Again just a question born from curiosity. I have seen a good number of collaborations on these forums and I wonder how many of them actually happen in one place with people in the same room. Rog and I have done a ton of stuff over the last 5 or 6-ish years, more often with him lending support to me than USA toward England, but I have done a few things in support of his music. Most notable was when his student group did a surf song and I wrote lyrics and sang it. Then his more recent song Take The Time I did vocals and wrote lyrics for one bridge. He has provided amazing engineering for me many times. I'd actually fly him over here for a visit as a gesture of thanks if I wasn't poor!!
Janice lends her vocals to a lot of songs but with telecommunications being what it is now days things are most often done at each participant's home studio. I'll never forget the cuteness of the video of her bopping around doing vocals for Floyd!
I did the one song with Mario, David and Herb lending guitar support, and none of us have ever met. I was hoping to get Notes to give me 16 bars of sax solo but it happened to be at his busiest time of year. Same with Jazzmammal. My piano part was a little sloppy and could be replaced by someone who plays better....
So while the software itself provides backing tracks, so do some the people here!! I'd love to hear stories of your favorite collaborative efforts.
Some of my favorites have been on this forum, about 10 or more I guess, one with you Eddie.
The way technology works, especially with poor little Band in a Box that never was really cut out for serious work [sarcasm intended, for the first time in my career, honestly] you don't really have to go into a studio together unless you want to give a bro hug, or a sis hug.
Which is always nice though, come to think of it.
Eddie, do you need a hug, man??
David Snyder Songwriter/Renaissance Man Studio + Fingers
I believe that pizza you showed may be at a place called Talayna's in St Louis. If it isn't, that place has one. The deal is that if you can eat it in an hour it's free. If not it's $30. My pal and I went in about 2004 to try it. We were both competitive eaters then and they recognized us when we walked in, so they stacked the deck and made the crust thicker than usual. 24 inches in diameter, so think about taking on a pizza the size of spare tire on the back of a Jeep.
If you look down from above on the pizza, I ate from noon to 5 in 22 minutes, and then my brain said I was done. Good pizza. I had black olive and onion. My pal had pineapple and ham. So we ended up with most of the pizza left. We couldn't exactly bring it home on the plane, right? Se we went out that night to hang out on LaClede's Landing. On the way back we got White Castle burgers because the last thing we wanted was pizza. So we were buying soft drinks from the machine and a couple of kids came out of a room to do the same and when they saw the bags one laughed and said "And the food delivery is here!" And I looked at him and said "You want food? You want food? Come here." and took him into the room and we gave them the leftover pizzas.
I actually went to do a story on the place for a local newspaper. I did that one and later that summer I did one about Wrigley Field. The same friend came with me so I could say I saw a game at Wrigley. It was that day we learned that a true Chicago hot dog means mustard and onion. I ate one every half inning! (I LOVE being on expenses!)
There are steakhouses with offers like that all across Texas. Some even have a wall with 8" X 10" photographs of past winners.
When I was stationed near Lubbock, Texas one of the various things to do was try and guess which steakhouse the Texas Tech Red Raider (American) football linemen would visit to try and eat their way to a free steak.
Over two football seasons my friends and I guessed correctly five times and saw one lineman win one time.
Not on these forums, but on Reddit I've collaborated on a fair number of tracks by adding guitar and/or bass on a variety of projects from adding live bass to hip-hop, prog, and alternative rock songs, and I've recorded live acoustic and electric guitars from scores produced for indie films and video games.
I live in Israel and the folks I collaborated with were from the US or UK, and in one instance, Russia. All stems (and, if the other person uses Reaper, RPP files), are sent through Dropbox.
The world is indeed flat these days!
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
Back in the early 2000's I was on a site called acidplanet.com, created by Sonic Foundry to give users of their software an outlet to post their music. It wasn't limited to people creating music using loops though, anyone could post music there. I did many collaborations through that site, probably close to 100, adding guitar to other peoples tracks situated all across the globe. And had people contribute parts for my songs, there was a percussionist in Brazil that used to do percussion tracks for me. At that point probably the most fun I had had in music for a very long time. Of course all good things must come to and end, and that site went down the tubes when Sonic Foundry was bought out by Sony.
