PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Beginners Forum How to import separate MIDI tracks in a song?

Can't figure out how to Import/open a MIDI song and keep all the included tracks separate. It seems they are all clumped together into one track. Tried to look up tutorials but no luck. Also tried the forums but the search function did not return any useful threads. I want to be able to play individual tracks and view their notations. How should I go about it?

Are all the tracks on the same MIDI channel?

If not, RB has an 'Extra channels to separate tracks' function.

It may be a MIDI type 1 or 0 issue; one saves to separate tracks and one clumps it all together.

One way is to navigate to (1) File > Import > then select either (2) "Import Melody From MIDI File" or (2) "Import To Soloist Part From MIDI File" to display a Import MIDI File window. Select a MIDI file.

Another window opens with the name of the selected file. Select the top "All Channels" button and click OK.

Navigate to the top file menu and select the track MIDI was imported to open the Melody or Soloist dialog window.

Select Sequencer window for multi-channel Melody or Soloist.

Note: each window has a help button that has some good information.

Jim, thank you but it seems I will need to try another method. Followed your example but still not able to get separate tracks. All instruments get bunched into a single track (guitar 2 in this case). I just can't figure out how to play them individually. Couple of things that may be helpful to anyone following this thread. Otherwise Biab will play the imported midi file along with the style displayed in the window.

1. Disable the style
2. Disable or change the count in

The step to select all channels in incorrect to load the midi channels onto individual BIAB tracks although they can be separated using the Sequencer.

But, from the import page that open, change the each channel from Melody to Utility Tracks like displayed on the second screenshot and each channel can be loaded to its own BIAB Mixer channel.

However, here's an easier method:

When a Midi file is dragged and dropped onto the Main Chord Sheet, it will automatically default to importing the individual midi channels onto individual Utility Tracks.

I prefer the drag/drop method in nearly all occasions I import a midi file.

If all you are trying to do is listen to individual tracks and see notation, if you start RealBand and choose 'file open' them select the midi file you want, RB will open it on separate tracks and you can play them and see the notation. If as rharv says its a type O midi file, RB will ask you if you want to separate the tracks. Three clicks at most and you've got what you want - using RB its dead easy - i've just tried it. I think BIAB is a false start for what you are ttrying to do.

Can somebody please write an article for the Tips and Tricks Forum, so we could point people to this info each time this topic comes up?

Not sure what tip you want Matt. Its simplicity itself ro achieve what the OP wants in RB. BIAB is a little more complicated but clearly described above. Once a file is open in RB users still have access to adding RTs, regenerating, multiriffs and editing midi tracks so I always prefer to go straight to RB. If you want to work on a midi file maybe there are some advantages working in BIAB - I think Jim or Charlie posted reasons that BIAB could do things RB can't - but for what the OP wanted RB is the simple solution.

Does anyone know what happens if you open a midi file in RB then save as BIAB file? Do the separate tracks import into BIAB easily and simply? If so, surely that's the easiest way to import midi files onto separate tracks.

dont new users read manuals ?. loads of midi info in the manuals on this pg site as well as FAQ's etc etc re bb and rb.

personally imho i agree with Bob Calver. with rb its a doddle.

also has anyone tested importing an odd time sig midi song into bb versus rb ?
lets not forget rb's handling of odd time sigs....and the fact that in rb track view i can see the beat divisions within the bar.
so 5/4 will show 5 divisions per bar in rb tracks view visually.

happiness.

om

Unlike Charlie, drag and drop is not the first method I think about when moving files. However, after his response to this question I agree using drag and drop is likely an easier and more intuitive way to get midi files into Band-in-a-Box (BiaB).

Open an instance of Band-in-a-Box and the Windows File Manager.

Navigate to a midi file then click and hold to select the file.

Drag and drop the midi file anywhere within the chord sheet. Windows File Manager minimizes and BiaB opens the "Import or open Filename.MID" window. (First Screen shot)

You are asked "Would you like to import the file into your current song? ... " Click the Yes button. (Second screen shot)

BiaB opens the "Import MIDI File: Filename.MID" window. (Third Screen shot) Let's take a closer look at this window as there is a lot going on.

First notice that for each of the five tracks (My midi file has five tracks. You'll likely have a different number of tracks) Destination Tracks are automatically assigned to a Utility Track.

Secondly notice that the Utility Track #1 label has white script while the other Utility Track labels have yellow script. That is because in my midi file the data intended for track 1 is the song name so there is no track 1 midi data. The other tracks contain midi data so the track names are yellow.

