Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 2 of 2 1 2
User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 2,802
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 2,802
Originally Posted By: Leon1
Nice one, Hans. Enjoyed the story. Good use of the synth stabs on the chorus and as you say, some tasty lead guitar.
Regards,
Leon


Hi Leon, thanks for your nice comment!

Originally Posted By: Janice & Bud
Great rocker Hans supported by a very cool and clever lyric.
And your vocal delivered the story with good hard hitting authority.
The RT/RD choice was excellent as was the mix. Good work with the solo RT.
It all shines and especially your humor!

Enjoyed it.
J&B


Hi J&B, you wrote nice words about the song. Thanks very much! I hope humor stays welcome these days. I was thinking if I could offend someone with the subject. People become more sensitive these days. But then decided not to tell about the hidden message in this song ;-) and call it humor. But I noticed you always write so kind and never mention something 'bad', like the sibilance or the abrupt ending. But I don't mind if you do. I am still learning song making, mixing and mastering. All comment is therefor welcome.


Originally Posted By: Tangmo
Ahh... the pains and pleasures of squatting. And renting. And buying too, for that matter. Great rocking groove. You already know I love your vocals. The leads are really tasty. I kinda wish that last one had been given a bit more room to breathe. Maybe too abrupt an ending, but then again--I just imagine the wine has run out and so has your tolerance. That's my "artistic interpretation". A lot of fun listening.


Hi Tangmo, it is a nice feeling when seeing people start fantasizing about the subject and make their own story with it. Starting with draw renting and buying equal to squatting! And more! The part where wine begins playing an important role in accepting people. You did both! I expect a song from your hand where this is all at hand. I will help you, if you want. But when reading your post I doubt if you need my support! Thanks for your nice and funny remarks!
Originally Posted By: MarioD
This is a super rocker. Loved those synth stabs. Your vocal is really strong and those lyrics were fantastic.


Originally Posted By: MarioD
This is a super rocker. Loved those synth stabs. Your vocal is really strong and those lyrics were fantastic.
I didn't think the guitar lead was too loud.
But I'm a guitarist and everybody knows that a guitarist has to be loud during a lead whistle


Hello Mario, I'm afraid your and my ears have had their best times. The guitar was indeed too loud, the sibilance was too much and the ending was an error. But I appreciated you not mentioned this at all. I think we can get along real good, don't you? you like wine?

Originally Posted By: Rustyspoon#
Hello Hans,
Strong composition and that nice solo! Vocal performance is great and sits well "in" the mix, but a bit high on EQ.
If you are up for the test, just bring that high band curve down, like good 25-35% (not 5%) on vocals only and post it 2 versions side by side to see what "common" ear of a few listeners will tell you. In any case, it is a good solid tune with a lot of drive, effective style changes from Rock to Funk and well thought out musical elements. Fun lyrics @ rhyme! Thank you for sharing.

Misha.


Hi Misha, sometimes I wished we had continued our 'private' conversations on EQ-ing. I turned every knob down on the eq, but that didn't do much. I figured out I have created sibilance somewhere on the way in the mix or mastering proces. Hope I can find it without killing my songs. I now corrected some things and added an Izothope D-esser at the last position of the plugin chain in the masteringproces. It feels it sounds better now, so I uploaded it to SoundCloud. Thanks a lot for your advise and kind comment!

Stay save everyone!
Hans


Hans Berkhout
(Birchwood)
https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 8,343
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 8,343
Cool way to fire up your song. Very cool vocal Hans. Raspy. Loved the backtrack and the guitars were excellent Well done


Scott Collingwood
https://soundcloud.com/scottt709
https://soundcloud.com/spiritlevel-ca
https://www.youtube.com/@SpiritLevel-ge3hm/
User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 2,802
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 2,802
Originally Posted By: Deej56
Hans,
Good sound to this one, strong blues like rhythm. Love those synth chops—adds some nice flavor. Agrees with Floyd the vocal is a little high end in spots; and I think that lead guitar lick in the opening can come down in volume just a tad. Love that guitar solo at the 2:40 or so mark. Ambitious production but you were up to the challenge.

I had read Dave’s comment about the ending being too abrupt before getting there . . . I thought it worked as is, but certainly worth trying his suggestion.
Good work on this, Hans!

Hope all is well with you,
Deej


Hi Deej, I was away for some days, so sorry for the delay in my response to you.
But before I went off, I did al you, Floyd, Dave, Misha and Ray wrote about the 'hot' vocals, the lead and the abrupt ending.
I think it is allright by now, because Ray (the last post) made no comment on those issues.
And the abrupt ending was a mistake I made, but hadn't noticed as such. So I thought it wouldn't be so easy adding a bar, as Dave suggested. But it was, after all.

