I wanted to build my own pc that would help to render BIAB tunes that I create. Where should I invest the money for the biggest bang for the buck? Processor? Skip graphics card? What should the focus be on?
I build all my computers, and their primary function is for music programs especially including BIAB.
The CPU is very important for regenerating RealTracks. Don’t skimp there.
The graphics card is relatively not very important in digital audio.
I highly recommend a SSD boot drive, and put the BIAB program on it. The RealTracks can stay on the supplied USB drive but if you can give them a separate internal hard drive, I recommend that.
Tougher question: RAM. At this time BIAB is a 32-bit program and itself doesn’t benefit from more than 4 GB. However, if you have large software synths BIAB can use JBridge to access more RAM if you have it.
To prevent RFI, I only use wired mice and keyboards for music, and I keep the router away from the PC.
I am careful not to run power cables in parallel with line level or mic cables.
And we haven’t even talked about an audio/MIDI interface outside the box, decent monitors and a room without lots of square surfaces and windows.
Does this help?
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
That is an option, but unless you are truly a pro (meaning your computer you build is how you are going to make money) let me share with you that I just went out and ordered a Dell. After years of hand building with specs and safeguards that in the long run didn't mean much it was just as easy to buy the Dell. Solid state drives are nice and if I had money and desire I would have SSDs in that computer, but for me the primary advantage is boot speed, and I have no reason to care it it take 4 seconds to boot or 4 minutes. Nothing is that urgent for me. I have an i7 with 64 gigs of RAM and a 2tb storage drive for files. Programs live on C: and data lives on D: with thumb drives just for utility. When I work on music downstairs I move them by network anyway. I have never had any issues with RF from the wireless keyboard but I'll take Matt's word for it if he says he has. In my case I am writing songs nobody will ever hear but me and a handful of people here who bother to listen, so I don't care if the wireless keyboard maybe could might possible potentially emit a spurious bit of noise.
My PC with the RAM upgrades, the second drive and updated video card was $1100. I am so out of touch with that world since retiring from IT that I don't even know (or care) if buillding would have been cheaper, more expensive, or the same.
All depends on you, bro. According to your post you have been a member over 2 years and this is your 10th post. I don't know how much you are into music, if it is your means to make a living, if you play with it for 2 hours a month.... I don't know your skill level with computers, so building may be a challenge to you or it may be second nature. Back when I was a gamer I had a water cooled system because I pushed the front end bus of the fastest AMD processor made then to the limits it could be pushed and it ran so hot you could weld with it. That one also had 64gb of RAM and the best ATI video card. That was like 18-20 years ago though. THAT computer you won't buy at Staples... Now I am retired and lazy and refuse to work on computers ever again.
So ask yourself some questions. Is this a money pit that will sit in a spare room or is it going to make money for you to at the very least pay for itself. That's step one on your decision. I have been to houses bigger than my high school where people had obscene amounts of money and wanted these state of the art computers so they could check their AOL email..... LOL
To build off Eddie, I usually go with Dells too. I've been shopping PCs and laptops with them for over 10 years. I usually shop at the Dell Outlet and buy refurbished machines. They have all the warranties of a brand-new machine but were returned for some reasons or other. The prices can be steeply discounted depending on the models and specs you are looking for. I work in IT as well and could build my own machine too but prefer the challenge of finding a machine already built with the features I want.
Steve, do you know if current Dells have slots to add more hard drives or SSDs, plus power and SATA cables or at least ports for them? That was a serious problem the last time I looked under the hood at one.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Hey Matt, my Dell Precision T5400 is an engineering workstation from 2008. I've found better luck with number of power/SATA cables and drive bay on those versus the consumer grade PCs. On the screenshot below you'll find that they separate the good workstations from consumer models with (For Home) or (For Work). I always have gone with the Precisions as I was introduced to them through the office in IT-land. I knew they were bulky and tough workhorses from supporting and maintaining them in the work environment. Of course a Dell Precision Workstation will cost you a bit more than the consumer (home) models but you have an awesome machine for music, video, or whatever challenge you throw at it. The newer version of my machine is the 5810 and 5820. I've got upgrades maxed out on my machine, 32 Gig Ram, Dual Quad Core Xeon processors (8 logical cores) and a beefed up video card. I should still be good for another couple of years before I get a newer machine. I also use this machine to render 4K HD video and flight simulation. Hope that helps!
NP. Once you see what models you may want, then pop over to the Dell Outlet store. Available PCs change on a daily basis. I just saw 2 5810s one loaded with an 8 core processor and the other with a 12 core. Each PC was marked down over 50% from their original price.
Thank very much for the responses everyone. I’m taking notes on all of your comments. You guys confirmed what I was thinking. I do make a living from music and wanted the BIAB program to load faster and render to mp3 faster. I figured it wasn’t the graphics card, but the processor. I do live in Florida so cooling is going to be a factor. I hadn’t considered Dell, but I’ve looked into many YouTube videos on how to build a pc. My laptop is struggling a bit. It’s a refurbished Windows 10 running the latest BIAB. I’m probably looking at the 1,500-2,000 range.
I wanted to build my own pc that would help to render BIAB tunes that I create. Where should I invest the money for the biggest bang for the buck? Processor? Skip graphics card? What should the focus be on?
Thanks!
-Andrew
This is the best way to do home recording.... build or buy a machine that will be dedicated to the music.
I've used both with good results. The important part is to have a really nice USB interface. That's the sound card. You really don't want to try to use the soundcard in the computer.
Most computers today are more than sufficient and powerful enough to do everything you need. Just use a good interface and you'll be just fine.
I have a Dell laptop that I used for several years with a Focusrite interface and it did an amazing job. Later, well, it's been over 10 years ago now, I built a custom DAW with the i5 Intel chip and running XP pro 32bit. That machine is still running rock solid and it now uses the Focusrite interface that was on the Dell. The benefit to the custom build was it didn't come from the factory loaded with bloatware and unnecessary software taking up drive space.
I keep my main DAW totally off the internet. As a result, I don't get surprise updates that screw up my configuration.
But yeah.... I think you'll be fine with either a build or an off the shelf machine. Put the focus on the interface, the speakers you monitor with , and some good software besides PG's fabulous stuff.
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.
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
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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
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
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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