I bought a Trio+ and it's fun but not a lot of tools. I bought BIAB Friday and then I said whoa! The interface is soooo cluttered. I am sure this is a powerful application but I'd just like to quickly get started with a simple song.
If you can help, that would be appreciated.
How do I get started simply to create for example an Eagles song Tequila Sunrise that I can play along with.
BiaB started out as an auto accompaniment app, and at it's core it still is. A lot of extra functions have been added through the years, and they definitely expanded the possibilities of what BiaB can do, but underneath all that it's still the best auto-accompaniment software available.
So start with that function. Type in the chords, choose a style, and play it back. Once you get a good handle on that, start investigating the other functions of BiaB one at a time, and in no time at all, you'll be a BiaB pro and able to help other newbies on this forum.
While the user interface provides easy access to many, but by no means all, of the options in Band-in-a-Box not that many of the buttons are needed to create a song file.
A website called +++ The Guitar Band dot Com +++ has a downloadable pdf file with step-by-step instructions to creating your first Band-in-a-Box song. The webpage also has an overview of what buttons to use. The website also has some song files available for download, more tutorials and pre-recorded MP3 audio files.
I said those exact words when I first got it, and thanks to the knowledgeable, gracious people here who are willing to share that knowledge, I had clarity in about 3 months. From there you polish, you test styles, test which artists real tracks serve you best.... many of us have actually put out CDs that were largely tracks from BIAB, or in my case, my preference, Real Band. Get used to the styles. You can go there and using the preview function get a feel for what the style will deliver without even creating anything. I have done rock, country, folk, jazz, trance, alt/indie.... all with these styles and tracks.
And when you get the hang of it, please don't request changes via the Wishlist because you will make the interface even more confusing for the next beginner........
Overwhelmed is an understatement for a new user who does not read music, nor is a computer whiz. I am a harmonica player, mostly folk-rock and some blues that plays by ear but needs to work with other musicians on song arrangements, beginnings, bridges, endings, ect. Would like to expand my horizons on song writing and arranging. I bought the 2020 version (Mac) and have watched practically all the tutorials for beginners, here and on YouTube. I have come to the conclusion that need an On-line Tutor that can spend some time with me to get me up to speed, at least for some (I think relatively) simple uses of BIAB and I am willing to pay for one. Any takers? davidstegall@me.com
Thank you Matt! I'm in Birmingham, AL but I do not think this would have to be done in person (although would be nice). But I think I could be talked through it if someone was familiar with the program and patient!
Yes... Band in a Box can be overwhelming due to the fact that it has Sooooooo much in it.
I might use about 15% of it's capabilities. The rest just collects dust since I know what I want to do, and use only the things that help me accomplish that goal. To me, that 15% is still worth the price of admission.
So... my advice.... figure out what you need and watch the videos PG has on their support videos page, and learn to do what you need. Once you get to that point, then, when you have the time or the need to investigate the other things under the hood..... explore them. I found them to be very useful but not to me. If I was learning to play, or wanted to do the things that are in the rest of the program, they would be extremely handy. All I need is wave tracks for the songs I write so I simply learned how to make them happen.
Thank you Guitarhacker! I suspect my use of the capabilities is very limited also. My problem is the tutorials assume I know things I do not know. Not to mention the plethora of options on the Dashboard and it is not as simple as figuring out what those things are, there are other steps and options that are causing me to take hours to days and still not exactly know how I did what. I would gladly pay someone to just run through a few simple things that I need to know so I do not have to poke around and re-learn it every time I try to do it. I am sure someone will step forward to help me and I appreciate your insights and experience.
I saw that you said you had seen most of the tutorials already but here's the direct link to all the BIAB MAC videos for you to peruse in case you didn't catch all that you wanted. Enjoy!
Thank you Guitarhacker! I suspect my use of the capabilities is very limited also. My problem is the tutorials assume I know things I do not know. Not to mention the plethora of options on the Dashboard and it is not as simple as figuring out what those things are, there are other steps and options that are causing me to take hours to days and still not exactly know how I did what. I would gladly pay someone to just run through a few simple things that I need to know so I do not have to poke around and re-learn it every time I try to do it. I am sure someone will step forward to help me and I appreciate your insights and experience.
So this simply means you might need to back up a bit and watch a few previous videos in the PG support page.... or come to the forum and ask very specific questions, providing as much detail as you can. Folks are knowledgeable and are willing to help. Post the questions in the proper forum and you will get better and quicker answers.