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Yep, that's where I'm at now with Frontier, $158 a month. The new year is coming and something is gonna change, just not sure what yet.
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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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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Just discovered this chocked-full thread. Very timely for me as I've just started a three-pronged experiment in cord cutting: 1) Bought Tivo OTA refurb at half price, 2) signed up for the new DirecTV Now service, and 3) will begin 6-mo "vacation" from DISH at end of cycle (leaves dish & receiver in place - just not working).
The Tivo deal is still on in case anyone's interested: Tivo.com. $200 brings the dvr box and a lifetime guide subscription (hope mentioning price is OK..sorry if not, but wanted to pass on what seems to me to be a great deal).
The DirecTV Now pkg is loaded with channels including ESPN and ESPN2 and all news channels. Grandfathered in to the 2nd highest tier- they say - at $35/mo as long as I keep paying monthly.
Just a few days into this and still getting the hang of it. Tivo functionality may end up being even better than locals on DISH. DirecTV Now is a little quirky, but improved over a few days. No DVR on this one and that may be its achilles heel, but I think it will be OK, especially when I consider I'm paying $35/mo instead of $100 (if you don't count the intial $200 investment). Anyway, time for a paradigm shift, and I can always go back to DISH after the "vacation" if it doesn't work out.
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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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PS: Just wanted to say thanks to so many posters for all I've learned, and continue to learn, on these forums. I'm not new to BIAB, but I've also not used it for several years and was never that accomplished with it or other DAW related software. So, learning, re-learning, and getting re-acquainted with the only bandmates courageous enough to sit in with me, those fantastic players in the box!
I'm aware how accomplished many of you are, musically and technically. Hope you don't mind a duffer/hobbyist in your midst.
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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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Thanks for this info Nozart. I may jump on that Tivo deal too.
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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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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I've been reading all about Directv Now. Here's a good article: http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/30/13788934/directv-now-att-internet-tv-service-questions-pricing-channelsIn addition to this I heard on he news yesterday that they've reached a deal with CBS but it's not linked up to the service yet. For me this channel lineup is impressive. Everything I usually watch is there except for the Lakers and I've decided I can live without that, I have other choices to watch them. The one thing that might bother me is picture quality. In my case my 60" big screen is my computer monitor so I'll be running this through my PC so no streaming box required and this article says it's "mostly" 1080P. My Frontier Fios is the best you can get right now and my pic quality is great, I'll just have to see if the pic quality is good enough or not. Oh, there is no cloud DVR yet but it's supposedly coming and right now that $200 Tivo shows out of stock. I'm going to sign up for this (and keep Frontier for now) and I'll report back how it's going. 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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It's the combo of the Tivo OTA and the DirecTV Now that was the tipping point for me. When I looked over my DISH recordings I was almost surprised to see that about half are OTA even though I watch virtually no prime time shows. Morning and evening news, network & local, all the late night shows, and many PBS shows. I then pick and choose bits and pieces. For instance, I might binge "best of" late nite interviews/monologs totalling an hour or so on weekends. Even though the Tivo OTA is out of stock, the deal is still posted, so I'd presume it can still be back-ordered at half price.
OTA PQ is of course the best available, and PQ on the DTV Now surprised me by looking 1080-ish after a minute to stabilize (and unfortunately sometimes a stutter-buffer or frame freeze in the first couple of minutes). After that, good to go. Don't forget to set 1080 in prefs. My guess is that this is the kind of thing that's likely to improve.
The smooth functionality of DISH's STB is what's likely to be missed most here. But I like the tradeoff.
I will also follow up after I've had a chance to watch more..no time here since Tuesday.
