I've diligently reviewed the manual (p. 69-70), various help pages and videos for the microchords feature, and it all seems pretty straightforward--but I can't get it to work. I'm using the =HANK_P.STY style as I write, but I have the same problem with other styles.
As the attached notation snippet shows, I'm in 4/4 time at 60 bpm. I'm trying to create a pretty simple rhythm: Em for one eighth note followed by D held throughout the rest of the measure, all instruments in unison. That rhythm then repeats on the following measure with C and Bm. The eighth note could be staccato but I'd like to have the option of having it full value so that I can go back and forth between the two.
When I try to set it up without underlying main chords, as in the screenshot of the microchord box, nothing plays, even though all tracks are included. When I try to set it up with underlying chords, as in the screenshot of the chord sheet, the rhythm is wrong. The D gets played twice, just as I would expect, but not what I want. If I take out the underlying D, I get the initial Em, but that seems to be from the main chord only as I don't hear anything from the microchords.
I think that there's an issue with all of the styles working properly with the microchords. Some do work fine and others are not compatible apparently. I might be wrong, but someone else will clarify that in a bit.
I know I have used it successfully on some of my music but there are others where I had a great style that worked perfectly for the music but for some reason, would not let me use microchords where I really wanted to use them for effect.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
I think Guitar Hacker's answer (above) comes close. I suspect that not all RealTracks have notes recorded at positions that micro-chords can properly adapt to. As a test (not necessarily a solution) try changing to a different style that uses different RealTracks, and see if that makes a difference.
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Yes, apparently Herb’s answer seems to be correct based on other reports. I’ve only used microchords a few times on jazz songs, but when I needed them, they worked. I admit I don’t fully understand all the possible combinations and I got lucky.
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
Bob, i don't think it is as simple as that, This seems to one of those tools that works with some material but maybe not all material. I look at it like this. I have a van filled with cool tools for my business and some work for certain needs but not all circumstances. Example i use both a Jig saw and a circular saw. One is great for cutting a circle out of plywood, the other make short work of cutting off the bottom of a door. Both cut wood but don't seem to take the others place. The micro chords work for some songs depending on the RTs used, the tempo, and such. Some of the RTs were made years ago and may not have been process or even recorded with Micro chords in mind. Maybe in time more will be updated to work better with MCs
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I'm trying to get a clearer picture in my mind as to what exactly you are after and, because of this, I have a few questions.
1) Could you please post an image of your mixer so that I can see what instruments you have? (Since this style is designed for 120 bpm, it's possible that BIAB has automatically substituted more appropriate instruments for a tempo of 60 bpm.) When I load the =HANK_P style I get the instruments below.
2) When you say, "Em for one eighth note followed by D held throughout the rest of the measure"... Do you mean, for the D chord to be played once and then fade away (as in how BIAB chord holds work), or do you mean for the D chord to play rhythmically without changing for the rest of the bar?
3) As mentioned above, =HANK_P.STY is a style that's designed for use at 120 bpm. Since you are playing at 60 bpm, are you using a timebase setting of "Doubletime" for the pedal steel (if that is present at this tempo)?
It always helps to have the song your are working on, otherwise we are all just guessing what you are trying to do. Get a Google account if you don't have it already and put the song on Google drive for a couple of weeks and make sure you share the file in the settings. That way we can see exactly what problem(s) you are running into. Someone just might have the solution.
Please note: I presently have the project set to use _BLUCTRY.STY Acoustic Country Shuffle at 60 bpm.
1) Mixer screenshot attached.
2) The rhythm I want is "da daaaaaaaaa". Just two notes. The first note lasts half a beat. The second note lasts three-and-a-half beats. The meter is 4/4. I supplied a snippet of notation on my original post, but I do realize that some folks can't read notation, so I hope this helps.
3) Timebase is set to "Normal". The "Held" box is checked.
4) I've posted a song project called "Rhythm problem 8 bars.SGU" that demonstrates the problem on the Public folder of my Google Drive:
It's 8 bars long. Bar 1 and 2 are set so that they deliver a quarter note followed by a dotted half, which is as close as I've been able to get for what I want. Bars 7 and 8 have microchord settings that, if I understand how microchords work, should produce the rhythm I want as described under 2) above and as shown in the notation snippet. At present, the track continues to play the chord from Bar 6 and seems to ignore the microchords.
Please note: I presently have the project set to use _BLUCTRY.STY Acoustic Country Shuffle at 60 bpm.
_BLUCTRY Style is designed for a tempo of 130 bpm. You are using that style at less than half of the designed tempo. What happens if you choose a style much closer to 60 bpm? E.g. somewhere between 55 and 65 bpm,
BIAB & RB2024 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
Firstly, if you click on the "Help" button in the Microchord window, near the top of the topic, you will find PG Music's comment that says: "[Note: The soloist and background RealTracks do not follow MicroChords by design because playing would be too chopping if they did.]"
Since Realtrack 613 (the resonator guitar) is designed as a "Background" track (it's in the track's full name -- 613:Guitar, Resonator, Background Hank Sw 130), PG Music's comment means that it will not work with microchords.
As an alternative approach, try this and see if it helps. Rather than use microchords, I suggest using an 1/8 note push on the chord on beat 2. If you have a look at my modified version of your SGU file, you'll see how to do it.
I also found that if the "Held" setting is applied to RT 613, then the chords in bars 7 and 8 play as written for this Realtrack. If "Held" is not activated, then it seems that the generated resonator guitar does not play bars 7 & 8. In the attached SGU file, I've set "Held" for RT 613 and RT 2874, generated and then frozen the tracks.
It works great in measures 7-8, but I can't get it to work in measures 1-2? The Chord Options dialog box looks exactly the same for all, but the effect only happens in measures 7-8? I'll put the modified file back up on my Drive.
Ironic that PG disables microchords for certain tracks because of "choppiness" when that's exactly what I want!
Thanks!
So.... when I can't get BB to do what I want, the solution I then employ is to see if I can accomplish the task in my DAW. I will use volume envelopes and audio editing to see if I can get it to sound natural in the DAW. Sometimes I can, and there are other times I can't. Copy and paste can very often be my friends in this task. Often, since there are certain instruments that do follow what you want, but others that don't, using the volume envelopes in a surgical manner will often get the job done. Find the perfect place in the note to make the volume change.... Of course this is a track by track detail involved method..... but it can work well when done right.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
It works great in measures 7-8, but I can't get it to work in measures 1-2? The Chord Options dialog box looks exactly the same for all, but the effect only happens in measures 7-8? I'll put the modified file back up on my Drive.
Hi Bob,
I suspect that the reason it's not working for bars 1 and 2 is because the tracks are frozen. If you click on the blue 'snow crystal' icon for RT613 and RT2874 (on the right-hand side of the the S button on mixer) so that the tracks are unfrozen and then regenerate the SGU file, it should work.
Yup, that did it. And, by the way, I noticed that, in my actual project file, the base track was also frozen. I must have clicked that button by mistake at some point as I wandered in a newbie haze around the interface. I unfroze it and I'm much happier with the base line now! So much so that now I need to re-record the vocal and rebuild the demo file. Songs never quite grow up!
Thanks to everybody for their help on this. I've learned quite a bit!
I'm glad you got it all up and running When you get a chance, would you mind clicking on the "Resolved" button in your original post that started the thread? This will help others who look through the posts for help.
Bob, many of us are still in a newbie haze after decades. There’s a lot there, but there is also great support. You seem very capable and you’ll be answering questions here in short order. Have fun.
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
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When you get a chance, would you mind clicking on the "Resolved" button in your original post that started the thread? This will help others who look through the posts for help.
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