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I can listen to my songs on tinny 5 dollar speakers. If you are weighing the value of Audiophile version, I suggest you weigh the value of good monitors. What YOU listen on and mix with will affect the end product and what others hear on whatever system.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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It doesn't matter if I can hear my wonderful BiaB productions as much as the people buying my albums. I can listen to my songs on tinny 5 dollar speakers.
You won't be able to create a MIX that will translate if you try that. Self Defeating. Get the Standard RealTracks and spend the leftover money on a good set of Powered Nearfield Monitors and an aftermarket Sound Device designed for making recordings. If YOU cannot hear it, you cannot mix it. --Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Great I am glad I was the one that finally shut down this obsolete 2013.5 posting. It is due time. So I might as well just add to it making it kind of like my journal. I have been going around acting like a bigshot talking about my albums I am producing with Band in a Box. Wow everyone is excited about it all over town....not really. Nobody is jumping up and down. Likely they don't believe it will happen. But this isn't your Daddy's Capital Records produced album. Signed to their label. This is lil ole me with a lil ole project that will keep me busy. Probably earn me 500 bucks over time selling the album. So I won't be an overnight sensation by any stretch of the imagination. But in my world when I write and produce these some greats and start selling them I am successful. With Band in a Box we can become the music business I believe. You see my wonderful record label there on my avatar. Wow! I win again. As long as you are having a good time with what you are doing. So even my low expections are good enough for me!! Anything more than that is icing on the cake with BIAB!!!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Sly, you've very enthusiastic and that's great. You also sound like a very nice guy and that's also great! But...you're doing this bassackwards. Computer speakers?! Are you kidding? This is the bare minimum: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/B...CFU7ZQgodABYAgAThis is better: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR308/Note this price is EACH while the M Audios are for a pair. This is getting there as far as high end is concerned: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Solo6Be/$1,350 EACH. If you can't explain to me why these Focals are worth the money and how you have a very good acoustically treated room to put them in then you have absolutely NO business at all discussing the Audiophile Real Tracks because you'll never, ever notice any difference at all. One last thing, this is what I have and these are still in lots studios to this day except they have the industrial matte grey finish not the nice walnut veneer mine have: http://www.lansingheritage.org/html/altec/specs/home-speakers/model-14.htmThese were $2,850 each in 1984 but I bought mine used at a great price about 8 years ago. These are old school passive speakers and I'm driving them with a nice old SAE amp but studios will use ten grand worth of amps, preamps and other stuff with speakers like these. This is the quality of speakers Mac is talking about. You have to HEAR what is on the tracks in order to mix them properly so they sound good on your customers various setups. Bob
Last edited by jazzmammal; 11/14/13 04:41 PM.
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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"Get the Standard RealTracks and spend the leftover money on a good set of Powered Nearfield Monitors .."
QFT and all that.
I may have used the word invest in place of spend, but great advice.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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There's a "weakest link" concept in several of these recommendations above. You have to consider the hardware, software, environment, and your own capabilities including both business and music. A balanced approach, upgrading whatever part needs it most at any given time, will suit you well over the long haul as you continue to develop enough to recognize where that moving weakest link is.
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.
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The novice requires input from those who have experience enough to help them get around the things that they don't know that they don't know, Matt.
An analogy might be someone without knowledge of your and my primary instrument, the Trumpet, wishing to get started or start a youngster - and thinking they can get by with a bargain horn found at a garage sale or the likes but has no way of being able to check that horn out properly.
Starting the novice out on a leaky trumpet, or one with malfunctioning valves, frozen tuning slide, whatever, is not only detrimental but may prove to be such an unsatisfying experience that the novice might just quit and might just spend the rest of their lives thinking that the problem was themselves.
The same can be said for attempting to mix home recordings without some usable modicum of monitor speakers, typically should be the Nearfield Monitor Speaker approach, which is a concept in and of itself that the novice may not yet understand.
