ORIGINAL: stratcat33511

http://forum.cakewalk.com/tt.asp?forumid=39

if anybody cares

This is the thread, strat is referring to ... http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.asp?m=1646150

ORIGINAL: mudgel

Then there's Jammer Pro which now has a version that works as a VST plugin within SONAR.

I bought BIAB 6 *years* ago, but discovered it felt "stiff" to me. Since then, I've been using SoundTrek's Jammer Pro 4 and 5. Haven't made the upgrade to v.6 because I still need to master JP5's non-DOS character interface.

I've been hammering out a fight song for the new high school in town using MIDIsoft Recording Session 1.08 from 1993 (embarrassed), JP4, and SONAR 7. (Needless to say, it's been *interesting.*) ;-D

Cheers,

Just save the file as MIDI and then import into SONAR. Saves a load of "writing" time. You just need to make sure the project option in SONAR matches the BIAB MIDI export of 120 ppq. BIAB imports audio to use in the audio harmonizer. It's slick and can be used for creating loops. :)

DaveClark


Hi all,

I completely agree with the fans of BIAB and will attempt to correct a *possible* misimpression made by Noel's post. BIAB is also quite good for MIDI, and has been for a long time. Not only can you use existing styles, create hybrid styles, etc. but you can create entirely new styles with all your own playing. Therefore what you do with this valuable tool and how much you get out of it is ultimately up to you, the user.

Blaming BIAB for bad music is like blaming a stove for bad cooking or blaming a saw for bad carpentry. Yes, if you simply push the buttons and accept the VSC DXi output to WAV, then you'll not necessarily get a great work any more than just throwing something in an oven for two minutes at 150 F will get you great meal. There are far, far more possibilities than this simplistic approach. Anyone who wants to criticize PG Music for misleading folks about pushing a button to get great music is free to do so, but not much attention will be paid by those of us who feel we understand what PG Music is really trying to accomplish and what real software can actually hope to accomplish along the lines of compositional assistance.

Mike's claim about BIAB being "unmatched" is absolutely correct. There are some pale imitations out there; I am not aware of any that offer anywhere near the sheer number of capabilities and understanding of both music theory and music heuristics that BIAB does.

Regards,
Dave Clark

+1 Had CWPA9 and BIAB 5 about the same time. Never looked back. Creating your own styles is fabulous and is basically YOU :-)

It's simply a tool.... how you use it or abuse it is up to you.

BIAB is a great tool but you need to learn how to use it to its best advantage.. If you expect to just type in a chord progression, pick a style and have it do all the work, you are going to be sorely disappointed.

I have used BIAB back in the days of the floppy disk. (mid 90's) Can't remember the version number.
 
I have gotten the most recent version and am amazed at all the add ons. I have always exported the midi file from BIAB and brought into Cakewalk to manipulate.
 
BIAB is the best program out there for quick backing tracks.
 
I'm really getting swallowed by the choices at the moment with all this new software. I know it's exciting and inspiring but at the same time I had a set up years ago with only 128 midi sounds and could create a lot of good tunes.
 
Hmmmmmmm.....  The good ol days.

Byron, you are correct. Like any tool, you must understand it, and know how to use it properly.  I have the RealTracks also.  I write in BB, open that in RT and export the tracks I need and like into MC4.  Sometimes however, the tracks just don't turn out right or have things about them that I don't like so I have to return to BB and rework some stuff there.

If you simply type in chords and expect outstanding results you WILL most likely be disappointed.  The result of that is almost always a very midi sounding track/song. When you understand it and work with it, the results can be outstanding.

After reading about it in this thread, I looked up MySong. It seems to have been the research predecessor of the Microsoft app currently called Songsmith.

It is also said in this thread, that Songsmith is developed for Microsft by PG Music, ,makers of Band-In-A-Box.

In one message of this thread, something is written which says that MySong is better in some ways than BIAB.  Is that true, if develiped by the same folks at PG Music?

Or was MySong actually something quite different from Songsmith? If so, where could one download MySong?

Thank you.

I was viewing Songsmith at youtube after reading this thread. MySong seems similar to Songsmith (create song via melody).

Auto generated music via melody (Songsmith, MySong?) vs using BIAB :

Easier to use Better, will depend if the user is a musician or not.

I have a good laugh watching this :
<youtube link removed>

Edit : I have removed the link, out of respect for the product, as it is meant to help none musician to come up with a full arrangement with just a melody, although it may sound funny..