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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 36
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 36 |
without PROTOOLS!!!! I have an XP P4 w 2 Gig and protools 8 barely runs and I have to turn off every service except windows--I even have to turn of restore points to save CPU space.
Look, all I want to do is get some BIAB track into RB then add my guitar and maybe add my steel too. Is there ANY reasonable solution???
I can't dedicate my Pc to this. I'm just a hobbyist and I'm playing for myself. Surely there's something I can do. Maybe record in BIAB then add steel In RB?? something.
Please!!?!?!?!?!
how about an M-audio delta 44 with its breakout box. would that work??? I'm ready to go back to my little Korg Pandora recorder and kill myself!
Win 7 64 biab 2016
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 583
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 583 |
All the more reason for the ease and simplicity of stand alone digital recorders. As a hobbyist, too, I can't imagine fretting and worrying over computer based recording. I simply bounce BIAB to a stand alone recorder, then add guitars, vocals, etc. Works beautifully. All that valuable time is spent on recording and mixing to CD, not chasing problems.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,926
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,926 |
"I feel your pain." I have just come through the same difficulties and was on the verge of giving up. My PC matched the limited specs you give above; see full sys info, below. I had been trying to use the same machine for Internet and recording, it wasn't working, and I was gonna go postal.
What worked for me after all was the dedicated Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)--a PC devoted to music production. It's the same four-year-old machine, but with a clean install of XP Pro on a new fast hard drive and nothing else but other music apps on board. After sorting out numerous issues, mainly drivers and getting programs to talk to each other, it works beautifully. Note that my XP is so stripped down that it almost looks like Windows 95. There is no eye candy whatsoever.
I can tell you from recent experience that music and non-music apps (read: antivirus, firewall, antimalware, printer driver, instant messengers, scheduled tasks, system utilities, MS Office Fast Find, program updaters, screen savers, etc., etc., etc.--anything that stays in memory and is likely to take up processing cycles unexpectedly) don't play well together and aren't going to, no matter the tweaks. A Word From The Wise.
It sounds like you've been to blackviper.com to see about unnecessary services and followed those pointers. Try this: If you have Spybot S&D or the free Glary Utilities, look up either's Program Startup manager, which allows you to de-select unneeded programs from Windows startup. Doing so immediately removes them from memory and keeps them from starting with Windows. (Notable exceptions are QuickTime, HP printer drivers and Java update and a handful of others; them you have to tell a few times.)
If you really can't afford $300 or less for a machine to dedicate to Internet ops--a refurb or a Wal-Mart emachine, say, with a KVMA switch so they can share the same keyboard, mouse, monitor and speakers if necessary--consider a dual-boot system. Two installs of the same or a different OS on two partitions of the same drive. Maybe a $3 Ubuntu Linux for the Internet side, if you're any kind of a hacker and feeling frisky; maybe two installs of the same XP. There are people here who have done that and can tell you how.
But the best advice I can give you from my own experience is to dedicate a PC to the purpose of making music.
R.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 7,826
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 7,826 |
Hi, Quote:
Look, all I want to do is get some BIAB track into RB then add my guitar and maybe add my steel too. Is there ANY reasonable solution???
I can't dedicate my Pc to this. I'm just a hobbyist and I'm playing for myself. Surely there's something I can do. Maybe record in BIAB then add steel In RB?? something.
You can record audio in either Band-in-a-Box or RealBand, but RealBand offers you much more flexibility, one advantage being that you can record multiple tracks of audio in RB and only 1 track in BB.
You could generate an automatic arrangement using either Band-in-a-Box or RealBand. If you decide to use Band-in-a-Box, you can still open that .MGU or .SGU file (Band-in-a-Box song file) into RealBand. Then you can record your audio tracks.
It sounds like you are having trouble recording audio. At the very least, you could just plug an audio cable into the 1/8 inch stereo line-input on the back of your computer, then select a blank audio track in the Tracks Window, and press the Record Audio button.
If that's not working for you, then we would need to go through some steps such as making sure the correct recording device is selected in the Windows Mixer, and making sure the correct audio input driver is selected in RealBand. It would be best if we new what part of the process isn't working...
Andrew
PG Music Inc.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 62
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 62 |
I use a Line-6 Guitar port(Hardware) along with their Software Gear box or POD Farm. I record pedal steel into Real Band. It can be used as a stand alone amplifier with decent reverb etc. I listen to the wet output and record dry and add what I need on mix.
I use the line-6 ASIO. I have a good set of speakers hooked to the output of the guitar port and use this for all of my computer sound output. I also have a decent headset plugged into it also. I like this for recording amd practicing
I paid a little over $100 at guitar center.
I have a gateway laptop Vista Home Premium,
2G RAM
533 mhz CPU
160G Hard drive (40% Free)
I put my internet in standby and turn off anti virus while recording.
I have no problems with the system. I recorded into BIAB before Real Band
Ron
Line 6 Guitar Port Gear Box POD Farm Pedal Steel Guitar My Music
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199 |
Chappy,
I would recommend reading the reply in your other two posts on this forum, I've laid out a pretty good answer (in my opinion) that I think would be helpful to you.
Gary
I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 436
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 436 |
Yeah, if the computer is straining, just bang it over to a standalone digital recorder and multitrack. As long as BIAB will work, get the basics down in there, record to another device, and mix away.
Gene
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 126
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 126 |
For what it's worth...
I have been using this configuration to record multiple instruments, multiple tracks (typically 8-24) on the following configuration.
HP Pavilion with AMD (Athlon) 64 X 2 Dual Core Processor 4400+, 2.19 Ghz Processors, which is about 3 years old
2 GB ram
Windows XP Media Edition, Service Pack 2
Dual internal disk drives (500MB ea, one for O/S, applications, and one for audio)
Cakewalk Sonar Studio 5 (latest version available is 8)
Presonus Firepod (firewire), ten ch, Edirol FA-66, six channel(firewire)
Several soft synths, a pair of hardware synths/keyboards
I use BB to lay down ideas, and export that (midi/audio) to Sonar, and do all my instrument recording, mixing, etc. in Sonar. One can certainly use BB or RealBand (or PowerTracks Pro) to record instruments, mix, etc. However, I find that for my projects, I like the ability to bring in any number of synths, instruments, etc. Sonar provides me with that ability. Not to say you can't do it with BB, Realband (but you are limited to one Synth at a time), or others, but this is what I use. And, I can also run Sonar on a lap top (1.25 GB ram, single processor under 2 GHz.
I also have hardware multitrack recorders I use for live situations, and they afford other benefits, such as hands on multi-channel controls, etc. But for studio, I use my PC. I like the additional graphic views and more powerful/easier to use editing than most hardware recorders affort.
Depending on the other specs of you PC, you should be able to even use RealBand to do what you want. A suggestion, is to make sure no other applications are running, including antivirus/spyware utilities, as they can really hog system resources.
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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!
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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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