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#458355 02/20/18 02:03 AM
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Hello guys! How are you guys doing today?
I wanted to ask you how did you find your inspiration to write songs, and does it changes with every other song?

camp_band #458406 02/20/18 08:23 AM
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Hello Camp_Band,

Welcome to the PG Music forums. You have come to the right place, there are tons of users with years of experience in songwriting.

This is a pretty subjective question, one I am sure will have many approaches. As cliche as it might sound, I always recommend doing what is right for you.

For me, inspiration comes with mood. How I feel, and where I am at in life will dictate what I feel like writing. Sometimes it is a lack of anything, I just come up with something interesting because I was bored.

In my opinion, sometimes songwriting circles can be a bit too rigid, or serious. There is no right or wrong way to make music, that is the beauty of art.

It doesn't take too long listening to the radio to see lots of songs are about falling in or out of love.

You could do that, or you could write about a big blue dog who came from space, and challenged superman to a race.

While I might not have a structure to abide to, or have the ability to know what inspires you, I do have one rule that comes above all else when making music...

Have Fun.


C-sharp when you cross the street… or you’re going to B-flat.

Mikke - PG Music
camp_band #458495 02/20/18 03:41 PM
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Songwriting Inspiration – Where Does It Come From? 2/20/18

Some songwriter’s will tell you they only write when the heaven opens and rains a song down on them. And I am sure it does happen occasionally. But there may be long dry spells in between.

If you talk to your best songwriters you will find that they approach songwriting totally differently. More like a job, a craft that can be developed. Show up every day at 9:00 am with your coffee and write for an hour and learn. Read everything you can get your hands on. Look at hit songs and analyze them, what makes them great? Take a songwriting class, they even offer some online or join an online or local group. And it’s gonna’ take time, probably years and you’re probably not going to make a lot if any money.

If your only goal is to be rich and famous, forget it because I’m 99% sure it ain’t happening. You have to love it and just want to do it for yourself. If you find people that like your songs that’s even better. But you will run into your share of frustrated musicians, narcissist egocentric people who can’t understand why the world never recognized them as rock stars. They carry a chip on their shoulder and many times they will not be encouraging or even nice. Many times musicians critiques are just their biases, likes and dislikes and will not have much value in truly analyzing the quality of your craft. And maybe they’re not really qualified to do that. You have to take what is helpful and positive and have a pretty thick skin. If you are lucky you may find a mentor you trust who will be qualified to judge your work in an unbiased way. And with all that in your life, writing songs and creating music may still end up just a hobby.

So back to the topic, where to find inspiration. The answer is everywhere. Your life, the people you hang out with, your spouse, neighbor, strangers, things you read online or in the newspaper, see on TV, from other songs, books, movies, poetry, the weather, etc. The key is to start looking for inspiration and have a system of organization where you can retrieve ideas, notes, stories when you have time to write. I use Microsoft OneNote to store all my ideas.

I visit several web-sites where others write songs and I look for ideas there that I might incorporate into my own songwriting. Inspirational quotes are great. I read stories about people’s lives and problems and sometimes get an idea from that. I also go to writer web-sites and they have daily prompts and I can read what others have written. Pat Pattison has a web-site called objectwriting.com where he gives you a daily word and many people write using all their sensory perception which helps you be a better writer in that you show rather than tell in your songwriting. There’s a site called 365 Day Prompts, which has a prompt for everyday. I have gotten ideas off things people posted on FaceBook. Ideas are everywhere.

Last edited by Belladonna; 02/20/18 03:45 PM.
camp_band #458659 02/21/18 06:08 PM
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That's a great idea, Belladonna, that 365 Day Prompts site.
If anybody is interested in finding more sites with those types
of writing prompts, simply Google "Writing Prompts" and you
will find sites that have as many as 100s of writing prompts on
one page. You can also find many more similar sites by Googling "Essay ideas."

Another similar site is: Site With Over 1000 Debate Topics
That site is designed to aid debaters. Every one, of the over 1000
topics on that site, has both the pros and cons of that topic.

Along similar lines, i would recommend two books:
10,000 IDEAS FOR TERM PAPERS, PROJECTS, REPORTS AND SPEECHES and
What Can I Write About?: 7000 Topics for High School Students.
Both of the above books are available at Amazon inexpensively.

Also, on Google Play Store if you search for 'writing prompts' and
'essay ideas' you will find lots of apps that have numerous more
ideas to give you inspiration for song ideas.

However, i do want to warn you that you need to be careful if you
use the name of a character from a movie or book, even in just
the title of your song, because if that name is trademarked, you
can be sued, even if you only use it in your title.

But my favorite way to generate ideas for songs is this:
Imagine you are talking to someone. It could either be someone
you know well or someone famous you have never met. Imagine
you are explaining something to this person. When you have said
everything that you wanted to say to that person, in your mind,
then write it down.

Then start writing a song using words that are as close as possible
to the words you spoke in your mind. Don't worry about rhyming
and song structure at first. You want to put the main emphasis
on the ideas, at first, so that you can write asong that really
communicates to people on a deep level and says things that really
touches their hearts. Then, once you have the ideas fully fleshed
out you can start to concentrate on rhyming and the song's structure.

I came up with the above technique this past week after imagining a conversation
with someone i know and then realizing that it would make a great
idea for a song. I can' t begin to describe what a fun way this technique
is to write songs. It is not necessary for songwriting to be a tedious
process in which the tortured songwriter bares their soul to an audience that wants to
become even more depressed than they already are. The actual joufulness
that you put into your creative process will be communicated to others
and will make them feel better about their own selves and will raise
them up.

Science fiction writer Harlan Ellison has often been asked: Where do you
get your ideas from? His usual reply has been either "Schenectady" or
"Poughkeepsie."

camp_band #458723 02/22/18 07:44 AM
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Where do you get your ideas from? His usual reply has been either "Schenectady" or"Poughkeepsie." Ha! Ha! Love this!!

Man in Two Socks, great ideas and tips above. Inspiration is everywhere. The more you write the more ideas and inspiration you get. It's like priming a pump. But you have to make an effort to do it, doesn't just rain down very often.

Sometimes I write a letter to someone as if I'm telling them the story and what happened and then I will develop my song from that. Next I may do an outline like for a video

Scene 1 (Verse 1) What, when, who, how, why
Scene 2 (Verse 2) Developing the story more
Finale (Bridge) Wrap up, conclusion, moral, etc

Structure, metaphors, rhyming, etc. next and finally
re-write, re-write, re-write; Self-critique and make those lines better.

Thanks for you input.

camp_band #458734 02/22/18 09:20 AM
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If I only I knew what created musical inspiration - I'd bottle and sell it! In all seriousness, I'm really not sure. I definitely know when there is a lot going on in my life I am typically writing more. Whereas when I'm in the day to day cycle, and nothing is really happening - I typically hit my writing dry spells. I find if I try to force my writing, it sounds dry and uninspired.

That's just my take on it though - I'm interested to hear more of others smile


Cheers,
Deryk
camp_band #458764 02/22/18 01:23 PM
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I think sometime the well does run low. After writing about twenty FAWM and other songs in February I did feel sort of like scraping the bottom of the barrel. However, someone somewhere gave me a new idea that was great. I revisited my Song Titles list that I always keep going in my files. I the listed ahead 10 new song titles that every morning I now visit to write a song and it have triggered a new wave of inspiration. Sometimes I have an idea or a title, like when I was young I had a 1959 Blue Teal Malibu and I was the hot babe in the Blue Teal Malibu. So I decided to write a song about that and I googled Blue Malibu and I found a story about a cute girl who has a web-site called Blue Malibu and she's sort of a Betty Boop looking model and she's selling cool clothing to young women. Got a lot of ideas for my song.

Last edited by Belladonna; 02/22/18 01:25 PM.
Mikke #460824 03/06/18 06:13 AM
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That so cool. Thank you so much for the responses guys!

@Mikke-PG Music. Thanks smile The thing with me is that when I am bored I kinda go into a stuck state of mind. Sometimes it's just hard for me to express myself. Is this the drill that beginners have to deal with, or it's just me? Otherwise, I completely agree! Having fun is so important and sometimes we completely forget to do so because we overthink or strike to perfection. (at least that's what I do)

@Belladonna I was just going to ask whether reading also affects your songwriting skills. But yeah, makes sense. Isn't it dangerous to look at other peoples creations though because it might affect your own work? I mean sometimes you take a certain idea unconsciously and you think that you came up with it but in reality, you didn't, so you might get in big trouble. I will check out the site though, thank you!

@ManInTwoSocks yeah the copyright strike is a very serious thing. I even heard that some artists trademarked whole phrases...

camp_band #460900 03/06/18 01:40 PM
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Camp_Band, There's an old saying "it's not where you got something from it's where you take it to".

I'm not talking about plagurism, using someone's else's work or phrases. But I'm talking about ideas. For instance recently I've been looking at the lyrics of contemporary songs for new song titles. There's a lot of cool, unique words in some lines. Maybe I would reverse a couple of words or look up some synonisms for the same words or idea.

Sometimes I hear a country song and I write a response to it or the other side of the story. Maybe it's about a girl who's left a guy. I'll write it the opposite way he left her for someone else. Or, I'll write a sequel to the story. Thinking about writing a response to the country song "Marry Me" where he actually talks to his best friend and let's her know he's loved for for a long time and will always be around if things don't work out.

You might find some cool words in a poem that could be a song title. Titles are not copyrighted in most cases. You might hear some cool words an actor might say in a movie line or a novel. It's all about looking at others work for ideas and inspiration.

So, like the Beatles wrote a song called "Yesterday" and it's all about how life used to be. What if you wrote a song called "Tomorrow" and it's all about how your life is going to be in the future and so different from today.

Everyday I do something with songwriting. I don't write a song everyday, but I may look at a song I like and try to figure out how they wrote it and what's so cool about it. I may just write a couple of lines of something or I may look for some titles or concepts to write a song in the future. The important thing is that you start a discipline of writing something for at least fifteen minutes a day.

If you're stuck you can also free write, that means just putting down anything that pops in your mind, don't try to rhyme or have a cool phrase or anything.

The other thing that improves your writing a lot is to object write. So from your free write or even just pick a verb and a noun from wherever the dictionary opens and write anything putting all your seven senses in it. Taste, smell, visual, hearing, touch, kinetic movement and internal sensations.

Take the word "Runaway Train" and write using a paragraph using all your senses about the runaway train and maybe even how does your life feel like a runaway train. Maybe your life is out of control and there's an impending threat.

If you think you have to write a song everyday, it's overwhelming and intimating, so you don't. You just have to write anything and even bad songs are fine.

Last edited by Belladonna; 03/06/18 01:48 PM.
camp_band #461151 03/08/18 07:36 AM
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For me personally it's all about the emotion. No matter what artistic media I am using, I find that so long as I have an emotion -- whether anger, sadness, or pure joy -- I need an extreme emotion in order to be inspired to write or to make something happen artistically speaking. I find no matter what or how much I try to create when I am not emotionally invested in the project that it just falls flat, or I get flustered and scrap it. So in order to remain inspired or get inspired, I need to be moved by something or have an overwhelming need to convey a certain sentiment.


Cheers,
Ember
camp_band #461746 03/11/18 11:43 PM
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I agree with @Ember - PG Music. I think emotion has a major role in songwriting. Especially, when you are able to connect to your deepest sadness, happiness, confusion, or whatever bothers you. I would say that being able to read yourself and understand your flaws, whether they are in songwriting or in life, in general, will be a positive contribution to one's creations. However, this will come in time and I need to practice a whole lot! Perhaps one day I can write a song about how I changed my life for the better.

@Belladonna, you are completely right and have given me some useful tips! It is a great thing to be able to "borrow" ideas from other places and recreate them in your own way! Particularly when you connect with a song/novel. I think that these days the internet is full of stories that I can connect to and can help my creative juices flow! smile

Last edited by camp_band; 03/11/18 11:44 PM.
camp_band #461767 03/12/18 03:27 AM
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Janice and I are mountain bikers. We enjoy demanding tough trails that require a lot of aerobic and anaerobic output. It sounds counter intuitive but often there is a zen like aspect of intense exercise on a bike. You are totally focused on the trail but somehow you are set free. It is this point that a lyric idea will often come to me. If it seems to be a really good idea (and I’m not racing smile ) I’ll slow long enough to tell Siri to make a note.

Otherwise I’ll occasionally hear a phrase watching a movie or conversing with someone that seems to stick. I’ve never just sat down to write a song sans an idea. I’m neither that creative or prolific.

I have a friend on this forum who will tell me that “the song truck backed up this weekend and dumped a load in my lap.” And they are invariably great. I wish!

Bud


Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more.
If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks!
Our Videos are here on our website.
camp_band #461772 03/12/18 04:36 AM
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Where does inspiration come from?

Mostly life and watching people go through things. Sometimes just a thought, or listening to something someone says.

Here's a list of my recent songs and how they came to be

Crystal Clear: True love and how it affects someone.

That's How The Story Ends: I heard another writer's song here and it inspired a slightly different direction on the topic.

One More Time: wrote this from a listing for music needed by a film. Missed the deadline.

Nowhere Left To Turn: A friend who I have played with in a few bands back in the day finds himself homeless and broke at the age of 64 and there's not too many options for him.

On The Road: just a fun run at fantasy throwing adult responsibility out the window.

Whiskey For Breakfast: Inspired by the lyrics a writer here sent. Wrote it to be about war and conflict and the fallout in the lives of the folks involved.

That's just a start. Look around you and write about what you see. The more you write the better you get.

Last edited by Guitarhacker; 03/12/18 04:36 AM.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
camp_band #461869 03/12/18 10:26 PM
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That's an interesting approach @Janice&Bud. I should try it sometime, activity helps to clear one's mind for sure! When I have something on my mind I always go for a walk or take my bike and just drive around but I haven't thought about doing it for inspiration.
@Guitarhacker those are some nice titles. How do you usually come with the title? Do you write the song first or brainstorm on the idea, come up with the title and then the song?

camp_band #461890 03/13/18 02:27 AM
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If you are not already inspired to write songs then let me suggest that maybe songwriting is not something that suits your personality. Most of the songwriters I know have too much inspiration to keep up with it in actual writing. I will say that being creative in any art takes practice and discipline. You can even see this in Jackson Pollock’s paintings. It is a chicken or egg situation. You do have to try it for a bit before deciding you want to dive in and study the craft. Find a local songwriters group and join in. Participate n FEbruary Album Writing Month 2019. Take a look around the room you are in and pick out one object or other person, and think of three slightly obtuse characteristics about that object or person you would describe in slightly obtuse terms. In other words try to avoid being absolutely direct in your descriptions. Don’t say: the cover of the book is red. Rather: whether it preferred to be green or blue, someone chose scarlet for its hue. Practice that kind of storytelling where you come to the description from a side road instead of the main highway.

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You know, i jjust let it flow, with no idea usually where it is going. I just start singing with guitar and writing the words, of course, there is the scratching out process, and rewriting.

camp_band #462045 03/13/18 06:50 PM
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All the above posters make some good points. Keeping your idea antennae up is a skill that just takes practice.

The most important thing to remember about inspiration is that there is next to nothing that hasn't already been written about in a song. I find that fascinating and freeing in one way and quite a challenge in another.

camp_band #462046 03/13/18 07:16 PM
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Where do you get your song writing inspiration? … Now there is a question I am often asked, and I have always thought, you can give a 10-second answer or one that takes a day. It is almost impossible to describe the creative process to a non-creative person. As for the creative ones, we have a language and some shared insights, but we will still create from our own perspective. Moreover, we should, because that is what makes the product unique.

For myself, I usually write from the perspective of a character. If I may explain – In my early years I was an actor in New York City and Los Angeles. When I stood in the wings, waiting for my cue to walk on stage, or film set, I was inside my head steeping myself in back-story. Who is my character and what is the period? How am I dressed? Is it raining or cold, am I laughing or sad, and what do I see as I look around. (No, not myself looking at the stage, the curtains, the lights), but what the character in the production is seeing.

I write stories and songs almost the same way. I see a drunk in a bar and I wonder, who is he? what is his story? I see a soldier kissing his wife and kids at the arrival gate in an airport - Who is he? is he home from war? what are his experiences, how will he adjust to being home? I see a young woman standing in the rain on a hilltop, or an old woman pushing all of her belongings in a shopping cart... Who are they? what is their story?

Believe me, that was the SHORT answer !

An example of writing a song from seeing a man drunk in a bar is in my song, ‘Going Down Hard’, posted somewhere on this site.


No set genre. I write Western, Civil War/Historical, Southern Swamp Rock, Blues, Doo-[*****] and the usual ‘love lost – love misplaced’ songs. I also write many non-PC parodies. Apart from the serious and sad, it is nice to make people laugh.
camp_band #462223 03/14/18 09:18 PM
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A good way to practice these techniques is to take an existing song and try and write your own lyrics over it. And then take an existing lyric of another song and try and write your own music.

Note; I said PRACTICE, you would obviously not record, release or perform these. Imagine how much your songwriting would improve if you did these exercises every day?


LyricLab – Where words become music https://www.lyriclab.net/
camp_band #462267 03/15/18 04:15 AM
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Well,

I have some thoughts on this.

1.) Inspired energy. Inspire means "to breathe life into" so "Inspired" literally means "to have live breathed into." I have found that with 100% accuracy you most often have life "breathed" into you when you help out other people, or encourage and inspire them--say something nice. That energy comes back you. The more you encourage and inspire others the more inspired you will get. You will never be inspired if you don't. You will only be isolated, empty and flat--and that's the way your songs will sound.

2.) You have to listen to A LOT of other people's stuff. One goldmine I have found is BIAB demos for styles. Every day for the last four years I have listened to 2 or 2 of those demos and found chord progression ideas I liked. Now I have several thousand arranged in folders in every genre. So if a sync licensing company says "Can you crank out a song in this style in 24 hours" I can say--"No, I can do it in 20 minutes."

3.) Write lyrics all the time. I use my phone to record both audio and voice to text files of every chorus, hook, or verse idea I can think of. I also use Evernote because it syncs up with everything.

I have hundreds of chorus ideas in a chorus folder because I think choruses are the heart of a song. I don't always know what to do with choruses on the spot, but if I think of one I write it down immediately and file it in a special folder. Then weeks later, after it has had time to "stew"--the song almost always pops out. Okay, I have been simmering long enough! I am ready now!!

4. Electronic post its. Microsoft has electronic post it notes. I keep it open all the time so if I think of something while I am doing something else I can put a verse line or idea on an electronic post it. Then at the end of the day, I transfer all those post it notes to a Word document. Then if I want to know "What was that line I had about heart at the end of the road?" I just do a search in word and there it is!

5. Use Audio chord Wizard. If I ever hear a song I like in my collection, and I am fascinated by the chord progression, I am never content to just wonder how they did it. I load it into BIAB audio chord wizard and check it out...Oh, so that's how they did it huh.

Those are the main ingredients of my process. Oh there are 2 more:

6. Carry a notepad where ever you go and write down what people say in malls, churches, bars, restaurants, on the street. Human beings are a gold mine for song lyrics.

7. Read A LOT of books. Every novel has about 400 song titles or choruses in it so far as I can tell.

P.S. I just wrote on a sticky:

Belladona
Neighbors at her feet
Wonder if she'll find them
something good to eat

Do you think it has a chance?? Does anyone hear a melody???


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Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:

Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana, Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes, MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano, Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7, Playable RealTracks Set 4, RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark, and more!

Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!

New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!

We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!

Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!

Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.

Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles

Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)

And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.

You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.

Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!

The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!

Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!

With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!

These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!

This Free Bonus PAK includes:

  • The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK: -For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles. -For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles. -For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
  • Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
  • Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
  • Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
  • Playable RealTracks Set 4
  • RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
  • SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
  • 128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.

Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:

  • 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
  • FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
  • Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
  • Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
  • Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
  • RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe

Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!

New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!

Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!

We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!

In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!

All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.

Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 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.

New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!

We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!

If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!

Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

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.

New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!

Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!

We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!

In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!

All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.

Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 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.

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