Cool thing Will, You've a LOT going on in the bottom end so need to EQ carve some space for each low end part &/OR do some High Pass filtering. the kick drum and bass are overlapping so need work. The cymbals are prominent and need some EQ to reduce them. Finally the toms seem unnaturally forward in the quieter sections. The drums will be quite hard to manage as they're just a stereo file BUT it can be done. First step - to manage those frequncies would be to switch to mono for monitoring - that'll give you a clearer picture of stomping and the need for EQ. When the orchestra comes in it's an entirely other bag as it's very busy with added low end. I think the mids need some mud reduction in the full sections but the top end seems cool. DEFINITELY do your EQing in mono before switching back to check in they stereo panned version.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
I really, really like this track! But why the title? :-) In any case, I find it great. I'm no technical guru (not even an apprentice, haha), so I can't comment on the technical aspects of production, etc. (I read through rayc's comments and couldn't understand a word, haha!!!), but you have something excellent on your hands here from the standpoint of what you have created, I think.
Nice job Will! Lots of interesting sounds in this! You might try a version without the drum track (maybe just some orchestral percussion) just to see how it sounds! Thanks, Torrey
Will, nice twisty composition. Unusual progression and lots of cool sounds. Initially the large brass (Tuba?)came in, I thought that is a sound of departing ship I think it would interesting to find departing ship sound and put it in unison with large brass you are using to finish the tune (very end) I am not strong on mixing at all, but to my ear, I would lower hats and bring guitar more forward slightly.
Quite interesting... Unusual chord changes... Pleasant transitions to the chosen sound montage including percussion... It sounds you had fun with this piece... The overall tonalities & timbres sound pleasant to my ears... A very cinematic piece of music... Enjoyed it.
Cool thing Will, You've a LOT going on in the bottom end so need to EQ carve some space for each low end part &/OR do some High Pass filtering. the kick drum and bass are overlapping so need work. The cymbals are prominent and need some EQ to reduce them. Finally the toms seem unnaturally forward in the quieter sections. The drums will be quite hard to manage as they're just a stereo file BUT it can be done. First step - to manage those frequncies would be to switch to mono for monitoring - that'll give you a clearer picture of stomping and the need for EQ. When the orchestra comes in it's an entirely other bag as it's very busy with added low end. I think the mids need some mud reduction in the full sections but the top end seems cool. DEFINITELY do your EQing in mono before switching back to check in they stereo panned version.
Hi rayc,
Thanks a LOT for taking time to listen and for giving me such good advice!
I am a novice in working with those huge orchestras - and I got a lot to learn about how the different instruments are dominating certain frequencies etc. What you have written is very helpful.
I agree with you in most things you write, maybe except for the toms, because that was a deliberate choice to put them forward in the mix, but by reading the comments it seems I am rather alone in liking that. So.. point taken!
I hope I will be able to come up with something better next time I play with the "big boys"...
I really, really like this track! But why the title? :-) In any case, I find it great. I'm no technical guru (not even an apprentice, haha), so I can't comment on the technical aspects of production, etc. (I read through rayc's comments and couldn't understand a word, haha!!!), but you have something excellent on your hands here from the standpoint of what you have created, I think.
Very kind of you! Thanks a lot.
I think the idea was ok, but I probably should have used a lot more time on mixing, before I published it. I am learning every day...
Nice job Will! Lots of interesting sounds in this! You might try a version without the drum track (maybe just some orchestral percussion) just to see how it sounds! Thanks, Torrey
Thanks a lot, Torrey!
Yes, I was thinking about that, but I was trying to combine BiaB with other instruments... not with much success, but I am learning by reading all of your kind comments!
. Initially the large brass (Tuba?)came in, I thought that is a sound of departing ship I think it would interesting to find departing ship sound and put it in unison with large brass you are using to finish the tune (very end)
That is a fun idea, Misha! Thanks for listening!
I am one of many Europeans who are really sad that UK will abandon us. I wanted to express a bit of unease in the track, because that is how I feel about Brexit.
I am praying for a new vote, because I have met so many English people during the last two years, who told me that they just voted for Brexit for fun and that they would vote differently now.
Quite interesting... Unusual chord changes... Pleasant transitions to the chosen sound montage including percussion... It sounds you had fun with this piece... The overall tonalities & timbres sound pleasant to my ears... A very cinematic piece of music... Enjoyed it.
Thanks a lot for your nice comments, Jim! I am glad that you liked it. I think I can do better and will strive to do so next time.
I am one of many Europeans who are really sad that UK will abandon us. I wanted to express a bit of unease in the track, because that is how I feel about Brexit.
You accomplished that as there is a bit of unease in the composition that is counterintuitively somewhat mesmerizing. Producing and or mixing a project like this is way beyond my experience so I'll leave the mix comments to those more familiar with such.
It obviously took a lot of thought regarding the arrangement and I'm sure the mix was time consuming. It also has a cinematic feel that would well fit a "tense" section in the right film.
Fascinating.
J&B
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Really beautiful chord progression and The Orchestra really makes it shine, it is a great tool to create cinematic landscapes, I have used it on couple of my songs, but I wish to use it on more to get more practice. I like the dynamic change from the simple guitar driven part to the orchestrated part and vice versa. Basically the mix sound good in my ears, maybe I would put the guitar more forward in the orchestra sections.
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
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These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
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Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
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FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 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.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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!
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.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 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.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 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!
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.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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