BIAB version 12

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 27 Jun 2003 11:31 am

Has anyone bought version 12 of BIAB?

One of the new 'BIGGIES' they are espousing
is the ability now to convert any .midi file to a BIAB file; from the simplest default all the way to very advanced renditions.

If you do have it, what is your over-all
critique?

Thanks all,

Chipper

George Wixon · Post by **George Wixon** » 27 Jun 2003 12:10 pm

Chip,
I still use version 11 which I use a lot to convert midi's from web sites that I get. Version 11 does a fairly good job but dosen't always interpret the midi correctly. I use it mostly for the rhythm tracks, Does version 12 do a better job?
George

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 28 Jun 2003 1:41 am

Thanks George,
No, I don't have version 12 yet, and I also
have version 11.

I'm just trying to figure if V.12 is worth the upgrade cost.

I have problems with BIAB. I don't find it all that user-friendly. I've tried converting
some midi files to wave, but BIAB always seems to say it doesn't recognize the midi
file.

I think some of the midi files may be part of Windows Media files. I don't know.

Also, with BIAB, they assume (I think) that
you are well advanced in notation theory. And they use a lot of terms and thinking that's peculiar to the jazz world.

Maybe it's just me, I don't know.

George Wixon · Post by **George Wixon** » 28 Jun 2003 2:33 am

Chip,
I've never had a problem converting any midi file with version 11. My only problem is that it may put in some wierd chord in the translation or the lead part may be left out but it always converts the midi to a wav. Don't know if you checked out my site yet but it's growing and as soon as I'm done with the Power Tracks phase of the recording process I'll be putting up tips and how to's for both BIAB as well as PT and I'll add the conversion process in that I use as well for other's. Version 11, for the most part does a 99% translation correctly.
You may want to check out my site when you get a chance at http://www.gwixon.com and maybe let me know what other help or light I may be able to shed. I find BIAB very user friendly, but that's just me.
George

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 28 Jun 2003 5:01 am

George,
I'm in the process of checking out your site.
It's very good. I'm going through your midi-wave conversion display, as I type.

I notice that in midi input driver, your setting is: no midi/sound input. Mine is set at: MPU-401; the VSC is set properly
for the midi output.

I'm just gonna take my time and go through this.

Keep that nice site up, George, and thanks again for your time and effort.

Chipper[This message was edited by CHIP FOSSA on 28 June 2003 at 06:02 AM.][This message was edited by CHIP FOSSA on 28 June 2003 at 06:03 AM.]

George Wixon · Post by **George Wixon** » 28 Jun 2003 6:41 am

Chip,
The part that I have up right now is for being able to convert the BIAB rhythm track that you might enter in to use as a wav file to be able to burn to a CD so that if you want to play along with that track, you have it on CD and don't have to take the computer with you. The conversion of a midi into a BIAB file is done differently and I will put that process up as soon as I get done with the Power Tracks thing for recording.
I will put up screen shots of the process for importing the midi into BIAB which I think is what you really want. I'm no where near done with this site and think it will be a help to all that need it.
As I stated in the driver set up, I don't use any midi input so for me it's not enabled. You may use this input if you have a midi device installed so your settings may be a little different than mine and I hope that I explained this while I was doing the descriptions.
Any suggestions you may have are very welcome and I'll do my best to get everything I can out there and explained as best as I can.
George

Ole Dantoft · Post by **Ole Dantoft** » 28 Jun 2003 8:46 am

Guys,
Band-In-A-Box (BiaB) v.11 will import CHORDS from a midi-file and thus convert it to a BiaB-file.

BiaB v.12 will import a midi-file and let you create a STYLE from that file - totally different things here ! With v.12 you can download any midi-file with a feel similar to something you'd like to do and with some effort and patience you can create your own style (.STY-file) and work from there.

It's not bullet-proof but it's certainly worth the upgrade if you ask me ! I bought v.12 the day it was released because I just happen to love the way BiaB works - not nessecarily (sp?) the way it LOOKS and the layout of the interface - but the way it works and the things it can do towards creating great practice/performance backup-tracks easily and quickly is just way beyond what you can do with ANY other piece of software available !

My oppinion : Go get it !

(No I'm not affiliated with PG Music in any way !)

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Ole

My homepage !

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 28 Jun 2003 9:05 am

Thanks Ole,
I think I'll just go ahead and get it. I've been upgrading all along now, so why stop.

I think BIAB is a good program all right,
it's just that there's a lot to it, and sometimes can be overwhelming [for me, anyway].

Chipper

Kenneth Kotsay · Post by **Kenneth Kotsay** » 28 Jun 2003 9:13 am

When does Ver. 13 come out? I bet in late December, I bet the upgrade will cost $59.00.
I bet I won't be getting it, currently I have Ver 11 and most likey will be purchasing Ver. 14 in December 2004.

In Ver. 11 I gave up trying to convert the midi files into BIAB. What I do with the midi files now is I import them into Cakewalk and mess with the file there. There's no chord chart with Cakewalk, that's the only draw back.

KEN[This message was edited by Kenneth Kotsay on 28 June 2003 at 10:17 AM.]

