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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Oct 2008
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Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,607 |
Welcome to the forums. And you're right, re-invigorating old threads is not frowned on at all! You'll enjoy BIAB. There's a bit of a learning curve. If you're patient, though, the end result makes it well worth while taking the time to get to know the program. All the best, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,062
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11,062 |
Dixiesatellite72,
Welcome to the PG Music forum. When you get a chance, visit the User Showcase section of the forum. There are a few forum members from Japan that post links to their compositions.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: May 2018
Posts: 3
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 3 |
Hi, thanks very much for the welcome  . Look forward to learning everything about BIAB. Ian B.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 89
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 89 |
Backing tracks force you to be a little more disciplined in your rendering. It is unforgiving on timing and really hard on you if you slide on pitch. It is as much an art form as any other in my opinion. In the end it is your performance that counts in a live gig. The music is there to enhance the audience experience, not dominate it.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 2
Newbie
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Newbie
Joined: Jul 2018
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What is live? What is cheating? Well , my questions are this; Is your voice live and can you mess up , lose your timing or pitch? Ever stand up in front of people and have that happen? The embarrassment will certainly be live. Are you playing an instrument? Did you miss a chord or a few notes in a lead guitar part, maybe a whole bar and there you stand with the music playing and your mouth hanging open, pretty live situation if you ask me. But then again I am just a beginner but been listening for almost 60yrs. So last but not least, whos opinion is most important the players or the listeners? Who are we doing this for again?
Just some thoughts......
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 147
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 147 |
Playing in bands is overrated. They show up late or not at all, and when they do they always argue about something or other. ☹️
Having BIAB as your backup band is wonderful. No arguments, no complaints, no dilution of earnings. You are in complete control.
Cheers! -Alastair
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,173
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,173 |
Playing in bands is overrated. They show up late or not at all, and when they do they always argue about something or other. ☹️
Having BIAB as your backup band is wonderful. No arguments, no complaints, no dilution of earnings. You are in complete control. I read this and thought over many years of playing with a lot of talented people in a number of bands, boy haven’t I forged a lot of great lifelong bonds with some real characters. These days I create my backing tracks and often go out by myself. Very lonely compared to a bunch of guys joking, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. When it comes to is it cheating. Maybe I use BIAB incorrectly but rarely do I just enter a bunch of chords, pick a style and call it done. Usually I (and I’m sure a lot of others) enter chords, pick a style, then think maybe this part could be made better by substituting a RealTrack or putting the track in RealBand and regenerating a part. Sometimes it is still not right so you write a bit using midi. We may put the song into a DAW and further edit the tracks, cut and paste, adjust timing, etc. Now the song sounds the way we like it, then we mix and master it, put it the way we like it. Then with a number of songs in mind we get them to the same level so there is no sudden rush to a volume knob. At last with all that done it is time to perform. In my case that means singing, playing guitar (lead breaks etc) and generally entertaining a room full of people. I really don’t see all this as cheating. It is in fact easier to stand there with a few of your mates sharing the load and having a good time playing music. The good thing is BIAB does not get moody, drunk or wish it was somewhere else. I can wake up at some ungodly hour put on headphones and design another song without disrupting other folk. BIAB has given me a new lease but I really don’t see it as cheating. My thoughts Tony
Last edited by Teunis; 08/21/18 12:41 AM.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,933
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I guess it always depends on what the listener expects (and has paid for!) If I am having a few drinks with friends and we are enjoying each other's company then, as a listener I don't care if it is one guy with backing tracks or the radio playing over the bar's speakers. On the other hand, if I purchased a ticket and will be there to watch & listen to a performance, I'm not really very keen on seeing & hearing someone sing along to prerecorded tracks. Not saying it is bad or wrong...just that I would not pay to see/hear it!
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 16,180
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Posts: 16,180 |
Irrespective of the intrigue, arguments, hassles, etc of the band world part of a live music experience for me is seeing folks work off of one another musically. Everything from the perfect little fill to the inspired solo to that something extra in a vocal I do realize that a burnt out live group (been in them) is not gonna provide that but when everybody is hittin' the note for us it doesn't get much better. But, hey, good music manifests itself in a zillion genres and configurations...I'm one old phart with an opinion and that is all.
