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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 32
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 32 |
I buy the BIAB Windows everything pak upgrade every year in November (and now will be doing the same for the Mac version). In the past, the upgrade prices have never given credit for summer pak purchases -- the upgrade prices were the same whether you bought the summer paks or not. I'm guessing the answer is no, but will the 2010 upgrade prices give any credit if I've bought the summer paks? I'm hesitating to spend the $200 for both the Mac and Win summer paks knowing I'll get them as part of the everything pak upgrades in November (although the demos sound GREAT and it pains me to think of waiting until November to use them!).
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676 |
Be careful with waiting for a future upgrade...
Currently, I have BIAB 2008. I didn't get RT in the summer, bought the jazz pack in the fall, and figured I'd upgrade at Christmas for 2009 to get the other packs that I missed in the Summer. Unfortunately, when that time came, I didn't have the money. After the sticker shock when the sale ended, I decided I would have to save my money and patiently wait to upgrade during the summer sale that is always offered. Never happened (at least not for Windows users). Now I'm stuck.
I can't get the new tracks for $99, because that's only for 2009 users. With a current price tag of $379 to do a complete update of what I have, I have no choice but to wait until Christmas and hope the prices for upgrading 2008 are good then.
Therefore, I suggest you not end up like me and keep up-to-date when you can. Don't assume to know any of the future sales or prices. A new BIAB release is not just an update now, but a product with a growing number of very nice add-ons (RTs). The prices will just go up. A month ago, to get an upgrade with all the goodies, it would cost you $279. Now, with the new RTs just released, it's $379.
I strongly suggest that you upgrade now and don't worry about feeling "ripped off." You will feel worse when you hear everybody else having fun and sounding like pros while you're playing along with the Roland VSC.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021 |
Remember the actual upgrade was FREE. What you're buying is the RD + RT. A new 160G Drive like they send at New Egg is $70.00 so the price of the tracks is only $79.00. Can't beat that. Cheaper then going out to dinner with the wife and a whole lot more fun. 
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 225
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 225 |
Actually, I think it does work out better economically (for the user) to just upgrade at year's end, when one can get everything in a Superpak or Ultrapak for $100 or so. As the OP was saying, if he buys all the RD and RT now for $99, when BIAB 2010 comes out, he'll have to pay again, if he wants that update. (No, I don't think they have ever given credit for summerpak, for winter upgrades.) So, from a purely economics standpoint, for the user, it definitely saves money just by doing a big upgrade once a year, by buying a pak that contains everything. Of course though, if you are eager to get the new RD and RT now, and don't want to wait until December or January, that might be worth your while. And of course, from the standpoint of PG Music, it is better for the company economically, if people buy these summerpaks. Quote:
Be careful with waiting for a future upgrade...
Currently, I have BIAB 2008. I didn't get RT in the summer, bought the jazz pack in the fall, and figured I'd upgrade at Christmas for 2009 to get the other packs that I missed in the Summer. Unfortunately, when that time came, I didn't have the money. After the sticker shock when the sale ended, I decided I would have to save my money and patiently wait to upgrade during the summer sale that is always offered. Never happened (at least not for Windows users). Now I'm stuck.
I can't get the new tracks for $99, because that's only for 2009 users. With a current price tag of $379 to do a complete update of what I have, I have no choice but to wait until Christmas and hope the prices for upgrading 2008 are good then.
Therefore, I suggest you not end up like me and keep up-to-date when you can. Don't assume to know any of the future sales or prices. A new BIAB release is not just an update now, but a product with a growing number of very nice add-ons (RTs). The prices will just go up. A month ago, to get an upgrade with all the goodies, it would cost you $279. Now, with the new RTs just released, it's $379.
I strongly suggest that you upgrade now and don't worry about feeling "ripped off." You will feel worse when you hear everybody else having fun and sounding like pros while you're playing along with the Roland VSC.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 26
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 26 |
DanL: Somewhat parallel story here but with a different ending: after using BIAB from the earliest versions my last upgrade was a "superpak" in Aug of 08. For the first time in years I missed that crucial upgrade in midwinter, so I'm running BIAB 2008.5 with RT 1-12's and to get the range I think I need in 2009 (country, blues, rock) I'd have to spend US$379. Given the cost of development of RTs, that may be a good deal but it's getting too rich for me. I have used the program to make mp3s and wav's of a huge range of roots music, esp gospel & blues. My little research grants pay for upgrading Finale for notation, which I have kept current over 15 years, but not for BIAB so I've paid for it out of my own fixed income pocket. I don't really need BIAB for the research project--I just enjoy playing with it so much. Besides, when I've been interviewing musicians from the 40s and 50s and we're discussing some old nearly forgotten piece, like "Got any rivers..." I can have a passable arrangement of it ready to talk about in detail in just a few minutes...
If I had upgraded to 2009 last winter maybe the cost wouldn't look so steep right now but unless there is a better deal down the road in Dec I think that after many years I'm going to be off the wagon in a few months, or at least rattling along behind the crowd in a legacy version...
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676 |
orion, That's exactly what I'm afraid of...but I'm thinking that the sale price will be pretty good in December. They almost always have a very generous deal then. I just hope I have enough set aside at that time. I really do not want to miss out on it.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 32
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 32 |
Thanks for everyone's thoughts. I think Maiki stated the point of my original post better than I did -- it has always been better economically to skip the summer upgrades and do it all in November. In the past, I usually bought the summer upgrades because they were pretty inexpensive and the benefit of geting the new content in the summer outweighed the small economic expense. Although they are still a bargain, at $99 (times 2 if I want to stay current on both Mac and PC) they are starting to get to the point where I feel like I'm just throwing away significant dollars by not waiting until November. Again, $99 is still a great deal for all the new RT and RD, but if I'm going to get them anyway in November when I do the annual upgrade, I'm just throwing away money to buy them now, hence the suggestion that PG should give some sort of credit for the summer upgrade if you upgrade again in November. If other users have the same reservations I do, it could be that there is a pile of money sitting on the sidelines (like mine) that could go into PG's coffers now if they announced a credit.
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