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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Mar 2023
Posts: 4
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2023
Posts: 4 |
I'm both dismayed and confused over the lack of materials for an actual "new user". It would seem that PG Music doesn't quite appreciate the extent to which the steep learning curve affects a completely new user. You might argue that this is not the true, but take a look at the top of this "Beginners Forum." The PG Music pinned post is a video on "What's New" which is near useless to the complete beginner. There is so much BiaB-specific terminology that one would need a "how to understand the what's new" video in order to even begin to comprehend.
Yes, I know that there is a lot of older how-to info out there, but what might make sense to those familiar with BiaB can be a brick wall to someone new. All it takes is a minor change and things become frighteningly difficult.
Henry Clark comes the closest to making newbie-friendly videos. Yet just a few minutes into his intro to BiaB video I was left scratching my head: The default screen and toolbar buttons shown on his screen were nothing like those on mine.
Turns out that due to my smaller screen, the default is a completely different view. Sure, there are -- as I eventually figured out-- toggles to turn the screen items on and off. Should we blame Henry? Of course not, his videos are a labor of love. The point is that there are no tutorial materials available from PG Music teaching the new user how to use the most recent iteration of their product.
All said, this post is not intended to be a "don't buy this product" nor a "this company sucks" missive. I am posting in hopes that the fine folks of PG Music might take a good look at something that is not only highly frustrating for the aspiring new BiaB user, but also -- IMHO -- is a barrier to both user engagement and new paying customers.
Last edited by PHarker; 03/29/23 04:11 AM.
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 836
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 836 |
Hi PHarker, this page is where our videos get posted. Scroll down on it to find the "Beginner" heading: https://www.pgmusic.com/videos.bbwin.htm We are also happy to help and clarify any concepts. You can contact us directly via live chat or email supprot@pgmusic.com.
Best,
Chantelle
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,482
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,482 |
Henry Clark comes the closest ... The default screen and toolbar buttons shown on his screen were nothing like those on mine. See "Toolbar Modes" on p54 the manual to swap between toolbar styles. Yes, that's arcane, which underlines your observation.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11
BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software.
Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 18
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 18 |
Another dimension to this for beginners, is understanding the multiple layers of tracks and styles.
And I'm still bemused by the 3 x choruses format. Which 'popular songs' in the last 70 years have a chorus but no verses? Less than 1% I'm sure.
Several thousand tracks by accomplished musicians, but no obvious support for verses. Am I missing something?
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 23,216
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 23,216 |
Another dimension to this for beginners, is understanding the multiple layers of tracks and styles.
And I'm still bemused by the 3 x choruses format. Which 'popular songs' in the last 70 years have a chorus but no verses? Less than 1% I'm sure.
Several thousand tracks by accomplished musicians, but no obvious support for verses. Am I missing something? You missed the jazz terminology that BiaB uses. In jazz a chorus means play the entire song. Commonly the first chorus one played the melody, the second chorus was for improvisation, while the third was back to playing the melody. Of course there were variations in this theme. Playing the chorus in jazz means, in today's terms, play the verse, chorus, prechorus, etc. FWIW, I also use the unfolded method in BiaB. That is where I have 1-n x 1 which means start at the first measure, n means the number of measure in the song, and x 1 means play it one time. Don't fret over n as you can change that while figuring out you song. I also label each section via the bar based section letters: Right click on the measure number to get to the bar based section letters. I use I for intro, V for verse, C for chorus, etc. PS - BiaB started as a jazz program thus the chorus terminology. I hope this helps.
Whenever I get something stuck in the back of my throat, I dislodge it by drinking a beer.
It's called the Heineken Maneuver.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 18
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 18 |
MarioD,
Yes your explanation helped me tremendously thanks.
I grew up in the UK listening to the Beatles and 60s pop/Motown, then 70s glam rock, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, T-Rex followed by punk (a breath of fresh air). Then Michael Jackson in the 80s, Duran Duran, Bob Marley.
In the 90s I worked in Phoenix, AZ for a while and fell in love with American classic rock and blues, and I mean real blues bars with sawdust on the floor and crusty customers ha ha.
Jazz was never mainstream in the UK, although my dear late Father did play me his Glenn Miller LPs. Does anyone remember LPs?
So my brain is hard wired with the intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, bridge, weird section, verse, chorus, key change, repeat, fade to outro format and all other permutations.
I get the n-1 approach and copy/paste of bars with lyrics will do fine, just like a word processor.
I found the "Edit Repeats and Endings" dialog that looks comprehensive. I'll start with the simple approach first, then tie myself in knots later.
Cheers
Paul
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Beginners Forum
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 23,216
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 23,216 |
I'm glad that you got things working and I'm glad that I could help.
Whenever I get something stuck in the back of my throat, I dislodge it by drinking a beer.
It's called the Heineken Maneuver.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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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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Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
Join the conversation on our forum.
Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll also keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
From overviews of new features and walkthroughs of the 202 new RealTracks, to highlights of XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAKs 18, the 2025 49-PAK, and in-depth tutorials — you’ll find everything you need to explore what’s new in Band-in-a-Box® 2025.
Reference this forum post for One-Stop Shopping of our Band-in-a-Box® 2025 Mac Videos — we’ll be adding more videos as they’re released!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac is here, packed with major new features and an incredible collection of available new content! This includes 202 RealTracks (in Sets 449-467), plus 20 bonus Unreleased RealTracks in the 2025 49-PAK. There are new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 4, two new sets of “RealDrums Stems,” XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAK 19, and more!
Special Offers
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2025 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
We've packed our Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK with some incredible Add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is automatically included with most Band-in-a-Box® for Mac 2025 packages, but for even more Add-ons (including 20 Unreleased RealTracks!) upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49. You can see the full lists of items in each package, and listen to demos here.
If you have any questions, feel free to connect with us directly—we’re here to help!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 Italian Version is Here!
Cari amici
È stata aggerate la versione in Italiano del programma più amato dagli appassionati di musica, il nostro Band-in-a-Box.
Questo è il link alla nuova versione 2025.
Di seguito i link per scaricare il pacchetti di lingua italiana aggiornati per Band-in-a-Box e RealBand, anche per chi avesse già comprato la nuova versione in inglese.
Band-in-a-Box 2025 - Italiano
RealBand 2025 - Italiano
Band-in-a-Box 2025 French Version is Here!
Bonjour à tous,
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music
Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:
BIAB 2025 - francisation
RealBand 2025 - francisation
Voilà, enjoy!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 German Version is Here!
Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!
Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
Stay up to date—get the latest update now!
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