Does BIAB do chord names and diagrams?

[Ron Stern]

When you write a chord in any and all of the possible ways, does the score, on screen and printed out, show your chord name (not theirs) and the diagram of your chord (not theirs)?

You know, like almost every guitar music book does. I guessing the answer is no, because their website scrupulously avoids the issue.

[oilywrag]

Hi Ron, while I understand what you are asking, in the context of using BiaB for creating backing tracks which is what most of the users want. Why would you wish to get it to do something that no DAW's do anyway. If you type in a chord then it will play it or perhaps voice that chord so it more suits the current style.
Looking at this from a guitarists point of view, Biab will generate a chord melody, based on a quite a long list of styles. Alternative fingering etc, from there you can print that out. It will also TAB it out if your reading skills aren't to hot.It does most things a DAW can do plus it will do a lot of things your standard DAW can't.
One question for you at this point do you own a version of BiaB or do you intend buying one?? If not which other DAW software program do you use?? Cubase, Sonar, Pro Tools etc.
The reason I ask is that BiaB ships with its own DAW called Realband for free, this is just as good if not better than the DAW's already mentioned. Plus it will open BiaB files direct, plus it will re-generate Realtracks in sections etc etc. Hope this goes part way in answering your question ..

Tom

[Ron Stern]

So the answer is "no"?

[DonEsteban]

What do you mean by "your cord name" vs. theirs?

If you enter B7#11 it prints B7#11 if you enter B7b5 it prints B7b5

Diagrams? You mean these little icons showing a fretboard with dots where to put fingers?

No doesn't.

But you can display everything in BiaB in a fretboard window while it is playing (also bass, or keys)

[Ron Stern]

Originally Posted by DonEsteban

What do you mean by "your cord name" vs. theirs?

It means, as you say, what the user wishes the chord to be named.

Sibelius First thinks its a good idea to put up whatever chord diagram they feel is appropriate, so it's not unreasonable to assume that in some other program some other industry weasel thinks it's a good idea to restrict chord names as well.

Do they have weasels in Spain? In America to call someone a weasel is a great insult. It implies cunning, deception and viciousness.

[DonEsteban]

You can enter (almost) any chord you'd like to. I once encountered a chord that they wouldn't allow, but don't remember which one it was. Be assured, it was a really weird one! :-)

Here is a screen shot of the so called Chord builder, a tool to enter even the strangest chords. Once typed in, they remain unaltered. In the drop down list you'll find even the craziest chords.

[JohnW400]

To be fair, None of the free or inexpensive programs available does everything you want it to do. None have all the features of the full versions of Sibelius or Finale. Even the freeware Muscore doesn't do diagrams despite being a feature rich program. And that said, even the full versions have bugs and could still use even more featrues

I think Sibelius First and Print Music are fine for the money. If you want full features you will have to buy the full version.

Just like most things in the world, you hav ethe "entry Level" and the top of the line. You get what you pay for.

Here's a link so you can compare what Sibelius 7 has versus Sibelius First.


Sibelius First and Sibelius 7 comparison

[oilywrag]

Hey Ron, have a look at the screen shot, then think on this. No matter what chord you write into BiaB. If you go to the piano track as an example, if that is part of the style you are using. BiaB will give you a fully notated piano score. As for using chords that you name what are you going to name that is not already used everyday by musicians??
But if you wanted scores written out then you wouldn't use BiaB to do that job, would you??

Tom

Oh, as an after thought if you use a piano realtrack, while looking at the notation screen if you press regenerate track BiaB will re-write the part for you..

[Ron Stern]

Originally Posted by JohnW400

To be fair, None of the free or inexpensive programs available does everything you want it to do. None have all the features of the full versions of Sibelius or Finale. Even the freeware Muscore doesn't do diagrams despite being a feature rich program. And that said, even the full versions have bugs and could still use even more featrues.

I think Sibelius First and Print Music are fine for the money. If you want full features you will have to buy the full version.

