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If you were charged by Peter Gannon to come up with a one year, five year or ten year plan for PG Music to follow what would it be? Peter wouldn't want to pay my hourly rate, but the answer is so simple he can get it for free: Focus on what makes you unique in the world of music software.For the next 1, 5 and 10 years. There are tons of DAWs you can't compete with, millions of plug-ins that don't get noticed, but only one BIAB® with RealTracks. No (real) competition. Focus your resources on your best product. The standalone app. Stop developing the VST plugin if it ties up too many resources. Same for RealBand. - Bring your archaic WinXP UI into the 2020s to attract younger customers
- Record RealTracks. The more the merrier. Not cheap, but a good investment for the future
- Add modern styles. Listen to Spotify to get an idea.
- Did I mention to record more RealTracks?
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Jim/All..
let me give the very tiniest example of why i wish rb to carry on rather than disappear.
many times on these forums ive mentioned in passing how one needs to 'dig' to discover neat rb 'tricks'.
SO heres a very tiny example which takes no time in rb i was reminded of yesterday..
cos i take many things for granted.
SCENARIO…
1..a user has a great 144 bpm 'kickin' drum trak happening…BUT…
2..wants to reinforce it with a repeating 'thrumming' or 'throbbing' sound. (dah dee dah dee etc etc).
HOW TO DO IT.
in a traditional daw prolly one would have to paint in midi notes or go thru a midi pattern lib or use a piano roll n' copy x times etc etc…lots of alt methods. including midi kbd entry.
the following took exactly 1 minute in rb.
1..i went to the rb *.dp pattern library n' selected a repeating pattern..then…
2..instantly (blink of an eye) genned a midi drum trak for as many bars as i wanted…
in this case 90 bars… huh!! people might say..is he off his rocker…lol.
bear with me !! lol.
3..then i loaded up the new synthmaster plug in n' selected a fav patch and job done.
THROBBING TRAK accompanying the genned rd trak….BUT MORE TO COME…
4..rb has a neat 'TRANSPOSE FEATURE' ! SOOOO…
5..i kept the original 'throbber' and started experimenting with different transpositions of the throbbing midi drum trak…instantaneous in rb.
ie up or down 1 or 5 or 12 or whatever WITH synth plugged in OR a different plug in. plus in rb i got oodles of traks to experiment.
in conclusion given the above one could get v intricate 'layers' of sound n' sound pictures to reinforce the rd trak.
infinite possibilities actually of 'throbbing sounds' depending on synths n' patches n' drum patterns n' transposition combo selected.
all i'm saying is lots of tricks in rb to discover if one takes some time.
rb (like powertraks) is extremely deep re midi features.
hopefully, and given the above is but one example of many…people might see why i like rb sooo much.
in fact yonks ago i used to amaze people in big studios as to what powertraks n' then rb could do. the typical response being 'your kidding me for such low quids/bucks !!)
as ive said before tho' ive loved reaps from its inception....i dont want to see rb disappear cos it lets me do some neat things 'under the hood".
happiness to all.
om
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justanoldmuso, that is a good example of a unique RealBand feature. Maybe you can post it in the +++ What RealBand Feature You Can't Live Without +++ thread.
Jim Fogle - 2024 BiaB (1111) RB (5) Ultra+ PAK DAWs: Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB) - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8 Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
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quantum leaps
Synonyms of quantum leap
: an abrupt change, sudden increase, or dramatic advance
Track Injector was a step this way to how Biab normally works.
This was made to show how to get the Biab track sections directly in a decent DAW instantly and play the source files direct without creating consolidated wav files giving way more editing control.
If RealBand worked this way it would be a totally different story, but that horse has bolted.
There is zero reason why the BBPlugin/BBPlugin Standalone can't work this way in any DAW, ZERO.
I have shown multitrack 32bit VST's like energyXT playing many tracks and many sections in the track same way as Track Injector.
If this can't be done NOW then I suggest drop the BBPlugin as how it is now it's potential is limited by 70%.
Peter needs to get away from PGmusic and spend all day every day on other modern DAW's & VST's like mentioned by MV, only then come back to PGmusic, then quantum leaps will be seen as experiential knowledge is brought back from the future.
