|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618
Journeyman
|
OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618 |
Hello all,
I've been gone for quite awhile after last Fall's flood disaster. We're recovering and have replaced our Desktop, which gets used mostly for everything. This includes all of our entertainment. This ties it up a most of the time.
My Wife got a Dell Laptop with a 15" Widescreen. It looks and works great.
I need my own Laptop computer now and many are affordable still. I'm thinking the 17" screen Laptops are going to be a bit heavy and bulky to cart around the house and even on my lap. I really like the 15" Wide Screen on hers, but I was wondering if any of the 14" are good. They make many I assume for more portability. A big factor in this is that my eyesight is not what it used to be.
I know many people here use Laptops and I was wondering what Display size do you prefer? Adding a Monitor is very simple now with the new PCs. We connect our 40" HDTV with an HDMI and another monitor as well.
Just wondering what the most popular screen size is for those who use BIAB and Realtracks and PTPA?
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Wayne,
P.S. I bought a Mustang I Amp for Christmas and I'm playing Guitar again. So it won't be very long till I have some new stuff. Thank you all for your support in the past.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913 |
More important to me than the screen size is the keyboard layout. With most of the 17" widescreen models these days, they have a dedicated number pad over on the right side of the keyboard. As I'm a nerd, I love to have that at the ready for entering in measure numbers, parameters on plugins, etc.
I would also look for an HDMI output on the lappy, as this can get you all the screen you ever care to look at, for a much less expensive outlay than a similarly sized monitor.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,987
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,987 |
My wife got a Dell 15.4" 11 months and three hard drives ago. Their idea of in-warranty customer service was to send used drives (stripped out mounting holes) to a disabled lady senior citizen and say "have at it!" My wife is in no way a "power user." She just got her new Acer 17" and she's very happy with it. In fact, the Dell was a lot more money.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618
Journeyman
|
|
OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618 |
Sorry to hear about the problems with the Dell. Most people I know have Dell Laptops and haven't had any problems. Some are over ten years old
The others are all HP and they all have problems and never can get HP to fix them.
I think which brand is always going to be a personal decision. My wife's Dell is 6 months old, has an i5, 6gb ram AND A 750GIG hd. It was $499 at BJ's Wholesale here. Now I wish I had bought 2. I didn't have the money then and I also didn't think I'd ever want a laptop.
They all come with HDMI ports for the past year from what I've seen. What I'm looking at now is basically the same machines only now they all have USB3 ports.
I guess I'll get the 15". I love the feel of the keyboard on the Dell. That was my wife's main demand and I like it better than my Desktop Keyboard.
If I find a 17" that I really like I might get it. So far they still seem too big for me and my Lap and Sofa.
So are most of you using 15" laptops? Just wondering if anyone uses the 14" ones.
Wayne,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618
Journeyman
|
|
OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618 |
Having a full keyboard is important. Though I really never used the number pad on the right, The 15" Dell my wife has, has a full number keypad on the right. The only thing that takes a bit of getting used to is the arrow keys and the Home, End Page Up and Down. They are different on many keyboards though.
She did go crazy trying to use the touchpad. She's been using computers since the 80s and this touchpad drove her nuts. We just bought a Logitech Wireless. Works great and the usb plug is less than a half inch. We tried the mouse on our desktop and it works at 24 feet, so we got one so we could bring it to the table when we eat to use the PC when we watch things on our Flatscreen. No more getting up if the phone rings. We don't have cable so we use only the Internet for all our Movies and TV shows. Works well, better than most DVDs.
So I guess not many people go for the 14" Laptops. I know that looking at them in person, they do seem a bit small. I still like the size of her Dell 15". It's wide and I can read the screen with ease. Our Desktop is always set to HD, for Entertainmaent and all the type is too small for me to read.
Wayne,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618
Journeyman
|
|
OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618 |
Went to a Local Play rehearsal last night and 2 people brought their laptops. One 14" Acer and an ASUS 15" The ASUS won out on all levels.
I think I'll be sticking with 15" and chossing ASUS or Dell again. The keyboard on the ASUS felt great. They were both new. The Acer's keyboard didn't feel good to me. There are just too many models to choose from.
Wayne,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913 |
One more thing to look out for--- The samsung I bought in the last 6 months has a touchpad that is WAY too sensitive. It sits right under the meat of my thumbs and while typing will take over cursor position. Fortunately there is a function key enable/disable toggle available. You might want to look for a similar feature.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,632
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,632 |
I have a couple Acers 15.6" in the house (56XX series I believe); one has ran well for a year, the other for two years of heavy use. Both still working fine.
I use a wirelless keyboard/mouse combo that takes one port and works great. So laptop keyboard is often not an issue. I have never found a laptop keyboard I liked better than regular. Or touchpad .. I'd rather just grab a regular mouse.
That said, there are times when I use the laptop keyboard when mobile, and it is OK for me, but some don't like it because the numberpad sits to the right of the letters pretty tight.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,725
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,725 |
FWIW . . . I use only Lenovos 14" Thinkpads for live gigs. They have been solid work horses for years and the low profile 14. something screen is not imposive on my music stand.
Later,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,610
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,610 |
Love my Toshiba Satellite ... 17" monitor (widescreen). Keys are full size, num pad to the side - plenty of space.
Cheers.
Cheers, Mike My Music * Asus ROG Strix G15CF 32 GB DDR4 4TB HDD + 1 TB SSD NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 8GB Win 11 AKAI EIE PRO Sound Interface. BIAB/RB 2024 UltraPak Build - Latest
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618
Journeyman
|
|
OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618 |
I just got to use a friend's Toshiba 17" and it was great. I loved the 17" display. Keyboard was fine.
They don't use the touchpad either and had a wireless mouse. It was really nice. The 17" is not that much bigger to use but the benefits of the larger screen was amazing. It made the 15" look small.
The 15" is very short from top to bottom and very wide. The Toshiba 17" just looked like a better aspect ratio. I don't know if it is different but I liked it a lot.
So I'm not going to rule out the 17" Laptops. Lots of deals on them. Maybe people don't want big laptops?
Wayne, Thanks all for your advice and experience.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,251
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,251 |
If high screen resolution is important to you then you should be sure to check the 17" laptop specs because a large number of them have a much lower resolution than the 15".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618
Journeyman
|
|
OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618 |
Thanks Bob,
That's really good to know. Never thought of that. This will be my first Laptop since the old 386 days.
Wayne,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,926
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,926 |
Quote:
Maybe people don't want big laptops?
Nope, just the market at work. Prices are coming down all the time.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
Both of my Dells have 17" displays and I wouldn't be able to embrace a 15" since having bigger. But everyone is different. The eyesight isn't what it used to be either, so the bigger display is necessary.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PDT on May 31st, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
Holiday Weekend Hours
It's Victoria Day Long Weekend in Canada. Our Customer Service hours are:
Saturday, May 16: Closed
Sunday, May 17: Closed
Monday, May 18: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Regular hours resume Tuesday, May 19th!
Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
Don't wait - order today!
Check out all the new features in the redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 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 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
Note: 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.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums57
Topics86,318
Posts803,307
Members40,097
| |
Most Online64,515
Apr 8th, 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean