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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 31
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 31 |
All,
So, I was interested in getting a Mac for my next Laptop. But, I am a regular user of BIAB and wanted to check if there were any major differences. FYI, I am a musician in a trio, who occasionally will use BIAB as a single performance. I mean, BIAB, real-time in front of real people. But using BIAB in front of people needs some special options. It looks like some of these options are not available for the Mac. This is strange to me. For instance, I use Hot Keys to Start and Loop songs as if I am in a band, play the head, solo in the middle. I then hotkey to go to ending and then... out. Simple commands like Ctrl NumPad 2 starts the song and loops the middle without searching for mouse menu items. I do not need a mouse to find this command and I need not search for it real-time. I was told, these Hot Keys do not exist in the Mac? Is this correct for this hot key feature? Please... BIAB, this is not acceptable. Also, I use some Real-time VSTs to make my Songs more rich in sound, such as Amplitube in BIAB for PC. This VST makes a guitar sound like a real guitar. Again, I was told that VST plugins are not avail for BIAB for Mac. Every Mac I know uses VST plugins for DAWs and performance environments. But, why not BIAB for MAC? BIAB Developers,... please, lets pull some equality in for BIAB for MAC so that it becomes a real program for real users who want to use Mac, please.
lb
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,827
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,827 |
I can't see the Conductor window on the Mac that I can see in Win BB & RB. 2014 will be released very soon it might have it.
You can always use one of those pedals that you load up with you songs exported to mp3 with FX from BIAB, and you can program in all of that.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 31
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 31 |
I am finding more and more BIAB options that are not available in the Mac Version. It would be nice to know if they are coming soon. For instance, The Conductor Window. If I am playing live music in front of live people, I often need to ad-lib and go to different sections of the music like a real band. The Conductor allows me to do that seamlessly within BIAB. I was told that this option is not available in the Mac version. Also, there are hot keys associated with the Conductor looping technology so that you can loop the "Jamming" verse and then hot key to go to last verse or "Head" then out. This does not seem to be available in the Mac version. Is this true? Also, I have many songs that may jump from a middle chorus to a tag ending, such as tagging for coda. This is in BIAB but not the Mac version! It seems like the Mac version is nice to have at home, but not flexible enough to use in front of real people. Hey Mac developers, I have been trying to dialog with you though support, but there is no way to send info to you, only here. When will these features be available in the Mac version, please?
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1 |
From the late 90s to 2003 I used BIAB on mac extensively as a composing & practice tool. In part it was great as a basic tool, though on the other hand it was frustrating in the way that PG music treated Mac users as second class citizens. Unfortunately it was more or less accepted by Mac users that BIAB was fundamentally a Windows application that had partly been ported to Mac, presumably to increase the cash flow without too much effort & outlay.
After not looking at BIAB for many years it's disappointing to drop by and find that PG Music still have the same unfortunate attitude to Mac users. That's a shame. So for me to upgrade BIAB is pointless exercise.
In reference to your playing live, maybe you should explore Logic Pro and Mainstage. I'm under the impression that what you're doing with BIAB is available there, possibly a great deal more actually.
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,357
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,357 |
Hi Edward,
I've just had a look at Mainstage and Logic Pro. They certainly look very feature packed.
Do either of these programs allow a user to type in a chord progression and then, from that chord progression, generate a full-blown backing (Bass, Piano, Guitar, Solos, etc) like BIAB does? I can't see that they do but I might be wrong. From what I can see, they seem to be more DAW-based programs.
Regards,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 169
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 169 |
Hi Noel,
Main stage is for live performance - you can create layers, splits, choose patches etc etc and switch from one performance to another. Main Stage uses Logic.
Logic is a full DAW with a wonderful collection of instruments and synths. You cannot do what you can with BIAB - i.e. add chords and create an arrangement. You can play guitars and other instruments with an iPad connection live choosing chords as you go along and strumming, finger picking etc.
I use BIAB - Mac version which I thing is fantastic - and transfer the various tracks into Logic - so easy. You can use Garageband instead of Logic for this and this is equally as good.
Hope that answers your questions.
Best Regards
Jim
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,357
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,357 |
Hi Jim,
Thank you for the added information. Appreciate it.
All the best,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 9
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 9 |
Not having ever used the Windows version, the only two things I can say that I'm missing off the bat are the priority in upgrading and RealBand. The latter can probably be done just as well with a DAW, the former doesn't really leave me hanging--there's still plenty under the hood of 2013 to keep me busy. For what I do, the real tracks for organ trios, or any of the other jazz and blues options are pretty flexible right out of the box, and they sound great on a mac. Pop songs might require an extra step or two.
I find that the Mac version is quite stable and plays nice with all of my hardware, as well as my softsynths. I miss the inability to record even less now that I have a Fishman 3-Play pickup for recording melody and solo lines, over as many choruses as I want.
It sounds like what you're trying to do does not necessarily have to be done with BIAB open and running in a gig setting, even though you've obviously become accustomed to that option. Personally, I'm fine being able to output songs to midi and upload into a DAW; that allows you to do a lot of customizations that you wouldnt' be able to do even on the Windows versions. I know guys who, with or without the aid of BIAB, just make MP3s of their backing tracks and cue those up. It's simple, it sounds as good as you want it to, and it's much easier to carry an emergency backup if your player fails or runs out of power. Running a full version of BIAB in a performance setting, unless it's pedagogical, would seem to carry increased risk of failure. If you take that out of the equation, you might find that the Mac Version is even less limited than you realize.
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