But at least they will not be hearing the limited bandwidth, low headroom stuff that comes out of the tiny little speakers that come out of the box with the computer.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I have a set of low end monitors (m-audio BX5A'a), some decent headphones (ATH-M50's and a lower end sony MDR-XD200 pair), a set of pc speakers w/ a subwoofer and I work in an untreated room. I still have to take my mixes to the car or the stereo system to try and fight EQ issues. I definitely don't have an optimum mixing environment and my mixes turn out OK (not great, not bad, just OK).
I got my BX5A's for $149 and traded for my M50's.
Moral of the story: There is none (ha, ha). OK, maybe that you can get decent recording done with relatively cheap equipment. But I think if you want to generate pro end recording stuff you need better equipment, a good mixing environment, skill and talent.
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I think some of it comes down too to what amount of money you have to spend, what musical ability you think you have, and whether you think having better more expensive equipment such as better mics and nearfield monitors will make much of a difference to the mix.
All of the above apply to me, was going to buy a good mic, but just use the cheapest shure dynamic one, because I believe that using a more expensive wont make much of a difference.
Same with monitors I was tempted to buy a more expensive pair, but still use Logitech 5.1 computer ones.
Musiclover
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be very careful about spending loads of cash on near-field monitors or high-end microphones or extensive sound treatments in your room. I am no expert but I have produced some nice recordings using a decent pair of headphones and LOTS of running around testing on other sound systems like my car, my stereo, my local audio store, etc. one problem with expensive gear is the law of diminishing returns kicks in very quickly. is a $10,000 Neumann mic really 100 times better than a $100 Shure? Nope. Probably not even twice as good. So you can easily end up spending a ton for very minor improvements in your gear. and anyway, even if you buy the best pair of near-fields out there, you still have to test/listen on a variety of other systems cause people listening to your music almost certainly will not have the monitors you have and every pair sounds a little different. with that all said, I am probably gonna buy a pair of KRK Rokit RP5 monitors for under $300 very soon. decent monitors and they won't break the bank! oh, and if you are gonna stick with headphones for mixing, I recommend VRM box ( http://us.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces/vrm-box). it does a decent job of emulating various monitors through your headphones as well as trying to compensate for the stereo isolation in headphones that you do not experience in monitors. I have found this to be a useful addition to my bag of tricks for around $100.
Last edited by JohnJohnJohn; 11/15/13 12:34 PM.
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. . . oh, and if you are gonna stick with headphones for mixing, I recommend VRM box ( http://us.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces/vrm-box). it does a decent job of emulating various monitors through your headphones as well as trying to compensate for the stereo isolation in headphones that you do not experience in monitors. I have found this to be a useful addition to my bag of tricks for around $100. Along with a pair of beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro reference headphones. A wee bit pricy, perhaps, but that reference designation is critical. They are the best combination of accuracy, comfort, and durability I have found in many years of mixing, and will help you get the most out of that VRM box (also highly recommended).
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Here's my roundabout way of thinking.
Sly wondered if Audiophile was worth it compared to regular version.
Then said he wasn't concerned how it sounded on his system, just on his customers.
He also mentioned working on little computer speakers.
If he can't hear the difference in the two, he can't make a mix worthy of supporting the better format. You can't mix what you can't hear.
So, the suggestion was to improve the listening environment with money saved by getting the regular version. That was the point (I think) Mac and I were both making. Not whether he could end up with a good mix by trying it, listening on a few systems, adjusting, listening on a few systems, etc etc. But rather getting monitors that were easier to learn. After doing the above routine a few times with decent monitors it becomes easier and then intuitive.
Trying to do it when you can't hear a lot of the nuances and then testing repeatedly consumes time. You still need to do it, but many less times once you can learn your monitors. (and can then Trust Your Ears)
Monitors are a good investment. A couple hundred bucks might make a huge difference.
