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What sounds better than CD quality? CD-A, DVD-A and other formats claim to sound better than CDs. CD audio files are 16 bit depth at 44.1000 sample rates, the same file specifications as the RealTrack files available in the Audiophile edition of Band-in-a-Box. +++ HD Tracks, com +++ offers audio files created at higher bit depths and / or sample rates. Are they better? I don't know but you can visit the website, request the free sampler and find out for yourself.
Jim Fogle - 2025 BiaB (Build 1128) RB (Build 5) - Ultra+ PAK DAWs: Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB) - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8 Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
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It's a lot like the difference between the regular and audiophile versions of BIAB (of which I've written an article in Tips and Tricks). I can clearly hear the difference between CD and DVD quality audio, but only on a good sound system in a good room. Add an air conditioner, a car outside, the wind, a bass solo, damaged hearing, etc., or play it on a boom box or earbuds or car stereo, and the difference disappears.
I love working in 24-bit audio while mixing, because of the added headroom. The final sound, though, would fool most people in a blind hearing test comparing it to 16-bit. Even more so for 48k sampled audio.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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snip ... I love working in 24-bit audio while mixing, because of the added headroom. The final sound, though, would fool most people in a blind hearing test comparing it to 16-bit. Even more so for 48k sampled audio. This is one conclusion the article mentions time and time again; the dynamic range 24 bit depth provides versus 16 bit depth is a valuable factor while mixing and helps deliver a better mix but has no affect on the listening process.
Jim Fogle - 2025 BiaB (Build 1128) RB (Build 5) - Ultra+ PAK DAWs: Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB) - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8 Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
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I would love to see a double blind study done of randomly selected audiophiles regarding ability to discriminate amongst variable formats and sub-formats. Not just the ability to tell one from another but also the acuity needed to say which one is “best” (meaning meets the technical specs as best quality). Of course when you are reduced to my level of hearing it is a moot issue.
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos are here on our website.
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This is one conclusion the article ... What article? I only saw a vendor's page. Perhaps there is something in the sample kit you mentioned? Thanks.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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This is one conclusion the article ... What article? I only saw a vendor's page. Perhaps there is something in the sample kit you mentioned? Thanks. Sorry for the mix-up Matt. This is what happens when I work on two posts at the same time.  +++ THIS +++ is the article I mentioned.
Jim Fogle - 2025 BiaB (Build 1128) RB (Build 5) - Ultra+ PAK DAWs: Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB) - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8 Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
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I would love to see a double blind study done of randomly selected audiophiles regarding ability to discriminate amongst variable formats and sub-formats. Not just the ability to tell one from another but also the acuity needed to say which one is “best” (meaning meets the technical specs as best quality). Of course when you are reduced to my level of hearing it is a moot issue. Bud, Tom's Hardware didn't perform a double blind test in the strictest sense. But they did test four different hardware configurations ranging in price from more than $2,000 to less than $2.00. The article is available +++ HERE +++
Jim Fogle - 2025 BiaB (Build 1128) RB (Build 5) - Ultra+ PAK DAWs: Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB) - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8 Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
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I would love to see a double blind study done of randomly selected audiophiles regarding ability to discriminate amongst variable formats and sub-formats. Not just the ability to tell one from another but also the acuity needed to say which one is “best” (meaning meets the technical specs as best quality). Of course when you are reduced to my level of hearing it is a moot issue. Bud, Tom's Hardware didn't perform a double blind test in the strictest sense. But they did test four different hardware configurations ranging in price from more than $2,000 to less than $2.00. The article is available +++ HERE +++ Thanks for the link which I will soon read. I once read a study that in summary indicated that volunteer auidiophiles were unable to discriminate at statistical significance between a mid line Yamaha amp and an extremely high dollar and well reviewed unit.
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos are here on our website.