Either that or get away to somewhere quiet out in nature, do some fasting and meditation, and get some direct spiritual experience to open channels up for ideas and creativity to flow.
Trust me.
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I see all the bumped backlogs in the wishlists. There needs to be a better ways to implement as it seems to be harder for PG compared to other software to implement improvements. I remember Attila from RapidComposer telling me that he spent a lot of time on the programming library to make things so easy for implementing new things on Win or Mac at the same time. Maybe put new features on hold and just do some releases with lots of content only while you are working on new ways in the background of doing things crossplatform new language as it looks like you have zero spare time to do anything else. JUCE is the most widely used framework for audio application and plug-in development. It is an open source C++ codebase that can be used to create standalone software on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, as well VST, VST3, AU, AUv3, AAX and LV2 plug-ins. JUCE allows developers to focus on the most valuable parts of their software by taking care of the differences between operating systems (both desktop and mobile) and plug-in formats. With JUCE’s library of digital audio processing (DSP) building blocks you can quickly prototype and release native applications and plug-ins with a consistent user experience across all supported platforms. Using JUCE also future-proofs your products against operating system and plug-in host updates. Operating System Compatibility JUCE is a cross platform framework allowing a single codebase to compile to native applications and plug-ins with the same user experience on Windows, macOS, Linux... Audio Software & Plug-in Compatibility JUCE makes it easy to create both standalone audio applications or plug-ins that can be loaded inside digital audio workstations (DAWs) like Logic, Live, Pro Tools, FL Studio or Cubase. A single JUCE project can be used to create VST, VST3, AU, AUv3, AAX and LV2 plug-ins from the same source code, and also provides the functionality required to host these plug-in formats in your own software. Audio Processing & MIDI JUCE provides an abstraction for processing audio samples and MIDI from the native audio devices on each platform or a host DAW. With JUCE’s library of digital signal processing (DSP) building blocks you can rapidly prototype and deploy different audio effects, filters, instruments and generators. User Interface & Graphics JUCE provides a versatile UI abstraction that can run on any platform, with the option of hardware acceleration via OpenGL. JUCE handles the rendering of 2D and 3D graphics, and a selection of image formats and fonts. All JUCE UI widgets can be themed, allowing you to have a consistent user experience across multiple different products and platforms.
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but lets remember rb IS free. Are you sure about that? Where is the download link for a free Realband without buying BIAB? and in fact with just a few added features imho would be the daw market leader I'll take a hit off of whatever you are smokin'! 
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Bring your archaic WinXP UI into the 2020s to attract younger customers
[*]Record RealTracks. The more the merrier. Not cheap, but a good investment for the future
[*]Add modern styles. Listen to Spotify to get an idea.
[*]Did I mention to record more RealTracks? This! This right here is 100% correct! I'd kill Realband immediately. I'd kill the plugin which was a great concept that is still not implemented properly several years on. I recently referred a friend to BIAB (he then bought UltraPak) and I felt compelled in advance to inform him that 1) RealTracks are the absolute best thing to ever hit music software and the single reason to run don't walk to buy this product immediately and 2) this is one of the most out of date, hard to use, buggiest pieces of software you'll see among modern programs. It is a damn shame that the sheer BRILLIANCE of RealTracks are buried in this mess. The whole 49 new features marketing nonsense convolutes and sometimes even breaks the product annually and we, the customers, finish the beta testing until they redirect efforts to the Mac version. And there is always someone who will point out how BIAB can do anything if only you will go through a Rube Goldberg series of actions. But that ain't fun at all! And it sucks the whole creative energy out of you while you are trying to make something cool! I actually enjoy using Reaper. I love using EZ Drummer 3. There are countless other programs out there that are fun to use and that aspect seems to be lost here! So, after all my complaints, why do I even use BIAB? Simple! Peter and his team created something magical with RealTracks. Something not yet available anywhere else! But it may not be long before companies like Toontrack figure out that a bundle of their EZ Drums, EZ Keys, EZ Bass, and some future guitar product is essentially BIAB!
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I find the user interface of BIAB to be somewhat clunky and dated, but aside from a short time with Audacity, I started out using Cakewalk Sonar and eventually moved to Studio One.
