As I see the demo for he 2023 version, I see the word "stems" used a lot. I suspect that "stems" might be a BIAB thing, and that would be why I have no idea what that is. I have never used BIAB for anything but to load a midi file to get the chord chart. Always Real Band for me as I prefer the DAW look and feel. (And familiarity.)
Can somebody straighten me out on that?
I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.
1. How much did you make in 2023? 2. Send it to us.
"The Band-in-a-Box® 2023 DAW Plugin offers over 40 exciting new features and enhancements, including Drum Stems (separate tracks from the different microphones used during the actual recording sessions"
Stems were introduced last year in the main program but are now in the Daw plugin as well as Realband, so for Drumn kits with Stems, you can tick All Stems, the box at bottom of RealDrum picker to generate the Stems such as Kick, snare and these will all be generated on different tracks.
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2024, Cubase 13, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
So, as I asked, stems are for use in BIAB only? I don't use BIAB, so if that's the case I guess using stems is not for me. I didn't hear Real Band mentioned at all.
I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.
1. How much did you make in 2023? 2. Send it to us.
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2024, Cubase 13, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
The term "stem" has been used by other DAWs for years including Pro Tools. My interpretation of it is "audio clips". You string all your audio clips together in a DAW and you have a song. Just a "loose" definition and hope that helps.
RealDrum Stems Support RealBand now supports RealDrum stems. Stems are separate tracks from the different microphones used during the actual recording sessions. If you can select drum stems in the RealDrums Picker and the stem tracks will be generated and loaded into RealBand.
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2024, Cubase 13, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
Musiclover, you just touched on something else I have always wanted to do. Maybe stems is how I do it.
I want to "decompile" the generated drums so every drum is on it's own track. Can you tell me more about how you did that? I would SO love to have individual drum tracks so I can treat each drum separately. And if this is something I could have been doing forever and just didn't know how to do it I am going to curse at myself forever.
Okay. I didn't have "Show real drums with stems" selected, so now I see it when I look at drums. BUT, I select a drum option, I click "all stems" at the bottom, then what? When I click okay all I get is a compiled drum track lke always. Is there another setting I need to turn on?
Also, is stems just a drum thing? I tried looking for it it on a horn ensemble but stems was not at the bottom of the page.
Last edited by eddie1261; 11/30/2207:46 AM.
I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.
1. How much did you make in 2023? 2. Send it to us.
BIAB. CbB. Mixbus 32C 8 HP Envy. Intel core i7. 16GB RAM W10. Focusrite Scarlett 18i 20. Various instruments played with varying degrees of proficiency.
I think Eddie you will have to upgrade to 2023 to do that, just done that here.
I know how much you say you never open Biab itself, as stems are supported in biab 22 but as far as I understand Realband 2023 is supporting Stems for the first time.
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2024, Cubase 13, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
All the modern drum software like Superior Drummer or Addictive Drums and others provide a way to place each kit piece on a separate track. Each microphone can be assigned its own track. It is common for example to place a mic on both the top and bottom of a snare drum. Those two microphones would be recorded normally to their own track in a professional studio.
I sometimes use the drum track from BIAB if I want a very simple drum track. Even for that purpose, the BIAB drum track is frustrating to use because of the lack of simple control such as volume for a specific kit piece.
Live drums are the most difficult thing there is to record in a studio live.
An audio recording track is sometimes referred to as a "stem" even in professional recording studios. The two words sometimes are used interchangeably.
As I read the definition of "stems" there seems to be the thought that a "stem" is a consolidated track. In other words "send me a stem of the drum tracks"
The problem with that definition is that is only one way the word can be used. That is another reason I do not like the term. It does not mean the same thing to everyone you communicate with. My only knowledge of the term comes from hearing it in a recording studio.
This is more English nonsense, words that seem to mean something but in fact do not properly communicate.
The use of the word "stem" to mean "audio recording track" is common enough that I never gave it much thought.
I suspect that its use is part of an ever-evolving manner of communicating meant to simplify language and dispense with proper grammatical usage of English.
I personally don't use the term because it seems redundant and is subject to miscommunication. We already have a term called "Track". One track of one thing or a consolidated track containing more than one track. And to add to the complexity of the issue you can have a raw track or a processed track with things like reverb.
And yes, sometimes things get mixed by someone who was not a part of the original recording process and would like to simplify their job by getting "stems" in the form they would like. Well, good luck with that.
Billy
Last edited by Planobilly; 11/30/2202:53 PM.
New location, new environment, new music coming soon
Seize the moo-ment If you feel like you’ve herd all these cow puns before, you probably have deja-moo
I think Eddie you will have to upgrade to 2023 to do that, just done that here.
I know how much you say you never open Biab itself, as stems are supported in biab 22 but as far as I understand Realband 2023 is supporting Stems for the first time.
I see stems but only on the real drums.
I mainly want to know how to break those drums out onto individual tracks like in one of his pictures. There are times I want to add effects to just the snare, or just the kick or just the ....
I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.
1. How much did you make in 2023? 2. Send it to us.
That's what drum stems do Every mic is on its own track .. so add FX to any of these tracks you want Room mic, or snare Top, or snare Bottom point is you now have more control of the individual mic tracks
.. caveat; not all RealDrums have stems .. but the ones that do are pretty impressive as far as control Study the image below and you'll see the various mics available Some have 8 mics/tracks some have 13 mics/tracks
*if they have stems available, but I'm guessing that moving forward most of the new RDs will Older ones may or may not
As far as 'how to do it', you need to check the appropriate boxes in the RD Generate window if stems are available for this RD
Make your sound your own! .. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
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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