Hi All, So I have worked out how to import my BIAB tracks into Reaper, but I am working on one song for which BIAB has a great drum lead in, but because it is a Lead In, it does not export to Reaper. Is there any way to get that lead in into the first bar of the song in BIAB? That way it will export to Reaper. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Thanks!
2023 BIAB Ultrapak, Reaper, EZDrummer 2 & 3, Roland VS-2480, Tascam 38 Reel to Reel 8-Track
heres some little techniques i use in marrying biab and reaper..ymmv/hth. (ive used reaps since v0.99 with biab and realband, and done approx 90 songs useing the combo.) 1. i ignore the biab count off. i just let it prattle on...before song starts i do 8 bars of my own (eg key of A...key dont really matter.) ie...a.d times 8 bars at start of bb chord sheet. the .d signifying of course play drums only. if i want drum solo start i muck around with lots of the blue/green markers in bb. if i want it straight i use the bb markers more sparsely. note..later on after song finished i might decide in the mixing phase in reaps whether to use some of the drum intro, or none or whatever. but the 8 bars is there just in case...ie flexibility. i urge you to experiment with the above cos you can get some interesting drum lead ins and solos for a song. 2. i make sure my markers in reaps eg intro/v1/ch1/v2/ch2/lead1/v3/ch3/outtro (where v is verse and ch is chorus for example) match my biab song sections so i can correlate tween the two. (of course bpm's must match.) 3. if the song is very very complex, in the past ive divided to conquer..let me explain with an example. on one complex song like that i had 10 seperate biab files. labelled such as drum solo intro, verse one, chorus one with bass run, lead break sax solo, lead break guitar solo, verse two, chorus 2 ...etc need i go on ?? see what i do ? this simplifies. then i export the traks from each bb file and line up the audio in reaps easy peasy cos the file names i use in bb match my markers in reaps. (if you read my bb wishes ive been wanting a new bb bars view...maybe one day lol.)
i dont have time to get into every technique , but hope this gets you started. for example think on this...you might ask well how do i do subtle drum breaks in my song ? no probs. create a bb file called drum breaks and fill it full of dotD's ...meaning play drums only, and colored markers etc etc . audition/regen till happy and save...now in reaps have 2 drum traks. one called basic bed drums following basic guide beat and another called drum fills. so you export drum fills from the dotD bb file to reaps and then you can decide where you want fills in the song. in reaps you could move the different fills around via cut/paste. (same in rb.) so many tricks...lol. best oldmuso
I wonder if you might be aligning BIAB's bar 1 with Reaper's bar 1 and that you have Reaper set so that bar 1 is the very first bar. (This probably sounds confusing. Please keep reading and hopefully, clarity will be added.)
Since BIAB, has a 2-bar intro (these are it's default settings, at least), I have Reaper set so that "bar 1" is actually the third bar of Reaper.
To do this, enter into Project Settings and set Reaper's first bar to "-1" (see #3 on the graphic below).
Once this is done, bars -1 and 0 can act as BIAB's 2-bar lead-in and bar 1 in BIAB and bar 1 in Reaper still align with one another.
Hope this helps, Noel
P.S. Don't forget to set BIAB's Audio Export settings to include the 2-bar lead-in and the Drum count-in. These settings are found under the Audio menu.... "Audio | Export song as Audio File"
Wow, Noel, I thought about all that but did not have the energy to lay out all the info. Good for you mate. You deserve the "attaboy" award for your forum support services.
As I start my projects in BIAB I just do the structure in BIAB bbot Reaper & the DAW Plugin, drag the tracks in and then put markers in if I feel the need. You folk are too complex for my skull...though I'll have to try something like the described set up some time soon.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
So many thanks for all you folks for your replies! I am definitely going to follow up on Noel's and Oldmuso's posts. Some of the instructions are a bit deep for my newbie knowledge and skills, but I think, just getting that understanding of them will be priceless! I guess I should have explained that the way I use Reaper is that, after writing and arranging the song in BIAB and saving it, I open a new project in Reaper, start a new track, add BIAB plug in and on the BIAB window that pops up, go to File, open up the song from BIAB, hit Generate and than click and drag all the tracks over to Reaper. It's been working really well, and I do get the opening click lead ins, but as I used a drum lead in on this song, I got the click but not the drums. So, in the meantime I did figure out a work around, although perhaps a bit lengthy and not so elegant. In BIAB I muted all the tracks except the Drum track. Then I exported the drum track as a .wav file to my comuputer. Than, in the Reaper project (I had already dragged all the other tracks there) I just did Insert/Media file and inserted the drum track .wav file from my computer. It all worked fine. Let me know what you all think of that process. Thanks again for all the help!
2023 BIAB Ultrapak, Reaper, EZDrummer 2 & 3, Roland VS-2480, Tascam 38 Reel to Reel 8-Track
Hi MusicStudent Yes, I would have thought so, but it does no. I guess it's because the drum lead in is not in the first bar.
Noel cleared up this issue. In fact the lead in is in the first two bars, but BIAB does not show these in its chart. But Reaper knows these are there and if you do as Noel indicated you can place the lead in bars at -2 and -1 if you like. So that is not the problem.
What I think is your problem is expecting the songs constructed in BIAB to be identical to what is done in the BIAB-VST. We are not there yet in regards to some of the fine details. Several folks continue to push the developers to move the entire kitchen sink into the BIAB-VST. We have really come a long way and I am excited to see "promised additions" for BIAB-VST 2022.
Otherwise, glad to see you have workaround options and this is not stopping you from having fun.
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