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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 3
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 3 |
Hi All,
I'm considering buying BIAB for Mac. I currently use iReal Pro but am looking for better backing, just not sure if the 'Pro' version of BIAB is sufficient, being on a budget that's probably the only one I could afford. I just don't want to buy a $129 piece of software and find that I need to spend $100s more.
Additionally does BIAB Mac have all the features of the Windows version?
Thanks,
James
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,860
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Posts: 25,860 |
Hello and welcome. I'm a jazz player and I have both Windows and Mac versions. The Mac version was just updated to version 2018 and it has MOST of the features of the Windows version. If there is something specific you need to know, we can answer. In addition, the piano roll which is one of the main differences is expected soon for the Mac version. The Windows version also comes with RealBand, a free DAW that integrates with BIAB. The Mac version does not have that, but you can drag tracks into Garageband.
The advice you will get here is to buy as much as you can, but the base program is the same no matter what version you buy. You can always add styles and RealTracks later. It's more expensive to add individual paks than to just get the UltraPak with them all.
+1 for Monk and Kenny Clarke
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
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,323
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Yup.... my advice is to buy up the food chain as far as your budget allows....maybe even stretch it a bit. The main difference between the lower cost vs higher cost versions is the number of real tracks that are included. The basic version is essentially midi with a few real tracks included. Real tracks absolutely are the way to go. There's almost no way to tell it's not a real studio musician playing when you use real tracks because that's exactly what it is. Midi always sounds like midi..... and practically anyone can spot a midi track immediately. Not so with the Real Tracks. Listen to my music. I do not use Midi tracks in any of it with very few exceptions.
There is a 100% money back no questions guarantee offered by PG Music if you don't like it.
Very few people return the product.
I've found that BB does Jazz exceptionally well. I don't think you will be disappointed.
I've heard that the MAC version doesn't include Real Band.... which is where I create a lot of my real tracks that don't fit in a given style..... fiddle or steel guitar in a hard rock style for example. It might be worth getting a PC to run the music program if you really wanted to get the full power of BB/RB at your disposal. I know the PC version has thousands of styles and hundreds of real tracks and they keep adding more. I did this.... essentially, I built, but you could just as easily buy, a dedicated PC to run the music programs. Transfer the files and tracks from the PC into the MAC as waves and mix them in the Mac. I have a song where the singer was recorded in a studio running Pro Tools (Mac) and the file works perfectly well in my PC.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 3
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 3 |
Thanks for the responses. Is it possible to buy the pro version then upgrade to MegaPAK or UltraPAK, or indeed buy MegaPAK and then upgrade to UltraPAK for the cost difference, or close to the cost difference? Or is it upfront or much higher costs?
Re Mac vs PC I have Logic Pro (& obviously GarageBand) is there anything RealBand does that wouldn’t be abale to fairly easily do with those?
Thanks
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,122
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,122 |
RealBand is a Windows only product so the program does not ship with Band-in-a-Box for Mac.
The Mega PAK includes all the material included in the Pro PAK plus additional content.
When you purchase the UltraPAK or Audiophile you purchase at a discounted, upgrade price instead of the first time purchase price. PG Music sales can better answer your pricing questions.
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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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 3
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Newbie
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 3 |
Thanks, I understand that RealBand is Windows only, Guitarhacker suggested buying a PC so I can run the windows version, which I’d rather not do if possible, my question is whether RealBand adds anything that I can’t do with my existing DAWs on the Mac instead.
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 18,864
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Hi James, Many people who have Windows BIAB do not use Realband. While I do use Realband every once in a while, these days I mostly I do everything I want in BIAB. For what I do, I could live without Realband. I write songs and then arrange them. To this, my plan of attack is... 1. Write the song in BIAB. 2. Transfer audio tracks from BIAB to my DAW. 3. (This step I sometimes do. It's not necessary to use Realband here because I can also do what I want in BIAB.) Open the BIAB songfile in Realband and generate some additional tracks. 4. When all my audio is transferred to my DAW, I then mix the tracks in my DAW and add vocals, audio effects, etc. 5. I create a final, single (compiled) audio file using my DAW. In a nutshell, I use BIAB to generate instrumental and rhythm audio files. I then take those files to a DAW and mix them down into a final, single audio file. If you want to have a listen to some of my work and get an idea of how BIAB (Windows) sounds when I use it, go to... https://soundcloud.com/noel-adamsThe below link is to Janice and Bud Merritt's website. They are very productive with BIAB (Mac). https://soundcloud.com/mootsmanLastly, Alan and Di at the below website, obtain finished products straight from BIAB (no DAW is involved in most of their work as I understand it). https://soundcloud.com/alananddiHopefully this helps. Regards, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2024
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,860
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Veteran
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Posts: 25,860 |
RealBand reads BIAB files directly. No other DAW does that.
RealBand can regenerate part of a track. BIAB cannot do that; it regenerates the whole track.
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
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 393
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 393 |
Re Mac vs PC I have Logic Pro (& obviously GarageBand) is there anything RealBand does that wouldn’t be abale to fairly easily do with those?
Thanks
In a word, no. As someone who moved to a Mac 5-10 years ago, the one thing I saw that you could do with Real Band was to regenerate a small part of a song rather than regenerate the whole thing. Say you were trying to generate a 12 bar sax solo, and were happy with all of it except the middle four bars of it. Real Band would allow you to just regenerate those middle 4 bars of the solo - over and over - until you got something you were happy with. With the BIAB and Logic combination now, I'd just have to regenerate the whole song and drag-and-drop the sax part into Logic over and over - where I can cut and paste to my heart's content. Bruce
Macbook Pro 2018
2.6 GHz 6-core Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM
OS Monterey
BIAB for Mac 2022
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 3,414
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 3,414 |
Thanks for the responses. Is it possible to buy the pro version then upgrade to MegaPAK or UltraPAK, or indeed buy MegaPAK and then upgrade to UltraPAK for the cost difference, or close to the cost difference? Or is it upfront or much higher costs? Hi Epistrophy  We're glad to hear you're considering Band-in-a-Box! The users posting in this subject have basically hit the nail on the head. For pricing inquiries, feel free to give us a call at 1-800-268-6272, or + 800-4746-8742 if you aren't in North America. You can use the Live Chat option on our site in the top right of the main page too if calling isn't ideal where you are.
Cheers,
Deryk
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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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