My wife pointed out that the pillows on the front porch were being shredded. Holes in them and stuffing pulled out.
I looked and sure enough.... yep!
I told her it wasn't me and it wasn't Lilly our Shepherd. Lilly has been known to shred pillows in the past but these are where she can't get to them , and..... she has stopped her destructive behavior a long time ago.
So while I was looking out the window at the pillows, the culprit picked that exact time to return to the scene of the crime.
It was a squirrel. As I watched, this varmint jumped up on the chair and onto the pillow. It paused because it saw me watching it.
Needless to say, I have a varmint that I need to catch in my trap. I simply need to get the trap out of the shed, bait it with some cracked pecans and give it a bit of time. I will relocate the varmint to another county.... or perhaps down to my farm.
Our neighbors let the squirrels get into their attic and it resulted in their house catching fire and burning in the attic. The varmints love the taste of electrical insulation and ate the wires bare.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Ah, try as you might, you never really get rid of squirrels...or opossum, or raccoon. I've been fighting the varmits for 22 years and I live in the suburbs.
I always know when it's time to trim the tree branches near my house. That is when I start hearing squirrels running around on the roof.
I see the branches out of the skylights .. but normally wait I until I see squirrels using the branches as a runway .. then I climb up there and trim them .. again.
I don't have a lot of land around the house, but it is mature forest. I've seen a dozen squirrels in the yard many times. Dogs seem to keep the 'possums and raccoons at bay, but the chipmunks seem to be winning lately. And the rabbits .. think I need a younger/faster dog.
The little (youngest) dog is quick, but he's smaller than the bunnies. Seems to keep the mice at bay. <grin> He's my avatar currently. Hairless something, the family named him 'Harry' 'cause he has no hair. I call him weird Harold.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Reading this makes me smile. I live maybe a half mile from the beach in SoCal and in many ways I might as well be on your ranch Herb. All these critters you guys are talking about are all over the place here. Skunks, possums, squirrels, raccoons. In my complex there are the fattest squirrels you've ever seen because everybody feeds them. Just to remind us this really is a desert area there's gazillions of little black lizards running around. There's a couple of owls in the trees right behind me. I'll smell a skunk a couple times a week. So many people and animals around that the skunks do what they do pretty much every evening and the city is out all the time trapping them. They take them 25 miles up in the mountains and let them loose.
There was an article in the local paper a few months ago about how dangerous a raccoon can be to your dog and people too for that matter. I had no idea, they said most of the time they're mild mannered but if a medium sized dog decides to mess with one a raccoon can tear him up pretty good. I've seem them occasionally too but they're not so easy to spot.
Just a few miles south is Palos Verdes Estates. This is where Trump has one of his golf courses and you're lucky to buy a garage for a million bucks. Up there on the hill there are not only these critters, there are rattlers, whole flocks of wild peacocks and a few horse stables along with many different bird species. That hill was a wild forest 50 years ago and the estates are fairly big with lots of land and big trees. I've done gigs at the PV country club and you see the peacocks walking around. I'm down here on the beach yet it's 20 minutes to the country club and all that forest and stuff. Oh, did I mention ducks? Whole flocks of ducks at Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach a couple miles from me. Everybody feeds them too.
When I think about it it really is amazing the wildlife in this very high density area right around me. This isn't counting the ocean. The day boats go out of King Harbor in Redondo every day and catch squid, halibut, yellowtail, sea bass and who knows what else. Further out in the Catalina Channel they go after marlin and swordfish.
Lots of folks from elsewhere don't realize all this wildlife is right in the middle of LA. You have to watch for deer at night running across Sunset blvd just a mile west of Hollywood.
We have a derelict house across the street that we've been trying to get the town to condemn and tear down. It is home to a variety of critters. Bats, at one time had colonized it, chimney swifts are in the chimneys, squirrels live in the attic, and I've even seen a cat staring down at me from the holes in the fascia boards where the varmints enter.
As an electrician, I have seen the damage squirrels can do to attic wiring. Not something you want over your head at night as you sleep or in the walls behind you. They will chew their way in and usually the hole is small and in a place that hard to see from the outside on the ground.
Yes.... we have a bunch of squirrels around here.... and also at the farm. I will eat good in the Zombie Apocalypse. I'm just waiting for it to start. You don't get much meat from a squirrel so it would have to be a dire situation for me to be eating tree rats.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
I live very close to a nature preserve. We have plenty of squirrels, and they are actually quite intelligent overcoming quite a few plans to 'out-smart' them.
Fortunately, my house doesn't have an attic, but they did make a hole in my screen porch. I don't keep the canister of bird feed in the porch anymore. It's sealed and squirrel proof, but I guess they can smell the seeds or something like that.
Being next to the preserve, I have a red shouldered hawk that likes to perch on my trees and fence, but it doesn't eat enough squirrels, a 6' long coachwhip snake that lives under my house, but reptiles seldom need to eat. Leilani feeds the rabbits (they will eat popcorn out of her hands) but they are no problem. I've also seen Sand Hill Cranes, I can walk up to them and they are almost tall enough to look straight in the eye. They have no fear of humans. I've seen bobcats, fox, coral snakes, gopher tortoises, ibis, egrets, and dozens of species of small birds in my back yard too.
We have a bird feeder, and we had one of those plastic squirrel baffles under the feeder. The squirrels couldn't climb past it, so they gnawed a channel from the edge halfway to the post so they could just climb through the slot they made. We have steel ones now.
We hung it from a tree with the baffle on top, they gnawed through the branch bringing the branch, feeder and squirrel down to the ground. We were lucky enough to watch that happen.
They are very entertaining but they are indeed pests.
Their biggest defense is that they are so darn cute.
Perhaps the critters just enjoy you guys' music too much. That's why they hang around. Send them out an off-key, out-of-tune performance occassionally.
(Thus fulfilling the requirement "...for music-related discussions that aren't covered in other forums" <grin>).
We too have varmint problems. We live in a fairly large city (100,000), and on a large lot because the city grew up around us. we have a beautiful wooded park with a stream running through it about 400' away. Naturally this is the ideal habitant for squirrels, racoons, the odd deer and beaver. Because we have a large garden we have had to be very proactive in rodent control. Therefore the garden is kept very neat and organized and parts we keep netted or screened. Also we endeavor to keep outsided clutter to a minimum to reduce hidey holes and safe passages. Monthly (or more) we make an outside visual checks of our building to ensure no critters are trying to make entry anywhere. Bird feeders are all screened. It is a bit of work BUT, the critters pass us by heading for easier pickin's. One of the biggest problems is that people think they are cute because they appear tame. Consequently the squirrels and racoons don't move on because people are feeding them. If you have a rodent problem I can empathize with you because until we got serious about our home they were a bloody nuisance.DennisD
There are only 3 kinds of musicians: those that can count, and those that can't! PC AMD A4-5300 APU 3.4 GHz, 8gb RAM, 1T HDD, Windows 10, Reaper 4.77, BIAB2018, PTPA12, RB2018, Roland VS-880 DAW
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
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.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
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.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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