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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 26
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 26 |
Has anyone bought the Real Book software or heard anything about it? If so, could you share your experience or what you heard? Thanks.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 13,040
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Posts: 13,040 |
Generally bad reports, just search this forum for this topic as it comes up occasionally. 
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
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Joined: Sep 2003
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I bought it. I already had everything in the package I downloaded over the years, including the fact that the first 30 songs were identical in titles with asterisks and all. You can save the download times by buying it. The rest to me was bunk.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259 |
I bought it, but never use it. I like Notes Norton's fake book disks better and you buy the actual fake books separately. The notation style is the jazz style in the real book software. Some prefer that style others not. I'm just a customer of Norton and have bought 5 of his fake book disks. Using them has worked out well for us. YMMV.
Stan
Cornet Curmudgeon
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 26
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 26 |
Thanks. I will check out the Notes Norton stuff.
Funny thing about the Real Book web site. I couldn't find a place to click to buy it. I am also suspicious if there isn't a contact phone number.
Thanks again.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259 |
Quote:
Thanks. I will check out the Notes Norton stuff.
Funny thing about the Real Book web site. I couldn't find a place to click to buy it. I am also suspicious if there isn't a contact phone number.
Thanks again.
It's been some time, but I did actually buy the stuff and got some bonus stuff, too. Not cheap as I recall, but others on here like the product. As I said YMMV.
Cornet Curmudgeon
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,163
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,163 |
I can second Norton's Fakebook Disks as well. He has just about every fakebook converted for use with Biab. I have several of them here and they do NOT contain any melodies for copyright reasons. Pick a song from his disk, do a style search for the song in Biab and you are set to go.
Trax
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 38
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Enthusiast
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 38 |
does Norton stuff have intros , endings and other features or is it just straight chords?
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,163
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,163 |
Quote:
does Norton stuff have intros , endings and other features or is it just straight chords?
If the song has an intro, those chords ARE included in his song layout, no riffs, melodies etc (copyright reasons). You are basically getting the song already laid out in Biab form, along with a suitable style already selected. Norton also makes his own Biab styles and uses them in his fakebook disks, but not every fakebook song has a Norton style, he includes standard Biab styles as well.
The way to find a suitable standard Biab file, to replace a Norton style, is to type the songs name into the style search filter. The filter should hit on the song name and suggest a Biab style.
Again, there are NO melodies or song specific riffs, unless it is in the style already. The fake disks are handy for those who perform with Biab. You have the complete song structure and key already set to go in Biab format.
BTW, you can go to his website and d/l some his fakebook songs for free. He usually lists a few freebies with each fakebook disk.
Trax
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,259 |
There are free BIAB songs already done which include melodies, intros, etc. which you can download. You have to search for them though on the web though. One is Allanah where you can get lots of files. I make a donation to her every once in awhile. I've found some interesting arrangements via her site but I usually do some editing on them. FWIW
When I load in a Norton disk song, BIAB always changes his style to a BIAB one in Styles. This is done before I have a chance to stop it from happening. Of course, I still have the original Norton style.
Stan
Cornet Curmudgeon
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 479
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 479 |
Also try This Site . You can download a zip of a Real Book in BIAB. Pretty good.
kelso
Dell Desktop XPS 8100 W10 HomePrem/64 / Core i5 760 (quad, 2.8GHz) / 8GB DDR3 / 1 TB SATA / ViewSonic VG2428wm / EMU1616 PCI / Event ASP6 Active Monitors / BIAB 2019 64 bit (609) / Cakewalk
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 32
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 32 |
I did try the site you mentioned, but any downloads referenced go to a page not found.
CMJ IdeaSound Studios www.IdeaSound.usBand in a Box 2020 Audiophile edition Ableton Live Suite 10
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 479
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 479 |
Opps - Sorry, things ain't what they used to be. Here are the only other two BIAB sites I know of - each take multiple downloads. I think I have heard, and can believe it, that the Allanah collection has all those of Wesley, and then some. So that is where to start. Allanah's Wesley Dick
kelso
Dell Desktop XPS 8100 W10 HomePrem/64 / Core i5 760 (quad, 2.8GHz) / 8GB DDR3 / 1 TB SATA / ViewSonic VG2428wm / EMU1616 PCI / Event ASP6 Active Monitors / BIAB 2019 64 bit (609) / Cakewalk
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1 |
Real Book Software: awful, awful, Awful
Wish I had read this thread before paying. But I strongly advise anybody considering it to steer clear.
Worst:
The piracy protection -- moving beyond the ironic for somebody selling a compilation of likely pirated material -- is so unforgiving that it will not run on my computer without freshly installing it anytime. I got a key from their support that allows me to reinstall beyond the 14 day period.
Second worst:
Support is not very sympathetic. I was good natured and asked them to swap it for one of their products without the protection mechanism. No, buddy, we have your money and you don't. Maybe you should buy a new computer.
Bad:
When it is installed a licensed, it works. But the GUI is very cheesy and the workflow is uninviting. You can sort, listen and view/print the charts (I can until I turn my computer off) but it doesn't feel like much value is added.
Okay:
They've been denigrated on this thread, but I enjoy the band-in-the-box files. Those are just sitting in a directory. They don't connect or index to the program at all -- of course, this is good for me because the program does not work. Saved me some typing -- I'm not pleased that I paid $127 for it but it's keeping me from finding and burning down the dingy studio apartment where this business is surely headquartered.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,610
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,610 |
If you want just chord changes, go to this site. Enter a title and click display. No melodies though. Later, Ray http://www.myrealbook.com/realbook_index.htnThis app has 1300 standards plus latin and pop tunes. All chords and no melodies. It's a play along, but not as sophisticated as BIAB. http://irealpro.com/
Last edited by raymb1; 01/09/14 02:54 PM.
Asus Q500A i7 Win 10 64 bit 8GB ram 750 HD 15.5" touch screen, BIAB 2017, Casio PX 5s, Xw P1, Center Point Stereo SS V3 and EWI 4000s.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,833
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,833 |
I downloaded everything on both wesley Dicks and Allanah's site and found most of them incomplete at best. The best way to make good files is to start from scratch and dive in and make them one file at a time.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
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- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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