Some of you old timers here might remember this song from over 10 years ago. It is a collab with Joanne Cooper from South Africa. It's a song that has an interesting POV on the poachers who are decimating the African Rhino herds.
I don't have the particulars on the original song as far as the tracks or the style used. I do recall that both Joanne and myself sang and contributed live piano and guitar with Band in A Box providing the rest.
Joanne contacted me recently with a version that she had done using AI to cover the original song and asked me what I thought. I took the stems and imported them into Sonar to work on them. I edited several tracks , while others were good to go, The ending is nothing like the AI handed her. I cleaned up quite a few things and also swapped out the voices for better AI voices. Yeah there's a few nits but hopefully they are not noticeable in a distracting way. I know how closely some of you folks will listen. I appreciate you.
Fool’s Errand Written & produced by Joanne Cooper & Herb Hartley
As the sun rises over distant mountains, two figures move quietly through the bush. What follows is a story of desperation, survival, and irreversible consequence.
Fool’s Errand is a narrative song inspired by the ongoing tragedy of rhino poaching in Africa — a quiet war fought at dawn, where livelihoods, morality, and extinction collide. It tells the story from the ground: measured footsteps, silent tracks, and the moment when everything changes.
Rhinos are now critically endangered. Without sustained protection and intervention, they face extinction within our lifetime.
This song is not about heroes or villains. It’s about reality. And the cost of giving up.
🎵 Written and produced by: Joanne Cooper & Herb Hartley 🎬 Visuals: Original cinematic imagery inspired by the lyrics 🌍 Theme: Wildlife conservation / Rhino protection
If this song moved you, please consider:
Sharing it to raise awareness Supporting legitimate wildlife conservation organizations Starting conversations that matter
Enjoy, and as always... Feel free to comment.
PS: Joanne asked me to post this as she is headed out today on Holiday and didn't have the time.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add 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.
It's a song theme close to my heart (I have a sci-fi novel out which begins with a future wildlife ranger, plus in the late 80s I and a team were working on a documentary to be narrated by Stephanie Powers of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation, but like many such things we failed to get the funding for it). I listened to both versions and while the new one is a clearly better production I really like the rawness of the original.
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
The remix is a lot sharper and the AI vocals work well, but it would have been nice to hear the original vocals in the remix. Whilst the AI Vox are cleaner, the original Vox have a raw authenticity. Good mix and worthy subject matter.
I prefer the mood of the original, the piano in the remake, your voice in the original, and the female voice in the remake. Not that Joanne's voice isn't as good (quite the contrary), but the female AI voice suits your voice better for this genre. The mix of the remake sounds more professional, but it has some quirks that I personally wouldn't be happy with (and which are a tedious task to fix. Been there, done that). The original mix sounds more open, and the individual instruments and voices have more room to breathe. It's a little too bright, though, but still very good.
There's something to be said for both versions. I like what Lee said. An important topic, glad to see it addressed. But do people care enough? Not in my estimation.
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
I prefer the mood of the original, the piano in the remake, your voice in the original, and the female voice in the remake. Not that Joanne's voice isn't as good (quite the contrary), but the female AI voice suits your voice better for this genre. The mix of the remake sounds more professional, but it has some quirks that I personally wouldn't be happy with (and which are a tedious task to fix. Been there, done that). The original mix sounds more open, and the individual instruments and voices have more room to breathe. It's a little too bright, though, but still very good.
Enjoyed both versions
Hope I haven't hurt anyone's feelings...
As always, you have interesting observations. I'm sure no feelings are hurt. If we were looking for something bigger out of this, I'd probably consider blending the two.... As per your recommendation, but it's just an experiment for fun.
Yes... Absolutely there's a few things in the ai version that I would have wanted to be better.... Noise in the tracks .... But... Yeah. Anyway.... Thanks for listening and giving an insightful response
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add 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.
Cool song. Excellent mix and production. I must say I like the music production from the first and the vocals from the original the best. Both very well done however. Happy New Year.
Having participated in that album we well remember this tune. And it spurred our interest resulting in reading about the situation.
In a perfect world this would go viral and rhinos would be saved. Even in our imperfect world we hope it generates a lot of attention to the betterment of the situation.
Music has the power to move things like that. Here's hoping!
J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 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 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
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
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
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 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available 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 Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
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.
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 as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/images/icons/default/thumbs_up.gif){kind=icon}
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean