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eddie1261
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The Kingston Trio is still touring with no original or recording members. How can you have Earth Wind And Fire without Maurice White? That would be like the Rolling Stones touring without Mick Jagger.
Let's open THIS can again.... Or Journey without Steve Perry. Everybody on these forums are "half band using tracks" if they use BIAB/RB. 80% of my CD was Real Band. On so many of those tracks I used banjo, mandolin, slide guitar, dobro, fiddle... all things I don't play. Had I brought in people to play those instruments, I could not have afforded to do the CD, since I never planned to play it out live anywhere to see copies. As big a fan as I am of technology, my fandom stops at "I accept that bands can and are using backing tracks" and never crosses into "Let me go pay a cover charge and pay $2.00 each for cranberry juice and soda with a lime to see a guy who is playing either with tracks he created himself or stuff he downloaded from from the internet." There is a female duo here in town that I go see twice a year. They sing over downloaded karaoke tracks. I go see them because they are both great PEOPLE, and very good singers, but not with any expectation that I will hear a great song that they wrote or the tracks they just made in their studio. Not my style. And THOSE kind of acts are the ones who play "the list". It is my habit that if a band plays Free Bird (or ANY Skynard), ANY Kiss, Stairway to Heaven (or ANY Zep), Brown Eyed Girl (or almost ANY Van Morrison), or Proud Mary, I will leave immediately. The rest of the list I can tolerate for about half a set, but when the cliches just keep on coming, I will wave goodbye to whoever it is on stage that I know and head home. BUT... not everybody is a difficult, grouchy old man like me, so whatever. I always wanted to start a band and call it The B-Sides to do the back side of those cliches. Never happened, and probably not even an original idea.
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John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 2x2TB, 1x4TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 2x1.5TB, 2x2TB, 1x4TB SATA BB2025/UMC404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/MixBus/Notion/Finale/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com
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Hey Wait a Minute Now BIABers,
I just finishing working up an almost note for note version of Roundabout on acoustic with the Rick Wakeman parts and the Steve Howe parts, with the vocals dropped down an octave because I am not a Soprano.
I think the ladies might dig it. I even manage to play the "in and around the lake" part in time though it is tricky. The "along the drifting cloud, the eagle searching down" part kind of goes airborne, sort of Flamenco...
or Flamenco...ish.
Am I allowed to take this out?
Whaddaya think people??? Little acoustic mushroom and poppy field cantata to celebrate the dancing pixies of old?
Allowable???
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eddie1261
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We all get to play, and to listen to whatever we want.
Eddie, you'd probably walk out on us. We do "Sweet Home Alabama", "Brown Eyed Girl", "Mustang Sally", "Sweet Caroline" and quite a few other often requested songs. (Our audience is from 50 to the final coda).
3/4 of our 500+ song list came from audience requests. Whatever gets requested most frequently goes to the top of the list, and if we can cover it, we will.
The other 1/4 are songs we wanted to learn, Unpopular but sometimes recognizable songs by Mose Allison, Grover Washington Jr., Marcos Valle, A.C.Jobim, etc., plus some not blockbuster hit rock songs that we just like to play.
It's give and take and we are making a living doing music and nothing but music.
I even like making my own backing tracks, although it may take a couple of days to get them right, it's a labor of love. On a related note, I like making Band-in-a-Box styles. Playing music live into a sequencer/DAW, extracting the parts, and assigning the 'handles' on them is fun, especially when they turn out right (when they don't turn out right, they go into the discard folder).
I could buy karaoke tracks, but they aren't the same. I bought a couple for 'throw away' songs like that obscure first dance at a wedding cut that nobody else ever wants to hear, and (1) they aren't necessarily in our key (2) they are mixed for recording, not for live performance (3) somebody else is doing the solo in the middle and I admit, I'm a solo hog (4) they are often too short for live play (5) sometimes the intro is too long and the dancers stand there and wonder if they want to dance to it or not (6) fade out endings.
But my way is not the right way for everybody.
In our area there is a trio going around singing to Karaoke tracks. They play no instruments, the male singer is terrible, one of the females is decent the other barely adequate. They undercut bands by about one half, and have taken some work from us. But they haven't hurt our bottom line because we just got other work to fill the gap. If that's what people want, karaoke jocks on the cheap, that's what works for them.
And I would never-ever knowingly pay full price to see a tribute band masquerading as the real thing.
Nor would I want to be in a tribute band. I like being able to play a variety of music from different bands and different genres. I have a friend I grew up with who is happy to play in an Eagles tribute band. He is a great guitarist and is now playing note-for-note solos created by various members of the Eagles.
