There is a lot of variety, interest and use of Band in a Box users. Some use it for practice, composition, others for accompaniment, notation, for production in their home studio and many just as a general hobby. Many users are a combination of purposes for BIAB. BIAB can be as easy as entering a chord chart, selecting a Key and tempo, select a style and instantly create a song to hours of meticulous input charting notation for a symphony orchestra piece.

I've wondered overall what is the most popular use for BIAB. I've created a brief survey questionnaire and ask as many a possible to participate. If these were book titles, which book would you most likely be interested enough to choose and read based on your interest in BIAB? If none closely fit your interest, provide an imaginary title that would be a title to a book about BIAB you would buy.

1. 101 Things You Did Not Know Band in a Box Can Do

2. How to make your Home Studio Sound like a Million Dollars

3. Programming Secrets to Practice, Accompany and Create Music with Band in a Box

Thanks for participating

Charlie

Hi Charlie. I would most likely pick up a book for the first option (101 things you did not know band-in-a-box can do). Sounds interesting.

#3, definitely.

Not just for me, because I have a good understanding of all three areas, but because I think that #3 has the most potential. Callie from the PG Music staff is making a good start on #1 with her regular posts about "Did you know that BIAB can ...". #2, while critical info, is limited to a subset of BIAB users who record and produce. But #3 could be like the Tips and Tricks forum, but better organized. I see #3 as more like case studies. Charlie, how do you see it?

ps, I just read Joanne's comment. Not only do I learn something new every day about BIAB, but it seems some days what I'm learning is something obscure I once knew...

Charlie,

I can't separate the choices... I'd buy all three.

I love learning about BIAB - thus choice #1. For me the program is used for my hobbies of songwriting and song-production so choices #2 and #3 both apply, too.

Regards,
Noel

• my latest song: What A Crazy Thing (cowritten with floyd jane)

Charlie,

I would buy all three books in this order, 3, 1, and then 2.

Ps - I looks like you have better start writing.

I would title mine:

"My Recording Studio is a Bonsai Tree in a Snow Globe:
The Miraculous Tiny World of Band in a Box."

I say this because back in the day a band member was an engineer at one of the largest studios in NYC and we would go in there at night and record (well, more like 4 a.m.)

Back then, it took half a football field sized room full of tape machines and gear to do what I do now in one small room. Back then, some of the machines that held the tapes alone were bigger than my SUV.

Now, I swear, with BIAB and some other VST tricks and gadgets and playing my own stuff too (but never having to wait for the drummer or wondering if a player will show up wasted) I can do more, and all the "hardware" works the same but it is glued to my screen as a GUI. And it doesn't cost $10 million dollars.

It still kind of blows my mind--and more and more each day. There is simply no limit to what you can do with this stuff. No limit.

I'd go for 1 then 3 although 2 is what I'm using BIAB for. I'm using BIAB for instrumentation, not production.

3, 1, 2. In that order. Do it! Please!

Pro Secrets: Creating Music with Band in a Box

1. 101 Things You Did Not Know Band in a Box Can Do

2. How to make your Home Studio Sound like a Million Dollars

3. Programming Secrets to Practice, Accompany and Create Music with Band in a Box
-------------------
As a BIAB user I'd seriously consider #1 but it would be of no use to non-BIAB users I guess. I think 101 things would be difficult to come up with and I am always disappointed by books that make such a claim and them give 90 things that are common or typical and then only a handful of new ones.

Would #2 be targetted at BIAB users? If so it should prolly have that in the title. Again, a book I'd seriously consider. Honestly "a Million Dollars" sounds a little hypey to me though.

Now, #3 would be interesting if I knew what you mean by programming. As an actual programmer (C++, Pascal, BASIC, PHP, Javascript & VBScript) I suspect there will be no actual programming in this book but maybe I am wrong. If this book is about how to code audio extensions to BIAB I'd be quite interested! Otherwise I'd not use the term programming.

I guess if I had to pick one I'd say #1 as I love to discover new things about my tools!

A quick clarification for #3 'programming'....

Programming is intended to mean inputting and manipulating the existing program sequences and not actual coding. It is meant to describe entering a set of instructions or sequencing actions in a specific order to create the desired outcome.

