Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,079
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,079
One-time new product announcement.

Norton Music's Christmas Fake Disk has been updated to reflect the changes in Hal Leonard's Ultimate Christmas Fake Book - 6th Edition. Some new songs added, some old ones dropped. Details and song list here:
http://www.nortonmusic.com/fake15.html


Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,580
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,580
Thanks, Bob. Just in time for Christmas.

Do you know how many songs changed from the previous edition? (I have the previous edition printed book).


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
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,079
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,079
Originally Posted By: jford
Thanks, Bob. Just in time for Christmas.

Do you know how many songs changed from the previous edition? (I have the previous edition printed book).



Sorry, I don't. We were so intent on getting the new edition out that we didn't count. I would guess a dozen or two. It took more time than we intended because we went back to the same songs that were in the previous versions and changed many of the styles. New styles have become available in BiaB that simply fit the songs better, so why not update the whole disk? We started months ago, but it was worth it.

The song list is on the fake disk page, so you can browse it to see if there is anything new you need (there are some nice contemporary ones like "Mary Did You Know:). There are also a few free, complete, demo songs on the page.

Notes


Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,580
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,580
Thanks, Bob. I will order it this weekend. I'll just have to decide whether it's worth it to get the newer edition, or if I already have those songs from other Christmas song books.


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
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,558
J
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
J
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,558
are these all set up as BIAB songs? and are they set up to use only MIDI or are they set up to use RealTracks?

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,797
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,797
I'm not Bob, but the (excellent) songs I have from him load into BIAB. They are MIDI, for reasons Bob has clearly expressed in other discussions. He probably has that lecture saved and ready to paste here.

Nothing prevents you from replacing one or more of his instruments with a RealTrack. Note that the songs contain chords but not melodies when that would be a violation of copyright.

The quality is top-notch, as is the service.


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
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,558
J
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
J
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,558
I'm trying to understand what you get with these. if there is no melody and the styles are based on the stock BIAB MIDI how are these different from me typing in the chord progressions and picking a style? not trying to disrespect the fake disk...just wanna know what I would get if I bought it!

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,580
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,580
J3, the difference is you get a set of BIAB SGU files which have all the songs chord progressions typed in already (so you don't have to do it) and matched to an appropriate style that works for that song (so you don't have to audition a bunch of styles to figure out what works). Of course, once you have the file, you can change it to your hearts content, but Bob Norton has done the bulk of the work for you. And you'll find every song in the printed fake book (which will give you the melody and lyrics) is matched to a corresponding SGU file. Think about how long it will take you to do that yourself.

But, yes, if you wish, you can do the work yourself, or you can save time and buy the fake disc (and corresponding printed fake book, if desired).

I have a bunch of Bob's Fake Discs (along with the corresponding printed fake books) and love playing along. For songs I want to go deeper with, I can then modify to taste.


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
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,574
L
Expert
Offline
Expert
L
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,574
Actually, I noticed that quite a few of the demo songs were using Realtracks now. I rather like that although I'm a big fan of midi too. Perhaps they use both? They're very impressive generally. Bob Notes has done a great job. Can you download the books with the songs or do you have to purchase them separately?


Windows 10 Home 20H2 Build 19042.487
BIAB 2021 (Build 818)
Intel(R) Core(TM), i3-4160, CPU @3.60 GHz RAM 16 GB, 64 Bit X64-based processor
Zoom UAC-2 (USB 3 interface-built in midi)
VoiceLive 3 Extreme, Sputnik Valve Condenser Mic
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,099
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,099
I don't believe Bob directly sells fake books but his site has links you can click on goes to where each book is for sale.


Jim Fogle - 2024 BiaB (1109) RB (Build 3) Ultra+ PAK
Cakewalk - Zoom MRS-8 recorder
Desktop: i7 Win 10 build 2004, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD
Laptop: i3 64bit Win 10 build 21H2, 8GB ram 500GB HDD
Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,558
J
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
J
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,558
Originally Posted By: jford
J3, the difference is you get a set of BIAB SGU files which have all the songs chord progressions typed in already (so you don't have to do it) and matched to an appropriate style that works for that song (so you don't have to audition a bunch of styles to figure out what works). Of course, once you have the file, you can change it to your hearts content, but Bob Norton has done the bulk of the work for you. And you'll find every song in the printed fake book (which will give you the melody and lyrics) is matched to a corresponding SGU file. Think about how long it will take you to do that yourself.

But, yes, if you wish, you can do the work yourself, or you can save time and buy the fake disc (and corresponding printed fake book, if desired).

I have a bunch of Bob's Fake Discs (along with the corresponding printed fake books) and love playing along. For songs I want to go deeper with, I can then modify to taste.

Thanks John! I wonder if the lyrics have been added since BIAB now accepts lyrics in the songs. That would be a great addition.

