Band in a Box Manual

8/10/2019 Band in a Box Manual

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Copyright PG Music Inc.1989-2009. All rights reserved.


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PG Music Inc. License AgreementCAREFULLY READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS BEFORE COMPLETINGTHE INSTALLATION OF THIS SOFTWARE. USAGE OF THE SOFTWARE INDICATES

YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS.LICENSEA. The program may only be used on a single machine.B. You may transfer the program and license to another party if the other party agrees to

accept the terms of this Agreement. If you transfer the program, you must either transferall copies, whether in printed or machine readable form, to the same party, or, destroy allcopies not transferred. This includes all modifications and/or portions of the programmerged into other programs.

C. You may receive the program in more than one media. Regardless of the type or size ofmedia you receive, you may install or use the media on a single machine.

D. The program (including any images, applets, photographs, animations, video, audio,

music, and text incorporated into the program) is owned by PG Music Inc. or itssuppliers, and is protected by international copyright laws and international treaty

provisions.You may not use, copy, or transfer the program, or any copy, modification or merged portion of the

program, in whole or in part, except as expressly provided for in this license. If you transferpossession of any copy, modification or merged portion of the program to another party, your licenseis automatically terminated.

LIMITATION OF REMEDIESPG Music Inc.'s entire liability and your exclusive remedy shall be:

A. The replacement of any media not meeting PG Music Inc.'s Limited Warranty, whichare returned to PG Music Inc., or an authorized PG Music Inc. dealer, with a copy of your

receipt.B. If PG Music Inc. or the authorized dealer is unable to deliver replacement media which is

free of defects in materials or workmanship, you may terminate this agreement, and yourmoney will be refunded.

In no event will PG Music Inc. be liable to you for any damages, including but not limited to lostprofits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or theinability to use such program, even if PG Music Inc. or an authorized PG Music Inc. dealer has beenadvised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party.

TRADEMARKS

Band-in-a-Box, CopyMe, GuitarStar, JazzU,PG Music, PowerTracks Pro, RealBand,

RealDrums, and RealTracks are either the trademarks or registered trademarks of PG Music Inc.in the United States, Canada, and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are either registeredtrademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, Mac, Panther, Power Mac, QuickTime, Tiger, andTrueType are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.IBM is the registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Roland andRoland Logo, EDIROL and EDIROL Logo, GS and GS Logo, are registered trademarksand MIDI2 Logo, EDIROL Virtual Sound Canvas Multi Pack, VSC-MP1 are trademarks ofRoland Corporation. ASIO is a trademark and software of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.VST is a trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. Other brands and their products aretrademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be noted as such.

PATENTS

Band-in-a-Box is protected under US Patent 5990407. The TC-Helicon Harmony feature in Band-in-a-Box and PowerTracks Pro Audio is protected under US Patents 5567901, 5641926, 5986198,34583, 296.80.173.9, PI9603819.5, 0368046, 0750776, 6,046,395, and patents pending.

Printed in Canada

PG Music Inc. License Agreement2


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Table of Contents

PG MUSIC INC. LICENSE AGREEMENT 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 4

CHAPTER 2: SUMMARY OF NEW FEATURES 5

Over 40 New Features 5

CHAPTER 3: QUICKSTART TUTORIAL 8Using the New Features 8

CHAPTER 4: ABOUT REALTRACKS 18

CHAPTER 5: USING REALTRACKS 24

Assign RealTracks to Track Dialog 24

CHAPTER 6: OTHER NEW FEATURES 29

Melody Wizard 29

Notation Enhancements 30

Audio Chord Wizard Enhanced 31

PG MUSIC INC. 32

Table of Contents 3


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Chapter 1: Introduction

This documentation covers the new features in Band-in-a-BoxVersion 2009 for Windows.

- Chapter 2 is a summary of the new features.

- Chapter 3 is a QuickStart Tutorial.

- Chapters 4 - 6 describe major new features.

Congratulations on your purchase of

Band-in-a-Box 2009 for Windows!

Over 40 new features, including RealCharts, enhancedAudio Chord Wizard, Freeze Song, Melody Wizard andmore

Huge number of new RealTracks available 101(!) newRealTracks bring the total available to over 170.

Upgrades include both Band-in-a-Box 2009 andRealBand 2009 until December 31, 2008

Upgrades and First-Time purchases include a bonus12-PAKwith 12 great music programs and add-ons forBand-in-a-Box until December 31, 2008

40 new features in Band-in-a-Box 2009 for Windows

Weve added a huge number of new RealTracks (101 more!),and also a new MIDI styles disk#77 (UK Pop). Weve added

RealCharts notation and on-screen guitar display for many ofthe RealTracks. This allows you to hear the audio performances,and see/learn from the on-screen notation, tab, and on-screen guitarfretboard. Weve enhanced the Audio Chord Wizard, the featurethat figures out chords from MP3, WMA and other audio files.Weve enhanced the RealTracks, with improved arrangementsand sounds. And weve added artist information and biosfor thegreat artists performing in the RealTracks. Theres a Freeze Songoption that allows you to freeze and save a song arrangement sothat it plays back quickly without requiring regeneration ofRealTracks and other tracks. And the MIDI Wizard is improved,with a Melody Wizardthat allows you to trigger notes from theMelody, including approach notes.

