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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 15
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OP
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Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 15 |
I've working on a simple ballad, 4/4 time, slow tempo. Sometimes the song has one chord per measure, sometimes two, sometimes three or four. I'm using BiAB 2014 for the Macintosh. When I select Style: Band Styles (Best RealStyles...) I get about ten styles that aren't dimmed out. Four under Jazz/swing, five under campfire, and one or two others.
Is BIAB working as it ought to?
If not, what might have gone wrong? If so, why so few?
Thanks in advance.
Artie
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Oct 2008
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Hi Artie,
What BIAB package did you get? (For example: ProPack, MegaPak, UltraPlusPak, etc.)
Regards,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 15
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 15 |
Hi Artie,
What BIAB package did you get? (For example: ProPack, MegaPak, UltraPlusPak, etc.)
Regards,
Noel Hi Noell, I didn't get any packages, just BIAB 2014. I didn't realize those might be necessary for non-professionals and casual users like me. Is BIAB working as intended? Am I making any obvious mistakes (aside from not purchasing packages)? Cheers, Artie
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,447
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Hi Artie, I apologise for not explaining myself fully. Please have a look at the below link. http://www.pgmusic.com/bbmac.packages.htmWhich one of the options on that page did you buy? From what you say, it sounds like you might have purchased the $49 option. I need to clarify this, though. The reason I ask is because the number of styles, Realtracks and Realdrums that come with your purchase is dependent upon how much money is spent. It might well be that the version of BIAB you bought (in addition to previous versions that you might have upgraded from), did not have all the styles, Realtracks and Realdrums. Regards, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 15
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 15 |
Hi Artie, I apologise for not explaining myself fully. Please have a look at the below link. http://www.pgmusic.com/bbmac.packages.htmWhich one of the options on that page did you buy? From what you say, it sounds like you might have purchased the $49 option. I need to clarify this, though. Noel Hi Noel, No apologies needed, and I appreciate the assistance. I've seen this page before -- BIAB: All Purchases: Mac. As a matter of fact, I've studied it several times and I still don't understand it. I originally purchased BIAB 2013 (for the Mac), without any PAKs. I assume PAK stands for package. Then, when BIAB 2014 (for the Mac) was released, I purchased the upgrade, probably for $49. It's not clear that I gained any new functionality for my $49. I still don't know if I'm doing something wrong and if my current version of BIAB 2014 for the Mac is working correctly. My best guess is that BIAB is working right and I will have to purchase some kind of expansion pack to get more styles for my song. This was less than clear when I purchased BIAB 2013, and when I purchased the upgrade. At the risk of sounding snarky, I wonder if BIAB is more like bait-and-switch-in-a-box. If I had known I would have to spend hundreds more dollars to get some of BIAB's famous functionality, I might not have made the original purchase. My current version of BIAB is usable, and has some value, but it's more limited than I anticipated. However, BIAB has a steep learning curve, and I'm still a newbie. It's possible there's something important I don't understand. If I wanted to spend a modest sum expanding the capabilities of my version of BIAB 2014 for the Mac, I honestly cannot tell from the chart (BIAB: All Purchases: Mac) what PAK I should buy. I can't afford hundreds of dollars. Cheers, Artie
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,447
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Hi Artie, Thank you for the extra information. If you purchased the $49 upgrade from 2013 to 2014, my understanding is that you'll get the updated interface for 2014 (i.e. the new look dashboard) but no additional gain in styles, Realtracks or Realdrums. I'm not PG Music staff, though, so it would pay to clarify this with them. When you first purchased version 2013, I suspect that you bought the introductory package (the ProPak) because this is the cheapest deal that allows a user to get the minimal functionality of BIAB. The cheapest package that has ALL styles, Realtracks and Realdrums is the UltraPlusPak. Historically, PG Music have sales for the Windows version around Christmas each year. I'm not sure if that happens with the Mac version but it would be easy to clarify with a quick email to sales@pgmusic.com. These sales usually offer terrific upgrade deals. If, as mentioned above, your 2013 purchase was the ProPak, then this could explain the reduced number of styles. Hovering the mouse over the different prices for a package gives a list of what the package contains. That's how I obtained the two images below (the top one lists what's in the ProPak and the lower one lists what's in the UltraPlusPak).   As can be seen, the ProPak has Style Sets 0 - 3 whereas the UltraPlusPak has Style Sets 0 - 77. The ProPak also has Realdrums Set 1 and 30 Realtracks whereas the UltraPlusPak has all Realdrums (Sets 1 - 29) and all Realtracks (Sets 1 - 205) which is getting close to 2,000 Realtracks (if I recall correctly). Quite honestly, PG Music have been one of the most reliable and helpful companies that I have dealt with. It is not their policy to try and hoodwink customers. When you made your initial purchase, did you consult with their sales staff? I have found them to be terrific. Kind regards, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 15
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 15 |
When you first purchased version 2013, I suspect that you bought the introductory package (the ProPak) because this is the cheapest deal that allows a user to get the minimal functionality of BIAB.
