I'm very sure (but not 100 percent since I did not test before posting) you are correct. RealBand, and the Band-in-a-Box plugin, ignore many arrangement features that are unique to Band-in-a-Box. Unfortunately PG Music has never published a list of what features are unique to Band-in-a-Box.
When you discover something you arranged in Band-in-a-Box does not transfer to RealBand one workaround is to render the tracks to audio files in Band-in-a-Box and then import the audio files into RealBand.
Hi Jim Thanks for the workaround I had decided for 2023 to try and make an effort and make better use of RB but it falls at the first fence. Now that BB has partial regeneration of tracks and bars available if looks like my SGU can now be totally oven ready for transfer to RB (other DAWs are available). It's almost making RB redundant. Bests Ian
Old Guys Rule.The older I get,the better I was! BB2023 ULTRA, 1013, Win 7 and 10
how are you useing rb ? in regular use ? 64 bit version of rb ? older 32 bit version ? as a plug in ?
more info please. cos i'm a tad confused cos i can get F5 to display here.
i would urge you highly to stick with it cos rb has many usefull tricks to discover eg biab doesnt have a bars view which ive found very usefull in copy//paste//moving bits of trak not only within a trak but also to other traks.
theres lots to discover and tricks mate. just one example as your a great guitar player. youve just recorded a licks track. but you particularly like the lick at bar 5, and also want same lick at bar 40...no problem to do this quickly in bars view.
in summary yes there is a rb learning curve..but its worth it if you stick to it imho.
After justanolmuso posted, I created a 16 bar test song in Band-in-a-Box. The test song verifies RealBand DOES honor Band-in-a-Box (BiaB) F5 Bar Setting commands.
Sixchannel, I apologize for giving you inaccurate information.
I opened Band-in-a-Box and created a 16 bar song. I then used the Band-in-a-Box F5 Bar Setting to mute the drums on bars 5 and 6. I used the Band-in-a-Box Alt+F2 save with patches and harmony command to save the song file.
I opened the saved song file in RealBand. As seen in the screen shot below, Bars 5 and 6 of the drum track has no audio.
Again I apologize to everyone for providing inaccurate advice.
Hi Jim No worries. You're assistance here always valuable. However. both my RBs (Win 7 and Win10) do not see the F5 mutes etc from BB and play throughout. Probably always have but has shown itself to me now I've tried to use it properly. Guess its back to my old DAW then. Bests Ian
Old Guys Rule.The older I get,the better I was! BB2023 ULTRA, 1013, Win 7 and 10
1..when you save your bb song are you just doing a regular save OR saving with patches option ?? if doing former try the latter. NOTE after saveing your bb reimport it back into bb and tell me if you see the red markers (changes) you set before saveing. 2..what is in your bb song ? midi only ? audio/rt's ? or combo of the two. 3..maybe post your bb song somewhere so other people can test ? 4..in realband on the midi side have you checked your midi patch assignments correspond to bb patches ?? 5..in realband here bb user bar changes are marked…like in bb. do you find the markers correspond tween rb and bb ?
its difficult to say further without trying ians file in rb here. theres something funky going on.
hn year.
om
Jim. my granny used to say 'it takes a great man to admit a possible error'. kudos..you have my greatest respecr.
1..when you save your bb song are you just doing a regular save OR saving with patches option ?? if doing former try the latter. NOTE after saveing your bb reimport it back into bb and tell me if you see the red markers (changes) you set before saveing. 2..what is in your bb song ? midi only ? audio/rt's ? or combo of the two. 3..maybe post your bb song somewhere so other people can test ? 4..in realband on the midi side have you checked your midi patch assignments correspond to bb patches ?? 5..in realband here bb user bar changes are marked…like in bb. do you find the markers correspond tween rb and bb ?
its difficult to say further without trying ians file in rb here. theres something funky going on.
hn year.
om
Jim. my granny used to say 'it takes a great man to admit a possible error'. kudos..you have my greatest respecr.
Hi om I always save as a straightforward Save.
My SGUs are almost always RTs (although they may have underlying midi. I dont know).