Chapter 1: Introduction4


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Chapter 2: Summary of New Features

Over 40 New Features

101 new RealTracks!

With the Band-in-a-Box 2008 release, there were 3 RealTracks, with 70more introduced during 2008. Now, with Band-in-a-Box 2009 weveadded 101 more great RealTracks in Pop/ Rock/ Jazz/ Blues/Country andBluegrass styles.

-Pop/Rockhas lots of great Rock/Pop guitars n bass (Dual Rock,

StoneZ, Dire, Strumming, Fingerpicking, and more)-Countryhas great guitars, pedal steel, resophonic, slide, fiddle, banjo

and more.

-Blueshas electric and resophonic guitars, bass, and harmonica.

-Jazzhas Waltz (bass, piano, guitar), Freddie style guitar comping(swing, ballad and waltz), and a WesComp guitar comping.

Note: There are even more RealTracks in production. Visit www.pgmusic.com to see

the latest releases.

RealCharts

Most RealTracks now display notation showing the notes that are beingplayed. Some Guitar RealTracks also show tab and an accurate on-screenfretboard guitar display to show what is being played on guitar. TheRealCharts can be saved to MIDI file or Songs (MGU).

Audio Chord Wizard Enhanced

Chords may be edited in the Audio Chord Wizard. Part markers, chordsymbols, key signature, and tuning setting are saved in Band-in-a-Box,and are passed back and forth to the Chord Wizard.

Artist Names and Bios for RealTracks

The RealTracks have been recorded by top studio musicians. Now theartist names and bios are displayed for the RealTracks.

Freeze Song (for rapid playback)/UnFreeze SongYou can now freeze a songs arrangement. This converts the song toaudio data that plays on the audio track, while the other tracks are muted.This insures that the song loads and plays quickly, without having to waitfor RealTracks to generate. This feature is useful for people who are

performing, or in other situations where you are happy with thearrangement and dont want to wait for several RealTracks to generate.

Chapter 2: Summary of New Features 5


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Even a long song with multiple RealTracks can now playback in a fewseconds if you first freeze the arrangement.

Melody Wizard

The QWERTY (or MIDI keyboard) Wizard has been enhanced. Now, for

songs with melodies, there are QWERTY keys (Enter, \ , T, 6) thattrigger notes from the melody as the song is being played. Other keystrigger 1-4 approach notes from below or above and can be recorded, tohumanize a stiff melody with better timing, and approach notes are alsouseful for sight reading, rhythm practice or to perform. The MelodyWizard works with harmonies.

-Melody notes: T, 6, Enter, \

-Same Melody note: 5-Approach notes: QWER YUIO

-Octave set: 1, 2, 3

MIDI notes also work (if Preferences[Transpose]is set to AllowMelody Wizard on THRU part).

-Octave set: E(40), F(41), G(43)

-Melody notes: F(53), G(55)-Approach notes: B(47), C, D, E A, B, C, D(62)

RealTracks dialog is improved with additional information.

RealTracks Assign dialog has new columns with information for Stereostatus, Set number, RealCharts status, and artist name.

RealTracks dialog can now list styles and demo songs that use the

RealTracks. The songs or styles can be loaded in easily by menu, and

played within the dialog.

RealTracks improved arrangements

-Ability to have a delay in RealTracks track programmed into a style.-Ability to have a delay in RealTracks track programmed into a song.

These allow you to make a song or style with a more laid-back feelfor a certain RealTracks for example.

-Better soloing and rhythm playing, which are influenced by the key

signature as well as the chords.-Better playing of slash chords in some situations.-Option for a Simpler arrangement on some RealTracks, which avoid

embellishments.-Feature for fills, turnarounds, post fills and odd/even bars to be at the

right place.

Chapter 2: Summary of New Features6


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-Better playing on the V chord, since it is usually played as a V7chord. Options added to allow a RealTrack to treat the V7 chord as a V(useful in rock styles), or to treat all 7thchords as major triads (useful in

blues).

-Improved handling of Caug, Cmaug, and C7+ chords.-RealTracks, more fluid playing for complex (Jazz) chords likeC7b9b13.

-RealTracks shots improved.

Improved RealDrums

At certain tempos, when RealDrums are tempo-stretching, speeding up aslower tempo is now favored more often, resulting in a better soundingDrums track (threshold changed from 10% to 4%).

RealDrums made by you (or others)that are added by you to theRealDrums folder now appear in the RealDrums Pickerdialog.

