Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Beginners Forum
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 2
L
Newbie
OP Offline
Newbie
L
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 2
Hi all,
I am just about to buy BiaBand I also have to need a new PC at the same time.
I would normally just got a mid range laptop.
Hi
Howeverf in light of my purcahse of BiAB are there any recoomendations, such as I should get a Desktop with a better Soundcard, more memory etc, ris a mid range laptop fine.

As to usage: I want to use BiaB for playing my guitar with a backing band through an HD500PX Pod - which is MIDI compatible, not orchestrating a 5o piece philharmonic arrangement. LOL

Any help much appreciated.
Play on maestros ...

Cheers
Andy

Beginners Forum
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,799
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,799
Welcome to the forum.

For BIAB, the most important component is the speed of the CPU. Next would be adequate RAM. One thing that is NOT important is graphics. Also, you can run BIAB fine from the supplied USB hard drive, so the size of the internal drive isn’t as important. I would get a SSD boot drive if at all possible.

I would not worry about the laptop sound, either. Instead, get a USB interface for your audio and MIDI, since you’ll need one for MIDI anyway. For example, many of us use a Focusrite Scarlett. Get the model that supports the number of inputs you need.

Hope that helps. You are wise to ask before purchasing.


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
Beginners Forum
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,139
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5,139
I would also add to Matt's recommendation that you purchase a Focusrite with the new drivers- not NOS from somebody's stock. The second generation drivers are much better.


Regards,

Bob

Beginners Forum
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,799
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,799
Yes they are; Bob is correct.


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
Beginners Forum
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,099
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 10,099
Welcome to the forum, Band-in-a-Box and RealBand!

Do you have a spot you normally go to when your creating music? If so then I suggest purchasing a desktop tower instead of a laptop. Desktop hardware is cheaper than the equivalent hardware in a laptop. A desktop is also easier to maintain, repair and expand than a laptop.

If you decide on a desktop think about having two storage drives. Consider getting a 250 to 500 gigabyte (GB) solid state drive (SSD) to use as the primary (C) system drive and a 1 or 2 terabyte (TB) mechanical hard drive for use as a secondary drive. Two drives means less wear and tear on the drives plus your computer will boot up MUCH faster than you're presently accustomed to. A 500 GB solid state drive is less than $100 US and 2 TB hard drives are available for $60 US.

The computer operating system will likely be 64 bit Windows 10. If given the choice between the Home or Pro editions, choose Pro. One of the main issues with Windows 10 Home is you have little control when updates are applied. Windows 10 Pro gives you more control over when updates are applied. Likewise if given the choice between 32 or 64 bit, choose 64 bit. Every 32 bit application I'm aware of, including Band-in-a-Box and RealBand, work fine in a 64 bit operating system.

Last, 8 GB of system ram memory should be the least amount of memory you consider.


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
Beginners Forum
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,987
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,987
I'm with Jim in the desktop group. I think you have greater flexibility with a desktop.

Soundcards in laptops lack a lot to my ears. Parts and upgrades are generally cheaper and more plentiful.

And welcome to a wonderful group of friendly, helpful, and very knowledgeable musicians and songwriters who will never criticize you for asking questions. The only dumb question is the one never asked.

Beginners Forum
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,638
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,638
Welcome to the most friendly site on the web. Also we can never have too many guitarists!

I also are in the desktop computer camp for all of the reasons given.

You have received great advice on computers and audio interfaces but no one has mentioned speakers yet. Laptop speakers are the worst. Computer speakers, those you buy and plug in, range from bad to mediocre IMHO. You will need some near field monitors and depending on either how much you want to spend or how deep you want to get into recording will determine how much you want to play. If you are going to record directly from your POD HD500X then you will need near field monitors IMHO.

Good luck and I hope this helps.


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
Beginners Forum
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 2
L
Newbie
OP Offline
Newbie
L
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 2
Wow, what an amazing reponse smile

I usually have an amp, headphones, the pod and my guitar so everything else is new to me.
I've been messing about for years and never really getting anywhere (I'm 50).
I only discovered band in the box about 12 months ago and its just what I need.

So the help is fabulous and much appreciated.
I'm sure I'll be back for more if you don't mind!

Beginners Forum
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,799
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,799
Very good.

Get some advice about the right external interface to connect and record your guitar along with BIAB tracks.

By the way, you’re bringing the average age here way down.


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
Beginners Forum
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,638
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 20,638
Originally Posted By: lespaulzep
Wow, what an amazing reponse smile

I usually have an amp, headphones, the pod and my guitar so everything else is new to me.
I've been messing about for years and never really getting anywhere (I'm 50).
I only discovered band in the box about 12 months ago and its just what I need.

