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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 1
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 1 |
I want to buy BiaB to assist with music writing and recording. I use Logic but find I don't get enough control over loops etc and Drummer is good, but I never find the exact beat I want.
If I purchased the MegaPAK would I be disappointed and wished I'd bought the UltraPAK? Or does the UltraPAK give a lot more but less useful mainstream stuff? Money is tight so anything higher would be difficult. Many thanks in advance.
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 2,945
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 2,945 |
Hello Skidders, I think that really depends on what you're looking to work with genre-wise. If, for example, you're a big Jazz or Country fan, and you want all the RealTracks you can get for that, I highly recommend the UltraPAK or higher. The best way to think of it is that functionality is the same across all packages, but what changes is the amount of content. You can always take a look at our overview pages and see exactly how they differ. MegaPAK: https://www.pgmusic.com/bbmac.packages.mega.htmUltraPAK: https://www.pgmusic.com/bbmac.packages.ultrapak.htmWith the MegaPAK you can see it comes with around 520 RealTracks. You can see the exact breakdown of what you get for various genres if you continue to scroll down the page. The UltraPAK comes with around 2,900, so it's a pretty big difference. If you have further questions, let us know!
Cheers,
Ember
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 21,636
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 21,636 |
Standard answer to this question is to get as much as you can afford.
It is much cheaper to buy in volume, and moving forward it also saves in upgrade prices years later.
If you can afford the Ultrapak, do that.
It saves money in the long run.
Make your sound your own!
.. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 18,369
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 18,369 |
As mentioned, go for the highest Pak that your budget allows is always my advice.
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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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 1,988
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 1,988 |
agree about the highest pack you can afford. i bought a basic pack and within a week or so upgraded to the top pack - and PG Music allowed me to upgrade just by paying the difference. so maybe you get a pack and play with it for a week or so and see what you think.
maybe, just maybe, your best course is to buy what you can afford now and wait for the december/january sale of BIAB 2021. that will save you some cash when you upgrade. or if you want total gratification now PG do easy payments.
Last edited by Bob Calver; 04/23/20 11:31 PM.
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 6
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 6 |
I started with the Mega and upgraded to the Ultra the next day.
More choices = more creativity/options. My plan was to start easy and wait until a sale to upgrade but I didn’t even last 24 hours. It’s just so good you want more. YMMV:)
BIAB 2020 Ultrapak for WIndows
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, 32gb ram, 1TB nvme ssd
Presonus 192 interface/Studio 1 DAW
Line 6 Helix Stomp
Gibson, Taylor, Fender, National guitars.
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 362
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 362 |
Agree with the other members. I bought BIAB Pro 2018, and got it at discount from Amazon around a year and a half ago. There was no 30 Day guarantee, and I decided to chance it because I was pretty sure I would want to keep it after hearing what it could do.
I first heard of it on SoundCloud - a pharmacist in Japan was creating just beautiful and fully professional sounding tracks and mentioned that he used it. Then I spent a fair amount of time on the site, reading about the features, then watching some of the excellent videos that PG Music produces which show how the product features and tutorials. After that I spent some time hanging around in the forums, and got a great vibe from the community here and at the same time felt not a little intimidated by the amount of talent, and what people were able to produce, but I felt I just had to give it a shot. This was at a time when I didn't even have a MIDI keyboard.
So I took the plunge and put it on my Windows 10 laptop, and I was hooked. At this point, I knew I wanted to use the heck out of BIAB, but I wasn't sure if I really needed all those extra tracks. After a few months of learning the ropes and figuring how to basically just scratch the surface, I was able to create some very satisfying tracks. Eventually I discovered there were a lot of tracks in the set that just didn't suit my needs, but also quite a few that were pretty awesome (including some Jazz, Bossa Nova, Brit Rock, Country, Soul and Rock). So I tried an Xtra Pack (it was on sale) for around $35, and there was some good stuff in there - that's an advantage of those - they are more modern and mostly RealTracks. A lot of the included stuff is based on MIDI and some of the Styles and tracks go back to the 2000's, and I don't have a great MIDI rig, so that meant I had to rely more on the RealTracks. I spent a couple months really trying to exhaust every single style in the Pro version, but I finally reached a point where I just had to get a taste of that next level. So I sprung for an upgrade to the 2020 version and the Ultrapack+.
I've been using the Ultrapack since around Christmas last year, and I'm very happy that I got it. I've become serious enough about BIAB that I know I'm really going to get my money's worth out of it. Realistically, in terms of dollars you can spend on digital music software and related equipment it's a steal for the price *if it suits your needs*. One thing to keep in mind is that the product is very powerful, and so any limits you encounter are likely to be in your willingness to learn how to get the most out of it. Some products have very enticing features with all sorts of bells and whistles. In my opinion BIAB is more like a Volvo S90, and some of the other music production products are like a Testarossa. Each one is stellar at what it does. But if you do want to give BIAB a try, you can buy it direct from PG Music and get that 30 Day money back guarantee. If you do go for it, I strongly recommend that you give it a good shot and really spend some time with it before you make up your mind.
Finally, I've heard the PG Music sales and support people are pretty flexible at helping you find the product that's right for you.
P.S. - I'm just a plain old BIAB user, no special benefits here, just posting my thoughts and my occasional song in the forums, and trying to get just a little better every day.
Last edited by EdZ314; 04/24/20 08:48 PM.
Ed Z Soundcloud profile https://soundcloud.com/user-415064494BIAB user since 2019 iPad Mini, Garageband for iOS, BIAB for Windows 2020 UltraPAK, Xtra Styles packs 6-9, Windows 10 Lenovo PC, Kontakt Player, SpitFire LABS, SampleTank 4 CS, some Soundfonts
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,169
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,169 |
Like many others within a very short time I went to the UltraPak and have not been disappointed. The UltraPak should deliver everything you need (and then some). I found lesser packs left me wishing. The extra $s are worth every cent in my opinion.
Go out and enjoy (well you know what I mean).
Stay healthy all.
Tony
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home,
Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612
BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 294
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 294 |
Skidders... Just get in there. If you don't feel comfortable going full boar, then opt Pro or Mega Pak for now, you can always upgrade later. Listen to some of the samples https://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.packages.mega.htm#megacomboshttps://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.realtracks.htmSee if any of these are something you can work with or appeal to you. Also, bear in mind if you really like SOME of the instruments on a sample, you can always replace or add new instruments from a huge data base. Just my opinion, but it's an AWESOME program. I love it...
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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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User Video: Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box®
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 German for Windows is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!
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!
Paket | Was ist Neu
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."
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