Notation enhancedwith patch names displayed on notation, lead sheetand printout, e.g., 57 Trumpet.

StylePicker list enhanced, with separate categories for RealTracksgenres (Jazz, Pop, Country, Bluegrass, Blues), over 1,000 entries.

Save and Load custom preferencesfiles, with your current settingssaved and restored. For example, you can have a preference thatremembers a certain group of songs, notation transpositions etc. Returnto Factory Settings now saves Preferences to disk, so that the settings can

be restored at any time.

MIDI/Audio Driver Setup Dialog Enhanced

Audio Settings button displays the MME/ASIO/ASIO Always On status.

Name of VST or DXi displayed.Enhanced "Chords - Search and Replace" Functionality

Search and Replace can be used with Roman Numerals or numbers forchord names. So you can replace the V chord with V7, or the 5m chordwith 5m7. Since these are remembered between songs, this feature isuseful if you are changing multiple songs.

Easy Entry of Section Text on Notation Window

Typing a backslash \ followed by any text puts that text at thebeginning of the current bar as a boxed section text message. E.g. \Hellowould put Hello in a boxed section text event.

Song Limit in Song picker increasedfrom 10,000 to 25,000 songs.

.. and many more!

Chapter 2: Summary of New Features 7


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Chapter 3: QuickStart Tutorial

Using the New Features

101 new RealTracks

There were 3 RealTracks released with Band-in-a-Box 2008, and 70more were introduced during 2008. With Band-in-a-Box 2009 weveadded 101 more great RealTracks in Pop/ Rock/ Jazz/ Blues/ Countryand Bluegrass styles.

-Pop/Rock has lots of great Rock/Pop guitars n bass (Dual Rock,

StoneZ, Dire, Strumming, Fingerpicking, and more.)-Country has great guitars, pedal steel, resophonic, slide, fiddle, banjo

and more.

-Blues has electric and resophonic guitars, bass, and harmonica.

-Jazz has Waltz (bass, piano, guitar), Freddie style guitar comping(swing, ballad and waltz), and a WesComp guitar comping.

To see which RealTracks you have, visit the (main menu) Opt. | What

add-ons do I have?dialog. This will list the RealTracks sets that youhave. There are 39 Sets of RealTracks, with each set having 4-5RealTracks over 170 RealTracks in all.

Another way to examine which RealTracks you have is to visit theAssign RealTracks to Trackdialog. Right click on one of theinstrument names at the top of the screen (e.g., Guitar), and then chooseAdd-Remove RealTracks. You can then click on the 9thcolumn, called

Set #. This sorts the RealTracks by set #. Also, press ShowRealTracks that are Not Available (N/A.) This will list all availableRealTracks including ones that you dont have.

Note: There are even more RealTracks in production, visit www.pgmusic.com to seethe latest releases.

RealCharts

Most RealTracks now display notation, i.e. RealCharts, showing the

notes that are being played. Some Guitar RealTracks also show tablatureand an accurate on-screen fretboard guitar display to show what is beingplayed on guitar.

To see which instruments have RealCharts, visit the Assign RealTracksto Tracksdialog and sort column 11, Chart. Instruments with an Nor Gt in this column have RealCharts.

Chapter 3: QuickStart Tutorial8


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-Instruments with Gt in the Chart column have RealCharts withaccurate guitar tab and on-screen guitar fretboard display.

-If the instrument is Acoustic Piano and there is an N in the Chartcolumn, the instrument has a Jazz piano RealChart.

-The various other instruments with an N (Pedal Steel, Slide Guitar,Resophonic, Trumpet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax) have RealCharts instandard notation.

At the top of the screen, if a track has RealTracks, but isNOT a RealCharts track, then the track name is green.

Real Instrument charts: If a track has a RealChart, the trackname is green and underlined with a short line.

RealGuitar charts: If a track has RealChart, and is a guitartrack with accurate tab and on-screen guitar fretboarddisplay, then it is green and underlined with a long line.

RealCharts can be saved to MIDI files or Band-in-a-Box songs (MGU).RealCharts are optional, and are selected in the RealTracks Settings

dialog. Use the RealTracks button or click on [RealTracks]inthe Preferencesdialog.

Show RealCharts notation from styles and songs will showRealCharts that have been generated from styles or songs stored with

RealTracks. Show RealCharts notation for Soloists will show RealCharts that

have been generated from the Select Soloistdialog.

Save RealCharts in MIDI files will save the RealChart to a MIDItrack so you can analyze it in other programs.

Save RealCharts in BB Songs (MGU) will save the RealChartMIDI information to the MGU file.

Audio Chord Wizard Enhanced

Chords may be edited in the Audio Chord Wizard. Part markers, chordsymbols, key signature, and tuning setting are saved in Band-in-a-Box,and are passed back and forth to the Chord Wizard.

See documentation inside the Audio Chord Wizardprogram.