Ive never reimported back to BB. Never occurred to me.
I checked the RB chordsheet to see if they were there or not. All red boxes (F5) are present on the RB chordsheet view but it simply ignores them Bests Ian
Last edited by sixchannel; 01/11/2301:56 AM.
Old Guys Rule.The older I get,the better I was! BB2023 ULTRA, 1013, Win 7 and 10
1..set your bb changes in bb and SAVE WITH PATCHES NOT NORMAL SAVE. 2..now reimport into to bb and verify the changes have taken. AND IF THEN COPACETIC…. 3..open in realband the saved bb song...and gen
IMPORTANT ian. in rb IF you find your bb song SAVED WITH PATCHES …that in rb the changes havent taken…as i found with one case this morn for some reason (might have been my mistake cos just woke up…lol.) REGENERATE IN RB THE BB TRAKS. its all a bit 'funky'//'fiddly' but i CAN get bb set bar changes to work in rb.
now let me comment on realband as follows…
yes its not the prettiest daw out there BUT if in traks view you right clik over a trak a LOOOONG MENU will pop up with a plethora of features,which, ive never seen these range of features in any other daw on the market.
yes for someone new it might seem a tad daunting , but, as my wife (who is an avid gardener) likes to say 'to build a beautiful garden takes work'.
in summary the KEY to understanding rb is that long pop up menu (assuming the correct drivers have been selected etc.)...its extremely powerful.
yes rb is work to delve into. but as one developes ones own triks and methods using rb one will see its rather unique in the world of music production software.
frankly , tho' ive used rb for several years, still i find features and work methods that ive missed cos its very very deep.
ps..if you would like to post your bb rt based song somewhere (includeing your bar changes) i will be happy to test it out for you…and assure you (if its a concern) i never EVER would steal another artists song.
i wish you only the best. (pps…your a way better guitarist than i will ever be .)
Hi om Tried both methods and nothing changed. The tracks played through. However,swhen I was mucking about trying various other things I did get it to open BUT I got a flag about 'no index data' or some such and only 2 tracks showed and BIZARRELY they did show the F5 changes. My 'ed 'urts! Lol Bests Ian
Old Guys Rule.The older I get,the better I was! BB2023 ULTRA, 1013, Win 7 and 10
re index etc error etc that would seem like a tech error either an internal error code or a win error compiler code error. this leads me to ask the following question….
by any chance have the rt's//rd's pg data bases been moved somewhere not reflected in the rb settings. i might be wrong but we need to check your settings in rb …SO..
1..in rb options>>prefs>>song generation tab ..tell me the settings….THEN.. 2..clik PATHS for bbw etc etc post back the paths info..ie where the pg databases are located etc. HAVE THEY BEEN MOVED ?
note ..here in the song gen tab i have all checked 'cept gen real charts at bottom mate.
as your songs seem to be working here in realband…(i might be wrong but..) my feeling is something askew possibly in the settings for rb in your rig. have you relocated the pg databases (rt's//rd's etc ) without updating realband pointers ?
lol…i love a challenge. keep your chin up…we WILL get there.
ive been doing a load of experimentation today to see if there is a way to make things easier for you.
try this little trick/method i worked out for you…works here.
1..have both bb and rb side by side on screen with song loaded in each. gen song in both bb and rb the song …NOW heres the trick… 2..IF you find in rb a mute for example hasnt 'taken' ..eg lets take the guitar needing to be muted at start of song and come in later BUT rb isnt following this…THEN.. 3..drag the trak name from bb to the offending trak in rb to over write the trak in rb….ET VOILA problem solved…now will work.
from what i see the interaction tween bb and rb IS a tad 'fiddly"...but above should do the job.
in passing let me mention another 'trickey dickey'//tip.
as rb has loads of traks compared to the trak count in bb… try this sometime…..