Click the OK button.

Select the generate and play button. Open the Notation window and navigate to whichever Utility Track you wish to view.









I'll defer to Bob Calver and justanoldmuso to provide RealBand step-by-step instructions.

The simplicity is the same for BIAB and RB if all the OP wants to do is open a midi file on separate tracks and listen. Beyond that, there are many more advantages working in BIAB. Particularly if one wants to do anything beyond open and listen. BIAB is the flagship and there are features included in BIAB that are not included in RB. Some of the are significant for generating complex arrangements. The same complex arrangement can be done in RB or any DAW but it will take hours to do what BIAB can generate in minutes. It may require multiple programs unnecessarily. Here's a good example.

RB doesn't recognize and use MultiStyles. PG staff have created thousands and included them in BIAB StylePicker. These styles are visible and useable in the RB StylePicker but they don't function as MultiStyles. My system has 1,015 MultiStyles that are unusable in RealBand. RB has many uses and does some tasks better than BIAB and it appears that PGM intentions are to use those strengths not compete with BIAB.

In the 6 substyle MultiStyle screenshots it's obvious the loss of variety and complexity between BIAB and RB

Yes, BIAB opens a midi file saved from RB onto separate tracks when the RB file used midi on separate tracks. A midi file with all midi channels on a single track opens in BIAB on a single track and in my test, didn't analyze the chords.

I knew I was tempting fate when I said I knew Jim and Charlie could do things in BIAB you can't in RB!

im not trying to be an A....but...

..the basic problem is both bb and rb have their plusses and minuses. seasoned guru users like charlie...understand those diffs. but its rather confuseing imho for new users.
the solution imho pg should produce a chart showng those diffs.

..re multistyles...i bet most people getting a song down choose one style in getting a song down...especially new users.
frankly...and maybe i AM a dim bulb...lol...but i find when ever i try to mix styles in a song things get very complex fast.
i get a tad confused and also i find i cant get a song down fast when im in the zone...lets remember bb is very very deep..
this can be both a curse and a blessing imho.
so what i do is split the problem up into manageable pieces.
for example lets say i have 3 styles i want to use in a song...
thus i would have 3 sgus...and then sort out the whole shebang and generated tracks in a daw.
so lets say i started out in bb i would just drag drop the tracks from each sgu into rb or another daw i sometimes use.
then in the daw move the tracks around as i want or bits of tracks.
in summary i am sure if a poll of pg users were to be done i suggest lots of users would use a split the problem up approach.
but maybe im wrong.

..now lets talk odd time sigs OTS....what happens if the user wants to have in a song several different styles AND several different ots....
oh boy !!!!...would drive me bonkers keeping everything straight in my mind.
how would bb do things in this case ?? for me i know things would get very pear shaped very fast. at least rb handles ots visually in tracks view.
which i find greatly helps.
so in this case the technique i would use in a 3 style song is prolly have a different rb project for each style and then save the genned tracks and sort all out in a final fourth rb project instance.

frankly whether bb or rb i dont there is an ideal simple solution.
at least in rb there are advantages re ots....
and even in normal time sigs i can see visually in rb the beat divisions in a bar so i can move bits of track around easily which i cant do in bb new tracks view...
note...bb edit view doesnt let me do track edits in relation visually to other tracks...but rb tracks view does.


as can be seen from the above the whole thing is darn complex.
imho there is no simple solution to these problems.
imho the only solution is to split the prob into manageable chunks...
rather like a programmer modularises a big computer app....
while not perfect at least rb has various tools to help.
i wont even get into the added prob of fractional tempos...
another useful feature of rb....then of course lets add in tempo changes in a song and things get even more complex.
lets say the user wants fractional tempos and varying normal tempos and varying time sigs and varying key changes and varying styles in a song...im already getting a brain freeze...lol.
only solution is to split the problem up imho useing the p!usses of bb and rb together depending on the situation as each app has its various plusses over the other.


just my 2 bonkers cents worth...lol
now im gonna get a coffee to unfreeze my brain...lol.

om

Meanwhile, it looks like the original poster, jcgato98, has left the thread and moved on to making music.

Not in this case. Both programs can open midi files on a single track or split all the midi channels onto individual tracks. If someone is working on a project in RB, there's no need to move the project to BIAB to open a midi file. If they are already in BIAB, there's no benefit to open and move the project into RB. In fact, in the instance of BIAB to RB to only open a midi file in the format wanted, there are more disadvantage than advantages.