Chapter 3: QuickStart Tutorial 9


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Artist Names and Bios for RealTracks

The RealTracks have been recorded by top studio musicians. Now theartist names and bios are displayed for the RealTracks.

To see the artist names, open the Assign RealTracks to Tracksdialogby right clicking on an instrument name (e.g., Piano) at the top of thescreen.

As you click on the various RealTracks, the Artist Bio window (top rightof the screen) displays the bio in a small window.

Click on that small window to display a large window where you canread the entire bio easily.



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Click on the More information here button for more informationabout the Artist from the pgmusic.com web site.

Freeze Song (for rapid playback)/UnFreeze Song.You can now freezea songs arrangement. This converts the song to audio data that plays onthe audio track while the other tracks are muted. This insures that thesong loads and plays quickly without having to wait for RealTracks togenerate. This feature is useful for people who are performing, or inother situations where you are happy with the arrangement and dontwant to wait for several RealTracks to generate. Even a long song with

multiple RealTracks can now playback in a few seconds if you firstfreeze the arrangement.

To freeze a song choose the menu command Play | Freezesong

or right click on the Combolabel for the same command.

When you freeze a song, the following happens:- the current arrangement on the 5 instruments tracks (bass, drums,

piano, guitar, strings), melody, and soloist are rendered to a singletrack (the Audio track).

- The style is disabled,which also mutes the 5 instrument tracks.



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-

The Melody and Soloist tracks are disabled (you canchange this status in the File-Save with Patchesdialog box).

-The Audio label color turns blue to indicate that theSong is frozen, and the audio track contains thearrangement.

Note: Freezing a song cannot be done on a song with an existing audio track. If youhave an audio track and freeze a song, the program will ask you if you want topermanently erase the audio track, or cancel the operation.

If you want to generate a new arrangement, or change some chords, orjust prefer to work with the song in un-frozen state, choose Play |

UnFreezesong. (or right click on the Combolabel at the top left of thescreen).

When you un-freeze a song, the following happens:

-The arrangement on the Audio track is erased.

-The style is enabled.

-The Melody and Soloist tracks are enabled.

-Pressing [Play]will generate the arrangement.A song can be frozen and unfrozen repeatedly.

Melody Wizard

The QWERTY (or MIDI keyboard) Wizard has been enhanced. Now,for songs with melodies, there are QWERTY keys (Enter, \ , T, 6) thattrigger notes from the melody as the song is being played. Other keystrigger 1-4 approach notes from below or above. Notes can be recorded,

to humanize a stiff melody with better timing, and approach notes arealso useful for sight reading, rhythm practice, or performance. Workswith harmonies.


-Same Melody note: 5

-Approach notes: QWER YUIO



-Octave set: E(40), F(41), G(43)

-Melody notes: F(53), G(55)

-Approach notes: B(47),C, D, E A, B, C, D(62)



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To use the Melody Wizard, make sure the Keyboard Wizardis enabled on the main screen.

This will also enable the MIDI Wizard on the QWERTY keys.

If you also want to use the Melody Wizard on MIDI notes, go toPreferences [Transpose]and enable Allow Melody Wizard on THRUpart in theSettings for transposing songs when loaded or Do itNowdialog.

*.MGU Then, choose a song that has a Melody track.

Mute the Melody track by right clicking on the Melodytrack (Alt+9).

Play the song.

ENTERor\ As you play the song, you can use the Enterkey or the \

key (or T or 6 above the T) to play Melody notes.W,E,R,T These will be approach notes up to the melody. You can

start on any note.

Q,E,R,T Starting on a Q instead of W will use wider voicings forapproach notes.

I,U,Y,T These will be approach notes down to the melody. Starton any note.

O,U,Y,T Starting on an O instead of I will use wider voicings forapproach notes.

The RealTracks dialog is improved with additional information.

The Assign RealTracks to Trackdialog has new columns withinformation for Stereo status, Set number, RealCharts status, and artistname.

The Set #Column ranges from 1 to 38. Each RealTracks set has 4-5

RealTracksThe StereoColumn displays Mn (Mono) or St (Stereo)

The RealChartscolumn displays N for RealNotation, and Gt forRealGuitar charts. RealNotation charts show notation for the RealTracks,and RealGuitar charts also show accurate Guitar tablature and on-screenguitar display.



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The Artistcolumn displays the name of the Artist who performed on theRealTracks. Note that there is an Artist Bio window, which enlarges ifyou click on it.

The RealTracks dialog can now list styles and demo songs that use

the RealTracks.

The songs or styles can be loaded in easily by menu, and played withinthe dialog.

Select a RealTrack, and then press the [SongDemo]button, to see a list of song demos inthe \bb\RealTracks Demos folder. A menuappears, and the song loads in when youselect the song.

Pressing the [Style Demo]button will display a menu of styles that usethe selected RealTracks, including styles that you dont have (which aremarked as N/A)

The loaded files can be played and stopped within the dialog.