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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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The smooth functionality of DISH's STB is what's likely to be missed most here. But I like the tradeoff. That's what it boils down to, isn't it? That $35/month deal is temporary. The regular price for everything will be $60/month and another fiver for HBO if I want it. I know that when I drop Frontier my internet by itself will be $60. Call it $100 per month with the special deal or $120 without it. So I'm saving about $40-50. The Frontier DVR is a 3 tuner and works perfect. If I manage to get that Tivo it's about $17/month for the first year. For what I do it's beginning to look like minimal point shaving. It's not like I'm broke and simply can't afford it. Hmmmm... 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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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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Here's the latest from Youtube: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/apps/a25443/youtube-wants-to-sell-you-tv/This article says it includes unlimited DVR functions presumably online. I wonder if that will include the ability to skip commercials? 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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Following your journey here closely Bob. I have both Comcast TV and internet. While I love the internet speed and reliability, the cost and my use of their TV services are becoming questionable, especially after they jumped my service from an introductory $90 a month to $160 a month for the same service.
Like you, I am seriously looking at cutting the cord on the TV side while keeping their internet service. Its definitely a trade off with other services, guess I've become addicted to what Comcast offers.
Did notice the YouTube announcement yesterday, searched, but haven't found any further details. This seems like it might be the one. With their backing by Google, they have a built in subscribed base. If this can be converted, it may just be the game changer.
Keep this thread going, I'm definitely following.
Jeff
Win11, Intel i7 7700K 4.2Ghz, 32Gb RAM, 2x1Tb HD, 500Gb NVMe, BIAB/RB 2026, MOTU 828MK3 audio, MOTU Midi Express, Yamaha Montage 7, DX7II, TX802, Motif XS Rack, Roland Fantom XR Rack, Oberheim Matrix 1000, VoiceLive3 Extreme, Kontakt 6, SampleTank 4.3
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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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eddie1261
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How they got me is this. My favorite stations are not in the basic tier. However, the stations I want are not in one tier, so I had to buy 2 programming tiers. I am going to DEEPLY research the live sports thing though. Even though all I have is the Browns for my NFL team, I have the Cavs and Indians, so one champion and one that was an out away from the World Series last year. I do like my teams. If I can find them free, it may be time to cut the cord here too. My TV is about $159 of my total bill, bundled with internet it is almost $200. I have 70mbps down though and like that speed.
Last edited by eddie1261; 03/20/17 04:32 PM.
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Help! Tech S.O.S (Off topic)
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Believe me Eddie I've checked out the sports problem very deeply and so far, no good answers. If you haven't bought that package through the cable provider and you find the game somewhere, it's blacked out.
Here in LA the Lakers signed a multibillion dollar deal with Time Warner, now Spectrum and dropped all local TV broadcasts so I can't even put up an antenna and get any games. It sucks man. If you're a sports fan you're simply screwed. About the only thing I can say is there are so many (as in millions) of people in the same boat I've read about "possibilities" being considered to somehow get the sports ala carte. The big question of course is at what cost? If it costs us fifty bucks a month to get them then who cares?
After digging into this I learned it's the cable company sub fees that's funding all the leagues and paying the players salaries. Advertising on broadcast TV isn't even a drop in that bucket. It's all coming from us paying for those bundles.
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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I wonder if that will include the ability to skip commercials? Well, I'm wondering no more, here's the bad news: http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2017/04/12/youtube-tv-customers-will-be-forced-to-watch-commercials-on-recorded-shows/It's obvious they're gonna get us one way or the other. Everybody hates commercials especially the ones on cable... "WAIT, there's more..." I'd slit my wrists if I was forced to watch all that crap. 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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For sports, I've been hearing about this lately, though no personal experience .. https://www.fubo.tv/welcome
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Thanks but for for me this doesn't have Spectrum which carries the Lakers or TNT which handles the few times they're on national TV. I see it costs $35 and my internet alone would be $60. That's the same $95 with the new DirecTV streaming service. Add in a few subs like Netflix or whatever and I'm close to what I'm paying now but without the 3 tuner DVR capability.
I don't see any free lunches any time soon.
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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Hey Bob! Sorry for resurrecting this old post but I just got into the cord cutting game for the first time. My experience is much like Beagle below in that I'm an AT&T cable and internet user spending about the same on the cable part. I cut the cord about a year ago. I had been paying AT&T U-verse $150/month for about 200 channels of crap and I could never find anything I wanted to watch!
we also have AT&T for internet - I increased our download plan to 50Mbps and dropped UVerse, bought an antenna to pick up local broadcasts, subscribed to Hulu and Amazon prime and I'm still saving nearly $100/month!
