The Audacity guys love the new non destructive editing. Biab and RealBand could learn from that. Maybe it would be easier putting this into the BiabVST/Standalone than the nightmare of implementing it in BB and RB.
Ah, being that I avoid RB & don't record in BIAB I assumed that NDE was part of the package. It is, after all, a complete deal breaker if not in a DAW.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Maybe I'm not talking about the same thing but with the ability to add four separate plugins to each track in RB there is a huge opportunity to edit - or at least modify - the audio without changing the original track. Using Elements you can chain even more fx so RB can do just about anything without changing the original track.
Yes you can have non destructive FX but when it comes to copy/paste/cutting/resizing it's creating new files on the hard drive so the SEQ is getting bigger and bigger. Where as if it's just referencing the original file, meaning that any section of the file copied will still be able to be adjusted out to it's original length. This works instantly and smoothly without having to wait for RB to re-render the files because a bit has been cut out of them, so if one file has a section cut out and moved somewhere it will need to render 3 new files and delete the original one. Using NDE in RealBand would give you instant track generation, quicker than Biab ! as it's using the original source file sections that will remain untouched and give way more control in the editing of what you need. The SEQ files will be very small like a frozen SGU and has all the track section data. When you drop a file into RB it will create a copy of it to the Temp folder then write it to the SEQ when saving, all this is unnecessary in this day n age.
The reason people use Biab then RealBand or DAW is Biab is quick at generating up the song, quicker than RB and BiabVST, but Biab does not have good DAW editing. All this can change with RealBand and BiabVST giving INSTANT generation of tracks. If my hard drive didn't fill up so many times and Windows stop working from all the wav files that were being created I would not have looked into all of this.
Maybe repost to the RealBand forum to not confuse folks. This discussion applies to RealBand and not to BIAB. SEQ file size is never an issue to BIAB. Hard drive space management doesn't ever have to be an issue with a BIAB project or a thousand BIAB projects.
You have non destructive volume automation in RealBand because it was suggested, before that users had to destroy audio that can't be undestroyed as was stated in clearly in the video above, where as volume automation can be changed anytime, the same has now been implemented in Biab, that is the extent, the others are destructive and destruction will cause wav files to be written and attached to the SGU. The examples show in the forum from years back with Biab having more tracks that gave rise to Utility tracks used NDE in the "OLD" multitrack VSTs so no wav files were created. If I import wav files into Utility tracks it will make hard copies of them and attach to the SGU. A thousand BIAB projects with wav files attached would be an issue. The future can't be anything else but NDE for Biab as this is how most DAW's work, now including Audacity. It all comes back to generate time, that's why you are starting to see DAW features added to Biab because RealBand and the BiabVST are too slow to make changes or regen the whole song, the idea is great but they fall short in practicality, SO they don't want to go back n forth and want to do it all in Biab because of the gen speed, that's it ! How can you make RealBand and the BiabVST/standalone faster, or even Biab faster ????? can you give feedback on how PG can do that, or have we come to the end of development progress because of old users with old hardware ?
I agree there will probably be improvements to audio editing in BIAB if for no other reason than the addition of 16 more tracks that allowed audio recordings and the conversion of RealTracks so they can receive audio editing.
Same with the Plugin/Standalone with self contained code playing back tracks direct from the source files each track can open to display the waveform sections that can be all edited non destructively (NDE) the same as other multitrack VSTs and DAWs. If you drag the green WAV button only then will it render the sections to wav. This will give better editing control and faster generation than the main Biab app, so the Plugin Standalone could become the better way to go. Allowing real project time signatures, real tempo maps and 48khz 24bit audio. It can be released at the same time for Win & Mac (not 6 months apart). Band In A Box Lite® a self contained Plugin or Plugin Standalone.
See in the pic below, Kristal 2004 is playing back the sections of the compressed source files directly from the folder, the source files are not changed in any way, it's all done in the DAW non destructively. The Kristal application worked on 98/ME SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
PC "State of the art" machine (> 1 GHz recommended) OS Windows XP or 2000 (Win98/ME requires latest Internet Explorer 6.0, WinNT is not supported!) Display 1280 x 1024 recommended, 1024 x 768 minimum Sound ASIO-compatible sound card recommended, but should work with everything else, too
It still works on Windows 10 ! there is no way this would be so on Mac as each new weekly version OS needs a new app version. It even works on a 4K monitor
So if Kristal worked on those System Requirements and Biab could not work this way because of old users with old computers, how old are their computers ? DX4 100MHz, Pentium 100Mhz, Pentium 200Mhz ?
If Biab was made to work like the 2004 Kristal DAW now in 2023, how easy would it be to edit/copy tracks, not to mention the speed in generation because it's playing the tracks back directly from the source files non destructively.
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.
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