What I want from PG Music and what I LOVE are the Real Tracks and the ability to create a song with BIAB. I do use RB to open a BIAB Song File and to generate multiple instances of the Real Tracks I want, but once I have all of those wav files exported to a folder I move to Studio One.
So, in answer to the subject line question, PG Music should plan for both users like me and for users that only use BIAB and RB for their productions.
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JohnJohnJohn. Tthere are things i would like in rb n' bb. but at the same time i remind myself that i must be fair cos ive been on the other side of the fence dealing with a user base….and am aware of the various challenges for developers. I also remind myself that the bb n' rb combo starts at 120 bucks. https://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.packages.pro.htmwith greatest respect J3 if one looks at the specs of above (with rb) plus consider that lots of people would like to do songs starting at a cheap price…the above is a great deal imho. Do you know a better deal on the market that has so many featuresn/content ? cos i dont mate at that price. i look at various competitors products/features and their user forums and with any product one will see features that users would like and sometimes problems in use. pg isnt alone in this. when i was 'on the other side of the fence' we labored mightly to achieve a happy user base. you have no idea how many sleepless nights...lol. but it's the 'nature of software' that someone's needs wont be met. i'd like a buck for each time a user said to me 'why did you implement freds feature before mine'. Do I get frustrated sometimes ? sure mate…but then i remind myself of all these great features/tools we have these days…and the above comments. i'm just trying to be fair.. do i tear my hair out sometimes ? sure i do...but with various music software ive teared my hair out also and said to the pc 'why the hey did they do that feature that way' ? imho doing songs is work and involves lots of challenges no matter ones chosen tools. if anyone on these forums thinks being a developer is easy ...take programming courses in C++ and assembler and dsp routines n' dealing with API routines to see first hand the challenges for developers of music production software..cos it aint trivial imho....and it will give one a feel for what challenges music software developers face. happiness n' have a great 2023 John. om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 03/03/23 05:05 AM.
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JohnJohnJohn. Tthere are things i would like in rb n' bb. but at the same time i remind myself that i must be fair cos ive been on the other side of the fence dealing with a user base….and am aware of the various challenges for developers. I also remind myself that the bb n' rb combo starts at 120 bucks. https://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.packages.pro.htmwith greatest respect J3 if one looks at the specs of above (with rb) plus consider that lots of people would like to do songs starting at a cheap price…the above is a great deal imho. Do you know a better deal on the market that has so many featuresn/content ? cos i dont mate at that price. i look at various competitors products/features and their user forums and with any product one will see features that users would like and sometimes problems in use. pg isnt alone in this. when i was 'on the other side of the fence' we labored mightly to achieve a happy user base. you have no idea how many sleepless nights...lol. but it's the 'nature of software' that someone's needs wont be met. i'd like a buck for each time a user said to me 'why did you implement freds feature before mine'. Do I get frustrated sometimes ? sure mate…but then i remind myself of all these great features/tools we have these days…and the above comments. i'm just trying to be fair.. do i tear my hair out sometimes ? sure i do...but with various music software ive teared my hair out also and said to the pc 'why the hey did they do that feature that way' ? imho doing songs is work and involves lots of challenges no matter ones chosen tools. if anyone on these forums thinks being a developer is easy ...take programming courses in C++ and assembler and dsp routines n' dealing with API routines to see first hand the challenges for developers of music production software..cos it aint trivial imho....and it will give one a feel for what challenges music software developers face. happiness n' have a great 2023 John. om My observations come from two perspectives, 1) I'm a full-time professional software dev since 1994 and 2) I'm a demanding software user for even longer than that! There is great software. And there is good software. You'd be hard pressed to find any great music software out there that has as old and quirky and convoluted UX as BIAB. And this is not news. We all know it. Yet, at the same time, if you ignore the dated Win XP interface and convoluted menus and dialog windows, under the hood BIAB is truly GREAT software! The RealTracks and how the software assembles them is truly BRILLIANT! Almost beyond belief how great this aspect of BIAB is. And that is why I continue to use it and recommend it 11 years and counting! But there is no excuse for how out of date the UX is. "Software is hard" just don't cut it in 2023!