So the help is fabulous and much appreciated.
I'm sure I'll be back for more if you don't mind!


If you have any questions feel free to ask. Myself, as have many guitarist on this site, have recorded guitars either direct input, through an amp sym, and/or via miking an amp. Some of us use BiaB while others use a DAW. I am in the DAW camp. A DAW offers a lot more than BiaB, like more tracks for multiple recordings that you can cut and paste into one track. If you have the Windows' version of BiaB you already have a DAW called RealBand. It is included with your BiaB purchase.


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
Beginners Forum
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 18,256
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 18,256
Originally Posted By: lespaulzep
Wow, what an amazing reponse smile
...
So the help is fabulous and much appreciated.
I'm sure I'll be back for more if you don't mind!

Be informed that you are joining the most amazing and friendliest forum ever, with like-minded people, a wealth of ideas, and a common interest.

Welcome aboard.

Trev


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
Beginners Forum
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 137
N
Apprentice
Offline
Apprentice
N
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 137
As a newbie myself I can confirm all the good things about this forum. Without the help that I've received here I would probably have given up, but because of the help I've now made 7 backing tracks and loving the process.

Narayano

Beginners Forum
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 5
M
Newbie
Offline
Newbie
M
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 5
just an FYI: my last email to support contradicts the recommendation - you CANNOT run BIAB directly from the USB. You can keep the files on it, but the main program will not work if not transferred to main computer's disc drive.

Second, my MacBook only has 250 gigabytes. I cannot install all of the Real Tracks. Get a 1 TB drive!

Beginners Forum
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,799
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 25,799
Originally Posted By: MeFree
just an FYI: my last email to support contradicts the recommendation - you CANNOT run BIAB directly from the USB. You can keep the files on it, but the main program will not work if not transferred to main computer's disc drive.

Second, my MacBook only has 250 gigabytes. I cannot install all of the Real Tracks. Get a 1 TB drive!

Would you mind sharing what Support said? I don't agree with what you wrote, but perhaps the difference is in the details. You certainly CAN run BIAB from the USB drive, and many do it. But you must first install the program and yes, some things do go onto your computer's hard drive. But the install process gives you four choices. One of the four involves copying the RealTracks to your hard drive but you do not have to do that! The minimal install does not take up much room on your hard drive. You should not have to buy anything to run BIAB on your computer unless your computer's hard drive is totally full (in which case you have a bigger problem).

ps Warrenton is a really nice place. Great Mexican in El Agave.


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
Beginners Forum
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,987
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,987
Perhaps mine is a unique situation, but I noticed a general slower program launch and file seeking when running from the USB Drive. It wasn't terrible but noticeable. I then used the option to run everything from my C: drive and the problem was solved.

I have a 1TB C: drive so space was not a major concern.

The program loads very quickly now. =/~5 seconds.

Beginners Forum
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 1,114
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 1,114
Hi Mefree

When you say you can not run the program from the usb .
I think you are talking about the method of purchase as an installable copy on a usb stick . this is for folks that don’t have a cd drive and don’t want to download

If you purchase on a usb hard drive you certainly can run from it as it is pre installed and only needs minimal files on your system hard drive see bottom of purchase page for an explanation of destitution methods.

http://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.packages.htm

this link takes you to biab for windows but will suffice

Mike

Last edited by Mike Head; 08/14/18 09:35 AM.

BIAB2021 UltraPlus,AsusN55S1Tbssd, W10/64,Akai EIEpro
Yamaha CVP405,SquireStrat, CoolsoftVMidSynth
Novatation Impulse61 Ctr kbd, Cwalk blab Kontakt

http://mikesmusic.byethost16.com/
Beginners Forum
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 5,254
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 5,254
In addition to all this valuable advice, you might want to consider one of those super silent fanless systems available these days. With an all SSD system you won't even hear otherwise spinning HDDs. Check it out, it's a whole different experience - whenever music sounds are silent that is.

BiaB even runs perfectly well on tablet systems such as a Surface Pro - completely installed with all RealTracks and stuff on a 400 GB SD card.


Martin
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
Topics81,395
Posts732,497
Members38,441
Most Online2,537
Jan 19th, 2020
Newest Members
zagrajbarke, Ernest J, Izzy, BenChaz, Csofi
38,440 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 195
Al-David 124
DC Ron 113
dcuny 87
rsdean 82
Today's Birthdays
CeeDee, SethMould
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5