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I can clearly hear the difference between CD and DVD quality audio, but only on a good sound system in a good room. This is the most important thing to talk about before even starting a discussion like this. Over on Keyboard Corner, guys post excruciating details about the subtleties of this sound library or that hardware synth but that's not the worst. The worst is the Hammond B3 organ clone fanatics. They go crazy over tiny little details in the sound. Nobody mentions what they are listening through until I, ahem, bring it up. Then we find some are using $50 computer speakers, others are using consumer home theater setups you get at Best Buy, others use their PA speakers like JBL Eons for home monitoring, Roland KC500's etc. All of that totally sucks for trying to test out audiophile level sound. A few though say they have a pair of Genelec's or Adam's or like me an awesome pair of Altec Model 14's that had a list of $2,899 EACH in 1984. I picked them up used several years ago. Those people I'll listen to when they say one thing sounds better than another. Our long time (and no longer posting) forum friend Mac used to post a lot about this and he also posted details about how he built his own killer speaker systems for cheap. It's usually not cheap to get that sound quality but he was an expert. Bob
Last edited by jazzmammal; 10/10/17 04:51 AM.
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Our long time (and now departed) forum friend Mac
Bob
That don't sound right.... 
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, 1TB WD Black NVMe SSD, 2TB WDC Blue SSD, 1TB WD Blue, 2 TB SK NVMe, 6 TB External, Motu Audio Express 6x6
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I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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I can clearly hear the difference between CD and DVD quality audio, but only on a good sound system in a good room. This is the most important thing to talk about before even starting a discussion like this. Over on Keyboard Corner, guys post excruciating details about the subtleties of this sound library or that hardware synth but that's not the worst. The worst is the Hammond B3 organ clone fanatics. They go crazy over tiny little details in the sound. Nobody mentions what they are listening through until I, ahem, bring it up. Then we find some are using $50 computer speakers, others are using consumer home theater setups you get at Best Buy, others use their PA speakers like JBL Eons for home monitoring, Roland KC500's etc. All of that totally sucks for trying to test out audiophile level sound. A few though say they have a pair of Genelec's or Adam's or like me an awesome pair of Altec Model 14's that had a list of $2,899 EACH in 1984. I picked them up used several years ago. Those people I'll listen to when they say one thing sounds better than another. Bob Ive found the same thing, forums can be awesome or completely confusing, I just decided to get some real speakers, well near field ones and on almost the same posts can hear one speaker is great or tinny and needs to be chucked or cheerished. I payed attention to posts that actually told u what to look for on the specs and I finnly found a nice cheep pair with no colouration of sound, they r cheep but then my hearing sucks ( worked in construction my whole life). I think its just a breed of people that need to be right, and only the item they have sounds good and all others r crap. Guitar pickups, vst soundbanks, headphones etc etc if its subjective they come out of the woodwork. I look now for a post where it starts what u have is probably fine and if u look at the specs for the item it should be in this range
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I think good analog with tube gear (and tube saturation) sounds the best.
I have a couple of SACDs that I think sound noticeably better than regular CDs.
But I think that's also impractical for consumers.
My engineering mind says the higher the bit rate of digital, the better reproduction you should get, as long as everything else in the chain is the same.
But (and it's a big but), there is always a point of diminishing returns where the same amount of technical improvement offers less and less perceptible improvement. And that varies from one listener to another.
Another consideration is who are you recording for? If you are recording for the general public, it doesn't matter much. Since I was a child I see the general public's choice was 45rpm records, 8 tracks that sometimes even changed tracks mid-song, cassette tapes, early CDs (which IMHO sounded terrible on the systems of the day) and finally mp3s.
And they listened to them on systems that didn't have the bandwidth to reproduce the highs, lows, and dynamic response. Players with narrow bandwidth circuits, and either tiny, tinny speakers or low-fi earbuds.
Adequate resolution is all you need for that.
On the other hand, we have audiophiles who listen on high-end systems, have trained ears and listen for the sonic quality as much as they do the beauty of the music. You need to get as high up the path of diminishing returns for these people as you can afford to. But admittedly they are a small market.
These are the two extremes, there are many between those points.
And after all that, two sets of ears are not the same. Even if a person's hearing hasn't been damaged, some people just hear better or worse than others. Better frequency response, better perception and so on.
I guess it seems like I'm drifting off topic here, but the point I'm trying to make, is that there is no definitive best for everyone. You need to find what is best for you and your audience.
Insights and incites by Notes
Last edited by Notes Norton; 10/10/17 02:55 AM.
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Sorry, I changed that reference to Mac to (no longer posting)
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Thanks Bob (JazzMammal) edited mine as well
Bob (Notes),
I know what you mean. A few years back I spent decent money on a 'more than decent' living room surround system.
Then watched my family/friends plug their phones, ipads or ipods into it (as the source) and proceed to tell me how much they like it or what they didn't like about the system .. <grin>
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Thanks Bob (JazzMammal) edited mine as well
Bob (Notes),
I know what you mean. A few years back I spent decent money on a 'more than decent' living room surround system.
Then watched my family/friends plug their phones, ipads or ipods into it (as the source) and proceed to tell me how much they like it or what they didn't like about the system .. <grin>
Yes people care about the song, the words, and as much of the music as they can understand (some more than others), but their point of diminishing returns for fidelity is much lower than mine. But as long as they are listening and enjoying, it's OK with me. I never owned an 8 track - what? Change tracks in the middle of a song!!!!!!!! I had a cassette in the car, but I recorded my own tapes from the vinyl that I bought. And since the early cassette machines not only had low fidelity but also got hungry and ate a cassette every now and then, it was a good move. I hated the early CD sounds as well, They have made improvements in D-A converters so that although I still think things sound better on a good analog system, I listen to CDs a lot. They are more convenient and there is a different kind of distortion. The LP has pops and clicks but the CD has quantization errors, which is worse? Besides, to listen to a symphony on and LP without flipping the disk in the middle. Insights and incites by Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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We're all such insulated geeks.
The average person knows nothing about what all of us obsess over. The bass is slightly muddy, no sizzle in the cymbals, weak stereo field, no depth, the mids need a boost and on and on and on...
Meanwhile they're listening through a $9 pair of earbuds "with bassboost!" they picked up with some ice cream at the drugstore.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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I just read that Toms Hardware article. Nothing new there but it was very interesting. As far as it relates to us on this forum it substantiates what most of us have been saying (and I just wrote) for years.
The number one most important thing is your speakers. The electronics are so good now even the cheapest amps and a PC's onboard soundcard sound so good these expert listeners could not tell the difference between the onboard Realtec chip and high priced DAC's when using high quality expensive headphones.
The related part of this is people keep asking if they need an interface to run the audio out from a laptop to their PA for example. That answer is no but, the key word is output. Not input for recording. A PC's onboard audio is really good to send sound out but the input if you want to record a vocal or instrument is pure crap. Recording and/or playing live through the computer is where you need a good audio interface.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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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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Band-in-a-Box 2025 Italian Version is Here!
Cari amici
È stata aggerate la versione in Italiano del programma più amato dagli appassionati di musica, il nostro Band-in-a-Box.
Questo è il link alla nuova versione 2025.
Di seguito i link per scaricare il pacchetti di lingua italiana aggiornati per Band-in-a-Box e RealBand, anche per chi avesse già comprato la nuova versione in inglese.
Band-in-a-Box 2025 - Italiano
RealBand 2025 - Italiano
Band-in-a-Box 2025 French Version is Here!
Bonjour à tous,
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music
Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:
BIAB 2025 - francisation
RealBand 2025 - francisation
Voilà, enjoy!
Band-in-a-Box 2025 German Version is Here!
Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!
Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
Stay up to date—get the latest update now!
Update to RealBand® 2025 Build 5 Windows Today!
Already using RealBand® 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 5 now from our Support Page to ensure you have the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
Get the latest update today!
PowerTracks Pro Audio 2025 for Windows is Here!
PowerTracks Pro Audio 2025 is here! This new version introduces many features, including VST3 support, the ability to load or import a .FLAC file, a reset option for track height in the Tracks window, a taller Timeline on the Notation window toolbar, new freeze buttons in the Tracks window, three toolbar modes (two rows, single row, and none), the improved Select Patch dialog with text-based search and numeric patch display, a new button in the DirectX/VST window to copy an effects group, and more!
First-time packages start at only $49. Already a PowerTracks Pro Audio user? Upgrade for as little as $29!
www.pgmusic.com/powertracks.htm
Video: Summary of the New Band-in-a-Box® App for iOS®
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new Band-in-a-Box® app for iOS®! Designed for musicians, singer-songwriters, and educators, this powerful tool lets you create, play, and transfer songs effortlessly on your iPhone® or iPad®—anytime, anywhere.
Band-in-a-Box® for iOS® :Summary video.
Check out the forum post for more information.
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