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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 31
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 31 |
Hi all,
A couple of years ago I tried a BIAB demo and it wasn't quite what I was looking for at the time. But BIAB has changed a bit since then, and so have my needs. But there's no downloadable demo now (plus it's too big for me to get now anyway). Your suggestions and experiences would be most welcome.
Back then, I recall entering the chords from "Stand By Me" and then trying to tweak it until it sounded vaguely like SBM, rather than a completely new arrangement or else one of the great many other songs that use the same progression. I was unable to get remotely close, but that could have been very largely due to my not spending long enough learning all the options?
However, I'm now wondering whether it would be useful as a song-writing tool. I'm pretty OK with lyrics but mediocre on my main instrument and positively lousy on the others. Currently I usually get lyrics fairly well advanced and then fail to get a decent music track together. I'm thinking that I might be better off getting as close as I can with something like BIAB and then finally shaping the lyrics to suit, rather than getting polished lyrics that are let down by crummy self played music.
But the big question is "How close is close?" Can you get pretty nearly what was in your head? And if so does it require a Master Degree in Advanced Geek-Speak and months of study, or can you get something reasonably individual and non-generic after, say, a few hours or days of study?
Thanks for reading.
Chris
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,847
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,847 |
Hey Chris, I write songs and I find BIAB absolutely brilliant. I use the PC version. Not having to worry about playing an accompaniment frees me up incredibly. If you're curious to hear some of what BIAB can do, go to ... http://www.americansongspace.com/Noel96/... and have a listen. Every song at that site is one of my original songs and the backing is entirely BIAB. The only "live" musician is me singing (except in "Who Knows Where We're Going" and "Everything Under The Sun" where my co-writer plays guitar bridges and fill-ins). Everything else is PG Music. All the best, Noel
Last edited by Noel96; 05/16/11 12:12 AM.
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 31
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 31 |
Hi Noel, Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. I enjoyed listening to your songs, but couldn't help thinking that a couple of them sounded pretty familiar. Quite easy to sing along to in fact... I wasn't sure why - until I noticed that you had another link in your sig here as well. So I clicked on that and... waddya you know.... I had actually stumbled on that site yesterday and listened to a couple of your songs there. No wonder they sounded familiar! Quite a coincidence. What are the chances of that, I wonder?  I noticed yesterday that you're in Bundoora but for some reason thought that was in Queensland, so the Melbourne tag threw me. In the early 70s I used to live in inner Melbourne (Windsor) and was a partner in a design business that did publicity photos and album covers for Mushroom records. Gee, that's a million years ago now... albums were big vinyl things then! I'm just outside Perth now. Anyway, thanks very much for the chance to hear it in action. Does it give you much freedom to 'compose' in detail, or is it mostly 'in the style of' sort of feel? I guess either would do but I'd like to be able to get pretty specific if I can. Although I do have some DAWs that can tinker with things a lot too. I can feel a long bout of manual studying coming on..... Cheers, Chris
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,847
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,847 |
Hi Chris, I've never thought about it before but I guess my compositions tend to be "in the style of", at least in their early stages. I load a BIAB style, and begin composing. Often I will load a demo song for a particular style and use the chord progression for that demo as a starting point for developing my own progression. Once my song is essentially composed, I hunt through the Realtracks to see if there might be one that sounds better than what I already have. Then I usually play around with adding shots, pushes and holds to customize my arrangements. Using these features would move me out of the "in the style of" mode and into the "tailor the arrangement" mode. When I have the song sounding like I want it, I load the BIAB file into Realband and use additional Realtracks to create fills and solos. I cut and paste a great deal to get the solos and fills exactly as I want them. Once I have all this in place, I save the Realband tracks as individual wav files and load them into Reaper for mixing and mastering. (An important thing to appreciate about Realtracks is that they are musical phrases and thus it is not possible to create individual note sequences and have the RTs play these notes. This is possible with MIDI. That being said, however, it is possible to cut and paste and create RT phrases and even individual notes if you are patient enough.) Hope this gives you some ideas! I couldn't be without BIAB. I often find the most productive way to compose a song is to type in a chord progression (or load one from a demo, as mentioned above), start the backing playing, and simply sit at the computer saying phrases that pop into my head and that fit with the backing. When I stumble on something I like, that becomes the starting point of my song. Keep in mind that PG Music offer a money-back guarantee if you do not like the product. They stand by this. It might be worth contacting them and asking about it. It's always good to meet a fellow Aussie! There are a few of us in these forums  All the best, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 31
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 31 |
Thanks for that extra information Noel. It all sounds good.
I've also now had time to watch some of the demo videos, including one which showed how you can drop the results into GarageBand, ProTools or Logic (all of which I have) so that's handy. Apparently you can also split the BiaB arrangement into the individual instrument tracks and drop those into the DAW, which is ideal. One way or another I should have ample opportunity to tweak things around.
It should also be handy for making backing tracks for general practice. I can try and copy the BiaB arrangements with my own instruments and then make my own alterations when successful. Must be worth having! So I've taken the plunge, and it's downloading as I type this. The boxed copy will probably show up in a week or two I expect, but I might keep slowly downloading some of the files in the meantime.
Thanks again for your help,
Cheers,
Chris
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,847
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,847 |
Welcome to the club, Chris. You won't regret it Happy songwriting, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Mac 2025 Special Upgrade Offers Extended Until August 15th!
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New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
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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!
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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!
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Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!
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-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
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- 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!
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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!
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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.
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!
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.
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