|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
RealBand
|
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,497
Veteran
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 3,497 |
TIPS....WHEN RB MIGHT BE A BETTER ALTERNATIVE VIZ BIAB.
MAJOR FEATURE DIFFERENCES.
(RB = REALBAND, BB = BAND IN A BOX.).
1.INTRO.
the aim of this document is to detail various major feature differences between rb and bb and where imho rb might be a better alternative to use.
reason being new users might be confused by when to use bb and when to use rb. imho this type of document is overdue because from what ive seen over the years...there seems to be confusion, particularly for new users.
(note ive suggested to pg that a video of rb and biab feature differences might be very usefull for new users. because there are many diffs.)
let me start by saying that its important to read the manuals and faq's and view the vids of both biab and rb in order to get the best out of both....and so you compare features.
all of such are on this web site. there are various vids also if one googles etc etc.
NOTE...other rb users feel free to add anything ive omitted...as i know i will probably forget something.
(let me also note for powertracks (ptw) users they might find it usefull too as in concept ptw is rb minus the extensive rb auto accompany and track generation features.)
2.A PERSPECTIVE.
heres how i look at both bb and rb conceptually as to when each might be used.
in the past in recording studios a song often might be created initially as a rough demo as proof of concept...ie...'does this song idea work'.
or 'does this pig fly'...lol.
then, the powers that be, decideing that it does fly...then ok produceing the song....includeing often involving lots of expensive studio hours spent as well as hiring seasoned session musicians....and also sometimes useing very large track counts.
given the above i often look conceptually at bb as my 'song idea scratchpad'.
ie bb when i want to get a rough demo of a song idea down fast and proof of concept of a song idea. eg a rough demo i can show to others for feedback and hopefully unbiased comment.
but i view rb as per the studio example above as the vehicle for full blown production of the song takeing advantage of its many unique features i havent seen in any other music app.
as an aside let me say that i dont view it as a case of bb versus rb ...BUT...
often useing both TOGETHER for the betterment of the song.
its sorta like a marriage where each side has various things to offer.
depending on the situation tho' there are times when ive used only bb or rb.
3. WHERE RB IS HIGHLY USEFULL (A SUMMARY).
..you have a multi-input sound interface and you want to record several tracks AT THE SAME TIME. you can do this in rb. eg a group with 8 members etc.
..you are doing a song with an odd time signature (OTS).... rb is a better solution to try out imho as there are advantages. eg lets say the song is 6/8 ie the denominator is 8 then you will see graphically say in tracks view the 8 divisions in the bar....other time sigs same deal.
..you want to do a 48k sampling rate song...then rb is the vehicle for you.
(see in this tips forum the tip detailing this.).
..you have a need for fractional tempo features eg 120.456 or are dealing with a fractional tempo song...definitely...you should be useing rb.
..you want to do detailed audio and/or midi recording and editing then imho rb is the vehicle to do such. i find such editing easier in rb. and also you can do easily such things as 'oh i like that lick at bars 24 to 32 but want the same at bars 64 to 72' sort of idea. NOTE...in particular get into rb bars view and understand its ability to move chunks around. eg...you can even copy and paste multiple bars of multiple tracks at the same time and track duplication is lovely and quick if say you want a dry track and also a dupe you add fx to in order to experiment. you could even dupe original recorded track to several other tracks for experimentation. eg lets say you wanted bits of a vocal alternating tween left and right speaker. no prob just dupe and edit.
..you need/want lots of tracks to develope the song to try out lots of ideas then rb is the vehicle >>>max 255 audio/midi tracks.
for example multiple take situations.
..you want to build custom unique to you midi drum and/or click tracks.
you can do this useing the rb drum grid editor.
also note you can do 'quickie' drum tracks/clicks in various styles.
you can also use rb features to do crafty drum solos which might not be immediately apparent.
(as you delve into rb you'll find all sorts of crafty unique features in rb i havent seen in any other music app.)
..you want to 'comp' best bits of various takes on various tracks down to one final track...eg vocals or lead guitar licks...you can do this easily in rb.
..if you need smpte time code support then rb has this.
(ive never used it tho'....so...do your own testing/evaluation to see if it meets your needs.)
..of course you can drag rb tracks into any other daw you might use as long as D and D is supported in that app.
also vice versa.
..PLUS i find analysing midi songs easier in rb.
eg import midi song and BAM rb seperates to individual midi tracks as well as does chord interpretation. (there is also a midi data stream analyser.)
..note//other points..frankly i far prefer working in rb tracks view viz bb tracks view due to rb tracks view extensive features.
also the new user might explore rb mixer view and see how much this might be usefull. its very different from the bb mixer.
there is a guitar fretboard view you might also find usefull.
as well you can have scrolling lyrics and use a event list editor.
honestly just too much to list...its a cornucopia of features.
..two other VERY IMPORTANT points i would like to mention re rb.
first being if you drag down the bottom edge of the track you will see further settings. the second being its absolutely imperative to right click over a track to expose what i call the 'loooong' menu that pops up that exposes additional important very usefull features and settings.
of course the main menus at the top should be understood as to feature use also.
just a simple but usefull feature is testing audio performance of a pc.
