If you’re only using wavs then make sure the sample rates from BiaB (I believe it’s 16 bit/44.1K) and from your recording are identical. Otherwise they will not sync during playback.

MarioD is well regarded in the BIAB forum as an expert. He is correct, the audio coming out of BIAB is always 44.1/16 bit.

However, the original poster is only importing MIDI from BIAB. Be aware that, in BIAB, you can do things to the MIDI such as Play, Slide Tracks to alter the timing of individual MIDI instruments. If you had done that, it might be more challenging to sync them with audio in SONAR. I have never had a problem, though, and even if you did, you have the Timer adjustment for MIDI tracks, right under the patch selector for each MIDI track in SONAR.

There is also a timing adjustment within BIAB to sync a soundcard audio and MIDI track, but to my knowledge, it alters the offset timing of the audio only, so MIDI exported from BIAB would be unaffected.

ORIGINAL: nelcatjar
POLL: Does anyone use Band-in-a-Box to create midi files and then import the midi into Sonar?

Yes. I find BIAB to be a very useful practice tool, but I don't like the BIAB interface. I typically export BIAB songs to MIDI (copying right to the clipboard) and then paste the MIDI into a SONAR project (again, pasting straight from the clipboard.) It works like a charm, and SONAR has complete control over all tracks. I suppose the same control can be had from within BIAB, but I much prefer the SONAR interface.

Yes. Its better for jazz or new-age style music, but its works well. I've created pieces that way and then export them to a MIDI file that I import to Sonar. Then I'll re-do most, if not all, of the tracks or rearrange/mutate them using different instruments and effects, add tracks. Now you know my secret!

I use BIAB mostly to practice Jazz guitar soloing or bass playing.

Have used BIAB generated drums and piano in SONAR a few times, when I was writing big band scores.

Been trying to copy a 5/4 midi drums from BIAB into SONAR, but gave up.
(I still want to write a big band score for Toogs by Scofield, which is 5/4)

SONAR squeezed the 5/4 measure into the first four counts, or other strange things happened, whatever I tried.

BiaB 2008.5 here, and i find it does a very nice job at basic track beds. i use both the RTs and Rds and the midi and it can make for a great start to a song that i can play over and polish up.

Well, I wouldn't use the generated music it puts out. That's pretty pathetic, to be honest. I saw a comparison with some new program Microsoft has been playing around with (currently in beta) that does a much finer job of creating nice patterns. This was pretty well tested, with a rather large panel of people doing blind tests.

It's absolutely marvelous for reharmonising, and adding the required minimum to your tune via the right style. But that's different - don't think it will make music for you - that's going to be a deception, I think. It's not very good at it, and any veteran user could spot a BiaB tune with his eyes closed, I think.

You have to be kidding me. To me BIAB has the most sophisticated style generation of any product in its class. Songsmith doesn't even scratch the surface there.
You must be thinking of a earlier versions of the product that did pure MIDI based patterns. The new generation ever since it does real tracks is quite amazing since all the patterns are audio. (Perhaps more so if you have an interest in jazz or some other acoustic styles). The patterns it generates for drums and bass are 100% authentic since they are based on phrases played by real musicians.
With some work you can create pretty authentic stuff that you would be hard pressed to do if you didn't actually have an intimate knowledge of all the instruments.

You have to be kidding me. To me BIAB has the most sophisticated style generation of any product in its class.
You must be thinking of a earlier versions of the product that did pure MIDI based patterns.

I said I used 2007, didn't I? And that I didn't upgrade because nearly all the new stuff is audio? Don't know the exact version BiaB they used for the comparison, but the text seems from 2008 somewhere:

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/dan/mysong/

but it would certainly seem there was room for improvement, judging from those results.

And still - I cannot use audio as easily as I can (re)use that midi. To me, big difference - however neat-o it may sound. It's still frozen.

I'm going to have to check out BIAB again since it's been improved. I've used it to create a couple of inexpensive backing tracks for an amateur singer to use at her church. It's nice when you have someone who has written a song that is just lyrics and melody. You can insert chord changes that are being suggested to you by the melody you are hearing and immediate ask the composer if it is what they had in mind. You can then try some alternate chords and get immediate feedback from the client if you are on the right track.

I'm not a keyboardist at all so I really would like a product that could produce convincing keyboard parts. I've been wishing for a product that would be along the lines of EZkeyboards. I had hoped that Studio Instruments by Cakewalk would have become something along that line but it's fallen along the wayside and never been developed as far as midi patterns are concerned.