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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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russ66 Offline OP
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I've had BB for windows for a number of years & have the 2017 version of BB on it. I want to buy a mac & have the new version of BB for mac put on it. Before I shell out big $ for a mac, I have some questions:

1 Can my folders & files in BB from my pc be transfered to BB for mac.?
2 BB for me was a steep learning curve, would BB for mac require me to learn BB all
over again?
3 Is the layout of the screen the same or similar?
4 Are accessing folders, files, styles & instruments the same or similar?

I presently have about 500 songs I've put in BB in a half a dozen folders. I only use a handful of styles & don't go much beyond the basic functions. I'm not tech savvy. I use my BB tracks to practice my playing. On occasion, I've used some of these backing tracks to sing & play my guitar live to on little gigs like nursing homes and the like. Please use language a simple guy like me can understand.

Thanks,
Russ66

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Song (SGU & MGU) files are compatible with both Band-in-a-Box for Windows and Band-in-a-Box for Mac. I've seen several posts where forum members share song files between Windows and Mac computers.

There is some differences between the Mac and Windows versions. Mostly because there are differences between the Windows and Mac operating systems. May I suggest you download the Band-in-a-Box for Mac pdf User manual +++ HERE +++ or look through the online manual to get a better idea how the Mac program looks and feels.

One difference is the Mac has a Command button that is used a lot as a modifier key similar to how Windows uses the Alt or Ctrl key as a modifier. Another difference is Windows uses wma and wav files for RealTracks while Mac uses mp4 and aif files for RealTracks.


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Be aware that BIAB does not run on the latest version of MacOS yet. If you can get Catalina on your new Mac you could run it OK, but if you have to run Big Sur you should hold off until PGMusic release a version that is certified to run on it. Take a look at the Big Sur thread in the Mac forum to see what problems people are reporting.

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I use the Windows version but I do have the Mac version on an older Mac. I had no problem at all adapting (your questions 2 & 3) once you get used to the Command key.


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I too am sitting in a similar place.
I use a Mac and a PC. While they are mostly the same, there are some differences.
My MacBook Pro is almost 9 years old and I'm considering a replacement.
At that time I expect I will abandon BIAB win and crossgrade to BIAB Mac.

I wish to purchase a brand spanking new computer, not a refurb or used model.
I'm probably not going to do anything for at least 6 months, maybe longer

The new Apple Silicon machines have just hit the street. The reviews have been mostly positive but not entirely.
Changing the CPU chipset is a significant issue. I would like for the dust to clear a bit.

BIAB Mac does not run on the latest version of the MAC os. That is a hard no go to me.
I expect when it does run, it won't be without problems.
Not interested in spending a lot of $$$ to be a guinea pig.
I'll give it some time and avoid as much of the problem as possible.

A new batch of Apple Silicon MacBook Pro's are expected out by the end of the year.
For me that's a likely time to upgrade.

But that's just me.


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russ66 Offline OP
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Thank you & the rest for the reply and advice, I'm going to hold off from buying a mac for now. Don't want to be frustrated with issues I don't have the skills to resolve. I'm 76 yrs. old, don't need any of that.
Russ66

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Yeah, with regards to the new Apple silicon, I've also heard good reviews, though you would have to look into compatibility with ALL of your software and hardware - it's dangerous to jump on new tech like this otherwise.

From a quick list I created, only three of the major DAW's currently support the M1 chip - two of those three being Apple Logic and Garage Band, and the third only having experimental M1 support.

For hardware you might have better luck, as many audio interfaces, MIDI controllers, etc are "Class-compliant" and will work with generic drivers - however, anything that doesn't use a generic driver might not work at all. Less than half of the major audio interface manufacturers have M1 support.

With Intel you would have better luck, though still less than half of the DAWs out there support Big Sur.


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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Band-in-a-Box User Video Tutorials!

If you've reviewed our Support page, you've probably noticed the Videos page, which separates our Band-in-a-Box® tutorial videos by category: Overview, VST DAW Plugin, Setup, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and there's even an Archive category to go down memory lane... (You'll also find these videos on our YouTube Channel.)

It's always great to hear how other Band-in-a-Box® users create their songs, especially when they explain in detail what they're doing. Like Henry Clarke's YouTube Channel, Henry Clarke - Senior Musicians Unite! There you'll find his ALL Band-in-a-Box Tutorials playlist with over 50 videos! His top-three most watched videos include "How to Get Started with Band-in-a-Box," "How I use the Audio Chord Wizard in Band-in-a-Box," and "How to Create An Effective Solo Using Band-in-a-Box" - however he touches on many other topics and also demonstrates his own Band-in-a-Box® songs in the Band-in-a-Box Created Songs playlist!

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Band-in-a-Box® 2024 Italian for Windows is Here!

Ci siamo dati da fare e abbiamo aggiunto oltre 50 nuove funzionalità e una straordinaria raccolta di nuovi contenuti, tra cui 222 RealTracks, nuovi RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 3, Playable RealDrums Set 2, due nuovi set di "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 e altro ancora!

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Band-in-a-Box® 2024 French for Windows is Here!


Band-in-a-Box® 2024 apporte plus de 50 fonctions nouvelles ainsi qu'une importante de contenus nouveaux à savoir : 222 RealTracks, des RealStyles nouveaux, des SuperTracks MIDI, des Etudes d'Instruments, des Prestations d'Artistes, des "Morceaux avec Choeurs", un Set 3 de Tracks Jouables, un Set 2 de RealDrums Jouables, deux nouveaux Sets de "RealDrums Stems", des Styles XPro PAK 6, des Xtra Styles PAK 17 et bien plus encore!

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Video: Making a Song with Band-in-a-Box®, ChatGPT, and Synth V

Take your Band-in-a-Box® project to a whole new level when you incorporate ChatGPT and Synth V to add lyrics and vocals to your song!

We wanted to demonstrate how this is done with our video, where we show you how to go from nothing to a finished "radio ready" modern pop song by combining the features of Band-in-a-Box®, ChatGPT, and Synth V!

Listen to the finished song, so you get a listen to the finished product: https://demos.pgmusic.com/misc/behindthefame.m4a

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Henry Clarke: Revolutionize Your Band-in-Box® Tracks with Regenerating Function

One of the new features added with Band-in-Box® 2024 is the Tracks Window, which will look familiar if you've worked with other DAWs.

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Watch video.

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The Bob Doyle Media YouTube channel is known for demonstrating how you can creatively incorporate AI into your projects - from your song projects to avatar building to face swapping, and more!

His latest video, Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box, he explains in detail how you can use the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box with ACE Studio. Follow along as he goes from "nothing" to "something" with his Band-in-a-Box MIDI Melodist track, using ACE Studio to turn it into a vocal track (or tracks, you'll see) by adding lyrics for those notes that will trigger some amazing AI vocals!

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Band-in-a-Box® 2024 German for Windows is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!

Wir waren fleißig und haben über 50 neue Funktionen und eine erstaunliche Sammlung neuer Inhalte hinzugefügt, darunter 222 RealTracks, neue RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, abspielbare RealTracks Set 3, abspielbare RealDrums Set 2, zwei neue Sets von "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 und mehr!

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