Where can I find instructions, videos or something on how to use the notation imput screen. I am trying to imput the melody from a Jazz Waltz and having terrible time. I thought it would be pretty strait forward in 3/4 time with one exception (bar 8). Perhaps, no one uses BIAB for notation. If so, please tell me. I think I may export the song in XML and use Musescore. Is that a better way?
Where can I find instructions, videos or something on how to use the notation imput screen. I am trying to imput the melody from a Jazz Waltz and having terrible time. I thought it would be pretty strait forward in 3/4 time with one exception (bar 8). Perhaps, no one uses BIAB for notation. If so, please tell me. I think I may export the song in XML and use Musescore. Is that a better way?
Thanks....JD
It is not really a notation program. It is serviceable but you are right in that the XML export and doing it in a real notation program might be your best bet. Plenty of people use the notation features in BIAB, but it is just not that great.
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
Thanks Noel. I found that video before and it was not a great help. I think the issue is 3/4 time. I was able to create a dotted quarter and I was able to get the next note section to tie.
I started thinking that a tied eight and quarter not is really the same as a dotted quarter note? Maybe I can't replicate the sheet music the way I want. Maybe BIAB will not support this notation in 3/4. I may have to try 6/8.
First a general comment. I’ve used most notation software and served as a beta tester for two (three if you count BIAB). I love the notation entry of BIAB. prefer to enter new parts in BIAB rather than any of the others, but then I export the part as MIDI or Music XML to a dedicated notation software. MuseScore is surprisingly good for a free product.
What style are you using, and is it Even or a Swing style?
BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
I tried importing into Musescore and it DID import easily. However, it came in as 4/4 time and I could not change time to 3/4. I only imported the melody staff.
I will keep playing with it and then see if I can eventually import back into BIAB. BIAB is so much quicker inputting chords than Musescore, but not so much with notation.
The song I'm working on is called Nola's Waltz and it won the Young Jazz Composer's Award of 2005. It's by Bob Borgstede and he used to be my instructor. I just upgraded to Ultra and they have some great styles for the song so I wanted to give it a try in BIAB. I may VST the outline in BIAB and add my own melody to the DAW.....JD
What style are you using, and is it Even or a Swing style?
It has three dashed lines per beat, so triplets, which I believe indicates it's a swing style. I think that's the root of the problem. Going to even time allows more the notation the OP expects.
However, I note that it can also be done in swing time by putting the second note in the bar on the third dashed vertical of the bar, not on the middle line as the OP is doing.
I'm not though that familiar with the notation editor in BiaB, so please correct me if I'm mistaken.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. Kawai MP6, Korg M50, Ui24R, Saffire Pro 40. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11; Win8.1: Scarletts BIAB2022 UltraPAK, Reaper, a bunch of stuff.
Someone told me I had the resolution set to swing and recommended to turn off swing. I did, but I could still not do what I want. Gave me same results.
To me the bars excluding bar 8 look OK, though the second half of each bar is in 8th+quarter style, not dotted quarter note (I too prefer dotted-quarters in this situation).
I'm not sure if bar 8 is resolvable into the quadruplet, that's beyond my experience. There is an option, by right-clicking in the beat, to change beat resolution, but in my limited experiments, the notes were not displayed as a quadruplet. There's no mention of quadruplets in the manual, but that's hardly surprising as BiaB is really rater 4/4 oriented. It may be worth experimenting further about triplets in the manual to see if there's a reverse-engineer solution.
The other option is the one you suggested of doing the notation in a package like MuseScore and transferring across in XML. At least that will give a better idea whether BiaB is actually able to handle it as you expected.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. Kawai MP6, Korg M50, Ui24R, Saffire Pro 40. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11; Win8.1: Scarletts BIAB2022 UltraPAK, Reaper, a bunch of stuff.
I tried importing into Musescore and it DID import easily. However, it came in as 4/4 time and I could not change time to 3/4. I only imported the melody staff.
.............
In Musescore make sure that the pallets window is opened, i.e. view/pallets or F9
Click on the down arrow on the left of Time signatures in the pallets window.
Click on 3/4 and drag and drop it on a new blank score right over the 4/4.
Bring over your track.
I hope this helps.
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
The notation that uses two beats in a bar is a compound duple time. That is, a 2-beat rhythm where the beats are based on two dotted quarter notes. Notation in 3/4 is a simple triple time and when 3/4 is notated, it uses ties to help identify the the 1/4-note beats. (I'd imagine that you know this. I'm mentioning it in case others who read this post haven't come across this terminology before.)
This arrangement (or song) looks like it might be one of those songs that is a crossover where 3/4 and 6/8 are inter-mingled.
Whether it's right or wrong, I don't know, but I remember hearing once that "jota" songs do this and that they often have 6/8 melodies playing against 3/4 rhythms. This is the classic "two against three" feel. Another song that springs to mind is Benrstein's and Sondheim's "America" from "Westside Story". In "America", bars alternate between 6/8 and 3/4.
I haven't tried it, but I'm pretty sure that BIAB can be organised to give you the display you want in 6/8. I doubt that it will be possible in a 3/4 time signature, though, because the notation you want is not standard 3/4 notation, and BIAB follows basic notation principles when creating lead sheets.
Great explanation. I had considered putting the song in 6/8 to see what happens.
When Bob Borgstede put the album together, containing NOLA's Waltz, I think it was part of his Jazz Performance thesis. All the songs contained very sophisticated techniques and that particular one won a national award. The players on the album were all "top call" and I think he wrote songs to showcase each player's special skills. He had an exceptional drummer and this song may have tried to highlight his special skills. That's why he wrote the the rhythmic variation.
I will play around some more to see what I can do. On another forum someone recommended:
"4 bar...four equal quarter notes in a one bar.Each note must have a value of three 16's. I can put it in BB, but poor notation simplifies it and automatically makes a mistake - although it sounds good."
Thanks Mario. That got it into 3/4 time. Been a while since I input melody into MuseScore, I have a little learning curve to get the melody into it. I'm still trying to get BIAB to work, but I don't think I can replicate the sheet music in it although the sounds are very close.
I had many great suggestions from this site and Jazz Guitar Online. Thanks for all the help.
I was able to create quadruplets in MuseScore and export to BIAB in xml, but the extra quarter note would not carry through in BIAB. Since I like the BIAB styles for the song, I will just stay within the 3/4 time and change note values.
Here is the likk to JGO if you are looking for more info.
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