BIAB Media Player

Joe Harwell · Post by **Joe Harwell** » 13 Apr 2007 6:05 am

Does anyone know of a Windows platform program that will BIAB format files?

I stumbled across this one for Mac OS X:

http://members.shaw.ca/akochoi/2004/05-09/index.html

Here's one for Linux:

http://www.brenzi.ch/builder.php?conten ... er&lang=en

Any programmers around to port it out to Windows?

Guess I better fire up the old Apple and Penguin.

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 13 Apr 2007 11:41 am

Joe, I'm not sure if I understand what your lookin for but BIAB files won't open unless you have BIAB installed on your computer.

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 13 Apr 2007 7:06 pm

I'm not too sure what you are looking for either, but if you have or can make the song into a wave file, BIAB will accept that.

Joe Harwell · Post by **Joe Harwell** » 13 Apr 2007 7:09 pm

Hi Andy. I was looking for a windows-platform stand alone media player for BIAB files.

I found Linux and Mac OS X versions. Or at least seemed to be. I haven't read in depth but have some questions on how they handle the needed style files to function. I have a general out how it could work without the styles files inherent in BIAB. b0b could jump in here with some definitive comments on the possibilities and probabilities.

I cruised the BIAB forum and saw a little discussion on this but didn't look like any thing forth coming. At least for windows.

Some times the open source people will "port" their work out to windows. Because Mac OS X is utilizing an unix type OS core, it is opened up to Linux programmers and vice versa. For example, Open Office orginated in the open source community for Linux users. Then someone made it possible to run on windows. Open Office is free indeed and compatible with M$ Office.

With all the BIAB tracks people are posting, it would be nice to give them a listen if you didn't have BIAB.

Joe Harwell · Post by **Joe Harwell** » 13 Apr 2007 7:13 pm

Hi Ken. I was looking for a player that would play the BIAB .sgu file just like it is.

I'm just going to have to do some more homework.

Alan Kirk · Post by **Alan Kirk** » 14 Apr 2007 7:52 am

You can save BIAB files as .mid or .kar? [karaoke] files. The .mid files will play on just about any computer that has a sound card.

When you save the files, it will save a file as long as the number of choruses you have selected--it doesn't just save one go-round of the tune.

Joe Harwell · Post by **Joe Harwell** » 14 Apr 2007 9:43 am

Hi Alan-

Thanks for that info.

Here's the scenario:

Person does not have BIAB.
Person gets some .sgu format files.
Person wants to play the .sgu files.

It's like an adobe .pdf file.
You do not have to own the the full-blown version.
You can download the acrobat reader and view the .pdf file. You can't edit, etc. You can only read it.

My quest was for a media player that would play BIAB files in their native format on a windows platform.

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 14 Apr 2007 2:32 pm

Scenario to play files.

Person gets some .sgu files.
Person buys BIAB.
Person plays .sgu files.

I don't know of any player that will play .sgu files
except BIAB. I tried a couple and they said "Do not recognize .sgu."

Sorry about that.

George Wixon · Post by **George Wixon** » 15 Apr 2007 4:34 am

Why not go to the PGmusic web site and download there free demo version. It has some things disabled and is really just a player.
George

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 15 Apr 2007 8:20 am

Joe, BIAB files (.MGU and .SGU) will ONLY play in the BIAB program. If you have some BIAB files, and you don't want to buy the program, do what George suggests. Go to http://pgmusic.com and download the free demo and play the files.

Joe Harwell · Post by **Joe Harwell** » 15 Apr 2007 10:09 am

Thanks, gentlemen.

I didn't realize there was a demo version that would do that.

Some how I missed that.

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 15 Apr 2007 6:44 pm

Joe-After you try the Demo, you just might like it so well that you will buy it. For the price it is a great musical bargain.

I have not recorded yet with the BIAB program, but have had every version for years. I like to just listen to the MGU files playing all the old tunes, some of them are pretty darn good.
Then the ones I like and can play, I set aside in a folder and plan on playing along with them. Gives me a nice relaxing project to do. I have got a lot of help from George Wixon and his website. Which I appreciate. I wish we had this 50 years ago?.....al.

:)

Joe Harwell · Post by **Joe Harwell** » 16 Apr 2007 11:24 am

Thanks for the info, Mr. Al.

I always enjoy your posts. You possess very valuable first hand historical experiences of the evolution of this wonderful instrument. I really enjoyed your website and the time you took to post the information you did. Wished I lived close by to visit face to face.

Now, I hope I haven't given the impression that in some way I'm trying to bypass a legal purchase of BIAB or any other type of infringement. I have and always will support legal software licenses for what ever product one may use. Period.

Certainly I don't mean you or anyone else in particular. But I felt there might be some overtones to that end and wanted to clear the air. It's so easy to be misunderstood thru a post.

Odds are I'll purchase it some day. I have several friends that own BIAB and I can get them to convert them to MIDI or whatever. And I'll check out the demo just to see what they sound like in their native format.

But I could see that if a stand alone player existed, it would actually increase BIAB sales.

Love and appreciate you very much, Mr. Al.

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 25 Apr 2007 8:16 am

Joe-I'm glad you liked my website. Thanks for the nice comments. I appreciate it.
I bought Big Jim Baron's 4000 Band In a Box songs and it has all the songs that was on my setlist in those days. This way I don't have to write all the chords in again. I usually will change one once in a while, but that is it. They are nice to play along with, as I know most of the songs that came out over the years. Good luck with your project...al.

:)