There seems an essential "modern Country" guitar sound lacking in the current RealTracks line-up.
I would LOVE to see it added.
It is a BIG EXPLOSIVE Held Chord that is in 80% of every Country song (radio songs anyway) these days.
I've tried to find it among the Held versions of RealTrack electric guitars. But none of them do it "quite right". I end up using the Holds from 1169 Guitar, Electric, Soloist RockMediumBrent to try to get there, but they aren't quite right. (that comes out too distorted).
The Held Chords that I am talking about are BIG, SUSTAINED, slightly distorted, SMOOTH, "Round" (is one way I think of them).
I listened to Justin Moore's new recod today. Almost EVERY song is built on these type chords. In the Chorus.
Brent Mason is listed as one of the players on the album. SURELY he would know how to make this happen.
A couple of different RealTracks would be nice. Because they are almost always panned hard to both sides. There is a "subset" of this that has a slight articulation before the BIG chord - that would be a nice addition, too.. Another "subset" is a BIG SUSTAINED single note (usualy used for walk-downs)... that could be another new RealTrack to go along with these... (that happens several times in the record, too)
TBH, I've yet to find any of the modern country RealTracks that I don't have to edit with instruments from other genres, usually some sort of rock guitar. A number of extra modern steel track options would be great as well....I use the Eddy Dunlap stuff a lot, and love it, but I wish there were more options along those lines.
Slight thread derail....I've worked with a great many of the musicians in BIAB, including ALL of the steel players except Eddy Dunlap. Don't think I've even ever met him. You'd think our paths would've crossed at some point.
If this "sound" could be "captured" and added to Band-In-A-Box it would benefit the Rock side of things as well....
Here is another song from the same record that has a lot of the
BIG SINGLE NOTE "explosive sound" used in walk-downs...
It also has the CHORUS BIG CHORDS (of course).
As I said before... this whole record is a prime example of the BIG CHORD sound. It is not an IN-YOUR-FACE thing, but it is still really "fat" (and smooth and round and full and thick).
Some of the production sound works well with contemporary country gospel too. That tells me that big chords RealTracks could be useful in other genres.
+1 You could try one of the guitars that have Direct Input and use those Holds then add Amplitube after it. You could use a midi guitar holds then use a Direct Input Tele.sfz that I added in the UserTracks forum in Sforzando and add Amplitube after it.
I could make up some UserTracks with held strum and held single notes. "Don't start a new riff on this bar" would be used on bar 2,3,4 of a 4 bar held chord so those bars won't be used to to start a new chord, so if the chord starts on bar 1 enter 2-4, and if it starts on bar 5 enter 6-8, bar 9 10-12 so in the box would be 2-4,6-8,10-12, etc.. Direct Input would be best but if you could upload a pic of Amplitube settings that could be applied.
Pipeline - thanks for the suggestions. But... I tried creating a User Track (when they first came out) and couldn't get ANYWHERE close to the quality of a RealTrack. And the User Tracks I've heard others do were ...let's say..."lacking". Though admittedly I have not kept up with whatever progress might have been made and have only heard a small sampling of what has been offered (nothing seemed worth the effort of downloading and setting them up).
I have been doing more experimentation today and have found some things that get a lot closer to approximating the sound.
I am not trying to do "covers" of these songs, but am trying to create a similar sound... For the chorus of this song (chorus starts @ :33):
...I was able to get close to the sound by using these RTs (at 75 bpm)
RealTracks in song: 1826:Bass, Electric, PopModernGrooveSync4s Ev16 075 RealTracks in song: 1684:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopPromiseCrispHeld Ev16 100 RealTracks in song: 636:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm RootsRockDirty Ev 100 (A:held) RealTracks in song: 1000:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm HardRockLAFuzzyHeld Ev 120 RealTracks in song: 2585:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PunkHeldPlus Ev 165 RealDrums [in Song:BluesRockEv^1-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Open HiHat
Try this and see if it all works first then I'll worry about getting that sound and levels right. These are quick strums but I can make one with slower strums.
I think there are a few "gritty, held" RTs that you might like. Also Rhythm PopCountryBrent Ev 120 (baritone)
Re the single note parts, I would advise you filter by "baritone, electric," and check out some of the RTs... There are some really great ones with chords interspersed w/ single note lines that you may be able to chop up in your DAW to achieve what you're looking for.
As has already be mentioned, it's probably best to select direct input and use VSTs/plugins for drive, color, ambiance, etc.
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No offense intended to either of you or your suggestions (and thanks for your thoughts and participation).... but...
The intent of the post is to get this type sound added to the BIAB RealTracks selections so they are available to the BIAB customer as a whole.