There is more than one right way to make a living doing music. The trick is to find one that works for you.
And to get back on topic.
We used to do "Kansas City", "Satin Doll", "In The Mood", "Be-Bop-a-lula", "Kokomo" and quite a few others a lot. The public decided to retire them. When they quit working we put them in mothballs.
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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< I could buy karaoke tracks, but they aren't the same. I bought a couple for 'throw away' songs like that obscure first dance at a wedding cut that nobody else ever wants to hear, and (1) they aren't necessarily in our key (2) they are mixed for recording, not for live performance (3) somebody else is doing the solo in the middle and I admit, I'm a solo hog (4) they are often too short for live play (5) sometimes the intro is too long and the dancers stand there and wonder if they want to dance to it or not (6) fade out endings. >
Great explanation of the general deficiencies of Karaoke. Regarding point #2, I have seen you explain the eq'd differences between the live output and the recorded output but its slipped my mind. Live karaoke entertainment is very popular and one would think clients could opt for a choice between a live mix or a recording cover.
I come across artists all the time that use a Karaoke backing track and it's always obvious that Karaoke tracks are in use. (1) Most of the time it's because the recording is mixed by the artist on generic consumer grade hardware equipment that provides little provision for tweaking and balancing the music and vocals. (2) Even the best Karaoke tracks manage to have a universal vibe of mediocrity about them from a performance perspective.
Would you mind refreshing your explanation regarding the mixing output differences?
Charlie
Last edited by Charlie Fogle; 10/18/17 03:49 AM.
BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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eddie1261
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I could buy karaoke tracks, but they
(1) they aren't necessarily in our key
(3) You want to solo
(4) they are often too short for live play
(5) sometimes the intro is too long and the dancers stand there and wonder if they want to dance to it or not
(6) fade out endings.
1. Use Real Band to move them. 4. Be a producer! Cut and paste a little bit to add more versus. Which leads to 3. After you have cut and pasted those extra verses, there's your solo space. 5. Once again, edit it. 6. This can be tough but I have done it by just adding a solid chord with a hold that I then apply a fast fade to. Last year, the band (of which I am no longer a member) wanted to do The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again as the opening song. However, they wanted all the redundant guitar solos in the middle removed, as they were really just rhythm guitar (as Townshend is wont to do). That required 32 bars to be cut. I used a tempo reader to determine the tempo, set the RB tempo to the correct number, imported the file, and found that section. The downbeats lined up ALMOST perfectly, and it took 3 tries to get it perfect, but I snipped those measures out with a "cut - close gap") process, and voila. I also did a version where I connected it to the intro to Pinball Wizard, which I though would be a great move, but the powers that be dismissed that idea. I do that kind of editing a lot. I like The Beach Boys "Darlin" a lot, but it's only 2:14 long. Simple matter. After the bridge, I looped it back to the first verse with a copy and paste and made it 3:25. That's the kind of stuff I find fun to do with Real Band. I once wanted to chain 2 songs together but they were a step different. One in D, one in E. I just used the pitch transposer and moved one up a half step and the other down. Voila again. Both now in Eb. So you can get around almost all of the objections to karaoke tracks. In YOUR case though, you are so good at using this software, I'm pretty sure your home made tracks sound better than online karaoke tracks, many of which just use a vocal eliminator tool anyway.
Last edited by eddie1261; 10/18/17 08:15 AM.
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Eddie, it's much easier for me to do it myself than to do all that tweaking, cutting, pasting, and so on. Plus when I do a song myself, I know the chords, I know the inversions used, and I know all the parts inside and out. And I can change parts to my liking to make the song more effective in a live setting. I can extend the solo or add an A or B section to the solo.
Charlie, about live mix. Each song is individual, and a lot is trial and error, but here are a few pointers to get you thinking in the right direction.
When you go to a club with live music, walking from the parking lot what do you hear first. Bass and snare drum if it's a rock, blues, or country band.
These things need to be louder in a live mix than they do in a karaoke or at home listening to the stereo or earbud mix. But they have to be EQ'd so the bass isn't boomy and the snare has a lot of crack to it. On funk or reggae songs sometimes it's the kick drum instead of the snare that needs the boost.
"Call and response" parts that are response to the lead vocals need to be pumped up. Especially if it's a peppy song and the parts are designed to have some punch.
No fade outs - ever.
If it's a dance club, nix the eerie or rubato intro and get to the recognizable part of the song right away. If the verse is not strong, and the people don't recognize it and start dancing right away, start with the hook as an intro if possible.
