PG Music Home Forums PG Music Product Forums Band-in-a-Box for Windows Real Instrument Musicians?

My 2 cents . . . we all agree that PG Music puts out a wonderful product that is getting better day by day with the help of their great session musicians, and as a loyal customer and fan I am grateful for both. But unlike a karaoke track or a cd with the vocal removed those of us who are using the product either performing live or doing demo tracks do the rest which includes the arranging and producing of the final product.

I am fortunate enough to play anywhere from 65 – 85 gigs in a given year so from time to time I get the occasional question, (mostly from other musicians in the audience) “what are you using for backing tracks”? I show them the computer screen and tell them it is a wonderful composing and arranging piece of software from PG Music, give them the website and just as importantly the forum information along with my endorsement and thank them for asking. However (no knock on the karaoke or other DJs of any sort) but there are just as many people ask if I am using a karaoke program, my answer is “not even close.” If they persist I show them the program by bringing up a blank/new screen/chart in BIAB and explain that while BIAB has some wonderful tools this is the start, it is not a finished product i.e. a karaoke program already fine tuned (wherever they do that) or a CD done by a wonderful orchestra for Dino, Frank, Satchmo or Nat and all I did was remove their vocals. If they still persist, I ask them if they are in show business? They say no, and then I tell them to get their ass off of my stage rim shot!

Acknowledgement: For fellow musician inquiries I talk about the software and session musicians, as they know the bottom-line is while PG Music provided the wonderful tools someone still has to put produce, arrange and play the show. Are there audience members who can do the same show I am doing with BIAB, yes the aforementioned musicians, but a resounding NO to the civilians who asked if this is a karaoke program.

Bottom-line . . . even when I am touting BIAB and the session musicians to fellow musicians I don’t use their names. Not out of any disrespect but the blunt answer is they don’t care who they are, they just care if they can play man. (and that they can)

Later,