Think of it this way:

ie: When we create and enter a chord chart, set a key signature, set a tempo, select a style and generate, we are programming a song. When we follow a 5 step process to manually select bars and enter varying numbers that change the volume in the following bars, we are programming a fade in, gain change or fade out. Or finally, opening the Bar Settings, selecting an instrument from our style and mute the instrument, we are programming (input a set of instructions) a mute event. There are many different sequences of inputting data to manipulate BIAB and a lot are tucked away in submenus.

I tried to design the book titles to exaggerate in such a way to accent different different uses of BIAB. 101 Things BIAB can do would actually probably be easy to develop a list but most users would likely know 'some' of the 101 things but hopefully learn something new along the way. That idea came from YouTube where there's an abundance of "Ten things you never knew about ________" fill in the blank videos. Dcuny is close to one of the other titles I worked through before deciding on the #3 title listed.

Interesting and insightful comments and votes so far. Thanks for participating.

Matt, Yes, case studies would be an intergral part of Title #3.

Thanks for all your input guys.

Charlie

3, 1, 2 for me, because 1 would actually be almost the same as 3, how to program things I don't know how to do. THEN worry about my studio sound. Since everything I do (did) in my studio was line level anyway, my room didn't matter 99% of the time. Managing effects and such, well, I had an engineer for that. I just needed to make raw tracks and send them off to him. So I would buy 3 and 1 but probably not 2.

Would there be a #4 titled "How Eddie Can Finally Code In Half Note Triplets", because I have not been able to make them play without trying to do things that give me a headache thinking about, like "Put in a measure of 2 and change the tempo for just that measure to the square root of your original tempo multiplied by 6 and then stand on your head and pat your tummy while saying 'Nobody wanted to be in Kansas in the first place' and then it will magically work?" I have tried every combination of anticipating beats that I can think of and I CAN NOT make the music put the accent on 1, the + after 2, and 4, and I have literally spent HOURS on it and not been successful. I have a song waiting because the intro needs half note triplets.

Book 2 would have mattered before I sold off most of my studio equipment. "Studio" now is all done inside the box.

3, then 2, then 1 I think would be an ideal approach:

3. Programming Secrets to Practice, Accompany and Create Music with Band in a Box

2. How to make your Home Studio Sound like a Million Dollars

1. 101 Things You Did Not Know Band in a Box Can Do

Best use of Biab: Making professional sounding backing tracks.

Trax

I think "3" is the most robust title and would draw the most people in, including me. Each of the 3 activities mentioned describes me (and a million others).

Title "1", the "101..." is not bad. Remarkably, I think it's truthful. BiaB can do a many disparate things.

Title "2" is horrible. Inaccurate, even misleading. BiaB doesn't make your studio sound anything like a million dollars, but it can make you as a musician sound better (knowledge, technique, creativity), if you work at it. YMMV.

(Not taking a shot at BiaB. It's the second best piece of music software I've ever bought.)

Just to clarify, Title 2 doesn't mention Band In A Box at all.

Title 2 simply states: "2. How to make your Home Studio Sound like a Million Dollars".

I understood Title 2 to be discussing a more generic subject matter, and nothing at all specifically related to Band In A Box, so I fail to understand how "BiaB doesn't make your studio sound anything like a million dollars" and it is "Inaccurate, even misleading".

No1 and No3 please.
WendyM

#2 makes me think of a a variation on an old Steve Martin routine: "You too can make your home studio sound like a million bucks. First, you get a million bucks, then..."

I'm surprised #1 isn't "50 Features You Didn't Know BIAB Could Do" (a play on PGMusic marketing language). I would like something more along the lines of "The Forgotten BIAB Features You Should Know". So often we hear "I didn't know BIAB could do that".

I really like #3, and I while I understand the "programming" explanation, I still think the title would incur some confusion. I would buy #3. I know I've got my own workflow in BIAB (and other software), but sometimes this old dog can learn some new tricks.

My vote is 3, 1, 2.

Hi Charlie,

I guess "1" would be the one I'd be most interested in checking out.

I use BiaB as a tool to help me make backing tracks for my duo and I also use it to make user styles and fake 'disks'.

Insights and incites by Notes

Hi, Charlie !

