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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 392
Journeyman
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 392 |
THANKS to everyone for your varied and INTERESTING comments. My wife is a GREAT jazz/blues singer who has been singing professionally since about age 12.
I'm a blues dog guitar and harp player.
Luckily, we don't have to gig for the money but want to present an AWESOME show...which can happen if I turn down! (-: (Actually, I can hang with the better cats on the harp...after 20 years of maniacle study and practice!
But my wife's first exposure to BIAB gigging was before we met and was therefore BIAB circa 1990-95 so you can imagine why she hasn't been overly excited about trying it out on gigs.
But I'm WORKIN' on it and will ask her to read these posts.
The comments about letting BIAB regenerate its tracks every time rather than freezing or burning CD's is INTERESTING. Maybe a little dangerous but interesting. (Sometimes...not too often... the tracks gulp a little when being newly generated. Maybe a PC issue, not a software issue...but a gulp is a gulp soundwise regardless). (-:
Again....THANKS!!!!!
Jim
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
Quote:
The comments about letting BIAB regenerate its tracks every time rather than freezing or burning CD's is INTERESTING. Maybe a little dangerous but interesting. (Sometimes...not too often... the tracks gulp a little when being newly generated. Maybe a PC issue, not a software issue...but a gulp is a gulp soundwise regardless). (-:
Exactly. This is what I meant when I said working with Biab live was a chore. It can be done seamlessly because Mac and others have posted they do it all the time but man, you've got to be a real expert with the program and pay attention to a lot of moving parts to do it. It's not just be an expert with Biab, it's also being an expert with your laptop. I can't emphasise that enough. We're dealing with computers here and you MUST understand how they work intimately. It's knowing the drivers, latency, MME or ASIO, midi input/output, audio settings, etc. When something burps on a gig under pressure, you have to know what happened, how it happened and how to fix it RIGHT NOW and move on. As a keyboard player I always had my bass/keys split patches ready to go in case of emergency and I'll just play live and worry about the laptop problem at the break.
Now to be fair, part of it was this was 5 years ago and things have improved a lot since then. My new laptop is much stronger than the old one, Biab has a lot more features now but the basic concepts are the same. If you're using the new freeze tracks feature, the Conductor still works so you can rearrange your song on the fly and the song starts in just a couple of seconds because frozen tracks don't have to regenerate but then you're losing that cool "slightly different version" thing Mac and others like so much. And so it goes, everything is yes, but, yes, but.
Remember, if you're just doing songs beginning to end the same way all the time then you don't need Biab at the gig at all. It's just a song playback player at that point. Take a MP3 player that has good playlist functions and plug it in to your PA.
So, this is my convoluted way of answering the question, can Biab be used live? Answer: Yes, but...
Just try these different things out and find the best way that works for you and your lady.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
On the other hand, running BiaB from a laptop on the piano's music rack is a LOT easier to get right than say, flying the F102.
Just sayin'
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 392
Journeyman
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 392 |
Quote:
On the other hand, running BiaB from a laptop on the piano's music rack is a LOT easier to get right than say, flying the F102.
Just sayin'
--Mac
HA! You're dating yourself. The F102 was an interceptor introduced in the late 1950s. (-:
And as my screen name suggests...I'm a pilot and can attest that FLYING the F102 would be easy enough. LANDING it....not so much!
(-:
Jim
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 101
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 101 |
I still like using my laptop for live gigs, but I also make higher quality mp3's, through adobe audition 3, and save them on my iPhone. There is a great app called "Backtrax" that allows you to play tunes one at at time and edit the order of your set list. It also has a show lyrics function, but that doesn't seem to work on my 4g phone (I probably need the new iPhone). I'm using a Bose L1 compact PA and the sound is great. I'm thinking of getting another one just for the stereo effect (for me, not the audience). I have two L1 mdl II systems at school that fill a very large auditorium with an amazing stereo sound, even using mp3's.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
Quote:
HA! You're dating yourself. The F102 was an interceptor introduced in the late 1950s. (-:
And as my screen name suggests...I'm a pilot and can attest that FLYING the F102 would be easy enough. LANDING it....not so much!
(-:
Jim
Hi Jim,
Then you should also know that the '102's not so affectionate nickname was, "The Flying Brick".
Takeoff and certain lowspeed maneuvers could kill ya faster than mere landing attempts, as a matter of fact, the first thirty some pages of the operation manual consisted of a list of to never attempt under any circumstances.
Quite a few died trying to fly the @$#%^ thing...
But once a pilot got past those issues, she was a joy of a bird for her intended purpose, which, indeed was supersonic interception.
I picked that model intentionally because she could be so hard to learn to fly.
Wasn't no F-16 fly-by-wire where the computer keeps a yanker-banker from doin' anything that might result in augerin' in, dontcha know.
Check Six,
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
That was Greek 2 me ok?
Practice makes perfect.
My son replied no one is perfect why try then.
I remember feeling speechless.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
When my kids said that, (Don't we all at a certain age?) I told 'em just like my Daddy told me: "Excellence may be unachievable for mortals, however the PURSUIT of Excellence should always be your goal in all things."
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
Or, as my former business partner said who was a major in the Air Force and flew F4's, you lose power in an F4 it takes on the flight characteristics of a set of car keys (pulls them out of his pocket and drops em for effect). You've got maybe 3 seconds to decide if you're gonna pull the curtain and punch out or not and as everybody knows punching out is no picnic either. I was AF intel he was the pilot, lots of stories between us. The 102 was a brick but the F4 was a bigger brick as in put those two big honkin engines on it you can make anything fly.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 19
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 19 |
While we're talking about live playing with MIDI, what DXi (or hardware?) synths do you use (either for live or in creating the audio files)?
BIAB 2026 for Mac (started with BIAB 2006 for Windows)
Guitarist and Worship Leader from Townsville, Australia
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697 |
Hey Jim, I just realized, your handle. It is AV8 as in Harriers?
Lindsay, I probably wouldn't use midi tracks any more. The Real Tracks sound too good even if I'm missing the occasional song specific lick here and there. I did a couple of small gigs two months ago and I was told that our regular drummer couldn't make it after I was also told there would be no bass player. I'm ok with playing left hand bass but not without a drummer. I was planning to bring my laptop and use Biab just for bass and drums but the drummer was able to make the gig anyway. I was practicing some of the tunes at home using my Kurzweil PC3 and Biab going through one of my EV 12" powered monitors. It sounded really good using a RT bass and a RD drum track. I would have had a guitarist and sax along with me so it would have been a trio with Biab.
If it was just me and a sax and/or a vocalist I would use Biab as the full band and probably use all RT's. If I did need a few midi tracks to fill in the Forte DXi is plenty good enough for that but I could also use the Kurz for midi. I would depend on what I think sounds best.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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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.
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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Holiday Weekend Hours
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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!
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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)!
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- 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)
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- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
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