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Joined: Dec 2010
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OP
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 95 |
I've been a member of several rock bands over my life time. I found in each band there was a consistent workflow when writing a new song with other band members. First step in involves someone / me coming up with a chord progression that I like. I share it with the other band members and everyone adds a little creativity to the piece. I then may change a chord or two, change the tempo, come up with an arrangement that features a solo for each band member, and any additional melodic enhancements like harmonies and such are explored. It's a real give-and-take process where everyone contributes their expertise on their instrument. Of course there is also a downside to this way of doing things. Mainly band members that don't show up for practice, show up drunk or stoned, or just are not into the current music being created. At times of frustration I used to fantasize about creating music in an interactive way with software. I needed to be able to create a bunch of chord progressions and like I did with the real band members, allow the software for each instrument to be creative and come up with something I feel is musical. And then be very flexible to all the possible changes that can be applied to that creativity. The software would have to be very complex to allow this kind of human/computer creative process. But also very user-friendly. Imagine my delight and surprise when I discovered a piece of software that allows me to interact with it like I do with band members. And one that helps me deliver results I am proud of. The software is called band in a box and it is awesome. In addition to being designed to be audio mixing software it also allows amazing abilities to shape and make suggestions to each instruments performance. The computer has access to a music library of clips / phrases / riff performances from thousands of professional musicians. And the software determines which ones it wants to use in response to my creative shaping requests. Very similar to how I would interact with my band members in the song creation process. I am staggered by the results I get. This is a real paradigm shift in how I make music and makes my home studio a viable way of making music without a band. There's no AI involved. As an older retired guy who doesn't like shlepping equipment around or dealing with band member drama, this software has been a real godsend. By the way it doesn't all happen with the push of a button. Learning to use this tool took me three months and is still an ongoing process. I really love band in the box. In this example I created the progression and played lead / rhythm guitar, slide guitar, harmonica and vocals. BIAB played drums, bass and keyboard. It took lots of work to get it just right. https://tigerboytom.bandcamp.com/track/my-baby-dont-love-me
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Joined: Mar 2022
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Excellent results. Your band is very good.
Laurent
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OP
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Thank you very much for listening!
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Joined: Dec 2003
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TigerBoyTom, that was some fantastic blues. Great vocal and outstanding guitar chops: you make that Tele sing! Super backing band and mix. Have fun and welcome to the forums. The only downside I found with BiaB is that when I get drunk the whole band gets drunk 
Last edited by MarioD; 12/04/25 05:10 PM.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 95
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LOL! When I take a toke, the whole band gets a contact high. Thanks a lot , man. I appreciate you listening to my tune. 
Last edited by lasvideo; 12/04/25 05:18 PM.
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Sounded good, Tom. You don't need to convince anyone here about BIAB - we're all solidly sold. Welcome, blues is my thing, looking forward to more from you.
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 95
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OP
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 95 |
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the song. Yes I realize I'm preaching to the chorus here, but I guess I shared it for any folks out there that might feel a little guilty about using band in a box. I know I enjoyed the software for many years but was very hesitant about sharing how I made my music with people that listen to it because of a bit of guilt on my part. But after thinking about it I came up with the thoughts present in my original post. :-)
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Very cool blues jam.
No, BB is not cheating. It's no different than someone who hires studio musicians to play instruments they are not capable of playing themselves. I remember back in the old Cakewalk forum days the comments from other folks about those of us who were using BB to play the parts.... "Fake, cheating, not real....."
For me, the BB real tracks and real drums are hard to beat. If you do it right, you can enhance those raw tracks and give them more of a professional polish. I had a guy who ran a studio as a business ask me how I got the fiddle part. He knew I didn't play and I didn't credit any of the fiddle players in the forum. His comment was, " Herb, I can hear the rosin on the bow in the sound " Yep, it ain't cheating. It's common sense and way more affordable to hire the BB players. I love the Kill Branch Studio band. They're always ready, don't show up late, don't show up drunk or high, don't argue with me over my selection of key, tempo, or choice of chords, work for cheap, and they don't try to flirt with or hit on my wife.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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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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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
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Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
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- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
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