RealTracks Improved Arrangements

-Ability to have a delay in RealTracks track programmed into a style.

-Ability to have a delay in RealTracks track programmed into a song.These allow you to make a song or style with a more laid-back feelfor a certain RealTracks for example,

-Better soloing and rhythm playing, which are influenced by the keysignature as well as the chords.

-Better playing of slash chords in some situations.



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-Option for a Simpler arrangement on some RealTracks, which avoidembellishments.

-Feature for fills, turnarounds, post fills and odd/even bars to be at theright place

-Better playing on the V chord, since it is usually played as a V7chord. Options added to allow a RealTrack to treat the V7 chord as a V(useful in rock styles), or to treat all 7thchords as major triads (useful in

blues)-Improved handling of Caug, Cmaug, and C7+ chords-RealTracks, more fluid playing for complex (Jazz) chords like

C7b9b13-RealTracks shots improved.

Improved RealDrums at Certain Tempos

When RealDrums are tempo-stretching, they now favor the speeding upa slower tempo more often, resulting in a better sounding Drums track.(Threshold changed from 10% to 4%)

For example, if a song has a tempo of 150, and there are drum filesavailable at tempos of 130 and 160. The tempo of 160 would need to beslowed by 6%, the tempo of 130 needs to speed up by 15%. Since the

slow down threshold is now 4%, the tempo of 130 will be chosen, andwill be tempo stretched up to 150

RealDrums made by you (or others)that are added by you to theRealDrums folder now appear in the RealDrums Pickerdialog.

This happens automatically. Any added folder will appear in the list inthe RealDrums Pickerdialog.

Technical Tip: Some of the columns for added drum styles will have ? marks for:, , , , , and

You can supply this information by editing the file c:\bb\drumstyleinfo2.txt, and addinga line like this, that fills in the fields as listed above. Make sure to save a backup ofthis file, since PG Music updates might replace it.BluesShuffle^=4,Sw,8,Blues,Rock,100,130

Display Patch Names in Notation

Patch names can be displayed in notation, lead sheet, and printout.

The patch number is displayed at any bar number that has a patchchange.

You can disable this option in the Notation Window Optionswith theDisplay Patch names on notation setting.



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StylePicker List enhancedwith separate categories for RealTracksgenres (Jazz, Pop, Country, Bluegrass, Blues). Over 1,000 entries.

Save and Load custom preferencesfileswith your current settingssaved and restored. For example, you can have a preference thatremembers a certain group of songs, notation transpositions, etc. The

Opt.|Return to Factory Settingsmenu command now saves preferencesto disk, so that the settings can be restored at any time.

Choose the menu item Opt. | Save Preferences As, or Options | OpenPreferences.

MIDI/Audio Driver Setup Dialog Enhanced

The [Audio Settings]button displays the current audio driver and status,MME/ASIO/ASIO Always On.

The current DXi or VST synth name is displayed in the button thatlaunches the VST/DXi settings.

Enhanced "Chords - Search and Replace" Functionality

Search and Replace can be used with Roman numerals or numbers forchord names. So you can replace the V chord with V7, or the 5m chordto 5m7. Since these are remembered between songs, this feature is usefulif you are changing multiple songs.



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Easy Entry of Section Text In Notation Window

Typing a backslash \ followed by any text puts that text at thebeginning of the current bar as a boxed section text message. Forexample, \Hello would put Hello in a boxed section text event.

Typing the \ launches the edit dialog for the section text.

Type the section text that youwant, such as Guitar Solo, and then press Enter.

This text can be entered once per bar. You can use this for sectionheadings, or even lyrics for a bar-by-bar basis.

Song limit in SongPicker increasedfrom 10,000 to 25,000 songs.

.. and many more!



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Chapter 4: About RealTracks

What are RealTracks?

PG Musics exclusive RealTracks are live recordings of top studiomusicians. These are not samples, but are full recordings, lasting from1 to 8 bars at a time, playing along in perfect sync with the other Band-in-a-Box tracks. Since their introduction with Band-in-a-Box 2008, therehas been an explosion of RealTracks development, so that there are nowover 100 different instruments available, with many more in production.Visit www.pgmusic.comto see the latest releases.

Every version of Band-in-a-Box includes a basic selection of RealTracks,with many additional sets of instruments available in special PAKs andas individual add-ons.

In addition to the large number of RealTracks sets available, there havebeen many updates and enhancements to their application in Band-in-a-Box.

RealTracks replace the MIDI track for an instrument, and can becontrolled just like the MIDI instrument (volume changes, muting etc.).Best of all, they follow the chord progression that you have entered, sothat you hear an authentic audio accompaniment to your song.

Any Band-in-a-Box instrumental track can be converted to a RealTrackby right-clicking on the track name and choosing Assign RealTracksfrom the menu.