1..make sure you have your stereo mix in bb set to your liking… 2..just drag the stereo master from bb onto a rb trak. (make sure the song chords have already been loaded in rb ie the bb song file.)..THUS.. 3..NOW you have a slew of traks in rb to test out either your own guitar liks//arrangements and/or with adding more rt's and seeing which ones fit your needs…and/or more midi traks with vsti plug ins….and/or more rd traks//isolated samples….WITH THE SONG STEREO MASTER PLAYING ALONG FROM BB..etc etc.
eg re above method as a test...i just got the stereo master into rb from rb...and added a bell pad to one of your songs.
in summary your options are endless re above and once you explore the 'power' of the rb LOOOONG MENU when you right clik over a rb trak. (there are other tricks in rb…but i dont want to inundate you.)
hope above helps you…give both methods a bash mate.
I have an idea; try using volume automation and just put the intended F5 action back .. might be less fiddling.
I move to RB well before I need any mixing, so I'm sorry I'm not much help other that that.
Or you could use 'Record mixer moves' in the mixer window to do pretty much the same thing, but in real time as it plays back ... or simply cut the part you want to mute. Lots of ways to workaround this.
Last edited by rharv; 01/13/2301:00 PM.
Make your sound your own! .. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
ive been running tests with ians' actual songs/problems for several hours...
and your ideas are great,,but the fastest method ive found to achieve what he wants instead of drawing in mutes or doing mixer moves is a 3 step process. viz.
1. open into rb/gen the bb song. 2. identify the trak(s) that arent muting properly. (it seems to vary mate) 3. just solve by dragging the bb trak name to the offending rb trak and overwriting.
i tested above and it works and only takes a couple of minutes. start to finish.
(ps exporting wavs for a part muted trak in bb works also.)
now heres what i recommended to pg support in a discussion the other day..
have a honking big button in bb saying something like .. SEND TRAKS FROM BB TO RB...(IE A ONE STEP PROCESS.) and thus instantly the traks show up in rb from bb on their seperate traks, and also saves the bb song plus..to boot...sets up a saved SEQ in rb.
this would save all the malarkey of any other method... like saveing bb to a song file and importing the bb song file into rb/genning. OR dragging traks from bb to rb.. makes sense ?? ie CUT OUT A NUMBER OF STEPS (the middleman). BY CREATING A MUCH CLOSER SYNERGY TWEEN BB AND RB. (sorta like love n' marriage//horse n'carriage..lol) (of course the code routine would also set up the new rb chord sheet//settings just like in bb.)
Ian, I've received feedback from Andrew of PG Music.
PG Music has discovered an issue regarding how RealBand interprets chords with shots and holds. RealBand places illegal chords in the chord sheet in bars with shots or holds.
A fix should be available in a future update.
As a workaround, you can retype the corrupted shots and hold chords to the correct chords in the RealBand chord sheet and the SGU should work like it does in Band-in-a-Box.
that news really disappoints me as i'm always recommending pg music production software to people including recently.
imho a more rigorous testing regimen is needed before release to users..like we used to have in industry. ie 'software test and audit'.
its interesting to note my wife has commented…viz… 'whats changed since we were working in tech ? where we had stringent testing//audit phases prior to release to users ?'. she has made this comment re various tech products she has used over the last few years.
imho ians chord sheets were very clever….thus i wondered during my testing various solutions... what might be different about the chord sheets....sigh.
maybe ...a year should be spent on 'system assurance//audit//fixes' re the current bb and rb code base before more releases. ?
cos…lol…sometimes i feel like a 'lone voice in the wilderness' talking about rb. and it 'bugs me' that bugs like this possibly dont help.
in many respects i think rb's deep feature set is often its worst enemy cos many people around the world often dont want to expend the effort 'plumbing the depths' and/or dont have the time to learn something new.
its particularly sad that leading music music production mags, when they do their yearly roundup of music production software//daw awards never give even one mention of rb.
frankly for me , i would be a very happy lad if the best features i like in reaper and rb could be merged somehow to create a wonderful daw….but thats me dreaming.
F5 volume changes in RB will affect how the tracks get generated from RB. If the tracks are already generated and they weren't re-generated then they won't have any effect and you're better off using volume automation in the Tracks Window. The Shots/Held chords issue will be fixed in a future update.
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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