I can certainly play the chords myself. And then attempt to match that sound with various stomp boxes and amps (I have several software versions)...though I won't necessarily have enough experience with those combinations (I grew up an acoustic player) to get it "just right". Nor would I care to attempt to add effects to either a DI hold or user track for the same reasons (sorry). I have a Fender Strat and a G&L Tele and a Line6 Spider V 120 - so all the bells and whistles necessary to experiment forever...
And, as I stated above, I have found a combination of 4 RTs that I can use - that work well to get the sound for the song I noted. I know the RealTracks fairly well. I know what is available. And I know how to manipulate tracks in a DAW. If you listen to my catalog, that should be obvious - I have produced well over 200 songs of varying genres using the software, RealTracks, loops, effects and VSTs from varying sources. I think I can cut & paste with the best of 'em. There is a large "BIAB audience" that would not necessarily be as well versed with the tools...
So, all that being said... the point is that this is a BASIC sound of the majority of (Country) songs being produced for radio these days - and has been for several years now. I think it would be in PGMusic's best interest to offer that sound... This topic (of "modern Country") has been discussed many, many times in the forums (to "dead horse" level), so I thought I would put the request in the Wishlist - with specific examples - so that it might end up being added to the next BIAB release. Surely PGMusic must be always asking "What will make up the next 202 new RealTracks?" I'd like to see THIS be a part of that... So that I (we) don't have to "jump through hoops" to get there. Brent Mason KNOWS how to get that sound (with his eyes closed).
I think this is something that many might find useful...And might be a good draw for newer, younger users.
Sounds to me Floyd ,that Biab needs real tracks in the modern country genre.im sure this add on would be a huge success. it needs looking into by the powers to be.hope it gets sorted soon
Os Windows Biab 2018. studio one pro 3 ozone 8 focusrite 214 se electronics Gemini mic
AND...in case it isn't already too late (in the year and close to release time).
It would be cool if these could be a stereo file with different players/guitars on either side - with wide separation... so that a single instance would get that "big sound".
Oh...and, besides a stereo file with different guitars/players panned to either side, the same individual tracks could be available as a standard mono guitar track (if someone only wanted to use one of them...).
Just thought I'd bump this thread so that the idea stays fresh for next year's updates??????
This applies to Contemporary Pop, too. This is essential for the "contemporary songwriter" thing that was heavily discussed recently.
To reiterate... the idea is to have a single RealTrack selection that would have a big stereo pan of held chords (like maybe 4 guitars?? - might have other instruments, too - pedal steel maybe?? a synth or two???)
This is a fantastic idea, and yes, we're looking into approaches for getting this kind of sound. The idea too of having a single RealTrack "mix" of various held guitars is also good, though ALSO having the individual guitars that make them up would be important too, so people could mix-and-match. Thanks for all the comments!
************************* Tobin Frank (he/him) PG Music Inc.
This post led us to recording and releasing a lot of new country guitars which were designed to emulate that "big produced guitar" country sound, where there are multiple layered guitars, including but not limited to, the "explosive held chords" described above. Some of the RealStyles that utilize these RealTracks include:
I'd love to see more of these kinds of "modern country producer" guitars added in the future as well, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for new ones, particularly if it was grooves/tempos that we may not have already covered.
thanks!
************************* Tobin Frank (he/him) PG Music Inc.
I love all of these ! I give PG a hard time about the interface and functions but this side of things is awesome. I thought about having different rhythm patterns being played on the same guitar so you can change at any bar with F5 or F8 but it will just blend in without having a different tone from another guitar. At the moment you only have A and B pattern options for an instrument but if you had a large choice of different patterns on the same guitar, like it can play finger picking then into a strum pattern then a held chord strum and slow strum. This way you can arrange the playing in the sections how you like and not just A pattern B pattern.
I love all of these ! I give PG a hard time about the interface and functions but this side of things is awesome. I thought about having different rhythm patterns being played on the same guitar so you can change at any bar with F5 or F8 but it will just blend in without having a different tone from another guitar. At the moment you only have A and B pattern options for an instrument but if you had a large choice of different patterns on the same guitar, like it can play finger picking then into a strum pattern then a held chord strum and slow strum. This way you can arrange the playing in the sections how you like and not just A pattern B pattern.
Thanks for the comments! With regards to the different subsections, all of the style demos I posted there are multistyles, meaning in addition to the A & B, there's also a C & D, where the combo of layered guitars change, soloists are added, etc. There might also be an E & F in some of them, I can't recall off the top of my head. The "+" at the end of stylenames indicate multistyles.
************************* Tobin Frank (he/him) PG Music Inc.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 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.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 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.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 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 Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
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Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 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.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 60 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
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