|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,727
Veteran
|
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,727 |
In the cakewalk forums, when they were up and running..... BB was looked down upon by many. I know I caught some grief from the "real musicians" in those forums for my use of BB. Others there were more accepting.
But yep, got to agree, even today, many musicians don't know what BB really has to offer.
I post my music, reply to comments and gladly tell folks who ask, who is playing on my tracks.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd 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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,362
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,362 |
Well, the marketing department could do better. This is a graph showing "interest over time" (meaning how many have searched for Band in a Box) compared with FL Studio, Cakewalk and Cubase. Unfortunately google only have data from 2004 and forward, but it is still interesting: Google trends Will
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,026
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,026 |
Extremely interesting results, Will. Thank you.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,381
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,381 |
Mike, I was impressed back in 2006, and blown away today. Actually, a "Band in a Box" was EXACTLY what I was looking for, so it was aptly named in my case.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 8,647
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 8,647 |
One thing I've noticed are some of the self-made "Demos" people have done on their own for YouTube are not particularly good word-of-mouth advertising. Some of them are so poorly made it's embarrassing. I know their intentions are good and they think the can rustle up some more users. But the comments left by listeners/viewers for those "Demo" videos are largely unflattering. I do think that has at least a minor influence on the fabulous software's lack of appeal to those who've never used it or, to their knowledge, heard it. That's unfortunate.
ALan
BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,026
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,026 |
Alan, your comments are worthy of serious consideration.
A massive amount of genuine, good intentioned - albeit with less than pristine delivery and adequate professional delivery mechanisms - can give the viewer the impression that the product itself delivers less than what could be achieved.
People need to explore the product's abilities and the user's delivery as two separate deliverables.
Your points are well noted.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,807
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,807 |
An easy way to dispel many of the common misconceptions and myths about BIAB out in the music world would be for PGMusic to make a presence in the huge YouTube Home Recording Tutorial market. A whole lot of forum members and I'm sure BIAB users that are not active forum members daily spend time building their mixing and producing skills on sites with guys like Graham Cochran of the Recording Revolution, Joe Gilder of Home Studio Corner, Warren Huart of Produce Like a Pro, Dave Pensado of Pensado's Place, and Johnny Geib of Home Studio Trainer and many more. But none of these sites are talking about BIAB. Just between Produce Like a Pro and Pensado's Place, they have nearly half a million YouTube subscribers. The same PGMusic folks that do the NAMM events could take that presentation and a complementary copy of an UltraPak and make guest appearances at all of these sites. These instructors are always looking for new products that will benefit the home recording enthusiasts in every aspect of the home recording process. That includes many tasks that BIAB specialize in such as practice, building their musical skills, scales, accompaniment tracks, custom tracks, songwriting, midi tracks, RealTracks and Supermidi, Videos, notaction, the Audio Chord Wizard, multitrack recording and on and on....
It seems to me that PGMusic being at NAMM builds business relationships whereas them having a presence on these type sites will build their customer base. Several of these sites are sponsored by specific products such as Presonus and specialize in teaching beginning to advanced procedures and techniques of that product line. Maybe PGMusic could offer a sponsorship to a site.
That particular customer base is a prime market of people who either don't know of BIAB or have heard of it and have many misconceptions about what it is and what it can do for the home recordist artist, producer, music student and teacher. Think of the number of artists that would like access to studio grade musicianship for instruments they can't play. Maybe many of them can play an instrument but not to the expert quality of a RealTrack session player. There's even value to the seasoned player. They may can play the instrument part, but at a particular moment, it is inconvenient to do so. Ask forum member Tom Adams if he wants to do a setup his PSG, tune it plus teardown when through at 2am to play 2 minutes on a song... or... pull up a RealTrack pedal steel?
In the past, I have been in contact with three of those instructors about other topics but mentioned BIAB during our conversation. All three have heard of BIAB but have very little knowledge of the program and what they do know is mostly wrong......
To me, it's a bit of "Will the real BIAB please stand up". Make these guys aware, and you will go a long ways to reaching a specific market that will benefit from the biggest open secret in music software.
Last edited by Charlie Fogle; 11/03/18 06:12 AM.
BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 2,934
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 2,934 |
An easy way to dispel many of the common misconceptions and myths about BIAB out in the music world would be for PGMusic to make a presence in the huge YouTube Home Recording Tutorial market. A whole lot of forum members and I'm sure BIAB users that are not active forum members daily spend time building their mixing and producing skills on sites with guys like Graham Cochran of the Recording Revolution, Joe Gilder of Home Studio Corner, Warren Huart of Produce Like a Pro, Dave Pensado of Pensado's Place, and Johnny Geib of Home Studio Trainer and many more. But none of these sites are talking about BIAB. Just between Produce Like a Pro and Pensado's Place, they have nearly half a million YouTube subscribers. The same PGMusic folks that do the NAMM events could take that presentation and a complementary copy of an UltraPak and make guest appearances at all of these sites. These instructors are always looking for new products that will benefit the home recording enthusiasts in every aspect of the home recording process. That includes many tasks that BIAB specialize in such as practice, building their musical skills, scales, accompaniment tracks, custom tracks, songwriting, midi tracks, RealTracks and Supermidi, Videos, notaction, the Audio Chord Wizard, multitrack recording and on and on....
