Still very much a Newbie here, but learning. I am working on my 2nd song here and I'm having 2 issues with a track. It's an old style Country song with a background Pedal Steel track. In writing the song in BIAB, I did not use repeats, but just copied and pasted the verses and choruses.
Question 1. The song is in the key of C, and the Chorus or B section starts on an F. On the first Chorus, the pedal steel does not play on the first bar (F) of the chorus for some reason, but picks back up on the 2nd bar, yet it does play on the first bar on next 2 choruses. I've tried using cutting and pasting, drag and drop, and even just deleting and manually re-creating the first chorus, but the same thing happens.
Question 2. There are 3 verses and 3 choruses in the song. Coming out of the 2nd chorus, on the 3rd verse, the pedal steel plays what sounds like an ending figure on the first 2 bars of the verse and then totally drops out for the rest of the verse and well as the last chorus.
I'm guess there is some setting I need to change but I can't find it, and it's driving me nuts! Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks so much!
2023 BIAB Ultrapak, Reaper, EZDrummer 2 & 3, Roland VS-2480, Tascam 38 Reel to Reel 8-Track
I don't think as a new member you can attach to messages yet or I would ask you to attach a copy of the song file.
What you can do is to select the MEMO button and then copy and paste the "Song Summary" into a new post. That will tell us useful information like the tempo, what style and instruments are used and key signature.
I'm thinking the pedal steel guitar may not like the tempo or something like that.
Hi Noel96 I do have the pedal steel track frozen. I did that because, after regenerating it a lot of times, I finally found the exact pedal steel pick up figure that I wanted for the song. If I unfreeze it and regenerate, I have to keep regenerating again to find that pick up figure/lick. Do you think the issue is just on that particular regeneration, so that if I want that pick up figure, I'm stuck with the other issues?
2023 BIAB Ultrapak, Reaper, EZDrummer 2 & 3, Roland VS-2480, Tascam 38 Reel to Reel 8-Track
I think that part of your problem is due to the track's freezing. It's possible that the pedal steel could have been frozen when the song has less bars than what it does now.
When I get something I like, I do exactly what you have done and freeze the parts I want to keep.
Then I save the song.
Then I save the song with a slightly new name.
With this newly named version I unfreeze the track(s) and regenerate. (Because I've already saved the song with the previous name, I can always get back to it and save anything from it that I've frozen.)
I usually end up with around 10-15 versions of a song I can return to if I want to. To change the name, I just use a number. For example, if my song is called "MySong", I first save it as "MySong1", then when I save and move to more experimenting, it becomes "MySong2", then "MySong3", etc.
BIAB files are not very big (usually around 20-30 kilobytes) so they don't take up much room on the computer.
Following this plan of attack, I usually regenerate my song around 1,000 (estimated) times during its writing. This gives me a chance to hear tons of generations and often there is an even better one waiting to be found.
Hi Noel96 I do have the pedal steel track frozen. I did that because, after regenerating it a lot of times, I finally found the exact pedal steel pick up figure that I wanted for the song. If I unfreeze it and regenerate, I have to keep regenerating again to find that pick up figure/lick. Do you think the issue is just on that particular regeneration, so that if I want that pick up figure, I'm stuck with the other issues?
Not necessarily. But you might have to move to Real Band..... freeze the track and copy it to real band. In real band, you can easily use the same exact Steel Guitar real track in multiple additional tracks. You can then easily generate as many new and different versions of the same steel as you need.
I don't work in Real Band except to use it to generate tracks. However, I have in the past used it to generate 5 different guitar solos. I then loaded the 5 tracks into Sonar and used volume automation to comp the 5 tracks into one really smokin solo. You can hear it in this song..... https://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=11971116 I also did the same thing with the piano fills using 2 tracks. The guitar fills are comped from the various 5 tracks. But they are fully used in the solo. None of them alone cut it for the solo.
Using a DAW like Sonar really lets you do things that are difficult at best in BB
Hope this is useful.
Edit: If you get something you like..... freeze it. Sometimes you can get it back through a few regeneration but there's been times that I spent a full hour or more trying to recover a particularly tasty lick to no avail. And there are times where it does exactly what it did for you.... doesn't play in a particular measure, usually at the start. I've had that happen.... If you're not already doing this.... unfold your project to ONE CHORUS. Don't use the repeats in the default mode.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 04/19/2108:33 AM.
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.
Hi Noel96 Thanks for the reply! As to the pedal steel dropping out on the last verse, you were right on the money. I did freeze the steel track before I added that last verse. So un-freezing and re-generating solved that issue. Thank! Thanks for the other tip. I already do that, and have multiple versions of one song. My big problem there is I will re-generate to fix one section and won't lick the new intro lick. I guess I have to learn more and try opening the song in RealBand, and then try cutting and pasting sections. Any other thoughts would be appreciated.
Originally Posted By: Noel96
Hi Boots,
I think that part of your problem is due to the track's freezing. It's possible that the pedal steel could have been frozen when the song has less bars than what it does now.
When I get something I like, I do exactly what you have done and freeze the parts I want to keep.
Then I save the song.
Then I save the song with a slightly new name.
With this newly named version I unfreeze the track(s) and regenerate. (Because I've already saved the song with the previous name, I can always get back to it and save anything from it that I've frozen.)
I usually end up with around 10-15 versions of a song I can return to if I want to. To change the name, I just use a number. For example, if my song is called "MySong", I first save it as "MySong1", then when I save and move to more experimenting, it becomes "MySong2", then "MySong3", etc.
BIAB files are not very big (usually around 20-30 kilobytes) so they don't take up much room on the computer.
Following this plan of attack, I usually regenerate my song around 1,000 (estimated) times during its writing. This gives me a chance to hear tons of generations and often there is an even better one waiting to be found.
Add updated printing options, enhanced tracks settings, smoother use of MGU and SGU (BB files) within PowerTracks, and more with the latest PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 update!
Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.
Did you know... not only can you download your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase - you can also choose to add a flash drive backup copy with the installation files for only $15? It even comes with a Band-in-a-Box® keychain!
For the larger Band-in-a-Box® packages (UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition), the hard drive backup copy is available for only $25. This will include a preinstalled and ready to use program, along with your installation files.
Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.
Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!
Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.
Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
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.
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.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean