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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 582
Journeyman
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 582 |
I've been listening to the new demos and am very impressed. I'm sure I'll upgrade, as usual, next week. But for the life of me, I can't see how one would use the wonderful soloists on live gigs, when all the players I work with solo themselves. I'm on guitar and work with 3 different horn players and 2 keyboard guys, who all solo very well. We're using BIAB as the rhythm section. I've never used a BIAB solo on a gig. Do others use this feature on live gigs? I can see the advantage in a recording situation and for demos, maybe. For me it's a learning tool and pleasurable listening.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
There are many features in BiaB to satisfy the many different ways that different people want to use the program.
I just ignore those features that I don't want to use. Its good to have them, though,just in case, never know what the future may dictate.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
I play keys.
A couple of times I have rolled a track with a short solo and I comp, especially if it's fast and I'm trying to keep my fingers moving.
Works great,
Later
Ray no John
John Conley Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021 |
I play bass. I use the feature on every song. It is strange though for a bass player to play solo.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
Um there are a lot of jokes about that, in many versions....
This guy goes on vacation to a tropical island. As soon as he gets off the plane, he hears drums. He thinks "Wow, this is cool." He goes to the beach, he hears the drums, he eats lunch, he hears drums, he goes to a luau, he hears drums. He TRIES to go to sleep, he hears drums. This goes on for several nights, and gets to the point where the guy can''t
sleep at night because of the drums. Finally, he goes down to the front desk. When he gets there, he asks the manager, "Hey! What''s with these drums. Don''t they ever stop? I can''t get any sleep."
The manager says, "No! Drums must NEVER stop. Very bad if drums stop."
"Why?"
"When drums stop...bass solo begins."
John Conley Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,722
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,722 |
I also play solo and have never used the soloist feature, because like you I play my own solos. However as anyone who does solo gigs will attest to having the same instrument solo on every tune for a gig lasting over one hour can become be a bit cumbersome and even repetitious. So in the past (before RT Horns, Harmonicas, Fiddles etc) I would shy away from gigs lasting over an hour, hour and a half. But since the addition of RT's I have no problems with booking and playing gigs as long as 3-4 hours. I may even do some tunes without a guitar solo at all, but most of my play-list include me soloing along with a few of the RT. I.e., me on guitar from bar 32-52, trumpet from 52-71 etc. The RT's not only take some pressure of off the one person performance but they also add spice to the gig.
Not sure if this answered your question but I hope it helped.
Later,
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 85
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 85 |
I haven't used BiaB live, as I have sequenced up my own backing tracks using Reaper and soft-racks of virtual instruments (Reason and VSTs).
However, the principle is the same as what Danny C. is discussing. I do MOST of the solos myself, either via guitar, or sometimes I do a credible trombone or trumpet impersonation with my voice. Sometimes I'll see members of the audience do a double-take when they realize that "horn" is me. lol
Anyway, I DO have a little bit of solo piano work sequenced up during certain songs, just to trade off and break things up a little.
I'm an accomplished enough soloist to "carry" the evening, even for 4hr gigs, but that added spice of a piano helps keep things fresh.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,251
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,251 |
Quote:
I'm an accomplished enough soloist to "carry" the evening, even for 4hr gigs, but that added spice of a piano helps keep things fresh.
Ditto. The dobro and steel guitar RT's ain't too shabby either. It's good to be able to play most of your own solos but when you add in RT's on an instrument you don't play on a solo or two, it spices up the mix.
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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.
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
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 new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 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 process 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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Happy New Year!
Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.
Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!
Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
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-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
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- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
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Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
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