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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 193
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 193 |
The real tracks are...real.
The audiophile files are still better...
but
when I listen to the on-line demoes made by PGmusic they sound even more real
than my songs.
Even the song demoes in Band-in-a-box do not sound as good as the demo on line.
EQ, compression???
It would be interesting to know how they are made!
Sergino
Bandinabox 2024 standard (2020 Audiophile)
VST3 plugins on Studio One Pro 6.1
Windows 11(SSD) - AMD Radeon R9 5950X - 32GB RAM
MOTU: 2408 MkIII - 24i - Traveler - MIDI Express XT
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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 |
Not so.
To the best of my knowledge, the Band in a Box demos that pgmusic creates are made using Band in a Box and Band in a Box only.
My Band in a Box songs sound as good as theirs do.
I don't do a lot of tweaking and mixing to them.
what I *have* done is to normalize the gain staging of my soundcard, though.
Most consumer soundcards, when using Band in a Box, work best when both the Playback and the Record software mixers are *turned up all the way* - including any Master faders there if it has them. This is the problem most people encounter when their renderings are not so full sounding. There is also the BiaB "normalization" feature that can be taken advantage of if you still don't have enough wave amplitude.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 4,026
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 4,026 |
I say you need to leave headroom in your recordings ,because when master you use EQ and compression they increase the volume and you'll end up with waves that have squared off tops they don't sound as good. Try to keep the peeks is the best advice I ever had from pro studio's I make tracks for .
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 904
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 904 |
I don`t think they do much on their demos. They sound as normal (good) as my files. Maybe thesongs are just better arranged than yours (NOI).
Sandra
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,618
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,618 |
I remember it as Mac and Sandra do: Peter Gannon has said periodically that they just record 'straight'.
However, we don't know what they currently use for MIDI sounds. It used to be the Edirol SD-20, which they even sold on this website. I suspect that may not be the case now, and it would be interesting to know what hardware or software synth they use. With the increasing use of RealTracks, though, it makes less difference now than it used to.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,976
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,976 |
We make a typical demo in about 10 minutes, entirely within Band-in-a-Box.
Type in a chord progression typical to the genre. Keep it simple, since there is no melody, a "normal" chord progression sounds best.
Render the song to wma or mp4 by dragging to the drop box at top left of screen.
We use the Coyote gm wavetable for midi rendering these days, since it comes with BB, and works on all versions of Windows.
Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 193
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 193 |
Sergino
Bandinabox 2024 standard (2020 Audiophile)
VST3 plugins on Studio One Pro 6.1
Windows 11(SSD) - AMD Radeon R9 5950X - 32GB RAM
MOTU: 2408 MkIII - 24i - Traveler - MIDI Express XT
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 181
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 181 |
I'm no expert but my reading of your message and Mac's are that the points you each make are not mutually exclusive. Mac is saying get the full qualitative output from the generating device to not lose any content robustness and you are saying don't record at too high a volume to avoid clipping, leave needed headroom for down the stream, etc. Or am I missing something?
www.LawTunes.com: The LawTunes - The Musical Scales of Justice - Original Lawyer Rock & Roll www.SurfChords.com: The SurfChords - The Endless Summer Continues and The Wave Never Ends
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
Quote:
...don't record at too high a volume to avoid clipping, leave needed headroom for down the stream, etc. Or am I missing something?
Yes. In the case of these Biab demos, there is no 'down the stream'. Peter amd Mac both said it's all done and finished within Biab. There is no separate mastering process for you to play with, it does it automatically for you.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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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 |
Let me try to make my point with a little more clarity.
I used the term, "most consumer sound devices" - work well with BiaB when the *software* mixer applet faders for both Playback and Record Properties are turned all the way up.
Of course, if you try that and your particular sound device causes clipping, then revisit the applet and turn faders down a little and try again. Most of the time, you won't get any clipping though.
Understanding GAIN STAGING is important here.
For example, you could Render or Record a set of tracks that is low in amplitude such that at playback someone must reach for the Volume control and turn it up in order to have it sound equal in amplitude to other recordings they have been playing back. *But that won't have the same sound* as the identical recording that is printed hotter. It will sound rather, well, "thinner".
On the opposite end of that scale, you might record or render it too hot, in which case it will sound "blasty" or even "clipped" in some cases, even though you turn your Playback Volume down, it cannot change that because that sound is what is printed in the file.
Fortunately for us, we can usually easily normalize the sound device's input and outputs as I described. What you are after is simple enough, and that is "what goes in is what comes out" Amplitude-wise. In technical terms, your system should play back a 0dBFS sinewave from a pre-recorded test disk at exactly 0dBFS. Likewise then, it should play back a -12dBFS sinewave at -12dBFS as well.
I have found out empirically that most consumer sound devices will do this when the software faders are turned all the way up, inclusive of any Master software faders.
Once I do that, I no longer use the Software Mixer Faders for volume control when listening. I rely on my mixer or the amplitude knob on the monitor amp for that purpose. This leaves the Line being driven hard enough that at any chosen volume level, things will sound as they should. No, I'm not a fan of the software faders in those sound card software applets, not when it is consumer gear anyway. Prosumer and full Pro gear often works differently, though. It is still different for each brand and model of them, though, so then it becomes necessary to use an Audio Test Disk to find out where the levels should be set for a normalized gain staging in your system.
But, if at any time what you do makes audio clipping, then you must turn something down, of course. The important part there is to identify *which stage* is causing that clipping so that you turn down the amplitude at the proper point in the signal chain. Otherwise you might end up with clipping that is just a bit lower in volume if you turn down the wrong fader at the wrong point in the chain.
--Mac
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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
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Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
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Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
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- 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)
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- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
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