Hi folks, Im just coming up to the end of my first year with this beast and have loved and hated it (in equal measure) the experience especially the massive learning curve. I got enough of them of my own! But Im geting there and writing backers for my songs that I never though possible January time.
Somy question is - any ideas what will be in BIAB2018 and wether its really worth it to shell out £100+ each year now for what are probably/possibly only Add-Ons?
Sorry if this sounds ashallow request but Im not sure how else to put it.
WendyM

Wendy,

A good question you have asked, and one worthy of consideration.

As a rule, every time a new version is released, it contains significant new features and improvements. New functions, RealTracks, MIDI tracks and more.

Typically 50 differences are identified.

Bottom line: wait, review the new features and decide for yourself if the upgrade is beneficial. It's not mandatory of course. I've upgraded every year, but that's always been purely my choice.

Historically, the annual upgrade has been available in early December (just in time for Santa )

Hello Wendy,

I am sure that a lot of us ask ourselves this question, "will I skip biab this year"

I have done this myself but then when its released and I see all the new stuff, I just have to buy it and its a great BUZZ to have the latest edition on my computer.

Actually as I am not sure what pak you have got, but I take it, it is the Ultra pak, then you can usually buy the downloadable Plus Pak upgrade for $99 £70-£80, usually 6-7gb nothing too much over a decent broadband connection. Of course the 49 bonus pak can add to this if you want it. And you don't have to pay any courier or import duties either

I worked out a few years ago,say if someone was to skip biab upgrade for a year, but then decided to upgrade the following year, they would only have saved a total of $30 £20-£25, as yearly upgraders get a more favourable deal.

have to say I am looking forward to biab 2018.

Musiclover

Yes I have an idea. It will be the one after 2017

Running and ducking for cover

Another thing to entice you to upgrade is that the price is usually heavily discounted for a short time after the new release announcement.

Yes I have the UltraPlusPack and the extras packs that came with it and since. In fact i think ive used those extras packs and some of those clever re-mixed Styles packs more than the ones that were on it when I set it up. If that makes sense.
Im not known as Mrs Patience lmao but I guess i'll just have to sit on my hands and see what any prerelease info comes out. As it happens I bought my BIAB in the December and AFAIR I didnt get any money off as it was a firsttime buy.Cant remember. However I'm really looking forward to seeing whats on offer this time.
WendyM
If theyve fixed RT1278 (synth)from being so horribly jerky and asthmatic Id be a happy girland pay the money just for that. Itd be perfect for a lot of what I do, but I have to sub it every time it comes up in a Style cos its terrible.

Hi Wendy,

I don't know if you mentioned you have trouble using RealTrack RT1278 prior to this post. If you haven't then you might want to send an email to PG Music support alerting them to the issue. Sometimes they overlook issues described in the forum.

The more information you can provide about an issue the easier it will be for PG Music Support to duplicate and fix the issue. A SGU file with frozen tracks that demonstrate the issue typically is very helpful.

Also, if you've avoided using RealTracks 1278 for awhile are you sure it wasn't corrected in the July RealTracks update available +++ HERE +++ ?

Hi Wendy!

I doubt there will be any early info; they usually say nothing about the new version until it is released. And, if history is any indication it will be released at the end of November or first of December. Because you already own a decent package you will likely get special upgrade pricing in December.

Now, to your question of is it "really worth it" I'd have to say YES! But to be totally honest, since my first purchase in 2012 I have not noticed anything very significant in the feature/function upgrades of the program. And some things I was excited about, like GUI and custom track names, I have actually rolled back to their older versions because the new implementation was either incomplete or just not to my liking.

BUT, the new RealTracks have been worth the price of the upgrade to me every year! And, unless they somehow stopped releasing a bunch of new ones in 2017, I'll be upgrading once again! Also, if money is an issue, last year they offered a multi-month payment plan that I took advantage of so it didn't even seem like much to upgrade!

When the new "package" comes out, you literally save hundreds of dollars with it's added features. If you wait until the "sale" is over, you will pay much more for the package at the time of sale.

You will get new RealTracks and styles, which makes it worth it for just those 2 things, IMO.

Trax

Hi Wendy

Because of the amount of additional goodies it has always been worth upgrading each year - unlike other programs who just do a facelift PG Music aims to give it's customers progress
There have been a couple of years when the update has not been all that advantageous to me but there has always been improvements to sounds and styles to make it worthwhile
A question that has been asked many times is - why can't bb play the recorded sounds for the melody as it does for the soloist - now that would be nice
jazzman