Never put reverb on the kick drum. It makes for mud in a live mix. Reverb on the snare is nice though.
Notes in the band that are accented, need to be accented even more in a live mix. I remember a band I was in, the trumpet player used to say he hits the accents like Bruce Lee. James Brown told his bands that they are to accent as if they were playing a drum.
No backing vocals, unless they are your own voices. I even prefer to play the backing vocals on an instrument, synth, brass, or whatever seems appropriate to the song. That way you get the call and the response without the audience wondering, "How did all those singers get there."
Not quite "live mix" but a couple of beats per minute faster than the recording is often a good idea. When you see the band doing it live, quite often it's faster than their recording. Sometimes pump up the B section a beat or two per minute, if the B is designed to add energy, or slow it down a tiny bit if the B is designed to calm down the song.
Groove. In a live setting, the groove should often be exaggerated. If the recording rushes or lags the 2s and 4s, rush or lag them even more. If the eight notes have a bit of swing to them, add a bit more.
Live arrangements should often be longer than the recording or karaoke track. Two and a half minutes is not enough live. Often by the time the dancers decide to get on the floor, almost two minutes have passed.
I've played in live bands for the first half of my life, and even though I'm in a duo now, I'm a member of a group that holds jam sessions (the core band gets paid well) and if I'm not working, I go to sit in. I want the mix of my backing tracks to sound as much as I'm used to hearing a band sound, and I will fuss and tweak them until I'm satisfied with the output.
We play a club about once a month, and another regular is a karaoke band. They sing over k tracks. A regular customer asked us to learn a couple of songs, and I learned them, but mixed them for live performance, not a listen to the recording or karaoke mix. The customer not only thanked us for learning the songs, but said that they sound much better than the record (by that he means the karaoke jocks because they sound like the record with background vocals and all).
When you go to hear another live band, analyze the mix while you are enjoying the music, and you will open your ears to getting better live mixes with your backing tracks.
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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Great recommendations, there, Bob!
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 2x2TB, 1x4TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 2x1.5TB, 2x2TB, 1x4TB SATA BB2025/UMC404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/MixBus/Notion/Finale/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com
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Thanks Bob. Great tips and explanations for why to do them.
BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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Very useful Bob, thanks. The voice of experience.
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I completely agree with everything Notes wrote about live mixes.
This is exactly why when I do a gig with my arranger keyboard I keep the parts limited to bass, drums and guitar. No horns or voice patches trying to emulate background vocals. My Korg Pa1xPro has nine sliders that double as a mixer or organ drawbars. As a mixer I control the mix instantly live. I don't have to worry about trying to guess what a live mix should sound like at home.
Guessing what the mix should be when you're putting backing tracks together at home is the real hang up for most people. You've been doing it for so long Notes you simply know what it should be but most folks have no idea. They mix at home using a set of studio monitors or computer speakers or whatever then go to a gig and it's running through a PA and the PA completely colors the sound from what they heard at home.
If someone is going to do that at home, you should mix through your PA in the largest room you have like in your garage maybe to simulate the acoustics in a live venue. Or at least test it on your PA before taking it to the gig. Some may remember Silvertones threads from several years ago describing how he set up Real Band to output live multitracks through a 12 channel interface into a mixer so he had the same live control I have using my arranger keyboard. This is expensive and complicated to set up at a gig but that's what's necessary to get the right sound if a solo or duo act is seriously trying to emulate a live band.
