Thanks for sharing...interesting. I‘ve used a low end shelf and the “presence” 5K bump since analog days for Janice’s vocals. The rest is informative particularly seeing it graphically.
Bud
PS Regarding Epstein...hard to get away from politics nowadays!
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
Brand new user of this tool and just attempting to finish off my first song. I'm not very versed in recording technology. I've look through the threads but cannot seem to find an answer so if there is an existing thread, please point me to it.
My question is what is an "easy", i.e., doesn't require much mixing knowledge or equipment, way to add vocals to the biab song?
I have an m-audio mtrack 2x2 and a low end behringer mic. I added "record audio" to the file but boy does it sound bad. I attempted some mixing but the only choices i could find were the vst/dx synths, which i tried to use anyway, but still sounds bad.
Should i even be attempting to record voice via biab? Should i export the song as a file and use something like cakewalk, or audacity?
At this point in my learning, i'm interested in completing a first song that doesnt sound like crap but I dont have the mental or life bandwidth to attempt a deep dive into what might later be required to really make it work well.
So somehow I need to work within the confines of where those two intersect. Thx, Tj
My question is what is an "easy", i.e., doesn't require much mixing knowledge or equipment, way to add vocals to the biab song?
You answered you own question below....use something like cakewalk, or audacity
Originally Posted By: TylerOJones
Should I even be attempting to record voice via biab?
No
That's my two cents. Recording vocals can be a bit of a learning curve but we all figured it out. Open the back track from BIAB as an mp3 in audacity and then use it to record a vocal track. Can't get any easier and still result in acceptable quality. Good Luck
I agree on the above post about exporting the song to a DAW and then recording your vocals there. I use Reaper here but there are other ones. A bit of a learning curve, but you don't need to learn everything at once and just a basic mix with a BIAB file and your vocal will be pretty simple.
Export the BIAB file as a WAV file though, not an MP3. You want the quality of that file to be as good as BIAB can produce because you are not done yet, you still need to mix in your vocal.
When you get more adventurous you can export the BIAB file as individual tracks, that will give you more control over the mix. But for now, rely on the mix BIAB has given you, they are not bad out of the box if you are using one of the BIAB styles.
So, after you have your BIAB as a track in your DAW, go ahead and record your vocal on another track.
There are many VST plugins you can buy specifically designed to work on vocals. They basically include all the effects you would normally put on a vocal, compression, EQ, reverb, delay, etc., all in one package, and they will typically come with a lot of presets that will sound good with little or no tweaking. Later you can experiment with building your own effects chain for vocals, but for now keep it simple.
I agree with using a DAW for recording. Cakewalk used to come with the monophonic version of Melodyne but I don't know if it still does as I don't use Cakewalk anymore. If it does then I would use Cakewalk. Melodyne is a pitch correction software so with a little work your vocals would be on pitch. Cakewalk also comes with a bunch of effects. Plus there are a number of free effects available via the Internet.
I have used a low end Behringer mic, IIRC I got three for $49 USD, and they will work just fine.
The main thing is have fun and don't get discouraged. I know it can be overwhelming at first but if you just take baby steps you will putting songs in the Showcase forum very soon.
Good luck and I hope this helps.
Tips on how to fall asleep in a living room chair: 1- Be old 2- Sit in a chair
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Thanks to all of you for the great tips and encouragement. A very good friend of mine is a musician and has a nice home studio. He's helped me record a couple of my songs and it's very good quality. My purpose in purchasing biab is to be able to capture a vision and sort of "rough" of what i'd like vs saying, ok, i'd like a Gilmour-esque guitar here and the drums from breathe, or this should sound like Jerry Reed, etc.
But then i started listening to some of the quality arrangements and final mix of users' songs and was totally blown away, and began to think that maybe i can get close to that quality.
He did offer to let me do vocals at his place but i wanted to at least try to get something acceptable. But he does have years of experience and understands the principles and his tool set very well.
I actually just deleted the free version of cakewalk but may reinstall. I have audacity and will try the above recommended route.
This really helped me in my recording studio. BUT I wouldn't pay full price right now. Join the Musicians Friends Stupid deal of the day emails. I purchased this same shield for $50 USD. This has been on sale a few times and with the holidays coming up it just might go on sale again.
Tips on how to fall asleep in a living room chair: 1- Be old 2- Sit in a chair
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac 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 100 new features in this exciting release.
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PowerTracks 2026 is here—bringing powerful new enhancements designed to make your production workflow faster, smoother, and more intuitive than ever.
The enhanced Mixer now shows Track Type and Instrument icons for instant track recognition, while a new grid option simplifies editing views. Non-floating windows adopt a modern title bar style, replacing the legacy blue bar.
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