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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So, the suggestion was to improve the listening environment with money saved by getting the regular version. That was the point (I think) Mac and I were both making. Not whether he could end up with a good mix by trying it, listening on a few systems, adjusting, listening on a few systems, etc etc. But rather getting monitors that were easier to learn. After doing the above routine a few times with decent monitors it becomes easier and then intuitive.
Trying to do it when you can't hear a lot of the nuances and then testing repeatedly consumes time. You still need to do it, but many less times once you can learn your monitors. (and can then Trust Your Ears)
Monitors are a good investment. A couple hundred bucks might make a huge difference.
curious how you feel about mixing in headphones, perhaps with a device such as the VRM Box? I am finding that with good headphones I can learn them in much the same way you mentioned learning monitors. I am finding the more I mix the closer I am getting to what I want when I play my mix on other systems. and for me, sharing a house with others and not doing this professionally, headphones are likely to be my main option for the foreseeable future!
Last edited by JohnJohnJohn; 11/15/13 07:14 PM.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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one problem with expensive gear is the law of diminishing returns kicks in very quickly. is a $10,000 Neumann mic really 100 times better than a $100 Shure? Nope. Probably not even twice as good. So you can easily end up spending a ton for very minor improvements in your gear. Absolutely true John. This is why us old timers here pretty much all use the 90/50 rule. Find something that gives you 90% performance of whatever you wish you could afford but can't and it costs 50% of that item. You have to do a lot of reading and haunt forums like this one to find the gear that meets that formula but once you do you're golden. Nobody but a few very snobby high end pro's will ever miss that 10% and you paid half what they did. Now to take it one step further and again I know I speak for several others here, I buy virtually everything used like my Altec's and I basically stumbled on those by accident. I bought a pair of nice old Dynaco A25's off Ebay for my sister and the seller was way out east of LA and a guy in my office lives out there so I gave him the money and he picked them up for me. He's not a musician, not an audiophile, know's nothing about this stuff. But, when I transferred them from his car to mine he asked me "didn't you tell me one time that Altec is a very good name?" I said yeah and he told me that the guy has a living room full of speakers and that includes a very nice looking pair of Altec's. I called the guy up, he wanted $425 for them, he emailed me some pics, he had them hooked up so I borrowed a friends van and ran right out there and grabbed them. Good grief $425 for a nice pair of Model 14's?? I've seen beat up ones with the veneer falling off go for a grand on Ebay and nice ones much more than that. That's how I buy my stuff but that's not for everybody. If you don't know what you're looking at and have a good idea of values you'll likely just throw your money away. You can still get good deals using the 90/50 rule as long as you don't have to have something now as in RIGHT NOW. Have some patience, look for close outs and sales and you'll do all right. 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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Well I was rattling on a lot about listening to my songs with my cheap speakers. But yeah I understand when I get serious about mixing my songs I will get some nice monitors. Those M-Audio monitors are right up my financial alley someday. I am sure the monitors that are twice expensive and more aren't going to be that much better for hearing all the sounds you need to hear. I like the looks of those M-Audio BX5 D2. I will buy BiaB then get those. But I wonder what my headphones would do with hearing all of the sounds I need to hear when recording. I think M-Audio is very popular. Maybe one of he best selling monitor's worldwide. I thought I read that. Not sure but that is about the price I would pay so only a millionaire would those Focal Solo6 Be - 6.5" Monitors at 1350 each. You have to make big money at least. Remind me when I get rich to keep the frugal mind. Keep my perspective and don't start buying something like those. Buy M-Audio even when I have 2.5 Million in my bank!! If you buy the most expensive things in life your money falls fast. Buy happy fools!!
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Wow, Despite the fantastic and valuable input from all involved, have I missed something obvious, or did this thread ("2013.5") ever get off-track... Maybe a new thread to deal with the current subject would be a better place to re-start?
BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
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Wow, Despite the fantastic and valuable input from all involved, have I missed something obvious, or did this thread ("2013.5") ever get off-track... Maybe a new thread to deal with the current subject would be a better place to re-start?
They say you can't keep a good man down but I suppose in this its a case of "you can't keep a good thread down"  musiclover
Last edited by musiclover; 11/16/13 11:08 AM.
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The topic of 2013.5 became moot and it morphed into something else of interest. I'm enjoying the adds, although it seems like one of the participants is impervious to some really good suggestions.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Not long now this 2013.5 will be a thing of the past so I better rattle more off on it. We are getting closer to December. It is now Nov 24 so this thing might be rolling out with bells on before we know it. My luck January will be here and no word. Wouldn't that be something? Just when I want to buy this program they didn't get it done. We will see.
I haven't managed to save anything toward the purchase. Not with the Executive Costco Card and T-Mobil hundred dollar prepaid taking my 200 dollars. But at least my credit card has a zero balance. So I pay 200 cash next month and go into debt about 500 dollars to get the Hard Drive and Wave files. Why not go for it? My dreams of producing my own albums is on its way.
Sure some bigshot producers may not think they are ready for the radio but for my downloadable independent productions of original words and music they might be great. For sure they will make my songs worth something in comparison to the Bare-Bones rhythm guitar I have had in the past. Say hello to new styles and opening my horizons with my creativity.
I wonder how much studio time they put into this program yearly? How many more hours of Real Tracks will it have this year in comparison to last year? And will they add more Bossa Nova this year? And how much more? I don't know how they do it. Do you think they might spend 20,000 dollars for Real Tracks productions a year? Just take a wild guess. Just curious.
Ok I better get going. Santa Claus is coming to town!! WOW!!
Last edited by SlyRuby; 11/24/13 09:28 AM.
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Hey Sly I can see you are looking forward to this new release.
Chances are you won't need $500 for the ultrapak verion hard drive.
If I remember correctly from last years sale it was on offer at $379 for first tine buyers.
And as far as I am aware to upgrade to the ultrapak plus from the most basic band in a box cost a lot less.
Of course these were last years prices, but historically speaking there has been very little difference in price each year.
Since you are in the market for this type of pgrgram there is a competing program from another company as well (though I believe that the rules of the forum prevent us from discussing or naming it here) It is no where as intuitive as band in a box or as easy to learn, but some of the users here own both, though there is no doubt that band in a box is used far more often. I have got pleasing enough results (at least to my ears) from both programs though band in a box is my number one, wins hands down.
Musiclover
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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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Holiday Weekend Hours
Our Customer Service hours this weekend are as follows:
Friday, April 18: 8:00 - 4:00
Saturday, April 19: closed
Sunday, April 20: closed
Monday, April 21: Regular hours
Thank you!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 French Version is Here!
Bonjour à tous,
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music
Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:
BIAB 2025 - francisation
RealBand 2025 - francisation
Voilà, enjoy!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 German Version is Here!
Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!
Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
Stay up to date—get the latest update now!
Update to RealBand® 2025 Build 5 Windows Today!
Already using RealBand® 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 5 now from our Support Page to ensure you have the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
Get the latest update today!
PowerTracks Pro Audio 2025 for Windows is Here!
PowerTracks Pro Audio 2025 is here! This new version introduces many features, including VST3 support, the ability to load or import a .FLAC file, a reset option for track height in the Tracks window, a taller Timeline on the Notation window toolbar, new freeze buttons in the Tracks window, three toolbar modes (two rows, single row, and none), the improved Select Patch dialog with text-based search and numeric patch display, a new button in the DirectX/VST window to copy an effects group, and more!
First-time packages start at only $49. Already a PowerTracks Pro Audio user? Upgrade for as little as $29!
www.pgmusic.com/powertracks.htm
Video: Summary of the New Band-in-a-Box® App for iOS®
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new Band-in-a-Box® app for iOS®! Designed for musicians, singer-songwriters, and educators, this powerful tool lets you create, play, and transfer songs effortlessly on your iPhone® or iPad®—anytime, anywhere.
Band-in-a-Box® for iOS® :Summary video.
Check out the forum post for more information.
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