Originally Posted By: Will Josef
There is something about this track I really liked and enjoyed, but the guitar solo felt a bit like it was not in the same room as the rest of the band (especially in the beginning)... Anyway.. some good ideas in this track. Keep up the good work!

Will


Hi Will, thanks for listening. I have to admit I couldn't fix what you wrote about. It is not that I didn't want to, but I didn't hear what you said. I always work with 3 different kind of reverbs, for the vocals, the percussion and the other instruments. And of course that sometimes differs. So here it was the same kind of reverb for all instruments. But explain what you hear, or where you here it.
Anyway, thanks a lot for your comments on the song. I appreciated it!

Originally Posted By: rayc
EXCELLENT chorus.
the processing on your voice blurs it a little bit and accentuates some of the more strident frequencies.
Tame that & you'll have something that will reward repeated listening.


Hello Ray, I think I solved the blurriness, although I didn't notice it was there. So how I fixed it? Just mixed everything again and the eq almost to zero on the vocals (joking a bit)
But I was very fond with your first line, Ray! Still I am afraid a repeated listening of that song was not what I experienced. I than took a bottle of wine in my fists...

Originally Posted By: jannesan
Good stories have usually a catch, and here you have told it in a nice way so that the listener keeps waiting for it. And yes, the twist makes me smile. Your strong voice carries the story very well.

Strong rock groove with nicely mixed guitars supporting the enjoyable chord progression and catchy chorus. It is also great idea to let guitars rest for a while and bass and organ take the lead, gives nice dynamic to the arrangement. Synth hits and solo guitarist are also very good instrument selections. Very good use of holds, although the ending hold is perhaps not perfect, but on the other hand, I like imperfection smile

Janne


Hi Janne, thanks a lot for your nice comment on the song. I almost saw you smiling! I think you must have heard the version where all the complains of the others were -nearly- solved. Otherwise you probably would have supported them, oor you are just too kind for that...

Originally Posted By: Ezekiel's Storm
I enjoyed the humor in the lyrics.

The chorus is a real standout for me.


Hello Ezekiel, thanks for this nice comment. i like adding some humor in lyrics if I have the change for it. Sometimes the topic can't bear it, but this one does!

Thank you all for your comments. I have learned from and enjoyed them!
Hans


Hans Berkhout
(Birchwood)
https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130
User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 2,802
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 2,802
Originally Posted By: Scott C
Cool way to fire up your song. Very cool vocal Hans. Raspy. Loved the backtrack and the guitars were excellent Well done


Hi Scott, thanks for this comment! Next song will be more serious...

Hans


Hans Berkhout
(Birchwood)
https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 8,647
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 8,647
Hello Hans ...

Terrific rocker! Great production and delivery! I agree with the others on the stabs ... real nice for accenting the punch of the song. Your arranging and production get better all the time ... and they were pretty dang good to start with. I'm okay as an arranger, I suppose, but my arranging is still substantially lacking. I need to work on it more. Your efforts have certainly paid off!

I do agree that you sometimes use a little more higher EQ than what is ideal. Other than that ... you do a terrific job with your music. It's always a good listen!

Best to you. Be safe ...

Alan


BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar

Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops

User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 2,802
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 2,802
Hello Alan,

Thanks for your nice words. Now I hope I don't become too vain.
But that EQ-thing will prevent me to. I thought I handled this issue by now, but now you mentioned it also.
Well, I posted another song by now. I turned every eq knob I could find to almost zero. So maybe...

But thanks a lot!

Hans


Hans Berkhout
(Birchwood)
https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,647
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,647
Hans

Lot's of deserved praise for an excellent rocking song.

Enjoyed, and I think it's one of your strongest offerings.

Peter

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 2 of 2 1 2

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!

Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!

Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.

Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.

If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!

202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!

With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!

Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!

Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.

Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.

Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!

And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.

The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!

2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!

With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!

These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!

This Free Bonus PAK includes:

  • The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK: -For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
  • MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
  • Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
  • Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
  • Playable RealTracks Set 5
  • RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
  • SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
  • iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
  • 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
  • FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
  • MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
  • Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
  • Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
  • RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
  • SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)

Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!

XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!

All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!

It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.

What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?

XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!

Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!

The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.

The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.

The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.

Note: 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.

The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos

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.

Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!

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.

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!

Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.

2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.

Holiday Weekend Hours

As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:

April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours

Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!

— Team PG

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics86,299
Posts802,913
Members40,086
Most Online64,515
Apr 8th, 2026
Newest Members
DC Cougar, luli, windsax, GregNYR, Gouby Raya
40,085 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 118
rsdean 89
zedd 82
DC Ron 72
vicarn 72
Noel96 57
Today's Birthdays
Chris Kenward, Lostrider04
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5