George Wixon · Post by **George Wixon** » 28 Jun 2003 9:21 am

Chip,
Check your email, I just sent you your file back that I converted to a SGU file.
George

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 28 Jun 2003 9:22 am

I don't think version 12 is all that new. I think that I bought it a few monthes ago. What I like about it is its ability to support General Midi II. In fact I upgraded my tone generator to recognize GM II. GM II supports ukulele, mandolin and 128 additional instruments. My new tone generator recognizes over a thousand different instruments.
Erv

Doug Seymour · Post by **Doug Seymour** » 28 Jun 2003 11:36 am

I started w/BB in January of 1996 & became hooked on it & have upgraded most every time one was offered. I have version 12, but guess I'm not with it....guess I've never tried converting a midi to a BB file. I have about 1400 tunes, mostly old standards. I enjoy it a great deal and think it's a fair bargain as software goes. I like the CD idea to make your tracks portable. I got a used laptop for that purpose, but the soundcard is pretty low quality. Actually my home set up uses an inexpensive Yamaha keyboard for a sound module, but it seems better to me than some other things i've tried.

George Wixon · Post by **George Wixon** » 28 Jun 2003 12:49 pm

For any one needing help in converting a midi file over using BIAB version 11 go to my web site and all the way down to the bottom of the page click on the midi conversion via band in a box. There are complete screen shots of the whole process from start to finish. http://www.gwixon.com
George

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 29 Jun 2003 1:03 am

Thanks George for that midi-BIAB conversion file you sent me via email.

As you mentioned in the very beginning of this post, "midi conversion does not always intrerpret things correctly".

This was the case in the file you sent. The melody starts off recognizable, but then tends to drift off a bit.

The chords were somewhat correct, but there
is one point in the song where the chord progression is going to a Ddom7, but midi interpreted it as a C chord.

So, I guess the next big question is: with this midi file, can I now go in and tweak things to make it sound more like the true melody - modify notes and measures etc.?
And change the instrumentation, too?

Thanks again, George, for your time and effort. That was real quick!

Chipper

George Wixon · Post by **George Wixon** » 29 Jun 2003 3:24 am

Chip,
Once you have the file in BIAB you can do anything and everything you want. The key was to get the thing in there first. I had no idea that people didn't realize that they thought they would be stuck with the way BIAB interprets the midi be it right or wrong and then think that they could not change it.
I'll start getting the screen shots together on how to do these things along with the descriptions. As I said this site will continue to grow for any one that needs the help to use.
George

Tom Mortensen · Post by **Tom Mortensen** » 1 Jul 2003 1:33 pm

Is it possible to record BIAB instrument channels onto separate tracks on my multitrack recorder?
What would I need.

George Wixon · Post by **George Wixon** » 1 Jul 2003 4:14 pm

Tom,
I dont have an answer for that one but I imagine anything is possible. I'll look into it but I'm not certain. Maybe some one else can help out that has done this before. I do know that Power Tracks will split a midi file and put each thing on a different track and you could probably do it with Power Tracks.
George

Graham · Post by **Graham** » 2 Jul 2003 12:28 pm

Tom:
To my knowledge, only with a lot of work. I mute the instruments I don't want and record the one I do want in Cooledit Pro. Save it as an mp3 and carry on to the next one. All 7,8,9 or whatever mp3s' can be opened in individual tracks of Cooledits 128 multitrack utility and effects or whatever added etc and then can be mixed down to a stereo mp3.

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Rebel™
ICQ 614585
http://users.interlinks.net/rebel/steel/steel.html

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 27 Jul 2003 8:23 am

George-Thanks for all your info on BIAB. Isn't this forum great!

I have BIAB Vers. 11 and Vers 12. and I havn't done anything with it.

All I want to do is make some jazz , old standards,and Big band rythm tracks and burn them on CD's.

So I can play all my old tunes with backup with my own chords, or at least the proper jaz chords. If I can do just that, it will be worth it......al

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[url=http://www.cmedic.net/~almarcu ... ~almarcus/ [/url]

George Wixon · Post by **George Wixon** » 30 Jul 2003 4:13 pm

Hi Al,
Nice to here from you again and yes this forum is great. Hope all the little help topics for BIAB up on my web site has helped you out. There's still more to come.
George

Dan Dowd · Post by **Dan Dowd** » 31 Jul 2003 3:57 am

I split all the tracks in Cakewalk after making a midi file in BIAB. You can also split the individule drum tracks in Cakewalk using a CAL program that allows you to put each drum on its own midi track. If you want to put the tracks on a multi track recorder just pan one midi track to 0 and one to 127 on your sequencer. This allows you to record the Bass on a track and the piano on a track. Panning the midi tracks makes the two selected tracks mono,(Bass on Left and Piano on the right, for example). You will also need to sync your computer to the recorder using MTC (midi time code). This keeps all the tracks in time with each other when doing multiple takes. I use the recorder to start and stop the computer. If you use MTC and Cakewalk make sure you shift all the Cakewalk midi tracks by adding 2 measures. This gives everything time to sync up. You can also use MTC in Cool Edit and Sound Forge if working with audio tracks.