This launches theAssign RealTracks to Trackdialog, whereRealTracks instruments are listed and assigned to Band-in-a-Box tracks.See the following chapter for a complete description of this dialog.

Chapter 4: About RealTracks18
http://www.pgmusic.com/http://www.pgmusic.com/


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Youll see that the track name for parts with RealTracks is colored green,just as Drums changes to green when RealDrums are used.

This menu also has commands for regenerating the RealTrack (with thesame settings), and for saving it to a .WAV audio file.

Once a RealTrack has been generated you can freeze a songsarrangement. This converts the song to audio data that plays on theaudio track, while the other tracks are muted.

Use the Playmenu commands Freeze Song (to Audio Track)and Un-Freeze Song to toggle this feature on and off.

Freeze Song ensures that the song loads and plays quickly, withouthaving to wait for RealTracks to generate. This feature is useful for

people who are performing, or in other situations where you are happywith the arrangement and dont want to wait for several RealTracks togenerate. Even a long song with multiple RealTracks can now playbackin a few seconds if you first freeze the arrangement.

RealTracks can also be used in Band-in-a-Box styles, and there is aspecial selection of RealTracks styles in the StylePickerdialog with all

Real instruments and no MIDI.

RealTracks can also be generated on the Soloisttrack.

Configuring RealTracks - RealTracks Settings Dialog

The RealTracks toolbar button opens the RealTracks Settingsdialog. This dialog is also available by pressing the[RealTracks]button in the Preferencesdialog.

Chapter 4: About RealTracks 19


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The RealTracks Settingsdialog allows you to Enable/Disable theRealTracks feature.

RealCharts

Most RealTracks now display notation, i.e. RealCharts, showing thenotes that are being played. Some Guitar RealTracks also show tablatureand an accurate on-screen fretboard guitar display to show what is being

played on guitar.

To see which instruments have RealCharts, visit the Assign RealTracks

to Tracksdialog and sort column 11, Chart. Instruments with an Nor Gt in this column have RealCharts.-Instruments with Gt in the Chart column have RealCharts with

accurate guitar tab and on-screen guitar fretboard display.-If the instrument is Acoustic Piano and there is an N in the Chart

column, the instrument has a Jazz piano RealChart.-The various other instruments with an N (Pedal Steel, Slide Guitar,

Resophonic, Trumpet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax) have RealCharts in

standard notation.At the top of the screen, if a track has RealTracks, but is

NOT a RealCharts track, then the track name is green.

Real Instrument charts: If a track has a RealChart, the trackname is green and underlined with a short line.

RealGuitar charts: If a track has RealChart, and is a guitartrack with accurate tab and on-screen guitar fretboard

display, then it is green and underlined with a long line.RealCharts can be saved to MIDI files or Band-in-a-Box songs (MGU).RealCharts are optional, and are selected in the RealTracks Settings

dialog. Use the RealTracks button or click on [RealTracks]inthe Preferencesdialog.



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Show RealCharts notation from styles and songs will showRealCharts that have been generated from styles or songs stored withRealTracks.

Show RealCharts notation for Soloists will show RealCharts thathave been generated from the Select Soloistdialog.

Save RealCharts in MIDI files will save the RealChart to a MIDItrack so you can analyze it in other programs.

Save RealCharts in BB Songs (MGU) will save the RealChartMIDI information to the MGU file.

RealTracks Folder

The RealTracks styles are stored in c:\bb\RealTracks (assuming thatc:\bb is your Band-in-a-Box folder).

You can choose an alternate location by pressing on the folderbutton and picking an alternate folder. Then, click on the[Update] button to confirm the new location.

You dont need to visit this folder when using RealTracks; it is usedinternally by Band-in-a-Box, so you shouldnt add or remove files fromthis RealTracks folder unless you know what youre doing.



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Applying RealTracks Settings

You can apply an overall VolumeAdjust to the RealTracks. If they are too loud overall, try a Global

Volume Adjust of about -10 dB.

Allow soloing to crescendo can be appliedto some RealTracks to have the intensity of the solo building up, with theflashiest part of the solos playing as the solo builds.

The[Demos]button displays a menu of song demos with RealTracks inthe bb\RealTracks Demos folder.

[Assign to Track]launches the Assign RealTracks to Trackdialog,where RealTracks instruments are listed and assigned to Band-in-a-Boxtracks.

Save the new settings you have made in this dialog by pressing the[Update]button. Most changes will take effect the next time you press[Play].

The installation routine for Band-in-a-Box usually installs (decompresses)the audio files to WAV files. If you decided not to decompress themduring the installation, you can press the [Install]button to complete that

process by decompressing any WMA/MP3 files in the RealTracks folderthat do not have a .WAV file, or that have an older .WAV file.

The small button to the right of the [Install]button installs .WAV filesfor a single folder. This will search the selected folder and find .WMAfiles that can be expanded to .WAV files.

The [Archive]button will erase the .WAV files in the RealTracks folderwhen there is a smaller .WMA file available. The .WAVs can be

restored at a later time by pressing the [Install]button.The small button to the right of the [Archive]button archives .WAVfiles for a single folder. This will search the selected folder andfind .WAV files that can be erased because a .WMA file with the samename also exists. [Install]will restore the .WAV file.



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[Defaults]sets RealTracks Settingsback to default settings.

Press [OK]to make your selection and exit the RealTracks Settingsdialog.

Press [Cancel]to exit the RealTracks Settingsdialog without makingany changes. To see the [Cancel]button, it may be necessary toexpand the window by maximizing it or dragging down the lower

border.



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Chapter 5: Using RealTracks

There are many new RealTracks instruments available to use in Band-in-

a-Box, and there are several new features available for working withthem. Many are found in the Assign RealTracks to Tracksdialog.

Assign RealTracks to Track Dialog

This dialog assigns a RealTracks instrument to any of the Band-in-a-Boxinstrumental tracks. It also shows any RealTracks that are assigned toBand-in-a-Box tracks.

This dialog is launched by

1. Right-clicking on an instrument name at the top of the Band-in-a-Boxmain screen and choosingAssign RealTracksin the menu.

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- or -

2. Press the [Assign to Track]button in the RealTracks Settingsdialog.

The dialog allows you to assign a specific RealTracks instruments to atrack in a song. It also displays the current RealTracks that are assignedto each track.

RealTracks can either be assigned from the style or from the song. Thisdialog allows you to assign the ones in the song.

Tip: RealTracks in styles are assigned in the StyleMaker. Press the [Misc.]button oruse the StyleMaker menu command Style | Misc. Settingsto go to the Misc. StyleSettings dialog, then click on the [More] button for the More Settingsdialog.

To use the dialog, first select the track that you want to assign. Then,select the RealTracks that you want in the list below it.

The list can be sorted by clicking on any column heading. As well asName, Instrument, Type (Rhythm or Soloist), Feel (Even or Swing),Tempo, Genre, and Number there are more columns with additionalinformation about each RealTrack instrument.

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-The N/A column shows N/A for RealTracks that you have notinstalled yet or havent purchased, if Show RealTracks that are N/Ais checked.

-Set is the number of the RealTracks set that includes the instrument.

-The Stereo column shows whether the instrument playback is stereoor mono.

-Instruments with an N or Gt in the Chart column will display theRealTrack in notation.

-The Artist column has the name of the musician playing on theRealTrack instrument. See the Artist Bio box for information aboutthe player.

Memo field - This describes the currently selected RealTracks style,and includes some useful tips, such as a suggested tempo range andBand-in-a-Box styles to use it with.

Artist Bio - The RealTracks have been recorded by top studiomusicians. The artist names and bios are displayed for the RealTracks.Double click here to view the full memo.

User comments - You can enter your own comments about any style in

this field. The comments are saved in RTUserMemos.txtUse the song and style demos to auditionRealTracks.

The [Song Demo (MGU)]button willdisplay a list of songs in the bb\RealTracks

Demos folder that use the selectedRealTrack instrument. Click on the song name and then press the [Play]

button to hear it.The [Style Demo (.STY)]button shows a list of styles that use thecurrently highlighted RealTracks instrument. Clicking on a style namewill load the style into the current Band-in-a-Box song. Press [Play]tohear your current song played with the RealTracks style that you want toaudition.

[Defaults]sets the dialog to default values.

[Settings]launches the RealTracks Settingsdialog.

The [Save Style]button saves the current style, but withRealTracks assigned to the style equal to the current songs RealTracks.



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The volumes used in the style will match the volumes set on the mainscreen in Band-in-a-Box (compared to a default of 90). For example, ifyou set the bass volume to 40, the Style will be saved with a negativedecibel (dB) setting, so that it will playback at a quieter volume (when all

volumes are set to 90).

[Audition (WMA)]and [+]buttons play a shortWMA file demo of the currently selected RealTracks, without affectingthe currently loaded song in Band-in-a-Box. The[Audition WMA]button plays a solo file, and the [+] button plays a file in context with aband.

The [None]button sets the current track to no RealTracksassigned for the song.

This sets all RealTracks for the song to None. It will alsooptionally disable RealTracks present in the style for this song.

Select DisableRealTracks for this track (Force this track to MIDI) if you want to haveno RealTracks instrument for this track, even if the style specifies aRealTrack.

Since RealTracks are add-on purchases forBand-in-a-Box, your version may not contain all RealTracks. Selectingthe Show RealTracks that are N/A checkbox will show you allavailable RealTracks.

Tip: Opt. | What add-ons do I have?will tell you what RealTracks sets you have.

Some RealTracks have variations available,such as the Acoustic Jazz Bass, which has variations that play in 2only, in 4 only, or in 2and 4 (for a and b substyles). Normallyyou will want to Show RealTracks Variations.

A filter is available. Type a filtertext, (e.g., bass) and press [Update]

and you will then see the list filtered to show only RealTracks that havethe word bass somewhere in the title, memo, genre, etc. Pressing [ShowAll]will cancel the filter, and show all RealTracks again.

[Generate Track]will generate a RealTracksinstrument on the currently selected track.

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This button will close the dialog, and assign the RealTracksinstrument to the current track. Then, when play is pressed, theRealTrack will generate.

Once a RealTrack has been generated you can freeze a songsarrangement. This converts the song to audio data that plays on theaudio track while the other tracks are muted.

Use the Playmenu commands Freeze Song (to Audio Track)and Un-Freeze Songto toggle this feature on and off.

This ensures that the song loads and plays quickly, without having towait for RealTracks to generate. This feature is useful for people whoare performing, or in other situations where you are happy with thearrangement, and dont want to wait for several RealTracks to generate.Even a long song with multiple RealTracks can now playback in a fewseconds if you first freeze the arrangement.



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Chapter 6: Other New Features

Melody Wizard

The QWERTY (or MIDI keyboard) Wizard has been enhanced. Now, forsongs with melodies, there are QWERTY keys (Enter, \ , T, 6) thattrigger notes from the melody as the song is being played. Other keystrigger 1-4 approach notes from below or above. The notes can berecorded, to humanize a stiff melody with better timing, and approachnotes also useful for sight reading, rhythm practice or to perform. Workswith harmonies


-Same Melody note: 5

-Approach notes: QWER YUIO



-Octave set: E(40), F(41), G(43)

-Melody notes: F(53), G(55)

-Approach notes: B(47), C, D, E A, B, C, D(62)

To use the Melody Wizard, make sure the Keyboard Wizardis enabled on the main screen.

This will also enable the MIDI Wizard on the QWERTY keys.

If you also want to use the Melody Wizard on MIDI notes, go toPreferences [Transpose]and enable Allow Melody Wizard on THRU

part in theSettings for transposing songs when loaded or Do itNowdialog.

*.MGU Then, choose a song that has a Melody track.

Mute the Melody track by right clicking on the Melodytrack (Alt+9).

Play the song.

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ENTERor\ As you play the song, you can use the Enterkey or the\key (or T or 6 above the T) to play Melody notes.

W,E,R,T These will be approach notes up to the melody. You can starton any note.

Q,E,R,T Starting on a Q instead of W will use wider voicings forapproach notes.

I,U,Y,T These will be approach notes down to the melody. Start onany note.

O,U,Y,T Starting on an O instead of I will use wider voicings forapproach notes.

Notation Enhancements

Display Patch Names on Notation

When this box is checked in the Notation Window Options,the patchname for the track is displayed on the notation, lead sheet, and printout.

Easy Entry of Section Text on Notation Window

Typing a backslash \ followed by any text puts that text at thebeginning of the current bar as a boxed section text message. Forexample, \Hello would put Hello in a boxed section text event.

Typing \ launches the edit dialog for the section text.

Type the section text that you want, such as Guitar Solo, and thenpress Enter.

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This text can be entered once per bar. You can use this for sectionheadings, or even lyrics for a bar by bar basis.

Audio Chord Wizard EnhancedChords may be edited in the Audio Chord Wizardwith a right mouseclick on the chord. WhenEdit Chordis selected, a highlight cell opensat the chord location. Type in the name of the new chord using standardBand-in-a-Box chord entry characters and press the Enterkey to makethe edit.

Individual edits can be removed with

theRemove Chord Editcommand, orall edits in the song can be removedwith theRemove All Chord Editscommand.

Part markers, chord symbols, key signature, and tuning setting are saved

in Band-in-a-Box, and are passed back and forth to the Chord Wizard.And more

Save and Load Custom Preferencesfiles, with your current settingssaved and restored. Return to Factory Settings now saves Preferencesto disk, so that the settings can be restored at any time.

MIDI Driver Dialog Enhanced. The [Audio Settings]button displaysthe MME/ASIO/ASIO Always On status. The name of the current VST

or DXi is displayed on the [VST/DXi Synth Settings]button.

Enhanced "Chords - Search and Replace" Functionality

Search and Replace can be used with Roman Numerals or numbers forchord names, so you can replace the V chord with V7, or the 5m chordwith 5m7. Since these are remembered between songs, it is useful if youare changing multiple songs.

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PG Music Inc.

Band-in-a-Boxis protected by copyright and is the property of

PG Music Inc. and its licensors.

Copyright 1989-2009 PG Music Inc.

All rights reserved.

PG MUSIC INC.

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Victoria, BC V8Z 1T3Canada

Contacts:

E-mail:[email protected]

Phone: toll free in the United States and Canada1-800-268-6272, 1-888-PG-MUSIC (746-8742),

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Be sure to visit the FAQ pages at www pgmusic com for information about known
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