Bob
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<...snip...> Guessing what the mix should be when you're putting backing tracks together at home is the real hang up for most people. You've been doing it for so long Notes you simply know what it should be but most folks have no idea. <...>
Bob I have the same model mixer in my studio and I bring in my PA active speakers. But the studio is small and has different reflective characteristics. Most of the times I hit the mix first time (thankfully), but even with my experience and gear sometimes I get on the gig and think, "It needs a little more of this or a little less of that." Sometimes it's just a perceived volume difference, "I could pump that up 3db or take it down a couple." So I remix to correct. The audience probably doesn't know the difference, but I do, and if I'm lucky I'll get to play that song thousands of times for many years to come. I want it to be as good as I can get it. Plus with a 'book' of over 550 songs, I want them to be 'mastered'/balanced very well. I have pride in my work, I'm picky about my music, and I want it to be right. If it isn't right for me, it isn't good enough for my audience. Of the few that I miss, it usually gets fixed the first remix. On rare occasions it takes more, and that is often a song with unusual instrumentation. I think the record is 5 tries to get it as close to perfection as my skills allow. There is always something new to learn with music. 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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Eddie, you'd probably walk out on us. We do "Sweet Home Alabama", "Brown Eyed Girl", "Mustang Sally", "Sweet Caroline" and quite a few other often requested songs. (Our audience is from 50 to the final coda). It's not so much that I'd walk out on you as I would not likely frequent about 75% of the places you play. I am an old guy but I don't go to old people events and rooms. I have never and will never see the inside of a seniors community center. Yacht clubs? Nope. That's for rich snobs who have money to waste for a place to dock their boat. Outdoor festivals? With all those people bumping into me? Nope. The rare times I do go out, and that is maybe once every few months, it is to see artists who do their own music, usually for their CD release shows. I'll buy my CD, have the sleeve autographed, and head out after a set. Typically I am the oldest person in the room by a large margin. There are not a lot of 66 year old songwriters doing CD release shows. And the crowd is usually friends of the artist, so they'll be the same age as the artist. Also remember that I am now and will remain single, so there is no socializing with the spouse or "date night" in my mix. Tried it many times. It doesn't work for me. I really live a quiet life of solitude. I mean, I named the RV "Samotar", which is the Slovenian word for "loner" or "hermit". So abso-frickin'-lutely do what makes you happy. Life itself is about being happy. The financial part of music stopped mattering to me years ago. Once I knew I was not going to be a star, I stopped playing for 15 years. When I got back into it, it was to write songs for a CD. You guys that have managed to keep your enthusiasm for music have my admiration. That is behind me, and it's time to move on to other things. I have no desire to be the richest corpse in the graveyard, so I don't care to be concerned with amassing more money. I am not independently wealthy, but I live such a pristine and frugal life, both by design and by habit, that I don't need to work. I have all I need, and actually my life as it is now has many excesses and repetitions. I just sold 2 26" flat screen TVs to a guy who bought them for his kids rooms. That left me with "only" 2, the 55" and the 32". Why a guy who lives alone with a dog had 4 TVs, I have no idea. I am short of packrat, but I tend to hold on to things because at one time they cost money. As I cleaned out a closet, I found shoes that I bought in Italy and kept for no other reason than I bought them in Italy. I was in Italy in 2000. I have had those shoes for 17 years! Why? That's a great example of why this downsize and purge is going to feel good. But I digress... I was fortunate to be able to retire and not worry about the "making a living" aspect. Not everybody can do that. Again, I am not rich, just comfortable. And to the many people here who are retired and stayed involved with music, bless you all. I just lost my taste for it. I am sitting at my computer in a blissful state of silence right how, the only sound coming from a small fan that keeps air circulating in my office. With 20 gb of music on a hard drive and about 1200 CDs, I never listen to music beyond a one time through on a new CD that a music community acquaintance may do. So the list lives on. 'Twas I who retired!
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I enjoy playing music for a living. It's the most fun I can have with my clothes on. The yacht clubs, country clubs, retirement communities here are the highest paying one-nighter gigs. I can make in 2 nights, 3 hours of gigging each, what I would make in a hotel bar or night club for 4 to 6 nights of 5 hour gigs. There is always an audience, because unlike a bar gig, everyone has been invited. There are no Thursday nights where a couple of salesmen are in the bar staring at the TV. But I understand and agree with part of your viewpoint. I wouldn't want to live in an old person community, nor would I go to many of the gigs I play for if I wasn't working. It's a lot more fun to perform. I'll go out sometimes to hear my friends who are also my competition, and to tell the truth, I'd rather be on stage. I could retire now, but what would I do? I define myself as a musician, and playing music is the most fun I can have with my clothes on. I always said that I want to die on the bandstand. --- come to think about it, I've already died on a number of them  What works for one isn't necessarily best for another.
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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Adding to the live mix vs. recording mix.
This is the main reason why I don't use Real Tracks for my backing tracks.
MIDI gives me the ability to do things like pump up the snare only, or exaggerate the dynamics and/or groove. I can even change instruments to better interpret the song. MIDI is thousands of times more editable, and I don't think it's possible to get a good live mix from Real Tracks for the kind of music I play --- yet. Give PG and other audio software editors some time and it may happen.
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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Something occurred to me that prompted me to add this little footnote to my thoughts. It isn't Mustang Sally that I don't like. It's Mustang Sally done by copy bands. Mustang Sally as done by Wilson Pickett with that great Muscle Shoals house band was killer. But bands don't have horn sections, most (around here) don't have a keyboard player. Playing Mustang Sally with no organ and horns is like eating tuna salad, just without the mayo and the relish. Tuna salad without mayo and relish is tuna.
