A funky blues tune this time up, always fun to do: High Pass
The band:
RealTracks in song: 2622:Organ, Rhythm FunkSwing16 Sw16 085
Drums: EZDrummer2
Bass: Marty Straub Guitars: Dave Bell Vocals: Chris Spruit
Mixed with Reaper, mastered with Ozone 9
High Pass (2020, Christiane Spruit)
Now that we are cruising the sun is on the way Taking the roads wherever they will lead us we are on a high pass soon we'll be down by the sea
Time to cross borders change the state, space and time down to the beat in lust for life we are alive soon we'll be down by the sea
Nothing could be better forever and for ever we leave the known behind whatever we will find forget about the weather we are drifting, we are feathers we are rain and we are sunshine not matter what we find right by your side we are on the highpass flying by
We are on a high pass
forget about the weather we are drifting, we are feathers we are rain and we are sunshine not matter what we'll find soon we'll be down we're on a high pass
Chris also did a video:
I'll get it uploaded to soundcloud in a day or two.
Simple, uncluttered hard-blues with a solid vocal performance; I especially liked the little stop that you put in at the end of the chorus, and the unison bass/guitar notes coming out of the chorus. Enjoyed it!
Windows 11, Intel Core i5-8600T 2.3Ghz, 16 gig ram, BIAB 2025 MegaPak, SampleTank 4, Keystation49 Kybd, Neewer NW-800 mic
Well, ya'll have certainly put an HPF on the mood with this one! Chris sounds spectacular. I maybe haven't been listening as long as some, but to my ears she is really finding her zone behind the mic. Love that Marty groove...intentional and song-based. Really NICE! The solo is everything I've come to expect from Dave, emotional and on purpose. The arrangement is solid. Love the little breaks and the production in the bridge and the guitar/bass unison section.
The only thing I might have wished for in the mix was more presence in the funky rhythm guitar...especially in the beginning. "It" felt a bit like the most under-appreciated member of this hard-working BA band.
Lovely impressionistic lyrics (we are drifting, we are feathers, we are rain and we are sunshine), an excellent vocal from Chris (also love that 'down') and great playing from Dave and Marty. Another really impressive production, folks, much enjoyed. Regards, Leon
Yeah! That is excellent funky cookin! Very good vibe and strong artistic bond, especially considering looooong miles between you. EVERYBODY sounds great! Thank you for sharing.
Misha.
P.S. I do wish rhythm guitar, especially before first solo would be a hint louder. It equals out on the second half.
Yep another lovely blues performance - with great all round performances. As usual some wonderful guitar playing, excellent bass and Chris sound fantastic.
A great all round group production (even liked the organ player - whose name escaped me).
Simple, uncluttered hard-blues with a solid vocal performance; I especially liked the little stop that you put in at the end of the chorus, and the unison bass/guitar notes coming out of the chorus. Enjoyed it!
Very cool tune Dave and Chris. Martys bass line gave the song the old bar vibe. Took me back to my earlier years. Super vocal and as such a cool tone on your guitar. Smooth with a little touch of nasty. Well done....
Well, ya'll have certainly put an HPF on the mood with this one! Chris sounds spectacular. I maybe haven't been listening as long as some, but to my ears she is really finding her zone behind the mic. Love that Marty groove...intentional and song-based. Really NICE! The solo is everything I've come to expect from Dave, emotional and on purpose. The arrangement is solid. Love the little breaks and the production in the bridge and the guitar/bass unison section.
The only thing I might have wished for in the mix was more presence in the funky rhythm guitar...especially in the beginning. "It" felt a bit like the most under-appreciated member of this hard-working BA band.
What a great listen! My favorite BA tune so far.
I agree about that guitar. That particular part was a last minute thing, I recorded it after I had already sent the bed off to Chris so she could do her final vocal. After a couple of days away from the mix I can hear now that it should be a little more upfront. And I’ll do that at some point, but already started working on the next song.
"forget about the weather we are drifting, we are feathers we are rain and we are sunshine not matter what we'll find soon we'll be down we're on a high pass"
Love that!
This is great. The write and arrangement are tops.
Chris's vocals are soul filled and have the perfect amount of edge to them.
Dave's guitar is soaring...Clapton like.
And, that bass guy got all funky on us! Cool. Janice was scat singing the bass line
We most enjoyed it and the vid scenery was great.
J&B
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
That's a cool Blues you made here! It's always a pleasure listening to your songs and this one is no exeption at all. I thought you told us Chris will be on a vacation, so I had accepted that this would mean no songs from your hand for a long time... But luckily that is not the case! This is a Blues mixed with soul I would say. I can agree with what J&B say about the 'soul filled' voice of Chris. I liked that solo from the leadguitar. Very well done. Again!
Dave, your band sounds awesome! Everything here is really good! Your guitars are always at the top level tone and playing! Marty's bass sounds so good! I can never compliment Chris's vocals enough...they are always spot on! Great!! T
Lovely impressionistic lyrics (we are drifting, we are feathers, we are rain and we are sunshine), an excellent vocal from Chris (also love that 'down') and great playing from Dave and Marty. Another really impressive production, folks, much enjoyed. Regards, Leon
Yeah! That is excellent funky cookin! Very good vibe and strong artistic bond, especially considering looooong miles between you. EVERYBODY sounds great! Thank you for sharing.
Misha.
P.S. I do wish rhythm guitar, especially before first solo would be a hint louder. It equals out on the second half.
Thanks, Misha!
I agree about that guitar part. I'll fix when it comes time to remix this one
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.
The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.
Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!
Get started today—first-time packages start at just $49.
Already using PowerTracks Pro Audio? Upgrade for as little as $29 and enjoy the latest improvements!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
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 new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 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 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 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 process 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, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean