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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2008
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I'm trying to decide whether to get my 2010 upgrade on DVD or USB HD. I'm tempted to get the USB HD but I'm not sure how best to back up such a large amount of data. I only have one USB port available so I can't connect 2 USB drives at the same time. I do have a 250 GB LAN drive but the connection via wireless is pretty slow for doing backups of this size.
The thing is, with DVD's I don't have to worry if something goes south since I can just reload from disc. If the USB HD goes south I'd be out of luck.
So how do you guys protect your purchase on USB HD?
Any other good reasons to choose the HD version?
Thanks in advance.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
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*Pick up a USB hub expander, they don't cost much.
You should select one that has its own Power supply, though, in order to run the drives.
Use another USB drive to make a backup.
If your machine has internal SATA drive connects, the drives PGMusic have sent me have all been SATA on the inside, but the connect is laptop SATA, you would need a powered adaptor to connect directly to desktop internal or external SATA. I'd go with USB hub for the sake of simplicity anyway. Anyone with only one USB port certainly needs a USB hub.
DVD is very slow.
But it can be of advantage to those who live in countries that charge big TAX on "computer hardware".
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 707
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 707 |
Maybe seems a bit obvious but here goes ... why not copy the data from your new USB drive to C:\BB and use BIAB from there? Your new USB drive then IS the backup and can be safely put in the drawer out of harm's way. Even with Vista, it would take only a few hours to copy this much data from a USB drive to an internal hard disk...
Brian
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Thanks for the idea. I should have mentioned that I don't have enough HD space for BiaB AND the RealTrack/Drums. The way I have set things up is to have BiaB on my HD and RT/D on a LAN drive. There's enough space on the LAN drive but it is really really slow to copy over the wireless.
Thanks anyway. I decided to go with the DVD's for now.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I do what Fifer does except when I get a new one like I just erase the old one and use it as a normal backup drive. When I get 2010 160g drive I'll erase the 2009.5 drive. Then Ive got a spare 80g & 160g drive to store songs on.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,976
PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 15,976 |
Yes, HD is the way to go, for the UltraPlus or Everything Pak.
In fact, we're going to remove the DVD option, from the online oredering anyway. If someone "really" wants to oder the DVD version, it can still be done by phone, where the sales staff can verify that the customer would prefer getting 20 DVD's, and installing them one by one, compared to a HD option that is pre-installed, for the same price.
Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 674
Journeyman
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Journeyman
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 193
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 193 |
I have never used a USB hard drive before so please bear with me. Is USB really fast enough for multitracking MIDI and wav files? I suppose they must work fine or people wouldn't buy them.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Quote:
I have never used a USB hard drive before so please bear with me. Is USB really fast enough for multitracking MIDI and wav files? I suppose they must work fine or people wouldn't buy them.
Plenty of fast, in my experience anyway.
Cheers,
Mike
Cheers, Mike My Music * Asus ROG Strix G15CF 32 GB DDR4 4TB HDD + 1 TB SSD NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 8GB Win 11 AKAI EIE PRO Sound Interface. BIAB/RB 2024 UltraPak Build - Latest
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 674
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 674 |
most users will not exceed the bandwidth of USB. just don't use a USB hub unless it's a powered hub and you'll likely not even notice a difference between internal and external USB hard drives.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Expert
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Personally I prefer the DVDs still. I just like having them in case something goes wrong. I guess its just a matter of getting confident with a new media type.
The other thing is the time required to back up the data, copy my 3rd party styles to the new drive and get all my personal settings copied will take much longer than simply installing the programs and the 3 new RT sets.
I have had problems in the past that required reinstalling a program or a RT/D set. If that happened with the HD version I'd have to restore everything back to the HD which would take a lot longer.
Perhaps you could sell a version with the HD and DVD backups? You could require entering the SN from the HD as proof of legitimate ownership before using the DVDs. If this were offered I would be happy to pay media and duplication costs above the standadrd price.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Oct 2007
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I was considering the DVD's as well ... but 20 ??? I don't think so! LOL!
Cheers,
Mike
Cheers, Mike My Music * Asus ROG Strix G15CF 32 GB DDR4 4TB HDD + 1 TB SSD NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 8GB Win 11 AKAI EIE PRO Sound Interface. BIAB/RB 2024 UltraPak Build - Latest
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 826
Expert
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Unless your a first time buyer you only need to install 4 discs. The program disc puts BiaB and RB on your HD and three discs install the new RT/D. I have to admit though, 20 discs would be a pain for a first time install.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Well, 4 is not bad ... I'd be upgrading from 2009.5 ... so ... but, I read that they will take that option away and you must call customer service to arrange for DVD's. Be nice to have an extra backup like that. I have 2009.5 on the USB drive, on my C drive (where I run it from) and another copy (downloads) on a 1TB drive ... talk about backup??? LOL
Cheers,
Mike
Cheers, Mike My Music * Asus ROG Strix G15CF 32 GB DDR4 4TB HDD + 1 TB SSD NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 8GB Win 11 AKAI EIE PRO Sound Interface. BIAB/RB 2024 UltraPak Build - Latest
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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I have a 250GB LAN drive for backup but it's accessed over a wireless connection making it too slow to handle BiaB and all the RT/D. It would take around 24 hours to copy everything and I'm not confident it'd even get through everything without any errors.
The LAN drive can also be connected via USB which is faster but still around 4 hours. Compared to installing 4 DVDs it's still too long. Even if I had to install all 20 it wouldn't take much more than that. Not to mention that I don't have to install everything in order to use BiaB again.
I guess I still prefer the DVDs. When PGM stops selling the DVDs I'll have to bite the bullet.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Quote:
Perso
The other thing is the time required to back up the data, copy my 3rd party styles to the new drive and get all my personal settings copied will take much longer than simply installing the programs and the 3 new RT sets.
?
Copmpared to DVDs, copying hard drive-to-hard-drive, even with USB in between, is like lightning...
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 193
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 193 |
Thanks guys, I figured it would be OK but I just wanted to hear from those who have used it.
I just placed my order for the UltraPak USB upgrade from MegaPak 2009.5 DVDs.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 826
Expert
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Quote:
?
Copmpared to DVDs, copying hard drive-to-hard-drive, even with USB in between, is like lightning...
--Mac
I wasn't refering to the actual copy speed rather the time to plan and research what files to move and checking each stage to be sure it's correct. I don't have all the steps memorized.
BiaB 2013 b366, RB 2013 b4, WinXP Pro SP3, Toshiba M70, 1.8GHz 2GB RAM 100GB HD. Focusrite Saffire 6 USB, Ketron SD2. BiaB Wiki
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
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Veteran
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Quote:
I wasn't refering to the actual copy speed rather the time to plan and research what files to move and checking each stage to be sure it's correct. I don't have all the steps memorized.
The hard drive comes with its own Installer program. Use that and follow the prompts, it is much easier than doing that DVD by DVD.
I think you are just looking for reasons to convince yourself on this issue.
The USB drive solution is really a far, far better deal all around.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 11
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 11 |
Mac, maybe this is self evident, but if the USB drive includes the programs, all tracks, styles, etc., then I simply copy my songs to the BB folder of the USB drive to become completely upgraded. Songs of the same name are overwritten and others are added incrementally. Some initial setup and a new shortcut and that's it? The program will look to the USB drive for songs, styles, and styles automatically? This is too easy. There must be some trap somewhere I haven't thought of.
Joe
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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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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!
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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!
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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.
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
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- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
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