Bud
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
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,590
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,590 |
I'm an even worse cheat now - even my guitar and vocal effects/harmonies are pre-programmed into my backing tracks on the Voicelive 3 Extreme. I'm no longere trying to press buttons etc but can focus on the audience. I have one unit that plugs into the PA between me and my guitar. If it breaks down it's me, my mic and old trusty
Windows 10 Home 20H2 Build 19042.487
BIAB 2021 (Build 818)
Intel(R) Core(TM), i3-4160, CPU @3.60 GHz RAM 16 GB, 64 Bit X64-based processor
Zoom UAC-2 (USB 3 interface-built in midi)
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 147
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 147 |
“I read this and thought over many years of playing with a lot of talented people in a number of bands, boy haven’t I forged a lot of great lifelong bonds with some real characters.“ -Tony
I enjoy playing with other musicians as well Tony, but the opportunities are few and far between. I was being a bit facetious in my earlier post.
Playing in church or a CCC cocktail lounge, with BIAB backup, I have never once been accused of cheating. If anyone asks I say it was, “Pre-recorded”, which some of the guitar parts were actually pre-recorded by me.
Last edited by AlastairLC; 09/14/18 10:23 AM.
Cheers! -Alastair
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,753
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,753 |
Since my last post in this thread over a year ago I have progressed (sarcasm) to not using backing tracks for almost a year now. It's just my voice, acoustic guitar, tambourine under my right foot and a microphone stuffed in a brief case with lots of padding inside under my left foot for a kick/bass drum sound. I do play both feet at the same time now and have even worked out a few various patterns for different songs. I mostly sing at restaurants and often enough there are people dancing for at least a few songs even though it's dinner hours. My acoustic guitar sound is very janglie when strumming with sufficient bass on the two low strings. For most songs I've worked on my right hand technique to simulate what a bass player would do while still strumming the rhythm. I guess I'll call it Travis Strumming. At times I miss having tracks because I have to avoid "void soloing" but I am getting better at chord soloing to make up the difference. Some have said I don't need the backing tracks. Others have said I'm better without them. No one has ever suggested I should go back to using tracks or that I should have tracks or try using them or anything like that.
But, I'm always considering putting basic drum patterns on a Beat Buddy just for drums alone. I don't think I would even use the Beat Buddy to it's full purpose. Just way to use my feet to start and stop simple patterns that I play along with using my foot percussion.
Anyway, that's me at this point.
As far as cheating goes. Getting Karaoke tracks for free from a download or a Karaoke Jockey buddy, setting yourself up with a small screen monitor and a PA system and performing like that. That's cheating. It's cheesy too. I've seen and heard it done. No matter how good the singer it's still cheating and I'll tell on you if I catch you doing it. We should have Entertainment Police we can call to have these people imprisoned. It's really bad.
Last edited by Tobias; 09/17/18 07:51 PM.
Does the noise in your head bother me ?
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 147
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 147 |
The value of backing tracks depends a lot on the type of performance. Someone singing and comping himself on guitar doesn’t need them. The melody and harmony are there (and some percussion if he gets his feet working). However, if someone is playing guitar instrumentally, as I do, either he’s a guitar virtuoso (which I’m not) or he needs some backup. Personally I’m not keen on guitar solos. I like to hear the piano, drums and bass in the background. As I play mostly jazz standards, that’s what works best, and the folks I play for prefer instrumentals to a singer as background music. When I play spiritual songs in church, a backing track of guitar and subtle bass works best. I either pre-record the guitar track myself, or if it’s just simple comping I let BIAB do it. I never use a BIAB guitar track that I’m not capable of doing myself. My audiences in both settings like it very much. No complaints yet!
Cheers! -Alastair
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 330
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 330 |
I agree with Alastair on this. I think the style of music has a lot to do with whether of not I would use backing tracks. I've been successfully gigging for years playing instrumental guitar along with my BIAB backing tracks. Especially in situations where "background music" is required, I can create a nice small band sound without being too loud. However, if i was to gig with my acoustic guitar and voice (finger picking folk, blues, country, etc.). I probably would not use tracks. My own style of singing is pretty laid back, and I don't want to be tied to a specific beat throughout a whole song.
But, I've also heard singers sound great using backing tracks.
"Different strokes for different folks".
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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!
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Holiday Weekend Hours
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Saturday, May 16: Closed
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Regular hours resume Tuesday, May 19th!
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Check out all the new features in the redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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!
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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.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
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-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
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- 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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XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
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What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
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Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
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