Welcome to the forum. Many of us use BIAB on laptops with success, including on gigs. The only machine I just couldn't work with was my 10" netbook (remember them?). No question though, the bigger the screen (and the younger the eyes), the happier you will be. But I have run BIAB for decades on screens of all sizes, and only could not function on that one netbook.
The owner of the company, Peter Gannon, has stated he develops BIAB on a laptop.
BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
Eyesight is the key. A few years ago at a gig one of the young guys was reading some charts using iRealB on his 5" IPhone from 3 or 4 feet away. If you can do that then a small lappie is ok.
There's a lot going on with Biab's GUI so the rule is the bigger the screen, the better.
I am getting ready to purchase a new Ultrabook. Is a 12.5'' or 13.3'' screen size large enough to effectively use BIAB 2014 & Real Band?
While it would probably run BB, I would recommend that since you are purchasing new, that you seriously consider paying a little bit more for a model with a larger screensize.
If for no other reason than my favorite at purchase time, I try to let the idea of "future proof" guide part of the decision.
Never know what new thing is coming down the pike, but in this instance I think its safe to say that the trend has been moving to larger and larger screensize and having that available when needed can solve problems even before they arise.
What I can tell you via empirical observation is that, during the beta testing and afterwards now, I've broken out an older laptop with 14" screen to check out the new BB on, and while it is usable, I've got to say that the more modern widescreen laptop I've got here is MUCH easier to view, easier to see the Chord Sheet or Lead Sheets when playing and practicing, so I wouldn't think that the choice you are looking at here would be the best situation for such.
Click on the link above to see a side by side comparison between new and just prior GUI. If you're used to reading while you play, as opposed to playing from memory with backing tracks, it appears that the viewing space for chords, and associated details, has been reduced approximately 16% vertically (two thirds to a half dedicated to chord space), and the fonts are less bold than before, as well. Not easy to see on a 13.5" screen.
I would buy the largest laptop you can afford. I have an ASUS Q500 series with a 15.5" screen. I have 2/3 of the screen for the chord grid and the tool bars take up 1/3. My resolution is 1920x1080. The size of the fonts, (default setting), depends on how many bars are in your song. The font size in a 32 bar tune will be larger than a 64 bar tune. Later, Ray
Last edited by raymb1; 12/08/1306:51 PM.
Asus Q500A i7 Win 10 64 bit 8GB ram 750 HD 15.5" touch screen, BIAB 2017, Casio PX 5s, Xw P1, Center Point Stereo SS V3 and EWI 4000s.
My ThinkPad 13.5" screen only goes up to 1366 x 768, and displays only 1/2 vertical space for chord display, as shown in my link, above. As a workaround for the cramped viewing, and the chord font display challenge, you can use a custom font with bold option and a larger font size, though you may need to limit the number of rows you can see at once, as there is a trade off in the # rows and the chord font size. Is there no way to remove the mixer, and re-size the upper left to be fully horizontal, as before and open up some more vertical space to display the chords screen portion?
I got 2/3 before on my 15.5" screen with 1366 x 768 resolution, not needing a full blown gamer laptop to see and read the chord display. The image in my link shows the 15.5" screen on the right at 1366 x 768 resolution. I ask again, for all those who don't possess large screens or ultra high resolution displays - is there a way to reconfigure the subcomponents of the GUI, like removing the mixer and resizing the upper left transport portion towards the right and add vertical space to the chord display portion?
Thanks, Ray. Didn't see your response before sending.. Sorry, and I appreciate the prospect, as well as so many of the other updates, especially the New Orleans styles. Looking forward to using those.
...I ask again, for all those who don't possess large screens or ultra high resolution displays - is there a way to reconfigure the subcomponents of the GUI, like removing the mixer and resizing the upper left transport portion towards the right and add vertical space to the chord display portion?
And I say again (and again if you're reading other threads on here) that we've been promised such in a future Update file.
But none of us can tell you when to expect that to appear.
They've also promised to restore the ctrl-t to working order as well. With that, we should be able to Toggle between just Chord Sheet display of full view as in the past.
Thanks for posting those pics, that's a very dramatic comparison. Seeing the two side by side like that makes you wonder what were they thinking?
I don't see two pics in this thread, but if you are referring to the differences in how XP displays the new GUI as vs any of the newer Windows OS's, this was duly noted and reported by several of us during the beta testing. We've been promised a fix in upcoming Update, apparently "they were thinking" that it would take a bit of time to implement such properly.
Likely a case of the way the newer OS's do things internally as to screen display, after all, even the laptops out today feature plenty of graphics enhancements over poor old XP.
There may be a few other reasons besides OS here, for example, the use of different monitor sizes, differing video and graphics hardware and drivers, etc.
PG music enjoys a rather excellent reputation at going after both backwards-compatibility as regards older OS's and equipments, I'm sure that they will come up with ways to make the new GUI work and look great for as many different cases as they can.
Not fair to denigrate this great hardworking Develooment Team with that, "What were they thinking?" line.
IME they are always thinking about ways to better serve the customers.
Ask that question about other outfits that simply turn last year's expensive hardware or software into nonsupported unusables. PG's never done that and I don't think they ever will if it is in their power to do so.
Look at Edwins "DrDuBose" Google link. He's posted a pic of two laptops side by side, one displaying 2013 and one displaying 2014. XP has nothing to do with it. The 2013 display is exactly what it looks like on my new Win 7 64 bit machine as well and then 2014 is what it looks like here too.
How many times we gotta say that the new GUI is still a work in progress?
Enhancements are still being worked on, Updates will be issued, viewing areas should have solves, etc.
BTW I can tell that the LH screen in that google pic must be running XP because of the amount of screenspace taken up by the upper area.
On the newer OS's, the upper area only takes up about 1/3 instead of about 1/2. I beta tested on three different PC's and also on a Macbook just to see all the differences and such, and duly and instantly reported my findings about that, complete with screenshots to development. And PG did indeed promise an upcoming fix.
User Video: Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box®
The Bob Doyle Media YouTube channel is known for demonstrating how you can creatively incorporate AI into your projects - from your song projects to avatar building to face swapping, and more!
His latest video, Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box, he explains in detail how you can use the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box with ACE Studio. Follow along as he goes from "nothing" to "something" with his Band-in-a-Box MIDI Melodist track, using ACE Studio to turn it into a vocal track (or tracks, you'll see) by adding lyrics for those notes that will trigger some amazing AI vocals!
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!
Add updated printing options, enhanced tracks settings, smoother use of MGU and SGU (BB files) within PowerTracks, and more with the latest PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 update!
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.
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!
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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!
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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