Great post and summary of the major differences, thanks Bob!

I realize the current architecture and design doesn't support it, but I've always wondered if there will ever be realtime mode in BIAB like on the arranger keyboards. I think it would be very cool and a major new feature and selling point for the program, appealing to a new category of players.

Originally Posted By: Notes Norton
Both BiaB and my own styles feature some with A, B, C and D subsections. Plus you can switch styles at any point in the song.

I do a lot of style writing for BiaB and have done so since 1992. I have also owned a couple of arranger keyboards (a Yamaha, a Roland, and a Korg).

Here are the main differences as I see them (I'll try to be fair to both).
  • The arranger keyboards usually are more repetitive. Some play 2 bars over and over and over again. Some tout up to 16 but that's an exaggeration as it might be bars 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 3, 5, 3, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 3, 6 (I've seen plenty of styles with that pattern). A BiaB style can contain hundreds of patterns. The result is BiaB will be less boring to listen to
  • Since a BiaB song is entered before the song starts playing, specific patterns for specific musical situations can be programmed into the style. For example, if a V7 chord is being played at the end of a verse, and the first chord of the next verse is a I chord, BiaB can play appropriate patterns that lead from the V7 to the I. Arranger keyboards either always treat a V7 chord as if a I will follow, or ignore that common occurrence. The result is BiaB plays a more musically intelligent background that is more like real musicians would play.
  • Arranger keyboards usually have only 2 to 4 drum rolls per style. BiaB can have dozens. On the other hand, the drums, bass, and other instruments in each roll are tighter on the keyboard. This depends on your preference, I prefer the BiaB concept quite a bit.
  • BiaB has many more styles to choose from than any arranger keyboard. They are available from PG Music, myself, and other aftermarket vendors. So if you need a specific style for a specific song, chances are BiaB will have one. Plus say if you only have one or two cha-chas (or whatever) in your keyboard and you have 10 cha-chas in your repertoire, the keyboard is going to play the same styles over and over, BiaB has the possibility of dozens of styles in any one genre.
  • BiaB has support for more chords than the arranger keyboards do. From m7b5 chords to some extended 9ths 11ths and even 13ths. Most arranger keyboards stick to the basics.
  • Arranger keyboards have more elaborate introductions and endings than BiaB. At first this seems like a big advantage for the keyboards, and depending on your desires, it might be. On the other hand, we had a gig for an Arthur Murray dance studio (you take the gigs as they are offered). So I whipped up a few cha-chas on the keyboard to play in real-time. I did "Cherry Pink" with a fabulous intro on the Roland. Then I did "The More I See You" and it had that exact same fabulous intro. Later I did "Never On Sunday" with that same fabulous intro, but I wasn't sure what song I was playing at the end of the intro because it was exactly like the others.
  • BiaB has up to 5 different instrument sounds, some of the arranger keyboards have more (I've seen 7). This could be an advantage for the keyboards on some songs, but others don't need that many instruments
  • The interaction between the bass and all the comp parts on the arranger keyboards can be a little tighter. There are some keyboard styles I'd like to reproduce on BiaB but BiaB's brain won't handle them. But looking in the opposite direction, there are thousands of styles on BiaB that the keyboard won't handle either.
  • The arranger keyboards are played live in 'real time' so you can extend the song, change the arrangement, or vamp while you talk on the mic, BiaB cannot do that as the lengths and arrangements of the songs are set in advance. There is a loop feature in BiaB but it isn't the same.
  • The keyboards have a limited amount of styles, and new styles can be purchased or written by the user, but the total is only a fraction of what is available for BiaB
  • When the keyboard dies, or if you need new capabilities, you have to buy a new keyboard, and that will cost you thousands of dollars. The styles I wrote for BiaB on my Atari computer in the early 1990s, still work in BiaB. Plus through the years BiaB has added quite a few improvements to the program that make it work better, and make the output much more musical. A modest upgrade fee is all that is required to get the new whistles and bells - not the thousands of dollars required for the keyboard
  • Because BiaB is so dominant, it has a very active user base of users, with many people who are eager to help out the newbies on this forum and on a couple not associated with PG Music
  • PG Music service, tech support, and involvement by the owner, Peter Gannon, is topnotch and I think light-years better than any you will get with a keyboard company.


IMO the advantages for BiaB far outweigh the ones for the keyboards. But it all depends on you, and how you run your performance.

My advice is to buy BiaB and see if it suits you. If it works you save a lot of money on a new keyboard. If it doesn't work for you, you aren't out that much, and you will still find BiaB useful and quite entertaining when you are not on the job.

IMHO every electronic musician needs a few basic programs (1) a DAW or sequencer (like PTPro) and (2) Band-in-a-Box. Everything else is optional. YMMV.

Insights and incites by Notes