So it isn't Mustang Sally that I hate. It's stripped down (plain tuna) Mustang Sally as done by guitar, bass and drummer that I hate. And most copy bands do it too slow as well.
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That comment is right on Eddie. Not just with Mustang Sally either but all the classic jazz Real Book songs. All a Real Book is supposed to be is a way to fake your way through a tune you never played before maybe once or twice on a gig but the group should know everything else. The problem is none of the bands I play with rehearse and that's true with most groups now. Everybody is just too busy with other things so we get together on a gig and basically fake everything. That can be fun if the players are good but many times one or two are and one or two are not. There are so many different ways these tunes have been done over the years that nobody knows which version it's going to be. Just like Mustang Sally the original recordings done by the legendary artists have all kinds of very cool hooks, rhythms, breaks and other stuff going one. A jam band playing the same song out of a fake book isn't doing any of that. Take Joy Spring for example, it has that intro that nobody knows, it has punches throughout the head that nobody knows. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tBJa8Ew6fQI know all that but I can't do it on piano by myself because nobody is doing it with me. One time a fill in bass player asks me if I do that intro and I said yes. I quickly told the band he and I were doing that and I would cue the entrance for the head. Since this was five second quick instruction on the gig, that entrance was still sloppy and it sucked. Just one minute of a quick rehearsal would have fixed that but on the gig we didn't have one minute so it was a waste of time to try to do that intro. When I happen to do some of these standards what do I think of a lot of the times? Biab. Biab is fun and useful and all that but it cannot create a cover version of anything and we've talked about that lots of times. If you find a Biab version of Joy Spring, the chords are there, the swing style is there but there's zero elements that can be heard on the original I just posted and that's exactly what happens when a group does these tunes out of a fake book, it's sort of like live Biab. Either the players know this tune or they don't so everybody just counts it off on the head, everybody can play the changes ok and solo ok but all these cool little elements in the original recording are not there. The only reason I still do these gigs is I'm one of the biggest hams on the West Coast, haha. The audience doesn't know any of these things, they still think I'm great, they are still having a good time, I get positive comments and I love that. It's just that I know it could be so much better but alas, it probably never will be. 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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Off-Topic
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eddie1261
Unregistered
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eddie1261
Unregistered
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I hear ya Bob. I really don't respect bands that don't rehearse. I also have an extremely hard time with bands who DO rehearse but when you get to rehearsal 2 of them haven't learned the song, so what should be rehearsal turns into a learning session that should be done at home.
But I am so snarky and persnickety about this subject, if I am at a performance that is NOT a jam night, the first time someone points at another player to indicate it's time for him to solo, I will leave. You are supposed to KNOW who solos when from the many hours of rehearsal you put into your job.
Last edited by eddie1261; 10/23/17 08:13 AM.
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Off-Topic
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,588
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,588 |
You should have been a Manager Eddie!
Windows 10 Home 20H2 Build 19042.487
BIAB 2021 (Build 818)
Intel(R) Core(TM), i3-4160, CPU @3.60 GHz RAM 16 GB, 64 Bit X64-based processor
Zoom UAC-2 (USB 3 interface-built in midi)
VoiceLive 3 Extreme, Sputnik Valve Condenser Mic
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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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XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
The XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs special offers are now available until August 31st at 11:59pm PDT!
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XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-9 includes 900 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). With over 3,500 styles (and 35 MIDI styles) included in Xtra Styles PAKs 1-20, the possibilities are endless!
Get the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
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.
Get Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: 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 because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Don’t miss this chance to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box setup—at a great price!
Mac 2025 Special Upgrade Offers Extended Until August 15th!
It's not too late to upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® and save! We've extended our special until August 15, 2025!
We've added many major new features to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, including advanced AI tools like the amazing BB Stem Splitter and AI Lyrics Generator, as well as VST3 plugin support, and Equalize Temp. Plus, there’s a new one-stop MIDI Patches Picker with over 1,100 MIDI patches to choose from, all neatly categorized by GM numbers. The MultiPicker Library is enhanced with tabs for the SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles Browser, and the tabs are organized into logical groups. The Audiophile Edition is enhanced with FLAC files , which are 60% smaller than AIFF files while maintaining identical audio quality, and now ships on a fast 1TB SSD, and much more!
Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:
Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, 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, and more!
Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!
New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
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
Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)
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!
The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!
Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!
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
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!
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!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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.
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