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,580
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,580
Quote:
I wonder if the lyrics have been added


No, you would have to input them yourself. The issue is a matter of copyright. Sure, Bob could create files with melodies and lyrics, but he would then have to pay the licensing costs, and I suspect the fake disk would cost $3,000 instead of around $30. (I just made up that number, but you get the point). Since chord progressions are not copyrighted, and he is using a commercial program that creates arrangements, he can freely sell the fake discs based on the printed fake books. (And I understand he has vetted all this with his lawyer).

But he has done a lot of the work for you in finding appropriate styles (which may or may not be what you would have chosen) and all the chords are entered. Load the song, hit play, and sing along. Or dive into it and change it up as you see fit. For me, the cost is worth not having to enter all the data.

Obviously, if you only need a song or two, then it's probably not worth it. But for the whole book, it is definitely worth in (IMHO).


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
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 181
Apprentice
Offline
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 181
I concur with jford. I have purchased some of Bob's offerings and they have been excellent. A time saver and, for me, better than what I would have come up with myself.


www.LawTunes.com: The LawTunes - The Musical Scales of Justice - Original Lawyer Rock & Roll
www.SurfChords.com: The SurfChords - The Endless Summer Continues and The Wave Never Ends
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,558
J
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
J
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,558
Originally Posted By: jford
Quote:
I wonder if the lyrics have been added


No, you would have to input them yourself. The issue is a matter of copyright. Sure, Bob could create files with melodies and lyrics, but he would then have to pay the licensing costs, and I suspect the fake disk would cost $3,000 instead of around $30. (I just made up that number, but you get the point). Since chord progressions are not copyrighted, and he is using a commercial program that creates arrangements, he can freely sell the fake discs based on the printed fake books. (And I understand he has vetted all this with his lawyer).

But he has done a lot of the work for you in finding appropriate styles (which may or may not be what you would have chosen) and all the chords are entered. Load the song, hit play, and sing along. Or dive into it and change it up as you see fit. For me, the cost is worth not having to enter all the data.

Obviously, if you only need a song or two, then it's probably not worth it. But for the whole book, it is definitely worth in (IMHO).


Thanks John! I appreciate the detailed explanation!!

Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,079
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,079
Ok, I'm Bob Norton again.

What I have done with my fake disks you can definitely do yourself. It takes many hundreds of hours to compile a fake disk, so all I'm offering is the time saver of me doing the work for you. That way instead of entering millions of chords, you can just start playing the music.

Here is how we do it.
  1. Buy an off-the shelf fake book
  2. Enter the chord changes exactly like they are in the book so you can follow along (the book is optional and I offer an Amazon link to purchase it if you want). My first disk was done without a book, and a couple of others have the books discontinued, but you may still be able to find used ones
  3. Change any chords that don't seem to work with the way BiaB thinks - these are few and far between and it usually means simplifying the chord a bit, perhaps removing an extension
  4. For chords which BiaB doesn't support, deciding which is the best way to go - for example: if it is a minor chord with a sus 4, deciding which is more important, the minor third or the fourth by playing the melody along with both choices
  5. Double checking
  6. Sending the song to sub-contractors to choose the most appropriate style for the song. I tell the subcontractors not to favor my style but to let the music decide - be true to the music (If I did this myself, I'd probably favor my own styles)
  7. Get the files back from the subcontractors, listen to them all (we call it office Karaoke) wink triple-check to make sure everything is working right and in very rare cases, override a contractor choice
  8. zip, upload, and offer for sale


The songs are in MIDI format, and depending on how your BiaB is set up, many will either suggest an appropriate Real Style, or automatically substitute one.

I suggest that you listen to both the Real and the MIDI because sometimes the MIDI style is perfect while the RT style is not so close. That of course depends on the availability of styles.

Also, you may want to change the style, and you are free to do so. Who says "The Christmas Song" can't be done as a Funk, Salsa, Reggae or whatever.

As noted, the melody and lyrics are not included in the Fake Disks. The copyright people wanted to charge me from $1 to $2.50 PER SONG to include that. Some of the disks have over 700 songs in them, so with melodies the wouldn't be affordable.

I asked Harry Fox agency (who represents many of the publishers) how come they want so much when I can get the melodies and lyrics in the books for a few cents per per song? They said that I should buy the book. So that's why I offer the books for that.

You can open the book, load the fake disk file, and play along. I try to do everything without repeats on the BiaB matrix, so if you want to repeat a section for soloing or whatever, it's easy to do in BiaB.

I hope my customers feel they are good value for the money, and I sincerely hope they give you years of enjoyment and add value to your Band-in-a-Box experience.

Insights and incites by Notes


Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,638
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,638
Originally Posted By: Notes Norton
Ok,......

I hope my customers feel they are good value for the money, and I sincerely hope they give you years of enjoyment and add value to your Band-in-a-Box experience.

Insights and incites by Notes


I feel that they are a great value. As you said they save me hours of chord input. Sometimes I will change the style so I can challenge myself.

These are great for learning new genres, practicing improvisation, site reading and/or just having fun. I can not post those songs that I do using your fake discs because of copyright issues.

These are definitely a no-brainer IMHO.


Me, it's not about how many times you fail, it's about how many times you get back up.
Cop, that's not how field sobriety tests work.

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,580
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,580
Quote:
I hope my customers feel they are good value for the money, and I sincerely hope they give you years of enjoyment and add value to your Band-in-a-Box experience.


This is certainly my experience. Many years ago, I started going through my music books to create my own "fake discs" (not to sell, but just for my own personal use), and then one day I saw one of Bob's postings on the forum advertising his fake discs.

I ordered a couple and was hooked. I have the printed fake books (although for a few, I'm a revision or two off), but using Bob's discs saved me a ton of time and I then had a lot of fun playing and singing along.

While none of the BIAB styles (whether from PGMusic or Bob Norton or anywhere else) exactly replicates the song (otherwise a general style would be too song specific), Bob and his team do a great job of finding styles that capture the essence of the original songs.

Over the years, I have purchased 14 Fake Discs (for each of which I have the corresponding printed book), 20 Norton style discs (I'm working to catch up with the rest of them), and 7 Hawkesford style discs.

Sure it's MIDI only, but as has been said, substitution is easy enough. I generally keep them as is, as I have found the I really like Bob's styles.


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
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,079
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,079
Thanks for the kind words Mario and John.

It's good to know our effort is being enjoyed.

Notes


Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

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.

PG Music News
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!

Video: Volume Automation in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®

We've created a video to help you learn more about the Volume Automation options in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows.

Band-in-a-Box® 2024: Volume Automation

www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024full/chapter11.htm#volume-automation

Video: Audio Input Monitoring with Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®

We've created this short video to explain Audio Input Monitoring within Band-in-a-Box® 2024, and included some tips & troubleshooting details too!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024: Audio Input Monitoring

3:17: Tips
5:10: Troubleshooting

www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024full/chapter11.htm#audio-input-monitoring

Video: Enhanced Melodists in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®!

We've enhanced the Melodists feature included in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows!

Access the Melodist feature by pressing F7 in the program to open the new MultiPicker Library and locate the [Melodist] tab.

You can now generate a melody on any track in the program - very handy! Plus, you select how much of the melody you want generated - specify a range, or apply it to the whole track.

See the Melodist in action with our video, Band-in-a-Box® 2024: The Melodist Window.

Learn even more about the enhancements to the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024upgrade/chapter3.htm#enhanced-melodist

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 DAW Plugin Version 6: New Features Specifically for Reaper®

New with the DAW Plugin Version 6.0, released with Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows: the Reaper® Panel!

This new panel offers built-in specific support for the Reaper® DAW API allowing direct transfer of Band-in-a-Box® files to/from Reaper® tracks!

When you run the Plugin from Reaper®, there is a panel to set the following options:
-BB Track(s) to send: This allows you to select the Plugin tracks that will be sent Reaper.
-Destination Reaper Track: This lets you select the destination Reaper track to receive media content from the Plugin.
-At Bar: You can select a bar in Reaper where the Plugin tracks should be placed.
-Start Below Selected Track: This allows you to place the Plugin tracks below the destination Reaper track.
-Overwrite Reaper Track: You can overwrite previous content on the destination Reaper track.
-Move to Project Folder: With this option, you can move the Plugin tracks to the Reaper project folder.
-Send Reaper Instructions Enable this option to send the Reaper Instructions instead of rendering audio tracks, which is faster.
-Render Audio & Instructions: Enable this option to generate audio files and the Reaper instructions.
-Send Tracks After Generating: This allows the Plugin to automatically send tracks to Reaper after generating.
-Send Audio for MIDI Track: Enable this option to send rendered audio for MIDI tracks.
-Send RealCharts with Audio: If this option is enabled, Enable this option to send RealCharts with audio.

Check out this video highlighting the new Reaper®-specific features: Band-in-a-Box® DAW Plugin Version 6: New Features Specifically for Reaper®

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 DAW Plugin Version 6: New Features Video

The new Band-in-a-Box VST DAW Plugin Verion 6 adds over 20 new features!

Watch the new features video to learn more: Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2024 - DAW Plugin Version 6 New Features

We also list these new features at www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.plugin.htm.

Forum Statistics
Forums66
Topics81,389
Posts732,447
Members38,441
Most Online2,537
Jan 19th, 2020
Newest Members
Ernest J, ingridguerci94, Izzy, BenChaz, Csofi
38,440 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 195
Al-David 124
DC Ron 114
dcuny 87
rsdean 85
Today's Birthdays
CeeDee, SethMould
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5