Hi everyone,

I'm a complete beginner, and I have a question. Is there a place, or a forum, or a website, where users can share their ready-to-use songs, rendered in BIAB? If I wanted to play along some popular rock songs, is there a way to get (or buy) a ready to use rendering with all the settings already configured properly?

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

Check out forum member Joanne Cooper's sites:

https://www.joannecooper.co.za/playiit-app

https://www.youtube.com/user/JoanneCooperSA/playlists

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=joanne+cooper+play+along&qpvt=joanne+cooper+play+along&FORM=VDRE

I learn something every day!
She has quite a website full of great songs by Bob Seger, Fleetwood Mac, Marshall Tucker, Dylan, JJ Cale and a bunch more.
I jammed to a couple on my bass.

Oleg, welcome to the forum.

Joanne, did you have to do anything regarding copyrights for these songs?
I don't think I could do the same on my SoundCloud account.

And (self-serving plug) there are nany thousands of already rendered songs in BiaB format here for as little as 10 cents per song:

https://www.nortonmusic.com/contents.html#fake

And optional books on most where you can read/play along.


Notes ♫

Hi there!

Yes, I discovered your collections, and the selection is vast!

The issue that I'm experiencing with most demo SGU that are available for download is that usually I am missing some of the styles or real tracks that are used in them, and BIAB replaces them with some default settings, which makes the tracks to sound aweful.

Can you please tell me - what styles packs would I need to buy, to leverage your SGU files to the fullest? I wouldn't want to go all the way to the top and buy everything... I'm using BIAB 2023 in its basic configuration.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

For true best results, I'd think you would need the Ultrapak at least.
That way you get all the styles/RTs/RDs etc.

Might seem like an investment but it would likely pay off in joy, and in the long run save money versus buying sets one at a time.

That's a tough one, so the answer isn't short (sorry).

When I compile a fake disk, I subcontract other musicians to pick the styles. I tell them to pick the best style for the song, and not to favor my Norton Music styles. If I chose the styles myself, I would probably pick my own more often, because I know them.

I also have them pick only MIDI styles. Why? If a MIDI style is chosen, BiaB will suggest a Real Style. On the other hand, if a Real Style is assigned, no MIDI style is suggested, so the MIDI users are out of luck. I did one fake disk with nothing but real styles, and the MIDI people let me know they didn't like that.

With all the styles out there, and all the versions of some songs that have been recorded, the style my subcontractor chooses might not be the best one for you.

Like PG Music, I keep the styles and songs separate. Why? Since some styles fit so many songs, if I bundled them with the fake disks, people would end up buying the same style more than once, and that's not fair.

So if you don't have the style suggested, you can pick another style from your collection of styles. Depending on your taste in music, it might even be a better choice.

If you want to know how many Norton Music styles are chosen on a particular fake disk, and how to find them, I can provide that information.

With most Fake Disks that I sell, there are free samples that you can play in BiaB. I usually include one song with a PG style, and one with a Norton style, just to be honest. Depending on the book complied, some have more Norton styles and others have fewer. It's up to the subcontractors.

It can be fun to experiment with other styles, and as you grow with Band-in-a-Box and experience different styles, you will be better at guessing which style works for you.


Notes ♫