|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 19
Enthusiast
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 19 |
Hi Folks. A few months ago I posted a link to a song titled "If I Could Only Fly" generated in BIAB and sung by Norma Kelly from Perth, Western Australia. Since then we have completed six more songs and have almost completed the project and I have uploaded all of them to a site called Sound Cloud. For those who are interested I have included a link to the site where the songs can be played, however, they are not downloadable as this is a commercial project. If you have any trouble with the link just go to soundcloud.com and search for "Norma Kelly". the songs are in .wav format for best quality. I would be very interested in your much valued comments as I am still on a fairly steep learning curve, however, BIAB has made the journey somewhat easier. What a fantastic piece of software. Best regards, Paul Young http://soundcloud.com/search?q%5Bfulltext%5D=norma+kelly
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
Awesome job. I like the jazz stuff, that said I don't know many country tunes at all.
What was your workflow, ie Band in a Box to...then plug ins etc?
John Conley
Musica est vita
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 14,576
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 14,576 |
It's a really nice, full, sounding opus. Very nice level of compression I noticed. Not a lot of dynamics tho'. But clean as a whistle.
Wish some harmony had been done there Mate. Otherwise, good on ya.
Russ Anyday above ground is a good day Computer is Hp Pavillion Vision 6 Ghz quad core AMD processor 8 Gig memory 1 TB hard drive 6 GB hard drive Windows 7 Premium Loose nut behind the keyboard 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 19
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 19 |
Hi John and Russell
Thanks for taking the time to comment, it is much appreciated. This journey is about learning, learning and more learning!!!
To answer your question John, all the instruments are generated using Real Tracks however there are a couple of tricks I use before rendering to give me
more control over the final mix. Firstly I pan all the instruments to the middle and then remove all the reverb to give me completely dry tracks. The drum track is stereo by
default so panning within the kit is already done. I then render all the tracks to individual .wav files in stereo with the exception of the bass and solo tracks which are rendered
in mono. I find it's particularly important to have the bass in mono as this helps it sit comfortably with the kick drum in the final mix. Most bass guitars are played through a mono amp
in a live situation anyway. I then import all the tracks into my DAW, Nuendo 4, where all the tidying up is done and the vocals added. Nuendo comes bundled with a great
selection of VST"s however, after doing a bit of research on the net, I decided to invest in a VST package called Mercury Waves Bundle. It wasn't cheap but boy was it worth it.
This package is used by most professional studios around the world and the results speak for themselves. I probably will never use most of them, however, those I do use
have made the investment worthwhile. For guitar and bass I use a plugin called Amplitube X Gear. This allows you to build your own amp and speaker box combination to suit the song
as well as an array of effects pedals that guitarists use. Outboard hardware consists of a Phonic Helix Board 8 channel fire wire desk which has zero latency and a Samson CO1
condenser Mic....surprisingly inexpensive but it dose a great job. Once the final mix is done I then import it into Wave Lab for mastering. One thing I have learnt is that you
can have the best gear in the world but you have to learn how to get the best out of it.
Russell, your comment regarding vocal harmony is spot on. Norma, in spite of her obvious vocal ability, just don"t have an ear for harmony....something I consider a gift. In all her
years as a professional singer she has always had backup vocalists. Unfortunately my vocal ability leaves a lot to be desired so I have not been able to contribute in this area.
We have put the word out around town but so far we have not found anyone suitable, however, the search will go on. For this reason the mixes you have heard are
not set in concrete and are open to interpretation.
Once again thank you both for your comments they are much valued. We will keep on rockin' and see where the journey takes us.
Best regards,
Paul
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,860
Veteran
|
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,860 |
A little carefull use of the TC harmony plug in in biab would be an option.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Zoom Livetrack L-8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,347
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,347 |
Nice work. I'd like a touch more reverb in spots, but that's personal preference. That's for both instruments and the vocals in spots.
There are a few spots (like at 2:08 on "Young At Heart" where Norma sings "extremes") that show up now and then where Norma gets a bit sloppy. You might want to have a close listen and clean them up. Or not.
The vocals on "Misty" sound a bit quieter than the instruments around it. I didn't notice that on any other song.
"If I Could Fly Away" could definitely use harmony! There are a couple approaches you could take. Perhaps simplest would be to add a backing of "oooh" and "aaaah" in back based on the current chord. For example, if the current chord is a "C" (C,E,G), multi-track her singing those notes. That wouldn't clever writing, but would fill things out and be pretty darned effective.
If you want to get a bit more clever, you could write a harmony part in thirds and sixths below the melody.
=== START OF REALLY BORING STUFF ===
I'm including this here because you sort of allude to coming up with a harmony part as being some special skill. It is, but with some effort just about anyone can come up with something good and usable.
The general rule to follow is to give good harmonic support. So if the melody note is a "basic tone" of the chord (root or 5th), use a "guide tone" (3rd or 7th of the chord) on the harmony, and vice versa, sticking with a note that's a 3rd or 6th below the melody. If the melody note doesn't belong to the chord, use the 3rd or 6th which creates the smoothest (i.e. shortest distance) motion. For the start and end of the phrase, you can use other intervals, like a unison, octave or fifth.
For example, if you've in the key of C and have a Cmaj7 chord (C,E,G,B), the "basic" tones are "C" (root of the chord) and "G" (5th of the chord), and the "guide" tones are "E" (3rd of the chord) and B (7th of the chord).
Continuing the example, if the melody note were an "E" (which is a "guide" tone, because it's the 3rd of the chord), you would use a "basic" tone on the harmony - either a "C" or a "G". You want to pick the note which forms an interval of a 3rd or 6th. The "C" is a 3rd under the "E", and the "G" is a 6th under the "E", so they both are good to use. So you'd pick the one which moves the smoothest (shortest distance) to the next note.
If you've got a note like "D" in the melody against a Cmaj7 chord, the note obviously isn't a chordal. So you'd pick either a "B" (a 3rd under the "D") or an "F" (a 6th under the "D") - whichever gives the smoothest voice leading.
These are jazz harmony rules, so it assumes there's a 7th in pretty much every chord, be it a Major 7th or a flattened 7th. As with all things musical, use your ear as the final judge, and you'll be able to work something out.
If you'd rather not go those routes, you could enter the melody into BiaB and have it generate a harmony for you.
=== BACK ON TRACK AGAIN ===
Recording a harmony part is pretty straight forward, once you work out what you're going to sing. Record the part onto a guide track. Set your multitrack on "loop" mode, and sing along with the guide track. Repeat a bazillion takes. Eventually you'll end up with something usable, and you can stack several takes to get a nice, fat chorus behind you.
Another option is to take the melody and slice it into parts (at each note). You can then manually pitch-shift the melody the a harmony part. But it's always better to have someone sing the part!
Anyway, nice work.
Last edited by dcuny; 10/11/10 10:43 PM.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 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 11 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 22.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 22 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 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.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 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 11 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 22.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 22 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 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.
Peter Gannon Talks Band-in-a-Box with zplane
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
Special thanks to the team at zplane for their continued support.
Check out the full interview here: https://products.zplane.de/blog/peter-gannon-interview-pg-music
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PDT today!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Mac® to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PDT on May 31st, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums57
Topics86,638
Posts807,842
Members40,179
| |
Most Online64,515
Apr 8th, 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean