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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 6
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 6 |
Hi everyone, new user here.
I have BIAB Audiophile installed on my office computer which is a powerful machine, (16 gig ram)...and obviously it all runs fine.
However I want to buy a laptop (on a budget!) that will handle BIAB windows; basically so that I can take it with me as a songwriting sketchbook of sorts and work on musical ideas on the move.
So I need a laptop with good enough specs that it is able to generate real-tracks fairly quickly as I tweak things.
What sort of specs should I be looking at for a machine that is powerful enough to be use BIAB Windows efficiently?
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 18,353
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 18,353 |
Hi everyone, new user here.
I have BIAB Audiophile installed on my office computer which is a powerful machine, (16 gig ram)...and obviously it all runs fine.
However I want to buy a laptop (on a budget!) that will handle BIAB windows; basically so that I can take it with me as a songwriting sketchbook of sorts and work on musical ideas on the move.
So I need a laptop with good enough specs that it is able to generate real-tracks fairly quickly as I tweak things.
What sort of specs should I be looking at for a machine that is powerful enough to be use BIAB Windows efficiently? Hi David Welcome aboard (again) This link has useful tips on system requirements Hope this helps Best Trevor
BIAB & RB2024 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 11,384
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 11,384 |
Simply put, you need a big HD, think terabytes, but also consider a second external USB drive to hold the files.
Then you need as fast a processor as you can afford. Intel i3 would work, but I sugget no less than i5 and preferably i7 intel. Internal memory (RAM) will not be a priority since BIAB is 32bit and will not use an excess. But generally I would recommend as much as you can afford.
Dan, BIAB2024, SoundCloud Win11, i7(12thGen), 32GB, 1TB SSD(M.2 NVMe SSD), 2TB Libraries, 1 TB(WD-Black), 2TB SSD(M.2 NVMe SSD)Data, Motu Audio Express, Keystation 61, SL88 Studio, Reaper
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 792
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 792 |
I run BIAB on an older HP Elitebook with a 150gig SSD hard drive (so forget needing "terabytes"!!!) it has an i7 2.6ghz processor and 4 gig ram.
BIAB runs fine! A tip if you have limited space is to remove those audio real tracks you don't need. For example as I play all piano parts live I do not need Piano real tracks. This removes a huge space requirement from the install. If one was a guitarist the guitars could be removed etc etc.
Real Track styles still load and play fine.Albeit minus the removed instruments.
I would suggest you find a laptop with an SSD drive as audio tends to load/stream faster from these. Also try to have the laptop as a dedicated music device as I do. It runs BIAB, VSTi's and hosting programs Cantabile and VSTHost, Sonar and vArranger. It (the laptop) does nothing else. No internet, no word processing, no games.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 6
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 6 |
I run BIAB on an older HP Elitebook with a 150gig SSD hard drive (so forget needing "terabytes"!!!) it has an i7 2.6ghz processor and 4 gig ram.
BIAB runs fine! A tip if you have limited space is to remove those audio real tracks you don't need. For example as I play all piano parts live I do not need Piano real tracks. This removes a huge space requirement from the install. If one was a guitarist the guitars could be removed etc etc.
Real Track styles still load and play fine.Albeit minus the removed instruments.
I would suggest you find a laptop with an SSD drive as audio tends to load/stream faster from these. Also try to have the laptop as a dedicated music device as I do. It runs BIAB, VSTi's and hosting programs Cantabile and VSTHost, Sonar and vArranger. It (the laptop) does nothing else. No internet, no word processing, no games. Thanks for the info! I had seen the recommended specs on the website but I don't agree with them - I installed BIAB on a Netbook that has more RAM than is recommended on the site, and the performance is very poor, takes ages to render realtracks and frequently crashes. I had a feeling that 4GB RAM may have been the 'real' minimum requirement that I should have been aiming for so thanks for that. Good tip about excluding certain real tracks - even though I own the Audiophile version (with it's associated large install size), I didn't need the uncompressed tracks for my laptop install, so I just installed the compressed lower quality versions to my laptop - the idea is that my laptop is for songwriting on the move and then when I want to 'master' a track I'll move the BIAB file to my main computer which uses the Audiphile install, if that makes any sense!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,583
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,583 |
The problem with a Netbook isn't the amount of RAM, it's the fact that it uses the Atom processor, which just isn't going to keep up with the demands of audio processing.
I would think a laptop with an i5 or better processor will be plenty of horsepower. Again, BIAB won't need more than 4GB, but your O/S is likely to be 64-bit, so get as much as you can afford (that way you can run multiple applications concurrently without worrying about going to disk with virtual memory).
I wish I could upgrade right now, but for the most part I am happy with my 2011 model HP 17-inch laptop with i5 processor. It processes BIAB without a hiccup. I have two 1-TB 7200 RPM drives in the machine with 8GB RAM (and although I would love to go to 16GB, 8 is all it holds). It is running Windows 7 Pro 64-bit.
The downside is that it is the previous generation i5, and so it is not as power efficient as the newer i5's (so I'm limited on how long I can use the batter). Good news, is that it has dual graphics, so it uses the low power Intel when on battery and the high-power ATi on AC.
While external drives are fine, if you can find one with dual drive bays, that gives you added capability, even if you don't take advantage of it right away. I know some Toshibas and some HPs have dual drive bays, although you may have to Google around to find out, since they don't seem to include that information in the specs anymore, even if it's there. That way, you could, for example, have an SSD for your boot and application drive and a fast hard disk for your data.
I suspect you won't be happy with any laptop's internal sound card, but at least it will work for you on the go. Then you could keep an external sound card for back at the studio.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 2x2TB, 1x4TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 2x1.5TB, 2x2TB, 1x4TB SATA BB2024/UMC404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/MixBus/Notion/Finale/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 6
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 6 |
Well I took a chance and bought a second hand HP EliteBook 2540P - i7 processor and 4gigs of RAM - wasn't sure whether the RAM was going to be sufficient but I did the full 90 gig install of BIAB and it runs like a dream! I will be pretty much keeping this laptop as a composition/BIAB machine - no excuses not to learn how to use BIAB properly now 
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 792
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 792 |
I have the 2740P although it is not that much different to the 2540.
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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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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."
Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!
The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!
There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.
If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.
We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!
Congratulations to the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!
We've just announced the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!
There are 45 winners, each receiving a Band-in-a-Box 2024 UltraPAK! Read the official announcement to see if you've won.
Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed!
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