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As my electric bill escalates, I often wonder, should I be concerned with the daily expense of leaving things run, or should I turn everything off when finished with a BB session? I have a $28.00 tester from Menards that answered several questions concerning every day expenses. First, using a single source 120 vac. outlet, I have my usual suspects up and running. Two QSC K12 powered speakers, one ALLEN&HEATH ZED 10fx mixer, an Ampeg GVT15H, AMPEG V4BH, DigiTech Vocalist Live4, HP Windows7 CORE i7 lap top, and a Yamaha MD4s. @ a rate of 9 cents per KW: 7hrs and 20 min.=1.63 KWH =.14 cents. :)So, I say let her run and enjoy the Best Buy available any where. Also for what is 's worth: a 12 gallon per day humidifier 58 hrs. and 45 min. cost .27 cents, An Eden Pure GEN4 heater, outside temp.@ 20 degrees fare., 98.18 hrs. cost $7.39. I hope someone can put these figures to good use.-----Leon
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We went out to dinner last night and spent $50. That was an intro, chorus, and 2 bar ending with no repeats.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Yep, Inrush Current at startup can easily cost more than what the meter rolls for steady state idling.
--Mac
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The question of "let it run, or shut it off" is more than simply the electrical cost.
That's the cheapest part of the equation.
I turn my studio gear off. Leaving it on subjects it to electrical spikes from the utility company 24/7 vs the 2 hrs or so I'm working on it. These things are coming down the line constantly. So use a good surge suppressor all the time. But lightning and utility switching surges can be larger than the MOV's can handle.
Also, when the gear is on, the electrical voltage is a pressure that affects the lifespan of the components. Any time there is voltage and current in a circuit, that pressure is there AND heat is being created. Heat also shortens the component lifespan.
Turning the computer off also clears the memory cashe which is a good thing to do.
The down side is that every time you turn it on, you cause a bit of a shock to the circuit as the current rushes in to charge things up and get it running again.
I weigh the options and choose the shut down. Besides, look at all that money I'm saving as electricity prices skyrocket.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 02/16/14 11:02 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Guitarhacker, All good points for sure. I do not let everything run 24/7, but then again, now I know that it only cost a few pennies to leave it on should I choose to. I am surge protected, X three power strips.----Leon
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As with most subjects of this type, I weigh the advantages and disadvantages on a daily basis and govern shutdown accordingly. For example, if I'm scheduled to leave the home office in the morning, no sense leaving it all turned on during that time.
On the other hand, if I'm working on something and have to take a break from it, I might choose to just leave everything up and running.
And everybody who uses electronic components of any kind should invest in good surge protection at a minimum, UPS with built in surge protection is great stuff. Power goes off, gear stays on. Allows for graceful shutdown if nothing else, often such a power down is short enough to allow me to just continue working through it while the UPS powers the junk.
--Mac
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Rachael, I am glad that you can afford to scoff at the rising cost of living. Some can not afford a trip thru Mc D's until the 3rd. of the month rolls slowly around each month.  -----Leon
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When finished I turn everything off, why? Because my Dad would have had a foot in my backside if I did not . . . now Dad has been gone a long time but old habits are still hard to break.
Later,
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Regardless of power consumption, remember that hard drive is spinning about 10 million revs each a day (for at 7200 rpm drive). Every hour it spins takes another hour off its total working life. Even SSD's have a finite operating life.
Have backups....
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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That's a good point to consider about the life of the HD, however I mostly leave the pc on for one reason; automatic system updates occur quite often and also the weekly scans for viruses malware and such, which mostly is setup to run automatically in the middle of the night. If it is turned off your liable to start any updates or scans, so here you are waiting for this thing do their stuff while you wait and often times you are asked to reboot to complete whatever it was doing. So I'm lazy I guess.
Mike B.
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Of course, the drive manufacturers will state fantastic MTBF values, potentially 50+ years. In the real world, my track record is slightly less than this.
Nothing wrong with leaving systems up continuously. I work in an industry where we have lights-out server rooms full of industrial computers running 24/7. Just make sure you have backups, that's the key!
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Rachael, I am glad that you can afford to scoff at the rising cost of living. Some can not afford a trip thru Mc D's until the 3rd. of the month rolls slowly around each month. -----Leon Interesting you thought my comment was scoffing. Point was I pissed away $50 in one night and got short termed enjoyment. BIAB gives as much enjoyment and cost must less. I'll take your .09/kwh vs my .11/kwh any day. Lighten up. I was making a joke.
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I knew what you meant, Rachel.
And also considered the holiday as well, being a happily married old lovebird here.
I think that forum communications can be easily misconstrued, for the simple fact that the written word simply is not able to convey the full communication that the spoken word does, even though a forum isn't exactly poetic or song lyric writing, the lack if prosody in the written word still applies.
You go, girl!
--Mac
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I turn my gear on in the morning or when I first use it, leave it on all day or until I leave, then I shut it down and unplug everything from the AC. If a thunderstorm approaches, I do the same thing.
I live in a very high lightning zone. One of the highest in the nation and even though the incidence is high, the chances of it affecting me are low. Since 1957 when we moved here, it's happened twice.
1) I went to lunch, thought I unplugged everything, but left a hardware sampler plugged it. When I got back it was toasted, the repair charge was $600
2) A sudden storm came up, I was in the process of unplugging everything, sparks flew through the house, and wiped out a printer/copier/fax machine.
Many, many years ago I took a job as a telephone repairman. I thought I was getting out of the music business and becoming a fine, upstanding, productive citizen. It didn't work out that way. I was playing music still on the weekends and when a good opportunity came up, bye, bye ma bell.
Anyway I went to a house that got hit. The drop line from the pole to the house was just neoprene, all the copper was gone and it was brittle to the touch. The metal flashing on the eave of the house was melted to the drop wire. The lightning protector was gone from the side of the house, and I found a good sized piece on the back fence. There was a black stripe on the exterior wall where the ground wire used to be. The wire going from the protector to the wall phone was stiff with red, green, yellow and black insulating plastic dripping out of it, the phone itself looked good until I took the cover off, it was black and melted inside. And there were two holes in the ceiling in the master bedroom over the bed. The customer said the lightning ran around in the attic for about 15 seconds before it punched the holes in the ceiling.
Lightning can do strange things. I don't keep my stuff plugged in when I'm not here, when I'm sleeping, or when as storm approaches.
The electric bill is nothing in comparison.
Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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I had a couple of grand worth of equipment in two connected rooms blown out last summer by a lightning strike, so I value what Bob is saying. But would having the equipment turned off at the time (some was, but most was on) made any difference? It traveled between rooms over my remote speaker cables. I think I would have had to have physically unplugged everything to avoid what happened.
As far as the OP's question, most of my equipment is on as I mentioned, connected to the mains through some protected Furman power strips. The computer, router and modem are on a UPS. I have some things like speakers and the printer on one Furman that gets switched off when I leave the room, but the computer and my hardware synth and mixer stay on. [The firewire connection is too flaky to work every time I power up, so I just leave it on.] My ammeter says 1.4 amps most of the time, so I'm not much worse than a couple of light bulbs worth. In fact, since I replaced all the incandescent bulbs in my house with LEDs, overall I'm ahead.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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Proper lightning protection is indeed possible, but usually outside the expenditure that the average homeowner is willing to invest.
Polyphasor protection is used on commercial gear, to include radio and tv transmission sites, towers that attract lighrning all the time, direct hits, and safely dissipating the lightning strikes while protecting antennas, transmission lines and transmitting gear.
When Polyphasor belonged to its originator, "Dr. Lightning" - he built the company up by offering the "no questions asked" full replacement of any gear that was damaged or destroyed by lightning that was protected by his proprietary systems. The only provision was that the polyphasor system had to be installed in strict accordance with their engineering instructions.