Just like most things in the world, you hav ethe "entry Level" and the top of the line. You get what you pay for.

Maybe. Meanwhile, consider this: in order to make synthesizers usable they invented MIDI. But MIDI doesn't do notation. So they invented MusicXML, which does. A universal file format, used by Tux, Guitar Pro, all versions of Sibelius, all versions of Finale, all versions of everything, just like they all use MIDI.

The relevant page of the website for the developers of MusicXML is http://www.recordare.com/musicxml/tu...s-and-diagrams where we find this:

Much contemporary sheet music makes use of chord symbols and chord diagrams. These notations of musical harmony are found in such different types of sheet music as lead sheets, piano / vocal / guitar arrangements, worship music, and jazz big-band charts.

MusicXML’s harmony element provides a rich description of both harmonic content and the appearance of chord symbols and diagrams. It can be used both for functional harmony analysis as well as chord symbols. Chord symbols and diagrams are the most common use, and that is what we focus on here.

. . . along with the code that actually does the work.


So what we have is a very widely accepted file format already designed with these abilities in mind at the outset, already programmed, fully developed and in wide use, for years now.

What you get when you buy things like Sibelius First is not something that didn't proceed to a certain level of development, but something that had, but has been intentionally crippled. Apart from the ethics of the crippling, there's the deception involved in concealing it. If they're doing us such a great service, why the trickery? Nowehere in any of their propaganda or even the owner's manual does it say, "this program does not perform the following common functions . . . " which is precisely the most relevant information. Why hide it? To trick people out of their money. Cross your fingers and mash the "buy" button.

To their credit they provide a demo, but that credit is immediately squandered because the demo continues the deception. It will take you a couple hours to download, throw a score together a sample score, say, two measures; then off to the "help" screens. Not until then do you suspect the crippling; then you have to try it a couple of times to confirm it. They're hoping to wear down your resistance.

Originally Posted by JohnW400

Here's a link so you can compare what Sibelius 7 has versus Sibelius First.
Sibelius First and Sibelius 7 comparison

Thanks, but they've wasted as much of my time as they're ever going to.

[Ron Stern]

Originally Posted by oilywrag

But if you wanted scores written out then you wouldn't use BiaB to do that job, would you??

Why not?

[JohnW400]

Originally Posted by Ron Stern

If they're doing us such a great service, why the trickery? Nowehere in any of their propaganda or even the owner's manual does it say, "this program does not perform the following common functions . . .
.

They link to it it on the page that I linked to. You get there by clicking on "Read More" and comparing Sibelius First to Sibelius 6

I can't fault them for not blatantly showing what the program can't do and only what it can. Who sells any product by saying "hey , here's what I don't do" in big bold letters? I can't think of any company in any field. But if you ask , they tell you.


You seem to know a lot about programming. Why don't you create an open source program that does what your looking for (Like the way people created Audacity and similar open source , free programs.) That would solve your problem. Hey, If you could make it so that I can make my own chord lbrary that would be great.

[DonEsteban]

I own two software programs for music production:

• BiaB latest version, the big one on hard drive
• Cubase newest and biggest too with lots of add ons

I use Cubase for production, serious scoring and anything that goes out to the world.

I use BiaB for practicing (main purpose) and printing lead sheets. The latter it does much quicker than any other program. But apart from that, the scoring module of BiaB is rather crappy to be honest. Especially when it comes to repeats and other more sophisticated score and layout features.
Hence me using Cubase for that.

But if you have a gig at 8 and realize at 6 that you have to provide 10+ songs for the band as typical "Real B." lead sheets, BiaB is unbeatable. And since introducing these real tracks, its a practicing pal I really like to listen to... :-)

Cheers

[DonEsteban]

Oh, I forget.

Music XML and MIDI are two different things with a different purpose each. One is for looking at (XML) one is for listening to (MIDI).

There are no diagrams in MIDI - but try to find aftertouch in XML!

You cant compare oranges with apples...