Right. That's what I got. The cheapest package that has ALL styles, Realtracks and Realdrums is the UltraPlusPak. To me, $489 is a LOT of money! What about the MegaPak for $269? Would that be a mistake for some reason? Meanwhile, I've already spent $129 for BIAB Pro 2013 + 49 for the 2014 upgrade = $178 If I want more functionality, must I purchase the MegaPak or the UltraPlusPak? These seem to include BIAB 2014. Does that mean I threw away my original purchase price of $178? That doesn't seem right. If, as mentioned above, your 2013 purchase was the ProPak, then this could explain the reduced number of styles. You're probably right. Being a new user with no familiarity with BIAB, I had no way of understanding the cryptic description of what I would get with BIAB Pro. Normally "Pro" means "top-of-the-line." Apparently, in BIAB it means something else. When you made your initial purchase, did you consult with their sales staff? No, that never occurred to me. Do you think they would have said, "Seriously, dude, don't by our entry level product. Don't buy anything from us. You can't afford it." I appreciate your help, Noel, and I would appreciate a bit of guidance regarding MegaPak vs. UltraPlusPak, not that I can afford either one. I'm not a professional musician. I'm not highly trained. I'm just a dope who sings badly in a community choir. Every once in awhile, I want to sing Danny Boy or Blue Bayou or Boogie on Reggae Woman with a suitable accompaniment. I thought I would be able to do that with BIAB Pro. Best regards, Artie
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,492
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,492 |
Hi Artie, ...and I would appreciate a bit of guidance regarding MegaPak vs. UltraPlusPak, not that I can afford either one. I'm not a professional musician. I'm not highly trained. I'm just a dope who sings badly in a community choir. Every once in awhile, I want to sing Danny Boy or Blue Bayou or Boogie on Reggae Woman with a suitable accompaniment. I thought I would be able to do that with BIAB Pro. This you can do. The question is: What do you think a suitable accompaniment is? Guidance depends a lot on your framework of expectations. I have quite a few friends who are professional musicians. Those who have Band in a Box have the PRO package. They use that for practice purposes when the band is not available. They often use it only for segments of songs to get them right. Before using BIAB they recorded their own backing track playing two or three instruments. BIAB frees them the time for more effective practising. The original intention was, as I understand it, to create backing tracks to practise. That is what professional musicians mostly do with it. The PRO Pak has the correct name. When I bought BIAB I wanted it to create backing tracks that I can use on stage. So I read the PGMusic web site very carefully more than twice. I also read some forum entries. As you wrote, it is a lot of money. After I thought I understand then I got the EverythingPAK -- in December, because the forum members were talking about the annual discount prices in that time of the year. Buying one of the larger PAKs will not get you more functionality. The software is exactly the same. It will get you more choices of sounds, in this case RealTracks. Read the forum about RealTracks before you make a decision on what you think you want to buy. There are so many posts from new users asking questions as you are one yourself. The answers should give you enough insight. Then ask your questions. They will be answered. Guido
Last edited by GHinCH; 09/23/14 04:54 AM.
Desktop; i7-2600k, 8 GB mem., Win 10 Pro, BIAB 2017; RB 2017 - latest build
Laptop: i5-2410M, 4 GB mem, Win 10 Pro, BIAB 2017; RB 2017 - latest build
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
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Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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Happy New Year!
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Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
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- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
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