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JohnJohnJohn.
I can't disagree with your gui comments n' i DO get what your saying.
but STILL its a unique great product.
I would be interested to see a graphic from you showing the gui that you would like to see.
(i'm useless at graphics cos i'm vision impaired..but i love some of MCitys graphic examples.)
maybe in the wishlist ?? maybe the pg devs will implement it.
if its fantastic i'll be the first to send you huge kudos.
as you know as your a dev…one of the challenges is how to present an app with lots of features….for example you mentioned menus. also maybe show how you would like the menus/features presented ?
from my experience with users menus are v difficult to get agreements on.
cos what one user might like…others might not.
(in fact ive seen in the past huge differences//arguments..)
we used to have user 'roundtables' and even FINALLY (as all good devs do) get users sign off's on interface designs/features….and in app features. but after getting into heavy coding STill the 'upper ups' would want changes n' waste a lot of coding time.
what do you think of user defined menus ?? so users can customise gui's n' menus to their individual needs ?? ive seen that done in the past to keep all users happy.
happiness n' have a great 2023 John.
om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 03/03/23 09:02 AM.
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JohnJohnJohn.
I can't disagree with your gui comments n' i DO get what your saying.
but STILL its a unique great product.
I would be interested to see a graphic from you showing the gui that you would like to see.
(i'm useless at graphics cos i'm vision impaired..but i love some of MCitys graphic examples.)
maybe in the wishlist ?? maybe the pg devs will implement it.
if its fantastic i'll be the first to send you huge kudos.
as you know as your a dev…one of the challenges is how to present an app with lots of features….for example you mentioned menus. also maybe show how you would like the menus/features presented ?
from my experience with users menus are v difficult to get agreements on.
cos what one user might like…others might not.
(in fact ive seen in the past huge differences//arguments..)
we used to have user 'roundtables' and even FINALLY (as all good devs do) get users sign off's on interface designs/features….and in app features. but after getting into heavy coding STill the 'upper ups' would want changes n' waste a lot of coding time.
what do you think of user defined menus ?? so users can customise gui's n' menus to their individual needs ?? ive seen that done in the past to keep all users happy.
happiness n' have a great 2023 John.
om
This would be an extremely tough project to design. Based on what we know (or think we know) it seems like a rewrite from the ground up would be in order but that might be too large of a project for a company of PGM's size and skillset. After decades of bolting on new features in a declining dev tool like Delphi Object Pascal this might warrant a reassessment of framework to use but again this sort of change might be too much. Don't get me wrong, as I understand it Delphi is still viable but the tool's current owner is more focused on C++ these days and there is a declining number of qualified programmers for Object Pascal. I would def agree with your idea to have focus groups to streamline the UX substantially. Before that even starts though they need to review everything the program does and prune away all of the fluff they've added over the years. For example, does BIAB really need a metronome? And if it does couldn't an optional plug-in approach for this sort of add-on serve to reduce complexity? After the product functionality is fully outlined then work could begin on improving, modernizing and standardizing all of the menus, toolbars and popup dialogs. That is only the start. It would be an enormous project and I understand why they've not attempted it. They have to keep their company afloat while they do this and I would assume their income is very much dependent on the December and mid-year upgrade sales. So how could this be done? This is only my own admittedly uninformed (at least regarding BIAB) opinion of one possible admittedly incomplete approach! Quietly suspend further development of Realband and BIAB plugin to use those resources elsewhere. Assign a small tiger team to start the redesign project and perhaps include several savvy customers who can make valid contributions (without simply poking the eyes like I'm doing right now!) Also include someone from marketing, customer service and support to balance the team with real-world experiences. Prune heavy-handedly! Consider adding back in certain features later as add-ons to allow the basic program to be developed. Study modern apps from companies like Toontrack, iZotope and Native as well as the popular DAWs that PGM customers already use. Steal cool features like crazy from those products! Stay with Delphi and retain as much of the Object Pascal core as possible so the crown jewels (RealTracks) remain safe and sound. Implement a completely new UI using modern standards for every toolbar, menu, dialog window, etc. Heavily test the new UI with users (beginners and power users) BEFORE hard-coding it into the new software. Also test with customer support. Test in a meaningful way with real users throughout all stages of development. Put marketing to work on a new product name and marketing angles. Put the music department to work on substantial new features and lots of new RealTracks focused on modern music so at launch it sounds as new as it looks. Keep legacy BIAB around for a few cycles. Maybe freeze it so it could continue to be bought but only bug fixes would be done. And new RealTracks would require the new product. Promote the new product as the KILLER music production product that it will be! There! That is my unsolicited, uninformed, unqualified, incomplete, back-of-the-envelope plan for redesigning and developing and marketing TBD (the music software formerly known as Band in a Box).
