I have played piano background music for a lot of years. I use band in a box to let me get creative, and have more minimalism in my playing. I listen to the recording sometimes and say, gee John, less chordal, go sparse. I practice the horn with band in a box, and it's way better than flipping pages with a music stand in front of me. And it lets me transpose up and up as an exercise. Or make a solo and try it myself.

80 percent of my paying gigs were me and a piano. Without band in a box as a learning tool and helping me practice I would never have been as good as I am now. So if there is a meeting of 300 people for a supper, I might be in the foyer, or at the front, and they might want the National Anthem...

20 percent of my paying gigs are Celtic music, either I play the piano that's there, or take a keyboard. Band in a Box can't do this due to the fact that I've not spent time and effort to get the 6/8 12/8 stuff sorted out any way I like. And really a lot of that music does not lend itself to a traditional drummer, although the Realtracks fiddle can add a lot.

I am changing styles and genres, and am about 1/3 of the way to having 2 light jazz band in a box sets, 2 country/folk sets, and 1 'other', sort of east coast Canadian music, still working around the limitations of the 12/8 and 6/8 thing, which of course migrated with the Irish and Scots.

My present setup is a Bose L1 Model 2, and keyboard for simple gigs.
Same now for the wife and I with flute and keys.
Projected use for the system is to put Band in a Box on the Acer, have a 2nd keyboard stand behind the 1st and put the Bose Tone box on there with the Ketron SD2, add the Voicelive box, the audix mic, and away we go. Pull out the accordion once in a while, and maybe 2 or 3 songs using the baritone horn.
I have 2 friends who want me to play in their bands, but I really want to go to bed at 10 p.m. and I do never intend to take down my gear at 2:30 a.m. like they do. Call me old.

John Conley
Musica est vita