It seems to me that PGMusic being at NAMM builds business relationships whereas them having a presence on these type sites will build their customer base. Several of these sites are sponsored by specific products such as Presonus and specialize in teaching beginning to advanced procedures and techniques of that product line. Maybe PGMusic could offer a sponsorship to a site.
That particular customer base is a prime market of people who either don't know of BIAB or have heard of it and have many misconceptions about what it is and what it can do for the home recordist artist, producer, music student and teacher. Think of the number of artists that would like access to studio grade musicianship for instruments they can't play. Maybe many of them can play an instrument but not to the expert quality of a RealTrack session player. There's even value to the seasoned player. They may can play the instrument part, but at a particular moment, it is inconvenient to do so. Ask forum member Tom Adams if he wants to do a setup his PSG, tune it plus teardown when through at 2am to play 2 minutes on a song... or... pull up a RealTrack pedal steel?
In the past, I have been in contact with three of those instructors about other topics but mentioned BIAB during our conversation. All three have heard of BIAB but have very little knowledge of the program and what they do know is mostly wrong......
To me, it's a bit of "Will the real BIAB please stand up". Make these guys aware, and you will go a long ways to reaching a specific market that will benefit from the biggest open secret in music software.
Well said Charlie!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2,732
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 2,732 |
Charlie, maybe the new "I want a video that shows me how to .... " forum will help a little on that front.....
 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
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,807
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,807 |
Charlie, maybe the new "I want a video that shows me how to .... " forum will help a little on that front..... I'm sure it will Steve. I've watched most of them and they are very well done. I hope I haven't come across as critical or that PGMusic is not running their business to suit me... Not my intention to do that. I understood this thread topic to be about how members perception of the BIAB product changed as they actually delved into using the product and how much more the product really is from what one may initially perceive it to be. I think BIAB suffers a similar fate to midi with the mass of musicians. Multitudes of musicians snub their nose at midi and think it's cheesy (the same word you'll hear many musicians say about BIAB). These same musicians will go to a movie and listen to an orchestra play over the ending credits and never knowing it's some twenty three year old guy in his bedroom in Colorado playing midi. Someone here on the forum commented that all the major hits in most genres today contain midi because all of the major recording label studios in NYC, LA, Atlanta, Nashville or London use midi. They use midi because they know the nuances of it, have the budget to have the best gear, sounds, software and artists to use it all. They also make huge profits because of midi production cost versus the 'real thing' in so many cases. The big studios have known the truth about midi since its inception and long before the guts of the machinery to process midi would fit into a 49 key midi controller you can hold in one hand. They started with gear so large that had it's own room and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and may be one of only three machines ever made. David Wills of ProaudioDVD's tells the story about touring with Michael Jackson and Michael used a piece of gear for backing tracks and effects that travelled on its own semi truck and was set up in a separate large tent with a/c and had its own maintenance crew and technicians. I've read similar stories about gear Stevie Wonder and Emerson Lake and Palmer purchased and used back in the day. I personally believe the big studios and labels also know about the nuances and features of BIAB and use them on main stream commercial recordings. Just as with midi, they have the resources of people, budget, gear, and technicians to do things far beyond what a normal amateur user would ever do. It's not hard for me to imagine some producer working with a big name artist on a project and coming home one night after a big Hollywood party at 1:00am , checking his email and finding the label wants to add a bow'ed Cello track to a mix he thought was completed and was ready to be sent off to be pressed and mastered the next day.... I think that producer would fire up his BIAB program and make that track... I think many folks in the music world still have it wrong about BIAB.
BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,806
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 12,806 |
Just look at how many top session musicians have lent their name to BIAB by recording RealTracks. I'm pretty sure most of them wouldn't want the "cheesy" moniker associated with their names, so that says a lot about BIAB.
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)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,807
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,807 |
Just look at how many top session musicians have lent their name to BIAB by recording RealTracks. I'm pretty sure most of them wouldn't want the "cheesy" moniker associated with their names, so that says a lot about BIAB. Absolutely. Great comment.
BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,026
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,026 |
Just look at how many top session musicians have lent their name to BIAB by recording RealTracks. I'm pretty sure most of them wouldn't want the "cheesy" moniker associated with their names, so that says a lot about BIAB. Yes, very succinctly put. True in more ways than one.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
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 new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
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 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 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 process 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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Happy New Year!
Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.
Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!
Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows 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)
- Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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 PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums57
Topics85,752
Posts795,796
Members39,951
| |
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean