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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 112
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 112 |
Hi
I have finally upgraded from the MegaPak version of BIAB 2011.5 to UltraPlusPak 2012.
The main reason for buying BIAB is to create 'Backing Tracks' so I can play my guitar or keyboard with a 'Real Band' as I am not a Pro musician. Now I have the full 2012 version I would like to learn the program properly, but not sure if I should study the BIAB manual or Realband - can't see the point in learning both for simply creating Backing Tracks.
I'm leaning towards RB for this purpose rather than BIAB as I can possibly add extra riffs etc. if needed, but I appreciate I could use the Melody and Soloist tracks to add these in BIAB.
My question - what can BIAB do that RB can't ?
Glen
Intel i7 3770K @ 3.50Ghz, 16GB Ram, Windows 10 64-bit, BIAB 2024 UltraPak, Cubase 13 Pro, Yamaha Genos 2 Arranger Keyboard.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,276
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,276 |
Here is a simple answer. If you are going to do recording with the backing then you need to work in RB. If on the other hand you will be playing live to the backing then BIAB. Really that simple in my mind 
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 826
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 826 |
My personal opinion is learn BiaB first. You can have great songs to play along with in just seconds.
I suggest you go to the style picker and pick a RT style you are interested in. Then just click the 'load demo song' button, click play and jam along.
Then, after you have established how easy it is to get a great backing track you can experiment with you own chords etc.
After you have an appreciation for what BiaB can do for you it's time to move to RB for recording and tweaking. Both programs together can do more than either alone.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 600
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 600 |
Wow, great question. I decided to go with the BIAB first as I want to use it as mainly a backing program BUT as I've gotten into MIDI music with college course and all, I have come to the realization that I am going to need to study both. Not having really gotten into RB I see it as a extension of BIAB. I think I need to learn how to use BIAB to its fullest before going into the complexities of RB. Will be really interested in the answers that some of our Gurus give here.
Dell 610 dual Monitor, win 7-10, Sonar Plat, ProTools 10 & 11, Reaper 4, BIAB/real Band 2022, Easy Drummer, Superior Drummer, Kontact Essentials, Personnel Orchestra, Korg Legacy Analog & Digital
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,179
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,179 |
My opinion is different that pwarren; I'd learn RB first as it seems to fit your purposes better (ease of adding additional tracks). BiaB is limited in audio recording especially for additional tracks.
RB can do a lot of what BiaB does, it just does it differently (and sometimes slower). If RB seems intuitive to you after a few sessions all the better. If not, try BiaB and see if you like it better. I learned RB (PT) first before venturing into BiaB and only now do I see where it can be a real time saver, for some functions (just testing ideas and creating new song structures). But even when I do use it I move to RB eventually to add what I want and finish it off. Quite a few users move their projects from BiaB to another DAW to add tracks and finish them. So my suggestion is learn RB for your recording needs, then learn BiaB later for the time saving and 'extra' features.
BiaB does have LOTS of extra features RB doesn't. I personally don't use a lot of them and find I get the most work done in RB in the long run .. stuff I couldn't even attempt in BiaB presently..
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 826
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 826 |
I didn't see anything in the OP about recording. Seemed he wanted to jam with a "real band". However, if recording is his focus you may be right to suggest RB first. I just hate to see somone struggling with RB if all they wanted was accompaniment.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,179
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,179 |
Quote:
I'm leaning towards RB for this purpose rather than BIAB as I can possibly add extra riffs etc. if needed,
You may be right, I took the above as meaning he wanted to add additional tracks to his work .. 'add extra riffs' I guess would be the key part needing definition from OP..
maybe I was wrong, in that case it was my fault. Nothing new there.
Last edited by rharv; 12/13/11 05:12 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 112
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 112 |
Many thanks for your comments guy's they are really appreciated  My idea is to try and create reasonable backing tracks to songs of the 60's and 70's, not exact copies I realise this is beyond the capabilities of BIAB and not what its for, but a recognisable match. As an example, the intro riff to the Beatles song 'Ticket To Ride' I would like to add to a basic BIAB backing track so its easily recognisable as the song in question. So I would want to record a riff or embellishment but play along with the song live either using guitar or simple keyboard (my keyboard skills are rubbish). It looks like I am going to have to bite the bullet and study both programs, as everyone's needs are different I can then make up my own mind which one suits me. Thanks again for your help Glen
Intel i7 3770K @ 3.50Ghz, 16GB Ram, Windows 10 64-bit, BIAB 2024 UltraPak, Cubase 13 Pro, Yamaha Genos 2 Arranger Keyboard.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,809
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,809 |
One of the great things about BIAB is that you can get together a whole and excleent sound in about 5 secs - yes I do mean a whole song
Win 11 64, Asus Rog Strix z390 mobo, 64 gig RAM, 8700k
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,120
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,120 |
If I were you, I would head straight to the PG Tutorial Videos. See how the ABC's are done first and where to look to get them first. Once you get the basics down, you will be knocking out songs in no time.
Trax
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,120
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,120 |
Oops, I'd learn Biab first. Selecting styles are MUCH easier to do in Biab vs RB. Once you get the backing track style and song laid out, save your song in Biab. You can open Biab songs from RB since they both use the same format.
In Biab, there is a style filter which will narrow down your style search more quickly as well. Click a couple of buttons and your style list will now list similar styles as the prototype, instead of searching through the whole list.
Biab first for the learning scale.
Trax
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,179
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,179 |
Now that I know more about what you want to do, it does sound like BiaB will get you a long way much faster than RB, learn RB when you need to.
You'll already know the song structures and chords, finding a style is much faster in BiaB. Then maybe you can add your audio there too if it's only a few fills. Could be you don't need RB at all!
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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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!
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- 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
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- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
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- Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
- Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
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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!
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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.
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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