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Post your own Tips and Tricks here
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,157
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OP
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,157 |
It's very easy to pile up a lot of effects on your tracks, trying to get each track to sound it's best. However it's also easy for it to get out of control. Too many reverb tails bouncing around, too much mud, no life, no coherence. Here's a few good ideas on plugin placement. Reverb-When using reverb select your best reverb plugin and put it in AUX1, then feed each track to it in varying amounts. This will keep the whole recording in a common setting and stop the problem of a lot of varying reverb tails muddying up your mix. Need a seperate reverb for the vocals than for the drums? That's OK- there are 8 AUX slots. Use one for drums and one for vocals if you need to, but watch out for having too many reverberations bouncing around muddying up your mix. Also using a high pass setting after the reverb can help keep those lower frequencies from bouncing around (they cause mud quicker). To do this just pur an EQ after the reverb and cut the low end.
Exciter- Another good plugin to put in the Aux slots- you want to 'add' some life to the sound, not effect the whole sound, so the AUX area is great for this because we can feed each track a varying amount. Send the cymals there for more sizzle, send the vocal there to get more 's' and 't', etc.
Compression- You'll end up using compression on a lot of tracks singly. An AUX slot is the wrong place for a compressor, unless it is used to enhance another effect, such as after a reverb unit to really bring the reverb out on a vocal track, etc. You don't want to feed multiple tracks to the same compressor as a rule, they will muddy up quick. The exception is when using a multiband compressor on the mix, or as a limiter to control a group of tracks. EQ is best done on individual tracks when mixing. It is a string tool when mastering too, but during the mixing stage it is best to EQ each track as efficiently as possible. Cut the frequencies that are not necessary for the track to keep noise levels down. These small noise levels don't seem apparent now, but later, when mastering, they can rear their ugly head under the stress of a compressor/limiter designed to really bring out the sound. Example- on a guitar track you can safely cut from 100Hz on down, and it's common to be able to cut from higher than that without affecting the percieved sound of the track, and this leaves that all important 'room' for another track.
Realtime Analyzer- the best place for this is in the final slot of the Main Output FX area. When this is in that slot you can easily check the frequencies of any track by soloing it (to aid in seeing what you can EQ out,etc.) and also check your mix overall for level, holes in the frequency spectrum, etc. If you use WindowsMediaPlayer it has a display called 'bars' that is very much like the RTA in Powertracks. Using this when listening to CD's will help train the eye to 'see' what you hear in a mix. This can help to solve those mysterious mix problems when 'somthing doesn't quite sound right'. A big notch in a certain area signals a hole in the mix, too much bass becomes easy to see and identify.
PGPeakLimit- One of the most used plugins here. Nothing goes out of my main outs without passing thru this. I put it in the second to last slot of the Main Outputs effects area so NOTHING clips on it's way out. With this and the RTA I know exactly how loud my mix is.
Usually the first two slots in the Main output are left blank when mixing down, but for mastering.. I keep the RTA and the PGPeakLimit right where they are all the time; the last two slots before sound leaves PT. In the first slot will usually be a multiband compressor (Grancomp,T-Sledge and Triplecomp are great freebies) and in the second slot is a master limiter like ClassicMasterLimiter. The signal goes 'multicompressor-masterlimiter-peaklimit-rta' as it goes thru the main outs. When mastering a wavefle this still leaves the four effects slots in the track area for EQ, the enhancer and reverb can still go into the AUX area and you have plenty of room and power in Powertracks for mastering.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
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Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll also keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
From overviews of new features and walkthroughs of the 202 new RealTracks, to highlights of XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAKs 18, the 2025 49-PAK, and in-depth tutorials — you’ll find everything you need to explore what’s new in Band-in-a-Box® 2025.
Reference this forum post for One-Stop Shopping of our Band-in-a-Box® 2025 Mac Videos — we’ll be adding more videos as they’re released!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac is here, packed with major new features and an incredible collection of available new content! This includes 202 RealTracks (in Sets 449-467), plus 20 bonus Unreleased RealTracks in the 2025 49-PAK. There are new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 4, two new sets of “RealDrums Stems,” XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAK 19, and more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac with savings of up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special—available until July 31, 2025! Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
2025 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
We've packed our Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK with some incredible Add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is automatically included with most Band-in-a-Box® for Mac 2025 packages, but for even more Add-ons (including 20 Unreleased RealTracks!) upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49. You can see the full lists of items in each package, and listen to demos here.
If you have any questions, feel free to connect with us directly—we’re here to help!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 Italian Version is Here!
Cari amici
È stata aggerate la versione in Italiano del programma più amato dagli appassionati di musica, il nostro Band-in-a-Box.
Questo è il link alla nuova versione 2025.
Di seguito i link per scaricare il pacchetti di lingua italiana aggiornati per Band-in-a-Box e RealBand, anche per chi avesse già comprato la nuova versione in inglese.
Band-in-a-Box 2025 - Italiano
RealBand 2025 - Italiano
Band-in-a-Box 2025 French Version is Here!
Bonjour à tous,
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music
Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:
BIAB 2025 - francisation
RealBand 2025 - francisation
Voilà, enjoy!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 German Version is Here!
Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!
Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
Stay up to date—get the latest update now!
Update to RealBand® 2025 Build 5 Windows Today!
Already using RealBand® 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 5 now from our Support Page to ensure you have the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
Get the latest update today!
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