In my case, I'm 10 miles out of St. Louis on the Illinois side. The first purchase was an indoor digital antenna that just hangs on the window facing the city. I get about 5 main channels and each one has 3 or 4 sub channels so that's 20+ OTA channels. Another thing I had to figure out was multiple rooms with TV. I wanted to go with a new TIVO OTA DVR but they want you to buy more equipment with each room. Also, in 2 of the 3 rooms with TV, I have dumb (older, non-HDMI/USB port) TVs. My low-cost solution to that was to purchase two of those $39 Amazon Firesticks and plug those into HDMI-to-Composite(RCA Cable) adaptors for each TV. Now all TVs are set up to stream video. Final step was to purchase a Tablo 4-Tuner OTA DVR. This one is nice since it just connects to my home network and digital antenna. I can stream live TV off the digital antenna on any TV in the house as well as record any of that through the Tablo. I can stream straight to my phone as well even away from home. I purchased an external USB drive for the Tablo to store recorded TV on, 4TB (excessive but $99 Amazon special). I also subscribe to Netflix and Hulu (about $19/month total). So between the subscriptions and local TV, I'm covered fairly well and bye-bye to expensive cable.
 Steve BIAB/RB 2022, Pro Tools 2020, Korg N5, JBL LSR 4328 Powered Monitors, AKG/Shure Mics.
PC: Win11 PRO, 4 TB M2 SSD, 2 TB HD, 128 GB Memory
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I just cut my cable also, as well as switched internet service providers at the same time. I had ATT UVerse, but switched to Cox hi speed internet (4 times the speed I had with ATT at a lower cost).
I get about 45 stations with my 45-mile range antenna mounted about 20 feet up. ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CW, PBS, plus a ton of independents.
I share Netflix with my son and HBO Go with my sister. I bought the TiVo OTA (one time cost, and you get the 2-week look ahead TV Guide without a monthly fee). It also has the HBO and NetFlix apps integrated. My wife loves it. We are definitely not lacking for content.
Based on what I was paying for cable, everything pays for itself in about five months.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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Great to hear John! That TIVO looked like a really good box.
The Tablo I bought has a monthly/yearly guide fee but they also offer a lifetime guide fee that I used to avoid future charges on the 2-week look ahead guide.
Steve BIAB/RB 2022, Pro Tools 2020, Korg N5, JBL LSR 4328 Powered Monitors, AKG/Shure Mics.
PC: Win11 PRO, 4 TB M2 SSD, 2 TB HD, 128 GB Memory
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And we found that most of what we watched was on the networks anyway, so we're not losing much without cable. We switched as the season ended, so we didn't miss any shows (the few we did, we just watched on-demand from the network web sites - I have an old laptop next to the TV plugged in via HDMI and a wireless mouse keyboard). We just reset season passes (TIVO calls it OnePass) for all the shows we want and then watch at our leisure. Also, the picture quality is better than we were getting from cable, since OTA is uncompressed HD.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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The picture quality is better than we were getting from cable, since OTA is uncompressed HD. Yes! I enjoy the sharp image.
Steve BIAB/RB 2022, Pro Tools 2020, Korg N5, JBL LSR 4328 Powered Monitors, AKG/Shure Mics.
PC: Win11 PRO, 4 TB M2 SSD, 2 TB HD, 128 GB Memory
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Nothing to be sorry about Steve, I've been hoping this thread would be updated. My whole situation has changed. I've just retired and a house purchase came up suddenly that I couldn't turn down so now I live up in the mountains 125 miles outside of LA. Great area but no cable so my cord cutting options are limited. ATT is running fiber optic within 5 or 10 miles of me and I've been told it's coming into my community but not yet. For business reasons I must have internet (I'm now working part time as a tax consultant) so I just put in Viasat internet which works well enough and DirecTV as a bundle. Viasat is much better than HughesNet but it's no good for HD streaming so none of this cool stuff will work for me but maybe it will in a year or so.
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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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!
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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®.
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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.
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.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
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)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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