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Spotify??? RealTracks???????? Instruments??????????? Huh??? Hmmmmmmm. Save yourself a lot of time folks. Just go here and scoop up some chill dope beats and you'll be trippin.' Peace out yo. https://www.bandlab.com/sounds/home
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If I could do the below in Reaper on Mac and Win would PG still need to make RealBand for Mac ? Everything RealBand generates is from calling bbw2 (Band In A Box) in the background that generates to wav in RealBand's temp folder. Sure you could spend a lot of time making RealBand work like Reaper and a Mac version as well but what's practical ? The most wonderful thing BiaB does is generate up a txt file with all the sections of source RT files it's pieced together, I really don't need anything else from Biab but that. I would still buy Biab for the content alone not for 49 new things. I have way more control in Reaper than Biab. Why is PG not letting Reaper users do this right now ? would it make things too easy for them ? Reaper implemented wma play direct for this very reason. It's a simple thing to giver users, is not as hard as implementing wma in Reaper. I could go and make a VST that will just use the content PG has but instantly generate up the sections in the DAW of choice and play direct from the source file sections. I've shown it working with Sforzando but why do I have to do it and not PG ? BB-Track-Data-To-SFZ-4-Tracks.mp4 Mixcraft-WMA.mp4 Studio-One-WMA.mp4 they are just playing the txt files that play the files sections direct from the RT/RD folder. I could do it, other companies could do it, XLN Audio where advertising for C++ programmers and product designers for new ideas. I would much rather see PG get their finger out and do it not tomorrow, not the next day but now. This is opening the txt files in Reaper but it will be instant if PG give the track data file in C:bb\Data\BBoutput.txt as at the moment it needs to go into BB menus and run functions and wait for txt file to read: Zoom++ 
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Interesting concept
PGMusic would only be developing a VST (hopefully VTS3 compatible) and the RTs would be the source of income .. much like Kontakt.
The plugin is cheap, but the sounds will cost you.
Of course, since they have already given us the ability to create User RTs, the competition could get larger for the RT content. So they would open a hole in their market going this way.
I still think it may be a good idea, since PG controls exactly how the RTs behave and thus could stay ahead of the curve.
Something to ponder
Make your sound your own!
.. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
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There has been no new response to this issue so I'm looking into creating a VST that will read the current track data in the main Biab and transfer that to the VST (same as I can do in Reaper), so the VST will be playing the source track sections back in sync to the DAW tempo map.
So any change in the main Biab can be updated instantly in the VST.
As you drag it will render the sections to wav.
This will give the same as I can do in Track Injector but in any DAW.
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Update: So all of the above. BIaB plug-in already uses JUCE. And has for years. Yes, JUCE is very good, and cross platform.
We don’t plan on using JUCE for our existing applications other than plug-ins. >>Generate and Play tracks instantly in the Plugin by playing the source files direct from the generated text data, no rendering down to wav at all (unless needed to export).
Yes, planned for sometime in 2023.
>>Fit and sync with any Time Signature in the DAW.
Sync with any decimal varying tempo map.
We plan to add support for floating point tempos and any time signature, in BiaB, plug-in, and RB.
>Go over 255 bars.
Yes, planned for BiaB & plug-in. Already possible in RB.
>48khz / 24bit source wav/aiff files.
We have source wavs for this 24/48, and are looking into it. This I will take time, but should be worth it. ..
