Remember Computer Shopper? It was basically a book of ads plus a few articles. It was as thick as a metropolitan phone book. In the 90s it was "the" way to find out what was happening in the new world of computers, peripherals and software.
Recently I was cleaning out an old file cabinet, and there was a folder labeled "future purchases"
One of the ads I had saved for future reference was from Computer shopper's April 1992 edition. As it turns out, I bought two of the items shown on this page: Cakewalk 4.0 and Band in a Box (not sure which version of BIAB I bought first. I'm pretty sure I bought Cakewalk first, then decided it wasn't easy to use. Later a friend at work introduced me to BIAB, and I remember thinking "THIS is how music creation should work!"
I remember Computer Shopper. I love seeing those old ads.
And that version of BIAB is three behind where I started (I started in version 8). I bought the ProPak and just as today, and then quickly realized that what I needed was the MegaPak (which at the time was the one with mostly everything - UltraPaks, UltraPlusPaks, and EverythingPaks came later), so when BIAB v9 came out, I upgraded to the MegaPak. Never looked back and have used BIAB for something on almost a daily basis since.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 2x2TB, 1x4TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 2x1.5TB, 2x2TB, 1x4TB SATA
I also remember when other software first started incorporating audio loops. It was fascinating, but I thought that method of applying loops lacked the musical quality that BIAB achieved with its method of splicing snippets together into a cohesive song that followed the chords, and wasn't the same loop over and over.
At the time, people were getting frustrated by trying to play MIDI thru stock PC sound cards, and they couldn't get realistic sound. Even then the thought occurred to me that if PGMusic could ever figure out how to use audio loops the same way they were using MIDI snippets, they would have a game-changing product.
In 2008, they did!
To this day, nobody else has anything like it.
Hats off to Dr. Gannon and to everybody who has ever worked at PGMusic. Ideas are a dime a dozen. Making the idea work is much harder. And marketing the working idea into a product with a global user base is quite an accomplishment. Everybody reading this has benefited from your accomplishment. We thank you for making our lives a lot more fun than they would be without BIAB.
Check this out Pat, speaking of loops.... My first Sound Sampler for the Amiga, circa 1990.... I was also using Dr. T.'s KCS MIDI Sequencer and in years shortly after discovered Cool Edit Pro (now Adobe Audition). I was a late bloomer to BIAB but had my first experience with it in the mid '90s with a Music Theory class in college.
Check this out Pat, speaking of loops.... My first Sound Sampler for the Amiga, circa 1990.... I was also using Dr. T.'s KCS MIDI Sequencer and in years shortly after discovered Cool Edit Pro (now Adobe Audition). I was a late bloomer to BIAB but had my first experience with it in the mid '90s with a Music Theory class in college.
I remember in the early days of computing, the Amiga was a superior product that never got the foothold in the USA that it had in Europe. It was an interesting time when different platforms fought for market share. Microsoft's alignment with IBM pushed it over the top, when people like me decided it made more sense to learn the operating system we'd probably end up using at work... and PCs surged ahead of Amiga and Apple in sales, even though both of those were superior products.
And your post about the Perfect Sound Board reminded me of the first product I bought in my search for better MIDI output. It was a Roland Sound Canvas daughter board, which attached to some of the early Sound Blaster cards that were mainly for games, not music production. The daughter board had great sounds, and I used it until the Sound Blaster croaked. After which, I bought a Roland XV-3080 rack unit, which I still have... along with a bunch of expansion boards
My first BIAB was version 4, and I had Cakewalk Pro also. Fun post, Pat.
Not long after, I noticed Notes Norton's ads in Recording Magazine or some such for a "better band in your box".
I find it interesting that so many early adopters of BIAB are still active users! How many products from the early days of computing still exist at all, let alone still have faithful users who have been on board from the beginning?
as a tie-in to another thread about market share: PGMusic's ability to stay relevant in a changing market probably has a lot to do with their longevity (and therefore cumulative global user base). They outlived a lot of their original competitors, and they've parlayed their unique approach to making music so that the survivors haven't made them irrelevant.
The ability to export tracks directly to other DAWS was a brilliant idea, because it eliminated the idea that you only need one piece of music making software. By positioning itself as one part of a multi-faceted system of music creation, I think PGMusic pretty much carved out a niche that has become unassailable.
It was an interesting time when different platforms fought for market share. Microsoft's alignment with IBM pushed it over the top, when people like me decided it made more sense to learn the operating system we'd probably end up using at work... and PCs surged ahead of Amiga and Apple in sales, even though both of those were superior products.
Spot on Pat. I worked at a "Software ETC" computer store in 1989. That year most PC software sales was business/productivity software and they were getting a foothold on gaming software. We did sell lots of Sound Blaster 1.0 and Adlib sound cards. Amiga had the edge on games, art (Deluxe Paint), music followed by Apple. The original Macintoshes' were popular and Amiga had adopted their windows desktop look before M$ had got there. Of course M$/IBM would steal share from the others as you mentioned.
I also find it interesting that in 1992, Cakewalk Pro cost $175 while BIAB cost $59 (what would that be today, adjusted for inflation?)
Yet, today, Cakewalk is free while a first-time purchase of BIAB can run as much as $669!
Prices adjusted for what the market will bear? You can't charge more for a product that nobody wants to buy!
And given a marketplace that is so glutted with similar products that a popular product like Sonar is abandoned, then resurrected for free... PGMusic's ability to continue charging relatively high prices for its flagship product tells us all we need to know about the demand for BIAB. People tend to vote with their wallets. They won't spend money for products they don't want.
Of course M$/IBM would steal share from the others as you mentioned.
yeah, and they also stole a lot of ideas from their more creative counterparts.. like the GUI
Also one of the Mac's early advantages was that they had a standardized SDK, so all of their software looked the same, making it easy to learn any program that was available. PC software, on the other hand, was all over the place, with everybody trying to create their own interface.
Visual Basic changed that. With a standard set of menus and dialog boxes etc, it wasn't long before a bunch of top-notch shareware emerged for the PC... all of which looked and worked the same way.
Sorry for saying stuff everybody already knows, but I'm on a roll down memory lane and I can't find the brakes. ;-)
Pat, I don’t recall if I’ve told you this but I worked for Tandy in the 1970s. People know Tandy as Radio Shack. I used to take a computer in 1977, strap it into the passenger seat, and head to shows, schools, corporations and even TV appearances. I would often compete with the Apple dealer.
Working near the enormous IBM in Poughkeepsie NY, I sold tons of personal computers TO IBM and to IBMers years before they came out with their own personal computer in 1981.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Check this out Pat, speaking of loops.... My first Sound Sampler for the Amiga, circa 1990.... I was also using Dr. T.'s KCS MIDI Sequencer and in years shortly after discovered Cool Edit Pro (now Adobe Audition). I was a late bloomer to BIAB but had my first experience with it in the mid '90s with a Music Theory class in college.
Small world isn't it as I started with an Atari and Dr. T,s KCS! Dr T's software was way ahead of its time back then. I also used Cool Edit Pro. I then got a PC and later go Cakewalk's Pro Audio 9.
I tried BiaB back in my Atari days and I didn't like it. That is probably due to the fact I was using lousy sound sources and I didn't have the MIDI knowledge that I do today. I went back to using my external Korg DS-8 and doing everything myself.
I tried BiaB around 2000-2001 and I liked the improvements that they did. I've been using and updating every since.
It is extremely impressive that a software company has been in business for such a long time. Especially a small market software business, meaning the percentage of computer owners recording music. I understand that it is the lowest percent tile of all the specialized computer applications.
I got banned from Weight Watchers for dropping a bag of M&Ms on the floor. It was the best game of Hungry Hippos I've ever seen!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Mario, in a real way I'm STILL using Cool Edit Pro. I use Adobe Audition 1.5. Version 1 simply was Cool Edit Pro renamed, and version 1.5 fixed a few things. I also have version 3 which requires ASIO but rarely fire it up since 1.5 is so stable.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
In the US, Radio Shack was the poor man's way to open the gateway to computer land. The one close by my house sold the Model 1 and model 3 but also sold the Commodore and Atari product lines. Later on they sold IBM and GoldStar (Korean IBM clone).
There really isn't anything quite like Radio Shack today (sigh).
Jim, your local Radio Shack was a franchise store as opposed to a company one. They were typically much older established stores that added the part of the Radio Shack line they wanted to carry.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Pat, I don’t recall if I’ve told you this but I worked for Tandy in the 1970s. People know Tandy as Radio Shack. I used to take a computer in 1977, strap it into the passenger seat, and head to shows, schools, corporations and even TV appearances. I would often compete with the Apple dealer.
Working near the enormous IBM in Poughkeepsie NY, I sold tons of personal computers TO IBM and to IBMers years before they came out with their own personal computer in 1981.
My first computer was a Tandy 1000 SX... it had:
one 5.25" floppy drive. (I upgraded to 2 so I could copy stuff)
8088 CPU running at 7.16 MHz.
640 Kb (not megs, not gigs, not Tb) of ram
no hard drive. I bought a 500 gig HD card for $500...
Monitor was monochrome green.
GWBasic! I loved that!
In the days before the internet there was PCLink, and you paid by the minute to be online. I once ran up a $200 bill because I didn't realize I was being charged. Glad those days are long gone!
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
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!
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
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!
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!
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!
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 Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac 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!
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.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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