Two instantly that come to mind is the already mentioned, MultiStyles, and another is the flagship features of BIAB that aren't available in RB. To a user that works a lot with midi, losing more than a thousand styles primary function could potentially be a big deal. What plus to opening a midi file in RB offer that equalizes the loss of a thousand plus styles in the format the user is working in?

In regard for concern for the new user, Jim, although a seasoned user of BIAB/RB, had not previously imported midi using drag/drop. He was amazed at the ease, speed and efficiency of the method. There was no manual assigning channels to tracks. The Mixer automatically adjusted to display the imported tracks avoiding him manually having to do so. His experience was the same as what a new user would have and he was impressed, not confused. .

OM expresses BIAB/RB plus and minuses as a problem then gives a lengthy dialog of RB solving a perceived BIAB minus. The complexity he sees with MultiStyles would save him at least a thousand dollars in time and labor if he were recording in an actual studio. MultiStyles would automatically do what he describes doing manually between multiple programs, generating, importing, exporting, comping and editing tracks, and adding instruments to the existing style instruments. Extreme examples are given that are unrelated to opening a midi file. It's off-topic and complicates a simple correction to a inadvertent error in Jim's explanation.

There's no competition between BIAB and RB and there wasn't a good basis to take this thread off topic. I use both programs and promote both programs but there wasn't any benefit for RB to be brought into this thread.

Charlie.

other users mentioned rb before i.

surely you agree that both rb and bb need some rationilasition..to save confusion.
imho your a bb guru but i would suggest some or even many users are going to find certain things in bb very complex that you take for granted.
and the same applies to rb.

back on topic therefore heres a what if. re importing a midi file..lol.
lets consider a situation where a user is importing a midi file with the following attributes eg a scatting free form jazz song with the following attributes...

..varying tempos.
..varying key changes
..varying time sigs.

and lets say in the scat it doesnt follow strict 4 or 3 in a bar beats.
surely in this case one needs to use both bb and rb ?
yes i would agree lots of things can be done in bb...but with respect there are things in rb like midi features and track visuals and lots of other features...some even unique etc
that are usefull. for example ive imported the midi file into rb and then i decide i dont like the midi piano tween bars 44 and 47...
but i do like bars 30 to 35...its very easy to quickly change things.
dont get me wrong re bb...it has lots of p!usses but so does rb.
and sometimes...imho...one might be forced to use the strengths of each app to realise what one wants to do.

let me point out that the op yes said he wants to import a midi file..but we dont know what he wants to do with it in detail.
maybe bb wont address some of those needs alone.
what if he wants to visually see each tracks beat divisions in relation to moving chunks of midi around easily ??
what if he needs a fast way to move chunks of a track around ?? or use odd time sigs ??
there a lots more what ifs that rb might be able to do more easily.

heres what i suggested to pg ages ago which might simplify things for new and even many existing users that might not have your deep bb knowledge...and the following applies to both bb and rb...so people can easily move between each.

..have a time sig track where users can change such....includeing odd ones.
..ditto tempos...a tempo track.
..ditto a chord track.
..ditto a markers track and maybe a lyrics track etc etc.

in concept a central view for working in by a user.
this would mean updateing of the new bb tracks view and of course the same for rb...and of course all settings would be transferable tween each.

its easy for any new user to grasp what im saying.
simply view in detail the bb manual...vids...and faqs...
and do the same for rb...and one will see the feature differences of each. for example the diffs tween bb and rb track views ...as well as the fact one app alone might not be able to do all one needs...thus the user needs to use both bb and rb together. all im suggesting is its not bb versus rb but useing both together to get a job done often.
which is why ive used for years the combo of bb/rb/reaps version 2 to do too many songs to list...and the next is KEY...
useing and playing to the strength of each app.

honestly im not trying to be an A and i respect tons your bb knowledge. im just saying there are limits to what bb can do.
for example it drives me nuts when im working in bb that i cant see visually a tracks view like the rb one which makes moving around chunks of track easily. a feature the op might need.

honestly im not trying to veer off topic...im just aware there might be lurkers reading these posts haveing difficulty doing something in bb that rb can do.
honestly its NOT bb versus rb...its useing the strengths of each.

i wish you only the very best and happiness.

om

How on earth do you lose a thousand plus styles in RB?

Huh? Me also no understand. On my system, RealBand uses the BIAB Styles.

I'm still not understanding. Is it being suggested that a user writes a song in BIAB with 1000+ style changes, which therefore doesn't work in RealBand?
If so, some sort of songwriting award is in order.