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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 123
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 123 |
Hi folks, Greetings to all. I need some advice here but first of all, here's a bit of background information. I am basically a "live"-playing musician/ keyboardist and I'm getting into the home studio vibe. My gear is as follows: Yamaha Mottif ES7 Lexicon Omega USB/MIDI Interface Korg D888 A dell Latitude Laptop (1.6 Ghz, 1.5 Giggs of Ram, hard drive space> 60 giggs) windows XP PRO service pak 2. Software >Finale 2007, Cakewalk Sonar 4 Studio Edition, band in a box 2008, Power Tracks Pro audio 12, Audacity, I tunes. I feel like I need a more powerful computer so I am planning to soon max out my ram by going up to 2 Gigs. Here is what I want to ask. In terms of hard drive space, should I just go ahead and purchase an external hard drive 450 gigs (now going at a reasonable price at BEST BUY)? or would y'all advise me to purchase a bigger internal hard drive? For this particular Dell Latitude Laptop, the internal hard drive can go up to 160 gigs, maximum. Also, should I PUT SOME MONEY ASIDE and wait for the October release of Windows 7 in and then purchase a newer laptop of a refurbished mac on www.powermax.com? In terms of my Budget, I am looking at approximately $700.00. Any advice (in terms of all what I stated above) would greatly appreciate it. Thanks, y'all !!!
Jacobins
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Off-Topic
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
You could go USB external or you could go through installation of the larger internal drive. I use USB on the gigs now because BIAB ships on a USB drive. I have found that this actually makes it easier to use and keeps my laptop hard drive a bit emptier. That overrides any concerns I had about "one more piece of gear" on the gig, those little USB drives fit nicely into the laptop bag with no problem.
As for Windows 7, if your lappy is running XP SP3, or at least SP2, for gigs I would *LEAVE. IT. ALONE.* The latest and greatest and newest release of anything is nothing I wish to put into yeoman's service on my gigs. Be patient and let others work out the bugs. Then later on, you will likely be able to buy a newer and better laptop that already has Win7 on it, plus the first service pack release. dig.
--Mac
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Off-Topic
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 537
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 537 |
If you per-order Win 7 you get it at half price. I think $49. That may be over now. You would have to check on Microsoft web site.
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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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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!
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
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- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
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Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
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Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
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2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
If you're already using RealBand 2026 for Windows, download build 10 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
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