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Apologies if this has already been posted by someone else...

I've started using the plugin. It's been there for years but one of the things that stops me is that it doesn't appear to have one of the songwriting features I like best in the main program:

I like to experiment with chords on my keyboard and, when I find one I like, press Ctrl + Enter and BIAB puts it in the current bar and tells me what it is.

I would like to be able to write songs using the plugin. If it had more of the main program's features like this one, it might suit my workflow.

If this is already possible in the plugin, please let me know.

I use Presonus Studio One. Is there a way to transfer BIAB chords from the BIAB chord sheet into the Presonus chord track or the other way round?

Thanks

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Originally Posted By: Lazarus
..I use Presonus Studio One. Is there a way to transfer BIAB chords from the BIAB chord sheet into the Presonus chord track or the other way round?....

https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=659801
https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=544133
https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=625730

You can also enter chords in Biab, copy then paste into the BBPlugin.

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Thanks Pipeline. Very helpful.

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Originally Posted By: Lazarus


I like to experiment with chords on my keyboard and, when I find one I like, press Ctrl + Enter and BIAB puts it in the current bar and tells me what it is.


I raised this question with PG Tech Support. They wrote:

"The BIAB plugin does not support key commands like Ctrl-Enter, as most DAWs intercept the keyboard and do not pass most keyboard commands like that along to any plugin. Ctrl-Enter is not necessary to enter chords - simply type the chord and press Enter, or press left/right/up/down to move between cells when entering chords."

I do realise that you can enter chords by typing the chord name but, in many cases, when experimenting with more complex chords (e.g. descending progressions) I don't know the names of all the more complex chords but it's very handy that the BIAB main program can recognise chords via MIDI keyboard. In the main program you do this by pressing Control + Enter. I would like this function in the plugin. If that's not possible with Ctrl + Enter then I would like some other way to have this MIDI chord recognition function for chord entry in the DAW plugin.

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The BBPlugin has midi input so that should not be a problem.
If they use the same chord input recognition method as Biab uses.
I did make one up for Biab, but it uses the built in recognition.
https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=573570

Attached Files (Click to download or enlarge) (Only available when you are logged in)
BBvst-midi-in.png (11.42 KB, 61 downloads)
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There is a workaround until they implement:
If you have Biab running the DAW small always on top mode,
your keyboard chords will be inputted to that,
you can use AutoHotkey to copy that chord to the clipboard then paste into the BBPlugin.
So you play the chord press a hotkey that will copy it from Biab to BBPlugin.

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Thanks.

Yes, I think I'm going to have to keep working in the main program in parallel with my DAW until BIAB's songwriting features I like are included in the plugin.

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Originally Posted By: Lazarus
Thanks.

Yes, I think I'm going to have to keep working in the main program in parallel with my DAW until BIAB's songwriting features I like are included in the plugin.


I agree. That's what I'm doing also.


Me, it's not about how many times you fail, it's about how many times you get back up.
Cop, that's not how field sobriety tests work.

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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It's got the code in there to output a chord name to midi notes just needs the other way around.

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Try this
Download https://www.autohotkey.com/
If you have Biab running As Administrator go to the install folder
C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey and set AutoHotkey.exe to Run As Administrator.
Remove the .mp4 from Biab Copy Midi Chord Input.ahk.mp4 unzip and run.
It will run in the system tray "H" you can right click to exit.
The hotkey is F2 but you can change it to what you like.
Open Biab and make it small, set your midi keyboard input,
Window menu > Midi Chord Detection > Midi Chord Detection
The Sleep, 1000 is the delay from when it has copied the chord till it sends paste to where you have clicked in the BBPlugin chord sheet.
So you play the chord
hit F2
click in the BBPlugin chord sheet.

I will try and make one to do this automatically without Biab, so as you hit the chord on your keyboard it will automatically go in.
winActivate, ahk_class CCLShadowWindowClass > this is to activate the Studio One Plugin window. If it's in another DAW it can be set to that.
To get it to move to the next bar put another
Send, {RIGHT}

Code:
#NoEnv
#SingleInstance Force

F2::
winactivate, ahk_class ahk_class TChordDisplayDlg
Send, {TAB}
Sleep, 100
Send, +{TAB}
Sleep, 100
Send, ^C
Sleep, 1000
winactivate, ahk_class CCLShadowWindowClass
Send, %Clipboard%
Send, {RIGHT}
Return

If you want to send to Reaper (the chord will go in without clicking on the sheet in Reaper):
Code:
#NoEnv
#SingleInstance Force

F2::
winactivate, ahk_class ahk_class TChordDisplayDlg
Send, {TAB}
Sleep, 100
Send, +{TAB}
Sleep, 100
Send, ^C
Sleep, 300
winActivate, ahk_class #32770 
Send, %Clipboard%
Send, {RIGHT}

Return

Attached Files (Click to download or enlarge) (Only available when you are logged in)
Biab Copy Midi Chord Input.ahk.mp4 (249 Bytes, 25 downloads)
S1-BBvst-Send-Midi-Chords.gif (165.16 KB, 37 downloads)
Last edited by Pipeline; 11/07/21 08:05 PM.
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Thanks very much for that.

I checked out Autohotkey and was uneasy about it being used by malware...

https://thehackernews.com/2021/05/experts-warn-about-ongoing-autohotkey.html

so I think I will keep the main BIAB program open and use that for chord detection and then just write the chord name detected into the DAW plugin.

I'll probably carry on using the main program anyway for songwriting because it's so much quicker to experiment with alternative styles without having to render and drag out as in the plugin. And it has other features that I miss in the plugin.

Thanks again for your helpful suggestions.

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That makes not difference if you have AutoHotkey installed or not as it's a script that is complied to an exe and does not require AutoHotkey to be installed, it's self contained:
"The RAT delivery campaign starts from an AutoHotKey (AHK) compiled script," the researchers noted. "This is a standalone executable that contains the following: the AHK interpreter, the AHK script, and any files it has incorporated via the FileInstall command. In this campaign, the attackers incorporate malicious scripts/executables alongside a legitimate application to disguise their intentions."

It's the same as saying I won't to use Delphi or C++ or Lua or bat as they can be used to make viruses.
What is posted above for Biab is a text file that you can read.

There are millions of users using it https://www.autohotkey.com/boards/

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