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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 37
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 37 |
Hi...
I have been enjoying using Band-in-a-Box immensely. Thanks to all who've made it such fun. But I seem to have reached a sort of transition point. I have CDs with instrumental versions of my songs but people listen and say "That's great but where are the vocals?" And you know, I've been scared to ask this question, 'cause I'm a French lit. graduate and I know someone's going to say "You gotta get a Hasseldorf multiport phonic recorder with J78 overdrive reciprocal adapting sequencer" or something of the sort. But I guess I can't put this off any longer. I have to know how to put vocals on my songs without somehow getting lost in the technology woods. Coward that I am, I thought maybe I could just take my Band-in-a-Box instrumentals minus melody line to a commercial studio and sing along or hire a singer to sing along. But that's not taking the bull by the horns. So if anyone can recommend a simpleton's way forward, hey, you have all my gratitude...
Long live the music,
Chris
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
When the audio track was first added they used the cheapest mic you could get.
If you use the Vsc Dxi synth, all you need to do is to plug in a mic to the mic in port and test it. There is a record audio button. You should load a song you know, save it as singtest then cut out all but the first 10 singable bars save it again, and press the record button. Make sure the meter shows input, you might have to tinker with that in windows to ensure the microphone slider is all the way up and that u are just using the soundard's mic. Sing along. Then look at all you can do, boost volume, add reverb, auto harmonies, etc.
Nothing hard about it really. Use headphones so you don't get the audio from the program bleeding into your mic.
When you decide to take the plunge the best thing is to get a small mixer for 60 bucks or so, and use some good headphones a nice mic and off you go.
Then you get GAS or Gear Acquisition Syndrome, and buy an Audix Mic, a vocal harmonizer with the bells and whistles, 500 dollar earphones, ...just kidding, sort of.
Actually I thought I couldn't sing at all, and now that I have the Bose, the audix mic, the Bose mixer I figure I'm a bass baritone Frank Sinatra...in my delusional state. Where's my pills?
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 37
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 37 |
Thanks for your time, John. If I could press a button to deposit a bottle of cognac on your doorstep, you'd have it. I might have extra questions for this forum later but you've shone a bright light on the path for me.
Chris
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,992
Expert
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Expert
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,992 |
chris..
i gotta say several things mate..
1. a persons biggest enemy can be lack of confidence.,
so take the attitude i can do this.
so what if your worried bout criticism..have confidence.
also understand this is supposed to be FUN !!
there will ALWAYS be folks that criticise no matter how good the vocallist.
my attitude is i do my best with vocs and if i fail n get arrows
in my back i accept it and move on and try better on the next song.
but i learnt decades ago if i worry constantly bout critique..
i would never get a song done. worry can kill creativity etc etc.
2. just go at it gradually developing vocal technique.
and play to your vocal strengths.
look at neil young...or leonard cohen...both good examples
of people with therir own vocal style WHO DO THEIR OWN THING/style of vocs.
can leonard sing like a mezzo soprano ??..nope.
but he has his own lower register style.
the key to it all is working round ones weaknesses and developing ones vocal style.
and playing to voc strengths.
3. use something like realband where you have lots of traks you can experiment with
lots of vocal takes mate. experiment lots with comping together the best vocal takes.
over time youll thus start to realise what works and what doesnt.
what do you have in the way of gear ??
any mics ?? mic pres ?? sound device ??
if you have no gear , to save me lots of typing read my tips in the tips n triks section as to el cheapo gear
n recording with no money.
for example you could get a cheapo dynamic mic for 50 buks into a cheap sound interface that has a mic pre built in.
but above all HAVE FUN AND DO IT WITH CONFIDENCE.
sure youll fail..EVEN THE BEST FAIL sometimes.
if a voc part dont work belting it out..try softer or whispery n see if that
works and vice versa.
the key to the whole thing is to work around ones voc weaknesses
AND JUST GET IT ON AND DO IT.
i wish you every success mate n god bless.
retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,992
Expert
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Expert
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,992 |
chris..
forgot to add.
the hardest thing is the first vocal trak cos one has no voc reference.
so lay down a scratch trak and then sing against it.
often i find my vocs turn out better this way mate.
in any song try double tracking the vocals.
this can realise a denser vocal result.
anothe trik is to put one vocal in level down from the main lead vocal
n put a bit of echo/chorus on it.
read up on google various triks for produceing vocs.
theres lots of em. and the term VOCAL CONDITIONING.
all the best.
retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 37
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 37 |
Thanks for all that. I hear your passion and humanity and generosity clearly. Actually I'm not afraid to sing as such. It's the technical stuff that had me apprehensive, and John C. gave me good advice on that. Nonetheless your tips are very welcome and I've copied them for a future reminder. I reciprocate your good wishes and hope you are succeeding in whatever you are busy at.
Chris
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900 |
You don't need anything fancy at all to get the vocals down, if you have the backing trax already. All you need is a mic and Audacity (it's FREE). Well, that deals with the basics. Of course, the more you want, the more you need...
Follow That Dream Sam Karaoke King -------------------- Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 928
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 928 |
Quote:
Thanks for all that. I hear your passion and humanity and generosity clearly. Actually I'm not afraid to sing as such. It's the technical stuff that had me apprehensive,
Yeah, I thought from your first post that that was what you were asking about.
As mentioned above, get something to record into, like Audacity ... a great free program.
I happen to use Mixcraft Acoustica:
http://www.acoustica.com/mixcraft/
Don't forget, that BiaB also comes with a sequencer included - Real Band.
The only other thing you need is a microphone.
The MXL 990 plugs directly into your USB port:
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pro...WELAID=26021004
You're all set.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
At the simplest there is an audio track in Band in a Box. For a beginner it's easier to pull off. Just remember that if your song is abc.mgu the abc.wav file in the same directory is just the audio. You can then render the whole thing from there.
I'd suggest that for starters. Lots of level of complication are available, exporting to RealBand or some DAW. But to start with put the song in your key and do a verse. Watch the sound button, the wave form. Use the Audio option to kill it and redo it. Get it close, add some reverb. After a few tries you can try the TC helicon harmonies to suit your voice. Don't stick in a lead in for 6 bars or the preview is cumbersome. Honesty, Band in a Box ships with Folksongs in a folder,go the the Children's folder and do something like She's coming round the mountain. Muck with the style. Put the song in a special directory C:\users\you\mysongs . That keeps things in order when you look in there.
Later you can go into Audacity. Pay attention to mono or stereo.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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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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