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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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 07:12 AM.
BIAB 2026:RB 2026, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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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!
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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
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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 2026:RB 2026, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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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)
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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 2026:RB 2026, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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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.
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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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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 11 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 22.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 22 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 11 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 22.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 22 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Peter Gannon Talks Band-in-a-Box with zplane
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
Special thanks to the team at zplane for their continued support.
Check out the full interview here: https://products.zplane.de/blog/peter-gannon-interview-pg-music
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!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac 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 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.
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