BIAB than is ^D/C..bd which is also not notation.
For example, if I want to force a descending bass line I would like to be able to write D/F,D/E | D/D,D/C
Writing just D instead of D/D does not guarantee BIAB will play a D in the bass there.
I suppose what I find uncomfortable is that I see slash chords, at least in part, as an indication of a desired inversion rather than a specific direction to the bass player, though the bass player will normally follow that line anyway, so perhaps I'm being over picky.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
It’s a good question because my understanding was the reverse. I think the only purpose of a / in BIAB Is to specify the bass. We have no control, to my knowledge, over the inversion played. It would be nice if PG Music could comment.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
<< While we would never write a chord like D/D in regular notation >>
This puzzles me, likely from my lack of knowledge of notation, but if the Bass music is playing D/D, why would that never be notated? What would be the correct notation?
From my novice understanding, in Matt's example, if I want to force a descending bass line I would like to be able to write D/F,D/E | D/D,D/C; Wouldn't the bass notation be written to follow the slash chords exactly?
Any bass player I know would see that progression, recognize a descending bass line, and play the D. Would a computer algorithm? I don’t know, so I would like to make it perfectly clear.
Would you write D/C..bd on a leadsheet? No. Would BIAB understand and use that expression correctly? Yes.
By the way, on a leadsheet, it’s fine to write only the slash root if the underlying chord remains the same. So you might see Dm and then later in the measure see just /C and you know this means keep playing Dm but add the descending bass note of C Can you do that in BIAB? I don’t think so (I need to try it).
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Simplistically, the most recent discussion here which has been very worthwhile, is that an anomaly has been identified whereas BiaB has the ability to control the exact bass note to be played - as long as it is not the same as the named chord.
To explain: A/B is OK. The required played note by the bass is always B. A/G is OK The required played note by the bass is always G. or any other variation.
However: A/A does not work reliably where the required played note by the bass is A
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
Any bass player I know would see that progression, recognize a descending bass line, and play the D. Would a computer algorithm? I don’t know, so I would like to make it perfectly clear.
Would you write D/C..bd on a leadsheet? No. Would BIAB understand and use that expression correctly? Yes.
By the way, on a leadsheet, it’s fine to write only the slash root if the underlying chord remains the same. So you might see Dm and then later in the measure see just /C and you know this means keep playing Dm but add the descending bass note of C Can you do that in BIAB? I don’t think so (I need to try it).
Thanks for your reply Matt. It gives me a better understanding in regard to notation. Presently, if I'm in need of a D/D or the same with any key, it's a simple copy/paste for me to do in just a few seconds using the BIAB Audio Editor to edit a root D bass note to the correct position but an avoidable edit if PG Music were to do as suggested and make the D/D command possible.
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