Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,696
dcuny Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,696
Here's a short instrumental I made with BiaB today: I'm Going Home. It's more a exercise than a real song - the goal was use a RealTrack soloist to come up with coherent melodic line. Seems a simple enough task, right? I don't want to admit to the number of hours I spent fiddling with this...

The track was initially generated by BIAB using the Melodist using the Pop 8 - JBuffet style. The instruments are:

  • NashvilleEven16^1[Sidestick,Ride]
  • BossaRockPerc^2-Congas Only
  • BossaRockPerc^2-Perc Only
  • 683 - Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesPush Ev 120
  • 691 - Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming AcRockBrightEven 120
  • 708 - Guitar, NylonElec, Rhythm Bossa Ev 140
  • 553 - Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 120
  • 811 - Piano, Acoustic, Solo-Acc PopVancover Ev 100
  • 704 - Flute Soloist Bossa Ev 140


The tracks were exported as .WAV files and imported into Reaper. The flute tracks were rendered at 140 BPM and time stretched down to 120 BPM them in Reaper to avoid artifacts. BiaB does an excellent job stretching material upward, but going down is prone to artifacts.

Three different flute parts were created, and I tried to cut and paste together something resembling a melody. There's a lot of editing done to the melody line, including stretching and pitch shifting notes. The other instruments are pretty much "raw" from BiaB, with the addition of volume envelopes. Various reverb has been applied to instruments, and the flute has some FX added to it.

I hadn't intended it to make this quite so short, but the end of one of the flute phrases had a nice cadence in it, so I decided to end it there.

Rather than EQ this properly, I EQ'd a few of the instruments and then got lazy and used the free BuzzRizer2 VST with the Classic 3 setting for the entire mix. So it's not properly balanced, and the upper end is a bit grainy.

I'm probably done fooling around with this, although I'm an inveterate tinkerer... Feedback is welcome!


-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?
User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,921
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,921
Hi David,

A skillful arrangement that shows a good sense of the bossanova style. Everything flows really well. Just today, I was playing around with time-stretching on Reaper and found myself wondering how it would go with Realtracks! You've saved me the effort of experimenting. I'm impressed. On my speakers, the flute overshadowed the accompaniment and I wondered how the arrangement would sound with the rhythm section brought a little more forward.

Other than that, I enjoyed it.

Regards,
Noel


MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2025
User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,696
dcuny Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,696
Hi, Noel. Thanks for listening! Instead of bringing the rhythm up, I'll first try bringing the lead down a bit - I think it's a tad shrill. But first, some sleep, and some fresh ears in the morning.

I'm also a bit unsure about the piano at 0:35. Where it overlaps with the flute, it's fine, but where they're both playing it's a bit fussy. I wanted to give the listener a short break from the flute at that point, and initially dropped it out entirely. But there was a nice little flute phrase what worked nicely as a response to the piano, and bit by bit the flute came back.

I'm very happy with Reaper's time stretching. BiaB has a number of RealTracks - like the flute - which I just love, but don't have native lower tempo options. You can get very surgical precision as well. For example, at 0:30 I've messed with the phrase pretty extensively, and the playback rate for the notes ranges between 152% down to 51%. If you listen carefully you can hear the difference, but it's more because I've used short notes with differing vibrato.

Just be warned that you can end up tweaking stuff forever, and no one other than you will ever hear the difference.


-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?
User Showcase
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 589
T
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
T
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 589
Hi Dc,Nice mix though I find the flute a little bit to much up front and would have liked a bit more reverb.Also I would have preferred to have listened to the intro accoustic guitars a bit longer before the flute came in.But the point you are making is spot on showing what could be done with this great software.Cheers Frankie


AMD Athlon 7550 dual core
processor 2.51 ghz
1 87 gb ram
windows 7 Ultimate
yamaha rev 500 effects
tacam DP-24 DAW
Samson Resolv NF monitors
Yamaha PSR-620 Keyboard
Fender semi accoustic guitar
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8,231
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8,231
David, this sounds really good - love the way it flows. Nice job.

Bob

User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,696
dcuny Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,696
Thanks for all the input! There's a new mix: I'm Going Home Mix 2.

I've made the following changes:

  • Added a guitar vamp at the beginning.
  • Lowered the volume on the flute.
  • Changed the reverb on the flute.
  • Brought the nylon string in on a few parts.
  • Fiddled with other bits.
  • Once again resisted adding a "cha-cha-cha" ending.

So it must be better!


-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?
User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,921
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,921
Hi David,

Yep, it's definitely easier to listen to. The mix blends together as a whole now. The only thing I'd suggest is to raise the bass a tad higher. Maybe it's my ears, but the bass seemed very quiet. I'm impressed with your ability to make electronic adjustments sound so natural.

Regards,
Noel


MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2025
User Showcase
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,121
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,121
Mix 2 is the winner There are some great songs being posted with RT's and this is another example of what can be done with them. Fantastic job with the ol slice and dice to come up with this one, I liked it !!

Trax

User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 62
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 62
Hey David,
I really enjoyed listening to this. I liked MIX 2 a lot better than the first. BUT, I was impressed with it before I heard the 2nd verson ....

Danny


Keep The Music Alive
www.DannyRiddle.com
User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,696
dcuny Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,696
OK, I've posted another (and likely final) mix: I'm Going Home Mix 3

Noel, you're right about the bass. I'm always a bit paranoid about setting the bass too high, so I'm a bit conservative. I checked it out in the scope, and it was about 10db lower than my reference song. So I boosted it up a bit.

I also couldn't resist adding a bit more of an introduction. I'm not sure that it's an improvement, but this isn't really a serious piece, so no biggie. I fiddled with a number of other things, but can't remember them off the top of my head.

Thanks everyone for listening and your feedback!


-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

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.

PG Music News
XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!

XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!

The XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs special offers are now available until August 31st at 11:59pm PDT!

Ready to take your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 experience to the next level? Now’s the perfect time! Expand your style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs—packed with a wide variety of genres to inspire your next musical creation.

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 1-9 includes 900 styles!

Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). With over 3,500 styles (and 35 MIDI styles) included in Xtra Styles PAKs 1-20, the possibilities are endless!

Get the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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 Windows or for Mac.

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.

Get Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.

Note: 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 because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

Don’t miss this chance to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box setup—at a great price!

Mac 2025 Special Upgrade Offers Extended Until August 15th!

It's not too late to upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® and save! We've extended our special until August 15, 2025!

We've added many major new features to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, including advanced AI tools like the amazing BB Stem Splitter and AI Lyrics Generator, as well as VST3 plugin support, and Equalize Temp. Plus, there’s a new one-stop MIDI Patches Picker with over 1,100 MIDI patches to choose from, all neatly categorized by GM numbers. The MultiPicker Library is enhanced with tabs for the SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles Browser, and the tabs are organized into logical groups. The Audiophile Edition is enhanced with FLAC files , which are 60% smaller than AIFF files while maintaining identical audio quality, and now ships on a fast 1TB SSD, and much more!

Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:

Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana, Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes, MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano, Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7, Playable RealTracks Set 4, RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark, and more!

Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!

New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!

We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!

Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!

Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.

Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles

Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)

And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.

You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.

Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!

The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!

Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!

With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 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 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK: -For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles. -For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles. -For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
  • Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
  • Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
  • Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
  • Playable RealTracks Set 4
  • RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
  • SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
  • 128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.

Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:

  • 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
  • FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
  • Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
  • Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
  • Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
  • RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe

Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!

New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!

Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!

We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!

In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!

All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.

Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 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.

New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!

We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!

If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!

Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

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.

New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!

Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!

We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!

In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!

All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.

Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 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.

Forum Statistics
Forums58
Topics84,591
Posts781,360
Members39,692
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
Newest Members
annynbston24, edrapkin, jacksmusic, Griffin, susheeljohn
39,692 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 154
WaoBand 110
rsdean 98
DC Ron 95
Noel96 79
dcuny 67
Today's Birthdays
Mike51, mississippitom, Ned Swift, nestorcuberos, Rikorg, TroyMcD
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5