(my new pc rb reports over 300 tracks. but halve this i recommend to allow a pc resource buffer. if a low track count is reported by rb you might want to look at useing a more powerfull pc if you want to have large track and plugin counts on any songs.particularly if the plugins are not low pc resource ones.)
rb will also report cpu use...and for some reason i cant explain i prefer the mp3 creator feature in rb to any other ive tried.
..let me also say dont underestimate rb's suite of included plugins.
before reaching for a non pg plugin give these plugins a fair shake.
i like them because they consume very little pc resources compared to many ive tried..
ive used the pg ones on a ton of songs includeing some in my sig and nobody ever has said to me 'ya should have used xyz non pg plugin.'
in fact sometimes i havent been able to get the same sound picture even with a ton of outboard gear in a studio.
some people have even said they prefer my demos to studio facilities where i tried to redo a song and failed....such is life...lol.
finally if i were a new rb user i would make a list of features in rb that would be usefull to you compared to bb. as bb and rb have lots of subtle differences.
and because my work methods probably are different than yours.
3..WRAP UP.
PLEASE PLEASE !!!!...if your a new user also go thru' the many rb 'tips of the day'.
this will expose the many many usefull extensive and deep features of rb and hopefully doing such you will realise what a huge deal rb is.
i mention this because i suspect some new users might say to themselves...
'well heck its free so it cant be any good'. imho nothing could be further from the truth. and the more one uses it one will realise rb is a VERY BIG DEAL for doing songs, and its getting better and better all the time.
i'm hoping some very big things are coming for rb 2026.
i think this covers the major points.
as i said before i'm sure i missed something major.
please also note i havent commented on notation features as i'm a dunce at such and feel unqualified on the topic. i'll leave it to others to comment on such.
i hope the above is helpfull.
happiness.
om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 08/22/25 05:01 PM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs(90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RealBand
|
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,508
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,508 |
Well said Sir OM. RB is far better than it is given credit for. It simple does a great job. I will say it weakness is in it's lack of super slick editing. It was never based on cutting edge clip based editing. That said the feature set is rich and deep and it does just about everything you need. It just does it a bit different. In the last two to three years it has come forward very nicely. Comping is better. the mixer view can be cleaned up the main tracks view is cleaner and the clutter can be eliminated. Generation, regeneration, and partial generation is fully functional unlike using the plugin version of BB in another DAW program. I find RB super useful to work in. I am hoping PGM will give it a little bit of love this year again and make it even better.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB 2025, Realband, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 9 32c , Melodyne 5 editor, Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, Presonus control app.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RealBand
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,202
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,202 |
One thing I'd like them to fix is the metering in PGPeakLimit, otherwise I agree with Rob above.
It did seem to get stale for a couple years a while back, but the last few years have been very nice improvements.
Those who haven't tried it in a while may want to take a look.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RealBand
|
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 191
Apprentice
|
|
Apprentice
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 191 |
I second that thought on the peak limit fix. It used to work very well then quit working about 4 years ago. I'm using a free limiter called LoudMax now.
Del
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RealBand
|
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 191
Apprentice
|
|
Apprentice
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 191 |
A very nice write up Old Muso! I use BIAB as you mention in paragraph 2 to create song ideas and then use Realband to flesh it out and make the studio recording. The two programs together make a great combo!
Del
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RealBand
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,202
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,202 |
Yeah, I have other limiters too, but it really should get fixed.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RealBand
|
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 2,115
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 2,115 |
I think the biggest advantage of RB is that you can see all the tracks immediately from the tracks view and its easy to edit individual tracks,or regenerate and bring in plugins wherever you want them. It's all visible and obvious where things are.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
The XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs special offers are now available until August 31st at 11:59pm PDT!
Ready to take your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 experience to the next level? Now’s the perfect time! Expand your style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs—packed with a wide variety of genres to inspire your next musical creation.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-9 includes 900 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). With over 3,500 styles (and 35 MIDI styles) included in Xtra Styles PAKs 1-20, the possibilities are endless!
Get the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Get Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Don’t miss this chance to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box setup—at a great price!
Mac 2025 Special Upgrade Offers Extended Until August 15th!
It's not too late to upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® and save! We've extended our special until August 15, 2025!
We've added many major new features to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, including advanced AI tools like the amazing BB Stem Splitter and AI Lyrics Generator, as well as VST3 plugin support, and Equalize Temp. Plus, there’s a new one-stop MIDI Patches Picker with over 1,100 MIDI patches to choose from, all neatly categorized by GM numbers. The MultiPicker Library is enhanced with tabs for the SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles Browser, and the tabs are organized into logical groups. The Audiophile Edition is enhanced with FLAC files , which are 60% smaller than AIFF files while maintaining identical audio quality, and now ships on a fast 1TB SSD, and much more!
Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:
Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana, Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes, MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano, Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7, Playable RealTracks Set 4, RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark, and more!
Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!
New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!
Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
- Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
- Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
- Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
- Playable RealTracks Set 4
- RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
- SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
- 128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
- Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
- Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
- RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums58
Topics84,510
Posts780,245
Members39,679
| |
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean