[quote=Guitarhacker]Sounds like you have some good gear there to start with.

Once I discovered and started to use Band in a Box (BB) I pretty much stopped using midi to the extent I had done so previously.

I still use it on occasion but it's pretty rare actually now for me to have midi tracks in a project.

Reason being...... BB & Real Band. (RB)

I use BB to write the songs.... then I save them and reopen them in RB. RB renders the tracks with audio and I can ask it to render other instruments as well that may not be in the BB style..... such as adding steel guitar, dobro, mandolin, fiddle to a hard rock basic style. RB lets me do that.

I then save the RB project as a SEQ file and I export the tracks, one by one to a folder where I keep them.

I open Sonar and import the tracks and do the mixing, editing, EQ, and other things towards the goal of the final mix. I also record my live parts... generally guitar parts and all vocals in Sonar at this time.

Have a listen to the music I write and record in this manner on my website.

The way I do this is but one way you can use BB/RB in conjunction with the other programs. After trying a few different ways, you will settle into a method that works best for you. I settled into using mainly audio tracks and have never regretted leaving midi behind. Of course, I do still use midi, but only when I can not get the results I need for a specific part. I haven't used some of the synths I have for several years now..... Of course, country doesn't use many synths either.

Always ask questions if you get stuck or just need to understand something better. [/quote]

This is the sort of nuts and bolts reply that really helps, thanks, I have seen many great replies on the board but this one is golden (IMHO), however, I disagree with you about your way is "one way", I would say your way is ONE of the ONLY ways to do this! :)

Also judging by the quality of your recordings it might be THE way to do it, thanks!