To my knowledge, he never had to make good on that guarantee. A good thing, too, for Polyphasor was used to protect that gimongously high powered 100,000 Watt television transmitter site down in Florida.
A typical transmission tower, ground-mounted or on top of a tall building, represents a serious lightning rod and lightning attractor, yet the properly installed setup can take the hits 24/7/365 without the transmitter even going off the air.
Since it is possible to protect all that from strikes, it is certainly possible to protect your home. All horror stories from the unprotected/improperly protected aside, that is.
In the home, at least for US power installations, it is essential that the main power box be grounded directly bonded to the 8 foot or longer grounding rod installation, also essential for that grounding to be inspected periodically for any signs of deterioration. All other grounds, including telephone, should be bonded to that same single point or all protection bets are off.
Ironically, it is typically not the amount of power from the initial strike that damages electronic equipments, it is the backwards flow of DC current that happens AFTER the initial strike completes and the magnetic field that it generated around all of the associated wiring falls, generating a current in the opposite direction on all those conductors. Of course, that whole event might only last a few hundred milliSeconds, but the sheer amount of voltage that back pulse can rise to is what damages things like semiconductor junctions in your gear.
All of the recording gear, including any pcs, connected to power via a good quality UPS system with surge protection, connected to good power line with good ground can go a long way in preventing lightning or power surge damages to your gear, whether that gear is powered on or off at the time. Yes, semiconductor junctions inside gear that isn't turned on can still be destroyed by lightning strike if not protected properly.
--Mac
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BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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We went out to dinner last night and spent $50. That was an intro, chorus, and 2 bar ending with no repeats. Hi Rachael I picked up exactly where you were coming from - $50 for a one-off, and no repeats - quite the opposite to BiaB. And frankly I really liked the 'musical' way you delivered your observations Good for you!
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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I can certainly appreciate a good lightning story since I have been in electrical servicing and security systems installation and servicing most of my adult life (where I worked a productive "real job")
I've seen lightning do some really bizarre things in all the years I have worked in these fields.... I have a number of lightning stories but will spare you my ramblings. OK... just one that was funny at the time... to me anyhow....
A customer's phone line got hit. The surge protector on the phone line shorted out but the alarm dialer was OK. The device did it's job. The phone guy comes down and we had determined there was a break in the line due to the lightning. So he used a "thumper"... it sends a high voltage spike repeatedly through the wire to find the break, with a receiver. He's walking through the weeds along the driveway pushing the reciever probes in the ground, when he starts "dancing and yelling"..... turned out that the break was located near a fire ant nest in the ground and as he was slowly closing in on the break the ants were pouring out of the ground since they really did not appreciate the electrical jolts through their nest. They found his legs, and attacked.
Yes, no matter how good a surge protection device is, a spark that will jump from a cloud 3000' up to the ground is not going to be stopped by a tiny MOV in a direct primary strike.
Regardless, I still have plenty of surge protection from the service mains coming in to the UPS/surge on the outlet where the gear is plugged in. Phone lines are an often overlooked source of surges. I have addition surge on my phone and internet lines as well.....
so far, so good, as I've only had minor damage to an old dial-up modem on a phone line to this point. A 10ohm resistor got fried in the line in.
I shut down the studio gear when I hear thunder and will only work on a laptop running on battery if I really need to keep working.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Phone lines are an often overlooked source of surges. I have addition surge on my phone and internet lines as well.....
So far, so good, as I've only had minor damage to an old dial-up modem on a phone line to this point. A 10ohm resistor got fried in the line in. I took care of that problem years ago by dumping land lines, the wife and I just use cell phones. Although I do have the internet line go through my surge protection. Loved the fire ant story.
 Steve BIAB/RB 2022, Pro Tools 2020, Korg N5, JBL LSR 4328 Powered Monitors, AKG/Shure Mics.
PC: Win11 PRO, 4 TB M2 SSD, 2 TB HD, 128 GB Memory
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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!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PDT today!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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!
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If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
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.
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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®!
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