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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,580
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,580 |
Sometime ago, I had questioned as to whether anyone had tried putting BIAB, along with the accompanying RB, on a flashdrive. There appeared to be some skepticism about whether this would work effectively.
A week ago, Frys.com put the XPORTER Xpress USB 2.0 128 GB flashdrive on sale for a little less than $70. I ordered it, loaded the BIAB and RB from the external drive to the flashdrive, and tried it out (and keep in mind that it only occupied 83 GB of the total 128 GB available on the flashdrive.....plenty room left over to carry all your music files). It worked perfectly and appeared just as fast as its current operation from the external drive....I actually could not tell any difference. So, this permits a further opportunity for making BIAB and RB even less bulky. I was using it on a DELL laptop with Windows XP....it also worked on my desktop with Windows 7 Premium.
Again, FYI, this has worked beautifully with no problems whatsoever over the past two days....of course, some might not be happy with the $70 cost for the 128 GB flashdrive. PGMusic could probably buy such drives in bulk for even less as an option for customers in the future. I plan to use it from now on.
Cecil
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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 |
For those that want to use a USB stick for BB, I would strongly urge them to keep the original on the USB drive as a backup. USB sticks are somewhat notorious for suddenly becoming unreadable.
--Mac
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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 |
Cecil, That sounds great, and thanks for that news! And better still that you are using USB 2.0, since USB 3.0 is 10x faster, so would make things even better. I am curious as to how long it took to copy the USB HD to the FlashDrive. When I tried it (admittedly years ago), it was going to take so long that I abandoned the idea. Also, how long does it take to generate and start playing a typical song. For example, tell us the style you are using, and press the "Load Style Demo" button (available as a menu item from the Band button), and then how long from pressing PLAY until playback starts. And I'm assuming that it plays without hiccups... correct? Also, if possible tell us the geekbench speed of your PC http://www.primatelabs.com/geekbench/I'm heading out to Future Shop tonight (they shut down our Best Buy recently) to buy a 128 GB drive to test this out myself!
Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,580
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I probably should have tried this out over a few weeks before jumping to such quick conslusions......you know much more about these things for sure, Mac. I'll report my observations from time to time just for grins. I really wanted to try this out on a USB 3.0 because of the added speed, but they're still a little pricey.
Cecil
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,580
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OP
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,580 |
Peter,
You're exactly right about the load time via the USB 2.0 (should be about a tenth of that time with a USB 3.0)....it took approximately 4.5 hours (UGH) to load in the 83 GB from the HD. I took the wife out to dinner and then took a couple naps in the recliner while this loaded in. I was in no big hurry....just wanted to check out the end result.
I'll get back with you a little later with info about the other things you requested.
Thanks for BIAB and RB...they're fun,
Cecil
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,580
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OP
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,580 |
Peter,
Here's some initial brief feedback (I'll get more back to you later); you had asked about the load time of some of the Demo Tunes in the Styles window (if I understood you correctly). Those did take a little longer (compared to the load times using the HD) than most other tunes I loaded in....the first I tried were, of course, my Favorites (i.e., those that have frozen tracks but most of which utilize 5 RTs), and they loaded in very quickly (most took about 5 seconds....some as high as 10 seconds).....but the same was true for the HD (although I could see that it was a little faster for most tunes....from 1 to 5 seconds faster)....but almost negligible across the board for my Favorites. In all that I've compared so far, I selected tunes that had 5 RTs (including the RD).
When I was playing a tune and decided to try another style, by selecting the style and indexing Play, the USB 2.0 took from 7 to 15 seconds (most required no more than 10 seconds).....while the HD appeared to be from 2 to 5 seconds faster.
So far, I've not noticed any glitches or hiccups from the use of the USB flashdrive.....but again, probably need to do further testing.
I like the miniaturization achieved by using a flashdrive. I'll continue to report additional findings. I wish I had a USB 3.0 to compare as well, it should work great given what I've observed about the USB 2.0. Don't buy your 2.0 yet.....wait for feedback from Peter (and myself...and others that have good info about all this).
Cecil
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,580
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OP
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,580 |
Peter,
The geekbench number for my machine was 6259.
Cecil
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,580
Expert
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OP
Expert
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,580 |
I'm still pleased to this point......my usage has been entirely in practice sessions however. I've had no glitches to this point, however I have not used it for a gig yet.
Peter, did you do any follow-up checking yourself....I recall you were headed out to get a large capacity flashdrive to do some testing of your own? I would be particularly interested to hear back from someone that has tried this with a 3.0 USB flashdrive.
Cecil
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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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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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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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