Hi AurealiusB! A lovely song, and very pleasing to listen to. It made me wonder about your writing partnership with Kathy - are you still both writing together, and what was/is your workflow? Would Kathy give you lyrics to write to, or would you give her music and melody? In any case, a good collaboration. Andrew
That's a great question Andrew. It's sort of funny and goes back to around 1979. I was taking a song writing class in Encinitas (North San Diego). I was in the composers class (taught by the late drummer and producer Sid Bulkin). Kathy was in the lyricists class. Same location but we never met. But the instructor told me anout her so one day we met in La Jolla Shores (beach nearby). Just to talk. Well within several months she sent me a whole bunch of her photocopied hand-written lyrics via slow mail. The rest is history. In the next few years, I wrote about 20 songs. But I've only met her face to face a handful of times. However, she knows about this Forum and I will send her a link.
Thanks Ron. Happy to hear you enjoyed my "silly little" love song!
Another note about this song (Andrew was asking about this too) was that the chord progression came from a jam session I had in a cabin in the Santa Cruz mountains where I lived (1974-1975) amidst the Redwoods. Just me and another guitar player playing two mahogany-bodied guitars, a Guild and a Martin. The progression was so cool that I continued to play it (fingerpicking-style) over time. And then, years later when I received a copy of the lyrics to I'm Your Man from Kathy, well the words just fit perfectly with the chords and melody I had created.
And finally using BIAB, and after many years later, I was able to find the band (style) to help me produce, as you said, a cool soft rock vibe.
BIAB 2026 Audiophile using Windows 11 REAPER (latest version)
Good write, AurealiusB and Kathy. Love those lyrics. Well sung and a good arrangement, too. The band is perfect. I like the bass. Everything is so well mixed and presented.
Enjoy whatever happens! marty
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@babumusic51 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/marty-straub Band in a Box, Reaper, Cakewalk, Ozone 12, EZDrummer
Thanks for the very positive feedback BabuMusic! I loved Kathy's lyrics too, which made it fun to write, as well as mix and produce. The bass (~683, Electric, PopHalfNotesPush) really added depth to this song, along with my harmony vocal.
Thanks Tunemonger! Yeah, with this song, which I wrote using an acoustic guitar that I finger-picked, using BIAB with a less-is-more approach seemed to work. The BIAB piano (Acoustic, Rhythm PopShiningSync) seemed to work well. I changed the key from G to Eb (for my voice) but had a harder time fingerpicking in C (on the 3rd fret). Overall, BIAB added more depth to the song using just a few instruments.
Thanks so much B.D.! I felt this BIAB style (band) really worked with my vocals, and like you, I thought the piano was key in this song. Bass helped too. Ya gotta love BIAB!
Aurelius, A happy sounding song in these weary times, with a good vocal. Production wise there are some sudden breaks in the sound which sound like glitches but are abrupt stops on the instruments. There is one just after the intro and the second one is just going into the chorus. There is at least one more after that which is a cut in the drums. Other than that it’s silky smooth.
Thanks Vic! Appreciate your feedback. Yeah, however those "breaks" were not complete stops. For example, after the intro, that wasn't a real stop, I just took out the guitars so when I started singing the piano was emphasized more. I admit BIAB could have handled this a little differently. Now, what you described as the second stop; again, mainly just the guitars. The third stop was where I took everything out except for the bass. I think this emphasized the small bass run going into the bridge. I really liked this, which was done on purpose.
BIAB isn't perfect, but in general it was doing very, very close to what I wanted in this song. Thanks again for your comments!
Hi again Difficult to advise as your needs are important to you. I can only suggest you may try a slight fade on the end instead of a complete silence. I do that a lot.
Thanks Vic. I'll be more aware of stops/breaks, especially removing instruments in the DAW, so that they fade out instead of being absolute cuts. Good advice!
Mario, So good so hear such positive comments on this song! This is perhaps my favorite melody of all the songs I've written. I'll let Kathy know (will send her link to this post).
One more thing about Kathy as a lyricist -- she did an incredible job writing a great love ballad like this one and especially from a man's perspective. AurealiusB
That's a really beautiful song! Great production and great listen.
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.
Hi Aurealius, what a beautiful love story! The music and vocals fit the atmosphere of Kathy's sensitive lyrics perfectly. Beautifully sung, too!
And what a lovely story about how you met. And that was years ago already. And still writing these sweet lyrics. Well, then you are still in love with each other. It seems a bit like my situation, except that my wife doesn't write lyrics...
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