PG Music Home Forums PG Music Wishlists Styles and RealTracks Wishlist 6/8 Midi File import into BIAB

This issue was recently raised on the BB forum on Yahoo Groups. Importing a 6/8 midi file without BIAB remapping it to 4/4. According to the FAQ #21 on here:

21. How do I create and use Band-in-a-Box Styles in 6/8,12/8,9/8 and 5/4 time signatures?
Band-in-a-Box's StyleMaker creates styles in 3/4 or 4/4 only. However, consider that 6/8, 9/8, & 12/8 styles are just variations of 3/4 or 4/4 - you can make and use styles in these time signatures to get the same effect.
· 12/8: Band-in-a-Box considers 12/8 to be a variation of a 4/4 style (i.e. a 4/4 style with a triplet feel). To make a 12/8 style, just make a 4/4 style in a triplet feel. In other words, one bar of 12/8 is equivalent to one bar of 4/4 in a triplet feel. For an example, choose the "Country 12/8" style from the Styles menu | Choose from 24 'Built-in' Styles.
· 6/8: This is similar to 12/8. Two bars of 6/8 make up one bar of 12/8, so 6/8 is done in 4/4 as well. Think of 6/8 as 2 beats of 4/4 in a triplet feel. For an example of this, go to the Styles menu | Choose from 24 'Built-in' Styles, and select the "Irish" style. You can set the number of beats per bar to 2 in the Edit | Settings for Current Bar dialog (F5).
· 9/8: This is like a waltz (3/4) style in a triplet feel.
· 5/4, 6/4, 7/4 etc.: Songs in time signatures like 5/4 and 7/4 can be made. Just pick a base time signature of 3/4 or 4/4, then for the song, select the time signature of 5/4 or 7/4 from the Edit | Set Time Signature menu item. Note that for time signatures higher than 4/4, each bar of 5/4 etc. will be spread over two or more bars in Band-in-a-Box. For example, 5/4 alternates between a bar of 3 and a bar of 2.
You can use the Search function in the StylePicker to find styles written for a specific compound time signature.
Note: Styles Set 38 for Band-in-a-Box ("About Time") has many excellent styles with unusual time signatures such as 5/4, 7/8, 11/8, 14/8, and 19/16. These styles have been written so that, for example, a bar of 5/4 occupies exactly one bar in Band-in-a-Box, rather than being spread out over two bars. Styles Set 38 requires Band-in-a-Box Version 11 or higher.

I tried using a standard 6/8 song “Afro Blue” and imported it into BB 2009.5, as mentioned , it was remapped to 4/4. I then selected a 6/8 style #77, #50, as well as some 12/8 styles and they sounded awful. I was unable to figure out how to "simply" change styles from ¾ or 4/4 to 6/8.

Using the recommended #21 procedure above, I guess you can split the 6/8 time over 2 measures using the method, "Think of 6/8 as 2 beats of 4/4 in a triplet feel," but what a drag to go through all of that
when a simple fix to "Not Remap" should be all there is to it or some means to select the 6/8 style initially and then import the midi file without changing the mapping.

IMHO, I believe BB should get back into the "Midi" aspect of
programming and design, as it was initially intended. I realize "Audio" is
the new thing, but the market already has enough of that, to me?
FWIW!

I agree whole heartedly to the "modified" above statement. Can anything be done to get back to midi basics?

(Wrkinit) or trying to

Well FWIW I also agree with the back to midi 'sentiment'. That makes two of us now, hardly a stampede i know, but maybe now's the time for the silent 'majority' ( if there is one) to speak up in favour of midi development.

I think BIAB is at a point where it doesn't really need to listen to calls for better midi unless there was a tidal wave of opinion of the kind that led to the move towards audio a few years back. It's perfectly happy it seems, business-wise, catering for the new market.

That still leaves a sizeable potential market untapped in my view. People primarily into composition and arranging from the ground up have effectively been left with a virtually unchanging program over the years. But the kind of user control this market would need runs counter to the prevailing 'let-BIAB-do- it-all for-you' add-on philosophy and that seems to be how it means to continue for now.

Also you have to consider the possibility that any drastic midi improvements may well be either intractably difficult to implement and/or liable to take away some of the shine from the audio side so I wouldnt be expecting any moves on this any time soon.

Does no harm to ask though but just be realistic about it's chances of ever happening.

Regards

Alan

I think there will be more MIDI styles coming along...

They can't do all things at the same time, resources dictate such.

But MIDI ain't dead yet.

And then there's Bop "Notes" Norton, who is continuing development of his fine MIDI-based BiaB styles. If you haven't investigated these, you should.


--Mac

In response to the subject matter and not seeking to reinvent the wheel. I'm sure I'm not alone in this, but simple modification of certain midi features is not that far off base or is it? In this case, pgmusic's focus, of late, has not included or addressed some basic functions pertaining to midi. Wasn't this the original foundation or bases of the program? In terms of timing, midi import, adjusting of various functions, including it's simple notation features. I would think this would be just as important as the newer "audio" implementations.

From other posts I've read of late, it seems this sentiment is shared. It's quite apparent that pgmusic's new audio development or direction, seemingly, has abandoned midi development, and that technology should not go dormant just because of the demand/financial gain of audio. IMHO. And not to rant any further, but as an old ATARI platform user, I found BIAB to be a leader where others have gone asunder. Is it asking that much for a midi undertaking/remodification that addresses simple functions that some of us require and find useful?

And yes, Bob Norton's styles have "enhanced" BIAB, but these offerings, without intensive and extensive editing, should not require us to seek outside functionalities with additional costs, that were once inclusive, to some degree, with the original BIAB. I mean when it was 1st introduced and marketed, where was Bob Norton's stuff? I know, I know, the new pgmusic mantra, "Show Me The Money!"

Just Trying to keep it real,
Wrkinit (or trying)
& Still a loyal user

Well, I have been among the many clamoring for full Time Signature Support for a long time now, measurable in years.

So I wasn't addressing that part of your original post at all.

I'm a diehard crusty capitalist, so I don't see anything bad nor wrong about anyone charging a reasonable fee for their work. Besides that, the value we get in most all PGMusic products is unequalled anywhere else in the music software business.

--Mac