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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 11
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 11 |
I was pretty disappointed in the performance of the BIAB external drive I received. So I got a cheap ($15) USB 3.0 enclosure and a relatively cheap ($70) solid state drive and put BIAB on that. It it way way faster. Realtracks/soloists used to take up to 30 seconds to get going, and now it's just a couple of seconds.
All computers now have USB 3.0, and solid state drives are fast enough to make use of that bandwidth, so I suggest that BIAB should come on a solid state drive in a USB 3.0 enclosure.
- Prices are low enough that you could buy 90GB-100GB drives in bulk for not much more than what is currently used.
- USB 3.0 is backwards-compatible with USB 2.0.
- You will save time installing/copying files to the disk before sending to a customer, because SSDs are so much faster than traditional 5400rpm 2.5" drives.
- You could just have the USB 3.0 / SSD as an option for an extra amount of money, for those who so choose.
If I had known about the severe speed handicap, I would not have purchased BIAB on disk (even as cheap as it was, only paying for shipping). I would have just downloaded it and put it on a USB 3.0 SSD to begin with...
thanks!
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
Good points and it sounds very tempting but what about some reports that say SSD's are not as long lasting as regular HD's, when they fail there's no warning at all and when they're dead, they're dead.
I just did a quick Google search about this and quite a few people say use an SSD for your system boot drive but use a regular HD for data storage because it's safer. If that's the case then considering PG's HD is about 95% Real Track data then there's little advantage from that point of view. But others say these drives are improving all the time, the prices have come way down as you say and reliability is now as good as anything else.
I have no experinece with SSD's just throwing this out there for discussion because I'm interested in this as well.
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 Wishlist
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,975
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,975 |
Thanks. Good suggestions, and those are exciting results that you've found, both in the price and the performance of SSD .
We are looking into it, and as hopefully will move to that when the price is right.
Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 335
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 335 |
Quote:
I was pretty disappointed in the performance of the BIAB external drive I received. So I got a cheap ($15) USB 3.0 enclosure and a relatively cheap ($70) solid state drive and put BIAB on that. It it way way faster. Realtracks/soloists used to take up to 30 seconds to get going, and now it's just a couple of seconds.
First world problems. Not fast enough. Geeze. Maybe PGMusic should throw in iPads with every purchase as well? I think the whole selling it on a Hard Drive is because it is a PAIN IN THE ASS to load Band in a Box from DVD, and downloading it and then keeping a backup copy is a pain as well. And since hard drives are real cheap.....makes sense that PGMusic gets some hard drives, offers them in lieu of DVDs and the added bonus is that you can, if you want, run the program from it.
But it is a laptop drive.....so what do you expect?
Quote:
All computers now have USB 3.0, and solid state drives are fast enough to make use of that bandwidth, so I suggest that BIAB should come on a solid state drive in a USB 3.0 enclosure.
And iPads. We want iPads with it too. But serious, not every computer has USB 3 (I'm using one right now that is 3 years old that does not have USB3). And musicians are more likely to have OLD gear rather than new fangled stuff. I know a few guys still running Windows XP and one that runs Windows 95!
Quote:
- Prices are low enough that you could buy 90GB-100GB drives in bulk for not much more than what is currently used.
Nope. It is still a lot more expensive per megabyte for SSD than standard.
Quote:
- USB 3.0 is backwards-compatible with USB 2.0.
Ok....
Quote:
- You will save time installing/copying files to the disk before sending to a customer, because SSDs are so much faster than traditional 5400rpm 2.5" drives.
They probably clone the disks......and it's not like they are selling 50,000 units a week (though they should be damn it!)
Quote:
- You could just have the USB 3.0 / SSD as an option for an extra amount of money, for those who so choose.
I guess, but then again you'd have people complaining that the SSD is this or that or doesn't have leveling or garbage collection or......the list goes on.
Quote:
If I had known about the severe speed handicap, I would not have purchased BIAB on disk (even as cheap as it was, only paying for shipping). I would have just downloaded it and put it on a USB 3.0 SSD to begin with...
Thank God you didn't chose the DVD option. You'd probably have gone on and wanted everything on BluRay or Holographic crystals.........
I think the hard drive is just fine. It's cheap, it works, and if someone wants to go faster than what the laptop drive can handle, they can use the drive as a backup and copy the files to where ever they want......just.....like.........you.......did.
Musician, Polymath, Google Jedi, Apple Master, Windows Wrangler and Digital Wizard. High ratings in Nerd-fu & Geek-fu.
M1 Mac Mini, MacBook Pro Touchbar 15", Intel 27" iMac, M1 Mac Mini
https://musician.social/@ericdano
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Band-in-a-Box Wishlist
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 335
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 335 |
Quote:
Good points and it sounds very tempting but what about some reports that say SSD's are not as long lasting as regular HD's, when they fail there's no warning at all and when they're dead, they're dead.
Well, they have a limited number of times they can be accessed. The technology is still rapidly moving forward, so todays SSDs are not going to be in the same league as ones next year.
Quote:
I just did a quick Google search about this and quite a few people say use an SSD for your system boot drive but use a regular HD for data storage because it's safer. If that's the case then considering PG's HD is about 95% Real Track data then there's little advantage from that point of view. But others say these drives are improving all the time, the prices have come way down as you say and reliability is now as good as anything else.
Safer? Not really. The 5400+ RPM spinning platter and the head that is hovering like 1/20th the size of a piece of hair above said platter.....the potential is there for failure. Regular hard drives have been around for a LONG TIME and the tech is pretty reliable. Years usually. SSDs........not so much.
For what it is worth, my webserver has been running on an SSD for almost 2 years now. Not a single glitch.......yet.
Musician, Polymath, Google Jedi, Apple Master, Windows Wrangler and Digital Wizard. High ratings in Nerd-fu & Geek-fu.
M1 Mac Mini, MacBook Pro Touchbar 15", Intel 27" iMac, M1 Mac Mini
https://musician.social/@ericdano
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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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XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
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 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available 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 Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
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.
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 as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
If you're already using RealBand 2026 for Windows, download build 10 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® users: Build 1237 is now available!
Already a Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows user? Stay up to date and download the build 1237 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
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