Interesting post, David, and I'm sure it will provoke a lot of discussion. Now that I'm a total BIAB convert here are a few observations about how it is received.

Most musos I talk to have heard of BIAB but few know much about it. Some tried it in its early days with its plinkety midi sounds and haven't cottoned on to Realtracks. Others tried BIAB early on and say they could never get theirs heads around the software.

Musos I've demonstrated BIAB to are super impressed with the sounds. Always. They're still mostly scared of the interface based on past experience, and they're bothered about themselves and others losing work.

My listeners initially feel let down when I explain how I created the track. Then they're curious and interested and maybe even impressed. Still they wonder what chemistry might have happened if I used 'real' musos. (Must admit I do too sometimes.)

Electronic music and therefore sampling is the norm for younger artists. I see kids all the time creating music from found sounds. That's the world they live in and they don't have a problem with it. I suspect it's more of a problem for older artists for whom 'authenticity' has a different meaning, especially where real instruments are concerned.

I agree that BIAB is disruptive but as part of a music trend that is becoming more reliant on sampled sounds at the expense of studio recorded musicians. It's just that BIAB's sampled sounds are more acoustic than electronic. I'd be surprised if a lot of demos aren't recorded using BIAB, and I'm sure a lot of music licensing creators (eg Taxi members) are using BIAB to create tracks. Nevertheless BIAB still has a long way to go in market growth provided they can keep competitors at bay.


Last edited by Matcham; 10/18/17 11:02 AM.