I am a long-time hard-core user of Band-in-a-Box (BIAB). I started in the late 1980's when it was a PC-only DOS program with no graphics. I have upgraded nearly every year and have watched the program grow and mature. I have recently, in the past 4 or 5 years, used the real tracks to create Pro Tools backing tracks which I have taken into a professional studio and record with great efficiency - as many as 4 or 5 songs in an afternoon.

For perhaps the past 20 years, I have periodically sent in suggestions and requests which have never been answered. I am truly interested in the continued improvement of this wonderful program. But one thing has bugged me, nearly from the beginning, and I keep crying out for change for the better. It concerns the user interface. The program is much better than its user interface would lead serious musicians to believe, in my humble opinion.

I was taking a Pro Tools certification course and brought in one of my arrangements created with BIAB-Pro Tools and recorded in the studio. The professor really liked it - especially the pedal steel guitar part that I had used - BIAB real tracks. When he asked me about the arrangement, I told him that I had used BIAB to create it and then mixed and mastered it and added vocal in Pro Tools. His reaction was - Band in a Box - that is a toy program for amateurs - I never knew it could do that! Now those are not my words - they come from an expert who records, mixes and masters for the San Jose Opera Company and is a certified Pro Tools instructor at a local college.

Obviously he was misinformed and unimpressed by BIAB's utility and power. I would submit that one factor more than anything, contributes to this misinformation / misunderstanding. And that factor is the user interface.

Many will disagree with me, for sure, but to me the user interface of BIAB looks like some kind of video game - something for kids to play with. The garish array of icons and the colorful busy screen contributes to this perception. If you compare BIAB’s interface to Pro Tools which is the industry standard for professional recording, the difference is stark. When you open Pro Tools, the PT interface is clean, uncluttered and uses a minimum of colors yet allows the user to use colors to group tracks according to the user’s preference. It uses pull-down menus to group related activities to do everything – plus keystroke equivalents for every conceivable function. In addition, there are numerous discreet icon buttons which blend in with the basic color scheme. It has a professional look. (It has a very steep learning curve and is far more complex than BIAB. Nevertheless, it is taken seriously by most professionals).

My question is – what can be done with the user interface to make more professionals take BIAB seriously and still not alienate its large base of loyal users? My suggestion would be to offer users a choice of interfaces. Those who are comfortable with the current interface can continue with it. Those who would like a less cluttered, perhaps more refined look (which might win over their professors and other professional colleagues) could chose a different interface during installation or with a simple mouse click.

I will continue to be a loyal user of BIAB whatever happens, but I sure wish I could deal with a less cluttered and distracting user interface.

Many thanks to Peter Gannon for creating this very useful and fun program. It has helped me immensely in my songwriting.