BiaB doesn’t yet support floating tempos, and every possible time signature (e.g. 11/8). But that is planned. When that is done, better sync options for BiaB and the plug-in should be available. Just An…
Yes, good ideas for RB, and we plan on lots of exciting things for RealBand in the future. Keep the existing ones as they are sure, but once you start moving the generate code into the VST/VST Standalone this will rocket ahead being cross platform giving Mac users the VST and the same time using the same audio format for both. This will be more suitable for Mac Pro Audio users and Win users alike. As I have said I see the VST Standalone the new simple to use cross platform Band In A Box Lite® so a Linux version also while your at it. You can use the bbw4 generated txt for now then once that's working smoothly start transitioning the generate code over and the tabbed multipicker within the VST. The VST just needs to use elastique to sync playback as if it's playing back direct it will use eleastique to change pitch and tempo in realtime.
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A message to the stunning and brave "technical justice warriors" in this thread who wanted to protest and start a movement: Don't be ungrateful!
"Ask not what BiaB can do for you, ask what you can do for BiaB."
"...this is one of the most out of date, hard to use, buggiest pieces of software you'll see among modern programs..."
True. But it's a good thing. It requires determination, perseverance, and a strong will to become a BiaB user. Mediocre musicians are not welcome.
"...It is a damn shame that the sheer BRILLIANCE of RealTracks are buried in this mess..."
There is no such a thing as free lunch. If you want to find the treasure of RealTracks, you need to go through a messy and cumbersome interface. That's the price you pay.
"...But that ain't fun at all! And it sucks the whole creative energy out of you while you are trying to make something cool..."
True. But it's a good thing. Because of this, young people are scared off. It is truly a software separates adults from teenagers, separates pros from amateurs.
"...The RealTracks and how the software assembles them is truly BRILLIANT..."
For many years I have been trying to avoid using BiaB due to its daunting interface, until I realized there were no alternatives to RealTracks. I had no choice but to come back and force myself learning this hideous interface, just for the sake of RealTracks.
"...I recently referred a friend to BIAB (he then bought UltraPak)..."
I have never successfully referred a single person to BiaB. It takes only one YouTube video, to frighten a potential new user. When a person sees this XP era interface with layers of commands in the right click menu, it's game over, no purchase, thank you.
"...Bring your archaic WinXP UI into the 2020s to attract younger customers..."
Impossible. It's called "Grafting". When PG Music introduces new features each year, the new commands were grafted to the software, meaning older commands were not removed. Over years, there are mountains of commands accumulated inside the software. For a new user, there's no way to know which functions are new, which are outdated.
"...BIAB can do anything if only you will go through a Rube Goldberg series of actions..."
BiaB is not a software meant for diversity and inclusion. BiaB's target user demographics are middle-aged to senior males, with a strong IT background. So, if you are a young, creative female, who isn't an IT nerd, then BiaB isn't for you.
"...But there is no excuse for how out of date the UX is..."
BiaB's tedious UX is actually an advantage. It is called "industry barrier". Because of this barrier, young generations, first time users, non tech-savvy musicians, ordinary hobbyists, are all excluded from using BiaB. Folks who managed to get inside this barrier, are indeed the "privileged ones".
"...ignore the dated Win XP interface and convoluted menus and dialog windows, software is hard just don't cut it in 2023..."
I have already invested so much time on binge watching YouTube videos and reading forum posts, in order to master my BiaB skills for professional work. If PG Music redesigns the UI/UX in the future versions and makes learning BiaB effortless and fun, personally, I would be so pissed off. The fewer young musicians using BiaB, the more proud I am. A streamlined, modern, self-explanatory UI would just take my pride away.
A Canadian music producer, singer songwriter, composer, and professional guitarist.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 2,649
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 2,649 |
J3/MV/ALL.
A REAL LIFE CASE STUDY IN GUI's n' MENUS DEVELOPMENT.
ok looks like pg user base largely wants redesign // ease of use re gui's n' menus.
and I'm sure given the number of user comments on this topic…pg have been aware of the need for many many moons.
BUT NOBODY HAS SHOWN IN DETAIL VIA GUI/MENU GRAPHICS EXAMPLES HOW A HAPPY USER BASE COULD BE ACHIEVED !
