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Hi - I'm back with my second song in Band-In-A-Box! This song is a celebration of my marriage, which is in its 24th year. We have one daughter in college and the other one in the high school. I find myself reflecting on how much has changed and wondering what the future will hold. I generated all of the music with Band-In-A-Box (thank you PG Music for making this life-changing software!!) and I mixed in a couple of tracks with me singing. Link in Soundcloud: Meant To BeMy first experience with this forum was fantastic and I am excited to have something new to contribute. I look forward to hearing your feedback! Style_ELECROK.STY (ElecRock RealTrks guits (120 RS)) RealTracks in style: ~~387:Bass, Electric, Metal Ev 085 RealTracks in style: 691:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming AcRockBright Ev 120 RealTracks in style: 694:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm ElecRockArp Ev 120 RealTracks in style: 697:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm ElecRockDirty Ev 120 RealDrums in style: RockHardModernEv8^2-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Open HiHat LyricsWatch the sun goes down you're in a wedding gown what will become of the rest of our lives Waves rolling in and out that's what its all about we'll make it up with our collective vibes Winds cause the leaves to swirl no longer boy and girl now we are more than just you and me Snow makes it all look clean as if we're in a dream time spins quietly while we don't see This is how our sweet life is meant to be Make it what we want, don't follow, we are free This is how our sweet life is meant to be Live it the way we want, just let them see Rain washes it away We live another day moving through life while we're standing still Flowers bloom in the ground our path that we have found takes us to where it should, we know it will Rivers swell and flow onward we must go savoring the moments of each twist and turn Trees grow empty now I don't remember how lots to be proud of and still to learn This is how our sweet life is meant to be Make it what we want, don't follow, we are free This is how our sweet life is meant to be Live it the way we want, just let them see, just let them see
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Adam,
A good listen. A good "rock sound".
The mix is good - though the vocals could up just a little. The guitars have good punch to them. As the song continues, the drums seemed to drop a shade and could use a bit of "heft" (they seem to be EQ'd to accentuate the top - could use a bit more bottom)
Enjoyed the song.
floyd
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Hi Adam,
This is a very nice American rock sound. Very nice second post indeed. We detect sort of a radio/transistor sound to it with too much mid. The Realtracks you used could definitely have a lot more body. Are you using your build in soundcard or usb interface?
Kind regards,
Rob and Anne-Marie
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Adam, I agree with floyd. If the vocal was brought up a bit and some bottom end and volume applied to the drums it would help. This can be a really nice rock song with a few tweaks to the mix. Keep em coming. Tom
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Hi Adam, you have something going for you and I think if you follow the advice given above you will be on the right track. Enjoyed the rock and I am glad that you have made it to your 24th year of marriage. My wife and I have been married for 47 years and I would not want it any other way. Enjoyed listening. Sonny
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Thanks Floyd - glad you enjoyed it. I will work on the mix some more - thanks for the advice!
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Hey RnAM - you are very astute!
I was playing with the track in GarageBand (never really used it before). I added the BIAB track to a microphone track and then again to an instrument track. It added some interesting crunch, so I left both tracks in there. Sounds like I need to play with the EQ more - I'm still really new to the mixing and don't really know what I'm doing yet.
My mic is fed into an audio interface through usb.
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Thanks Tom - I'll get working on it 
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Glad you enjoyed the song, Sonny. Congrats on 47 years - I wish you many more!
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Very nice track!! Agree with others about the mix. Also, the melody, as cool as it is, could be mixed up with another musical phrase to break it up a bit. Nice job! Take care. Greg
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Hey Greg - that makes sense to me. It could use some other element to add some depth. Not sure if adding something to the beginning and/or end would work or if I should try to insert some kind of a break in the middle. I'll try some different things to figure out what works.
Thanks very much!
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I re-recorded the song and tried to mix it properly - please let me know what you think this time around! I did it differently this time and now I will have more control and be better able to tweak it based on your feedback. - Used Ableton Live instead of Garage Band
- Exported each track from BIAB and brought each one separately into Live
- Did not apply any effects in Live - the tracks are as they came out of BIAB
- Recorded the vocals and the harmonies directly into Live (I couldn't export/import cleanly, so I had to sing it again - oh well!)
- Adjusted the volume of each track - not sure if this is the proper mix, but at least I can easily adjust any of it now.
- Boosted the master volume - it kept coming out too low
- Panned it more over to the left speaker - leaving it centered seemed to skew it to the right speaker for some reason.
Please check it out and let me know what you think: Meant To Be I really appreciate your feedback! Adam
Last edited by aruchman; 02/15/16 07:54 AM.
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Hi Adam, This is a nice tune, very "hooky" chorus!
The vocals are buried and muddy and need some adjustments there. Overall, the mix is heavy in the mids and could use some thinning out there.
Stucture-wise, I wanted to hear the chorus after the "second verse" instead of after the third.
Nice work! Keep working!
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Thanks for the feedback, Beagle. I thought I fixed the vocals in this re-mix, but I still don't quite know what I'm doing when it comes to mixing and am very glad to get your feedback.
Interesting note on the structure of the verses and chorus. I'm still new to songwriting and am learning as I go. Thanks for the observation.
I will certainly keep working on it!
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OK - I finally figured out how to update the EQ. I lowered the mids, boosted the lows and I also boosted the volume on the drums a bit. I hope you like the new mix - please let me know either way, so I can correct it if needed or know that it is good.
Thanks!!
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I need some help understanding how to set the pan between the speakers. For some reason, I start out on a Mac and it sounds like the music is mostly coming out of the right speaker. I panned it to the left a bit and it sounded good. Then I pushed it up to Soundcloud and listened on both my phone and a PC, where I found that it sounded like it was mostly coming out of the left speaker! I just set it to be in the middle (louder on the right on the mac) and re-published. It sounds wrong on my mac, but good on my phone and my pc. How is it to all of you?!
Also, I did re-mix it and hope to hear some feedback. Thanks very much!!
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Hi Adam,
I enjoyed listening and I like your song. "time spins quietly while we don't see"...love that. You've got a good vibe going and a nice voice too.
Before you export your RT's to your DAW make sure they are panned center in BB or Realband so you can pan however you like in your DAW of choice.
Your Mac panning everything left is not normal. You might want to ask about that on the BIAB or Realband PG product forum and the guys will help you figure out why that is happening.
To learn mixing - check out The Recording Revolution. (I have no affiliation with the site other than Graham's the best practical - follow along see it done, hear how it sounds - teacher I've found. And many other people here share that opinion.)
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HI Adam ...
Good to have you with us here on the PG Showcase.
Good take on the soft rock sound. Very nice lyric ... catchy. would like to have the vocal and drums a little more forward in the mix. Still, it was a great listen ... thanks!
Alan & Di
BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops
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Thanks Josie - glad you like the song.
You are right - the tracks were not centered in BIAB, so I will do another pass after centering them and exporting. Also, I will check out the other forums and the Recoding Revolution - I took a quick peek and it does look like a great resource.
Thank you so much for the guidance!! Adam
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Thanks Alan & Di. I'll keep working on it - thanks!!
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New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
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These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
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We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
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- Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
- Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
- Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
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We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
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We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
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Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
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Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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