In this post DeaconBlues explained how he had seen a post on Reddit by someone called Meg who had a recording of her gran singing a song that the gran and her sister wrote for the soldiers in WW2. Meg’s gran unfortunately passed away earlier this year. Meg wanted to somehow create a song using the clip and asked for help on Reddit. Deacon saw the post and asked the PG Music community for help.
Charlie Fogle offered to clean up the clip which he then sent to me. I imported the clip into Melodyne and did a little tuning and tried to quantize it. I then created a MIDI file of the vocal and printed out the sheet music. I then harmonized the melody with some chords and typed them into BIAB. I then found a suitable style and imported the audio clip into BIAB to make sure everything lined up.
I then tried to generate some harmonies and to record myself singing along with nana. This was wholly unsuccessful as the key did not suit my voice and I could not easily replicate nana’s timing. I then decided to modulate to a key that suited my voice better and sung two rounds of the lyrics in my key. I found one phrase of nana’s that could fit in the new key so I added that in to the second round.
I then contacted Meg and asked for some photos of nana that she kindly sent me. I downloaded some other video footage for the Department of Defence website and put together the video.
Meg is delighted and is going to share it with her family when they celebrate a late Christmas get together in January.
Thanks to Deacon, Meg and Charlie for helping to bring this one together. Comments are as always appreciated.
Realtracks are: RealTracks in style: ~2478:Bass, Acoustic, Held Ev 110 RealTracks in style: 1422:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm PopCalypso Ev 100 RealTracks in song: 2534:Guitar, 12-String Acoustic, HeldChords RealTracks in song: ~1119:Guitar, 12-String Acoustic, Strumming Ev 120 RealDrums in style: TambourineEven8ths: a: Tambourine b: TambourineEven8ths RT1033:Guitar, 12-String Electric, Strumming Ev 120 Loop:HipHop\Old School - grill_73_boom_kick_c.wav
Lyrics: we gotta destination the land of tokyo we gotta destination so come on boys lets go we gotta journey before us every man and every gun we wont return from that journey until our job is done
off we go we're going to tokyo to face the rising sun off we go we're going to tokyo so grab your gun my son
we dont care how much they threat or scare for that is why we're going there so grab your gun my son my son and I'll meet you over there
Someone must be cutting onions in here, because I'm tearing up watching this.
**Editing to add: I was so excited to put down my thoughts and what I (correctly) guessed the process to be, I had not actually read at that point Joanne's notes that basically already mentioned the same things!. Oh well, I took all the time to type it out so I'm gonna keep it posted anyway. **
Joanne, I cannot begin to express the admiration and respect I am feeling towards you right now. However, as this is the user showcase forum, for the moment I will focus on the sheer brilliance and creative ingenuity that went into the production of this track.
For you folks that need a little context, I refer you to the link Joanne included in her post. The short version is that Meg had a little snippet of a recording of a song her Nana wrote with her sister for the soldiers in WWII. Nana had just passed away after succumbing to dementia, and the idea was to convert this snippet of a recording into a full-on song, with fragments of her Nana's singing incorporated into that song.
Now here's the thing. Said snippet was obtained by Meg years back, it was likely recorded on a cellphone, and there was no adherence to tempo or key. Indeed, at the beginning of the recording you can hear someone prompting Nana to sing. Nana is asking "What, now," and you then hear "Yes, now." That's it. And then you hear an elderly lady singing a song from her past. It's poignant and almost eerie, but technically polished it isn't.
Enter Charlie Fogle and Joanne Cooper. They cleaned up the audio, stretched it out, did all sorts of technical magicry using BIAB and other software, and got the snippet tamed and compatible with a melodic structure.
But this is only the beginning. Let's turn our attention to the track itself.
Given Nana's advanced age when this was recorded, the pitch of her voice was orders of magnitude lower than Ms. Cooper's mellifluous pipes (we're talking Leonard Cohen low). So how was Joanne to have them both sing on the same track given the monumental disparity in their respective vocal ranges?
Allow me to direct your attention to 0:56 in the track. Up until now, Nana's had the floor. (Incidentally, the way Joanne incorporated the beginning of the recording--where Nana is being prompted to sing, is stunningly poignant in its own right, but I digress).
Back to 0:56. Nana has sung, and now it's time for Joanne to give this tribute an angel's wings. A trio of chords smoothly modulates the arrangement into a different key where Joanne take it away. That, good folks, is sheer genius!
But it doesn't end there.
You see, Joanne is not content to simply confine Nana to the head of the song and leave at that. Joanne wants to trade phrases with Nana call-and-response style. What's that, you say? Nana's no longer with us? Hah! Joanne sneers at Death.
Between approx 1:55 and 2:10 Joanne creates a bridge in the song, (you could also say a "bridge" between the living and the dead if you want to get all poetic about it!), where Joanne sings the high part (the "call") and Nana's super-low voice is heard to sing the low part (the "response.") perfectly in key. I would not be at all surprised if Joanne's choice of that particular key she modulated the song into at 0:56 was chosen precisely for that bridge.
There is so much more I could say, and have yet to say, about this but I have other matters to attend to (work mainly ). Thanks a million for everything Joanne and Charlie!
Last edited by DeaconBlues09; 12/06/1702:41 AM.
Band-in-a-Box 2024. Custom Build Desktop PC W/ Windows 10 Home 64-bit. CPU: Intel Core i5-9600k @ 3.7GHz (6 core x 6 threads) RAM: 16GB DDR4. Storage 238GB SSD + 2.7 TB HDD. GPU: ZOTAC NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB
Everyone involved in this should take a bow ... or two. This is simply wonderful. Standing "O"! Not sure what else to say. What a treat! god Bless and merry Christmas,
You've become a forensic scientist of music Joanne. Thank you for a sneak peek into the past. Rob.
Love that description!
What a wonderful story and project.
It takes a special person to take on a task like this.
Thanks for caring.
J&B
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
Joanne & Charlie, This would be powerful even without the backstory. The techniques you used to create this are almost as impressive as your selflessness in taking it on! An amazing project that will no doubt be treasured by Nana`s family.
DeaconBlues - Thank YOU for putting this whole thing together. Your getting it going in the first place was very generous.
Don - Your ongoing support is always appreciated.
Floyd - yes, I hope they will like what we have done, thanks.
Scott - Thank you. I think it is honoruable what Meg wanted to do with this clip.
Greg - The back story is nice. Thank you.
Sinbad - Thanks for listening and commenting.
Rob - Forensic scientist! Thank you. I am trying hard to brush up on my music theory (including sight reading as well as playing by ear) so it is starting to bear fruit that I could figure out how to harmonize this tune.
Rich - Thanks. It keeps me out of trouble!
Al - no other words necessary. Thank you!
Janice and Bud - I appreciate it. Thank you.
Robert - I am sure it will be treasured. Thanks
Sergio - Thanks for listening and for taking the time to comment.
Joanne, this is absolutely marvelous. I'm sure it has exceeded the wildest dreams that Nana's family could have hoped for with the original recording they had. Now her song can last forever. I'm amazed that you were able to do so well with the audio I sent to you. It sits well in the mix and sounds very clear.
The outcome of the video and audio both are at a very professional level.
Nana's photos in the video really bring the emotions of the time home.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
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SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
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FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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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.
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** 
). Thanks a million for everything Joanne and Charlie! 
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