You came up with some difficult questions
but I think I´d be most interested in
knowing more about what Bian really can do as
also in how to create the super sound that
some of the users seem to be able to generate
(not me) !

Cheers
Dani

The reason you "fail to understand" VideoTrack is because I messed up, totally. I didn't even notice that "BiaB" was not part of title 2. The way you interpreted it makes complete sense.

Sorry VideoTrack and also sorry Charlie.

(I wouldn't include BiaB in a generic book with title 2. YMMV.)

On another subject, some folks have commented on the word "Programming" in title 3. I would omit "Programming". I think you can use the other words and make an effective title. "Programming" means highly technical stuff to many people, and one of the great things about BiaB is how quickly you can start using it productively, even if you're a beginner.

I think I have to agree with VideoTrack here. I use audiophile tracks along with my own playing, mixing and engineering for song presentations, making albums and project work with professionals. On many occasions, people have asked me "What Nashville studio did you do your demo in?"

Those studios they are referring to are more like 10 million dollar studios, so.....

Yeah.

All good, Le Miz

We're all on the same team.

Same here....

Charlie

This is the concept behind question #2..

Charlie

That made me almost fall out of my chair laughing John. Good one!

Charlie, I like #3 although I don't like the word Program and #1. Great idea if Joanne hasn't already got all three written. Just kidding Joanne. LOL!

*** Survey has Ended *** 10/25/2017


Vote Totals:

1. 101 Things You Did Not Know Band in a Box Can Do : 7

2. How to make your Home Studio Sound like a Million Dollars: 1

3. Programming Secrets to Practice, Accompany and Create Music with Band in a Box: 10

_______________________________________________________________

Vote tallies were determined by either an actual vote cast for a title or which book a commenter would purchase 'first'.

Question #3 is the Winner !!!


18 total votes from a total pool of 26,504 potential registered votes is a clear signal that no book is forthcoming from me anytime soon. Not that such a book was ever in the making but I did it that way because fictional book titles was a good way to frame the survey questions. It appears to me most forum members are comfortable with their workflow and knowledge base with Biab and that major questions and getting around the steep learning curve is adequately handled here on the forum.

There would certainly be topic overlaps between questions 1 and 3 and a book would also certainly reference the quality of the recorded audio, artists and the Realtrack artists and also the vast interconnectivity capability between midi and Biab would likely be discussed so a real book would include all three topics and plenty more.


Thanks for participating.

Charlie

So, that's it, Charlie? You're just going to leave it there?



Just kidding; it was a fun thought exercise.

How about "How to make 1 million dollars in the music business!"

First, you get 2 million dollars....

Eddie, you've given away my business plan.

Big effort on your part Charlie. Thanks. The vote tally count is a little bit underwhelming

If book 4 is "How to enter code to make half note triplets", I will buy that today. You take Paypal?

Yes thanx for the effort you put into this.

OK then no book, but how about a pamphlet then?

Only needs to be printed on one side...

Double spaced

You guys are too funny.





As quickly as I wrote the first three books, #4 should be a breeze and Eddie seems ready to order on a pre-sale basis. I'm already ahead in the game.

Yes, I take pay from pals - and friends, enemies, acquaintances,kin folk and undercover agents to name a few....

I almost spit out my coffee on this line. After I swallowed I then LOL.

Great play on words!

Probably be even shorter than the one titled "Famous Jewish Sports Legends".

TBF, I imagine that the "Off-topic" forum is a place with relatively low visibility.

Not sure I understand. I thought that the Off-Topic forum has the exact same visibility as the other forums. Is there some kind of filter that makes this less visible to some users?

Given the actual subject matter, which Forum would have been a better choice?

Thanks for clarifying.

It's not so much that the off-topic forum has less visibility per se, rather (and this is totally speculation here) I think it's probable that folks here are less likely to click on the forum's posts as they might automatically assume that because it's off-topic it's not really all that relevant. The less views the less discussion, and hence less visibility.

Personally I would be absolutely thrilled to pay good money for options 1 and 2.

Off Topic and the User Showcase each have nearly 100,000 posts. Exponentially more than any other forum in the General Discussion section. I would think that alone would engage a peruser’s attention.

I hear ya. Like I said, it was simply an assumption, and quite likely wrong at that...