SO…let's look at a real life case study I was once involved with.
and maybe pg users might comment as to whether this approach might keep pg users happy.
(cept there is a 'wrinkle' to come….lol)
A..SCENARIO.
I worked once for a large organisation with a v big user base….and the system development dept was bombarded nearly daily with criticism from users…tons of stress.
the techs were very talented n' professional n' inventive but the core legacy systems were developed yonks ago in a previous era.. in summary lots of old code…ring a bell ?
B. WHAT WE DID.
to reduce the daily stress on the systems dept/techs we made everything 'user centric.'
we set up 'user focus groups' n' 'roundtables' etc etc with the objective of the user groups providing to us a spec (signed off) of how THEY WANTED the new gui's n' menus to behave.
now to the 'wrinkle'...lmao.
ONLY PROBLEM WAS…
it was like a 'battle royal' had broken out cos the various user groups COULD'NT
AGREE. the only plus was less stress on the techs.
we even suggested flexibile 're-configurability' but the problem was some people took the attitude 'my way or the highway'. ….even snr user mgt was a problem and couldnt agree.
(office politics everywhere.)....just human nature.
perhaps the above gives people a flavor of the fact that when it comes to user needs often tech groups/coders are in a 'no win' situation cos the different user groups can't agree amongst themselves.
in conclusion the only suggestion i can make is to create a pg user group that submits a new finalised design for flexible GUI's//MENUS. (maybe user configurable ? like some companies have tried…).
BUT i guarantee even if today such a finalised user spec was agreed…in a few years future new users will complain about something…cos its the nature of the beast….lol.
peace out n' happiness to all.
om
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 745
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 745 |
Many good ideas in here. Interesting to see what gets done.
For my $.02
Focus on real styles and real tracks.
imo the greatest power of biab is its real stuff
midi output for real tracks will keep the midi folks around.
The UI is just too busy and too 1990's.
The plug-in has been a bit of a bomb so far. Fix it or lose it
Real Band only affects Win users. Kill Real Band
As mentioned by the Dr himself, Mac is now the majority of biab $$$.
But Win has ruled the biab roost for 3 decades.
As a 25 year biab win user and 10 year Mac User I've lived this lopsided product versioning for years.
Its time to give the Mac users a product equal (or superior) to the Win version.
We've paid our dues.
We do represent the future.
Support Apple silicon natively. Rosetta may be fine today, but not tomorrow.
separate cpu core track regeneration may be a solution to speeding up track regeneration.
That won't happen with Rosetta.
Faster track regeneration is the long pole in the tent.
As for wishing;
Some kind of drum beat groove maker for setting/modifying drum percussion parts would be fabulous.
Not a loop creator but tools to quickly vary the percussion parts.
The conundrum of too many styles yet not enough styles is an issue.
Not sure how to make progress there. Perhaps delete/Archive styles created before 2010, 2005, 2000?
Not all of them are bad, but many of the bad ones seem correlated to date.
All in all, BIAB works well for me.
I may gripe, but I still pony up my $$$ every year.
biab2023(Mac)
Logic Pro X
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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.
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User Video: Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box®
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!
Paket | Was ist Neu
Update Your PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 Today!
The Newest RealBand 2024 Update is Here!
The newest RealBand 2024 Build 5 update is now available!
Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.
This free update is available to all RealBand 2024 users. To learn more about this update and download it, head to www.pgmusic.com/support.realband.htm#20245
The Band-in-a-Box® Flash Drive Backup Option
Today (April 5) is National Flash Drive Day!
Did you know... not only can you download your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase - you can also choose to add a flash drive backup copy with the installation files for only $15? It even comes with a Band-in-a-Box® keychain!
For the larger Band-in-a-Box® packages (UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition), the hard drive backup copy is available for only $25. This will include a preinstalled and ready to use program, along with your installation files.
Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.
Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!
Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.
Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
Learn more about this free update for Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/support_windowsupdates.htm#1111
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 Review: 4.75 out of 5 Stars!
If you're looking for a in-depth review of the newest Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows version, you'll definitely find it with Sound-Guy's latest review, Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows Review: Incredible new capabilities to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs.
A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."
"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."
"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."
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