From this site I have collaborated with PeterF, and also ScottC, and had lots of fun doing so.
And of course for the last few years I've been working with a singer/songwriter from Germany, she heard my music over on soundcloud and asked if I would like to do a song with her, and we have been working together ever since, 30 songs so far.
I couldn't help but "lol" at how this thread turned into food. Steaks are good, but I'm a seafood guy myself, having grown on up on the west coast it makes sense. Give me a plate of oysters and I'm happy as a clam (pun intended).
But yes, on the actual topic I'm very intrigued about people's experiences with collaborating on the forums too! Would love to hear some more stories
We've done over 100 collabs since joining the forum seven years ago. This includes co-writes, a track from a user created for us and us creating a track for a user. What is not included are the countless times that we asked for and received what I call "mix counsel." This has been invaluable as I've tried to transition from my years of playing only bluegrass and recording/mixing analog. From the get go floyd and a bit later Tom have generously shared knowledge with us. They've forgotten more than I'll ever know but it's been and continues to be a fun journey.
For any user of the Showcase forum it obvious that 90% of our collabs have been with floyd (our first and a man of infinite patience ), Tom and Peter. We've had the pleasure of meeting Tom and floyd. Peter is "only" about 9,000 miles away so we haven't met...yet. We have many things in common with these folks beyond just music collabs (as we do with the great folks with whom we've collaborated only a few times).
We've never worked on a song other than via net communications although Janice and Tom have sung together - most recently in a lovely National Park campground.
Bud
PS: Janice and I are vegetarians and have little to add to the food discussion But i will say that she can cook meatless dishes that would please about anybody.
PPS: The video Eddie mentioned (got a big smile) was a spontaneous candid I shot when Janice and I came in after a round of Hurricane Irma cleanup and decided it was a good time to record a track...work clothes and all! Little did we know...
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
Janice and I are vegetarians and have little to add to the food discussion But i will say that she can cook meatless dishes that would please about anybody.
Note that the pizza pic I posted was meatless.... and that dinner here is usually either green pea or lentil soup, with a whole Vidalia onion chopped up in it, or a baked vegetable. Recently discovered farro, which I cook in veggie broth, and add red onion and split cherry tomatoes, mixed with a splash of olive oil and balsamic. It is awesome. $1.76 for a bag of farro at Trader Joe's! 1 bag is to servings.
Just a little menu tip from your ol' Uncle eddie!!
With the advent of the internet, collaborating via long distance is the way I have done it. Heck, if I had to rely on songwriting talent from this area, I'd have nothing.... well, except for David Snyder who lives about 20 miles or so up the road in Raleigh. And there's a few others in our NSAI Raleigh chapter who write well and in the same genres.
But even the collab David and I did, Whiskey For Breakfast, was done across the digital wires. I've done collabs with folks from various parts of the world and it just seems to work well.
I can't deny there's a certain electricity when you're writing in the same room, like jamming and playing live, but really, who here has the time and money to meet up with others on this forum? Just like in a real room, you either click or you don't. I've approached several here to do collabs and ...well, let's just say for the sake of civility, whatever the excuse, it didn't work for one reason or another. It is what it is. Imagine now if they or I, had to travel to Michigan or Florida or California only to find out that things weren't going to work out.
Long distance collabs are good. There's little to no pressure or deadline requirements. You have plenty of time to think about the song melody or the lyric lines, and you can bounce things back and forth easily.
In another forum site, I was in a virtual band where the other guys were in Texas (2) and California (1)...and we wrote, edited, recorded our parts, and sent them to the person handling the mixing chores. It came with all the drama of a real band, without having to hear the people actually whine about this or that. After that first song, I resigned virtually as well, from that virtual band. It was real and it was fun but it wasn't real fun.
So...yeah.... I'm a big fan of long distance collabs.
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!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PDT today!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Mac® to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
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If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
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!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PDT on May 31st, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
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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.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 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 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
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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