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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4 |
I need some advice on keyboards.
- I am an amateur musician who enjoys songwriting and creating songs (no stage requirements)
- i am a guitar player still learning the piano
- regardless of what biab is capable of, i want a keyboard
- I am new to BIAB and am still trying to get acquainted with midi
- prefer to use the arrangement capabilities of biab instead of the keyboard
- have a mac with recording set-up so don't need that in a keyboard
- don't think i need a lot of frills and gadgets, just a keyboard and good instrument sounds
- price range $1000-$2000
I know there are a lot of you out there with far more experience than I, so any advice is appreciated.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 385
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 385 |
I think this might fit your needs.... I love mine. It's a matter of touch, and these Privias have a new responsive keyboard which just feels good to play. I was raised on classical music and "real" pianos, but for the beginner, I would bet that the touch on a lot of keyboards just ,might turn you off. This one won't, and you could expect maybe to actually enjoy learning the piano. (And don't be put off because it's a Casio -- it's a whole new ballgame for the company.) http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PX3BK/There are some newer Privias, with more features, etc., and I would do a bunch of research before taking the plunge -- there are a lot of choices, and I am sure some others will offer other suggestions here. Good luck.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 12
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 12 |
I think the Privias sound good but as a pianist I find there's something lacking in the relationship of the sound to the touch - a slight delay when you play ff & also a lack of tonal variety at different dynamics. Here in Australia where we don't have as many choices in Brands, & the prices are higher too. Many pro players I know use Kawais but I personally play a Roland. Check Kurzweil & Korg too but generally buy the best, which is probably the most expensive model you can afford. Also if you can go to the pro models which don't have speakers built in, you may be able to afford a better quality instrument.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913 |
I think you could actually get away with a much smaller budget, if you are willing to go with non-weighted keys (that's my preference for 'keyboard') which will help with developing an overall keyboard technique.
Given your description as being a guitar player learning piano, plus the desire to use the keyboard for midi data entry, the Casio WK series - the entire series, may be a good fit. The WK-200 is pretty much the bottom of the line and retails for $200, on sale you can get it for under $150. This will not last you forever - the keybed at least, but it will get you over the hump of deciding what you really want to do with the black and white keys.
It is a synth-action keyboard. It has MIDI via USB. The sounds are perfectly fine to get started, and some of them are even gig-worthy, in my opinion. The acoustic piano sounds and some of the EP sounds and the rock organ sound are quite good.
Also consider the Yamaha similar keyboards, but they have one advantage in that in the 200-300$ range, you can get one with a pitch bend wheel, which as a guitar player will be a very natural thing for you to get used to and implement with perhaps more aplomb than a classically trained pianist (sorry great pianists here - this has been my observation over the years).
Now, if you want to learn piano technique, then I suggest shopping for a proper piano for your house. Yamaha P22 series for example. Used, and with diligence, you should be able to find one in your price range. Keep an extra $100 out to buy the Casio WK-200 for your midi adventures, (or latest version) and another $100-$150 to have the acoustic properly tuned. This will not take up any additional floor space over a weighted electronic keyboard, has classic clean styling that won't make it a non-seller 10 years from now, etc.
Years ago, I was trying to convince my wife that we needed a Kurzweil digital piano. She insisted that she didn't want anything with LEDs on it in our living room. I'm glad she won the argument! Our kids have all learned on that Yamaha; I've learned how to tune pianos since then, and it has provided years upon years of enjoyment, songwriting opportunities, etc. It's just plain different than buying a digital. You might even get lucky and find one even cheaper than expected. Ours was found by a piano-tuning friend. Practically brand new. I think we paid $1300 for it. Simply a great instrument. Also shop for the Hamilton series from Baldwin, but avoid I think what is called Acrosonic - their spinet models for the most part.
For more money, go for the Yamaha U1. Plan on another $1-2K for that over the P22. I suggest the P22 over the other P model because of the plain styling. The other P series is going to look ugly in a few years because of the scroll-work which will almost assuredly pass out of fashion.
With any acoustic upright style piano purchase, the higher the cabinet, normally the better product results. 40" high and higher recommended. This allows longer strings to be used, under higher tension, with action that more directly translates finger movement into hammer striking the strings. The more shallow 'spinet' style cabinets have to use shorter strings, under less tension, with more of an angled mechanism to translate finger movement into hammer action.
Also when buying used, try to find a local piano tuners guild person that will go with you to check out a few choices. They can point out if there are issues with the mechanicals and whether or not the piano is easy to tune and will hold tune.
All of this may seem a hassle - but I just wanted to put that out there for consideration.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 40
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 40 |
Alternatively a controller keyboard and software sounds (BIAB itself?) might be a cost-effective way to go. I have a M-Audio Axiom, which is very Mac (and Pro Tools)-friendly.
iMac, MOTU 828 MkII, Western Drive EHD, M-Audio Axiom 25, plus too many instruments, mics, leads, crap, etc.
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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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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.
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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.
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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!
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Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
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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!
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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!
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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!
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Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
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