|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 21
Enthusiast
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 21 |
Hi awesome music software developers,
While I understand the desire to keep the end-user purchase price down, the 1.5TB drive that comes with the Audiofile PAK is the loudest thing in my studio. I am going to have to remote it out of the room somehow in order to use it.
My guess is those of us who go all-in on this are pretty serious about not only recording the best possible tracks, but also preserving the environment in which we mix them. Please be conscious about this on upcoming releases. I would happily pay more for it if I knew the HD it came on was whisper quiet.
Thanks for considering this,
stratavinsky
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 812
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 812 |
This is good info. I do not have that edition. However, if I did buy it, and noise was a big consideration, I would spring for a Solid State drive. Expensive, but if you read the reviews of the latest drives, they are blazing fast, make no noise, and are cool running. Theses drives have also had the bugs out, the reviews of the latest drives put them at 2.5 million hours. In other words, even if you moved 50 GB of data on them everyday, they would last between 15-25 years.
I looked at both Newegg and Tigerdirect webpages to get info.
Ed
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574
Veteran
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574 |
Stravinsky, I have the audiophile external drive. I took the drive out of its case and mounted it inside the PC case (I was fortunate to have another SATA slot open). The drive is almost completely quiet like my other drives because the noise was from the fan in the external case, not the drive.
Ed, wow, an SSD drive for Real Tracks would be wonderful. However, there are over 1.2TB of files for the audiophile edition. I haven't seen a SSD as large as a TB in size yet, and if there were one, it would probably cost as much as the rest of my PC. Or my car. I can't wait until the capacity goes up and the cost comes down, though. If that happens, all drives will be SSD in short order.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 21
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 21 |
Great tip Matt! I've never performed open heart surgery on an external drive before, but all-in-all it went pretty smooth. Navigating through the directory structure on the Audiophile HD is lightning fast now, too.
Hail SATA,
stratavinsky
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,116
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,116 |
Quote:
Hail SATA
I've gone to the same solution on the last 2 Audiophile drives. Frankly, PG Music could save themselves and me some money on future audiphile editions by offering an option of just shipping the bare SATA drive without the usb case. I'm just going to pull the drive out of the case, put it in the PC and throw the usb enclosure in the trash any way.
Quote:
I would happily pay more for it if I knew the HD it came on was whisper quiet.
Naw, not so much here. Considering that I don't need an external usb enclosure to make the drive work, I'd rather get cheaper and leave the enclosure out altogether.
Keith
2026 Audiophile Windows 11 RYZEN THREADRIPPER 3960X 4.5GHZ 128 GB RAM 2 Nvidia RTX 3090s, Vegas,Acid,SoundForge,Izotope Production,Melodyne Studio,SONAR,3 Raven Mtis
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574 |
Stavinsky - excellent. Glad it worked for you.
Keith, I was thinking the same thing. For the next major version, I will urge them to send me just the drive.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 603
Journeyman
|
|
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 603 |
Another perfectly reasonable course -- if you need to keep it in the USB box -- is just to cut the wires on those noisy junk fans and throw them to hell.
Many high-grade enclosures no longer have fans, which have proved unnecessary for present-day drives. I have two fanless (in fact ventless) USB hard drives that don't get hot and have worked nicely for a couple years.
Larry
______
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574 |
Larry, interesting idea. But you still have the performance limitation of USB rather than using the SATA connection directly. About receiving only the drive, I just posted in the Wishlist. http://www.pgmusic.com/ubbthreads/showfl...ge=0#Post266911
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574 |
Update. I just saw a 1 TB SSD drive at Newegg. It costs $3800, and even that would not be large enough capacity for the program with audiophile Real Tracks.
I was right. It costs well more than my whole PC, and almost as much as my car is worth now!
Someday...
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 812
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 812 |
Hey Matt, yeah, you nailed it on the head about cost/capacity issues. Let's hope they come WAY down in price soon.
I watched a few videos today on Youtube about SSD drives in General, learned a lot. I saw where they are best used in a Raid o array, up to 24 can be used. Access time as well as Write/Read times go through the roof as well.
I just bought a refurbished Dell D620 Laptop for $349. Intel Core duo 2. 60 gig drive. So I'm thinking about replacing it with a OCX or Micron 60 GB SSD drive. The drives are about $200, but the speed is supposed to be amazing. And more durable when I'm traveling, less heat, much longer life. If and when I do it, I'll report on how it's working in regards to using it with Digital Audio.
Ed
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 493
Journeyman
|
|
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 493 |
Matt, if you have that much of an 'in' with PGMusic, perhaps you can also push for them to update the enclosures for the hard drives (for all versions) to include eSata ports. That would make it much nicer for me anyway. USB on a 1.5tb drive is painfully slow. My computer case is full, so external or replacement for another drive are my only options.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574 |
Yes, I thought about that, too. I don't have any more 'in' than anyone else, and you should post that good idea on the Wishlist. Having a choice of preferred drive type would be nice.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 180
Apprentice
|
|
Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 180 |
Quote:
Update. I just saw a 1 TB SSD drive at Newegg. It costs $3800, and even that would not be large enough capacity for the program with audiophile Real Tracks.
I was right. It costs well more than my whole PC, and almost as much as my car is worth now!
Someday...
Hi Matt,
There are a couple of 2TB raid SSD drives that are mounted on PCIe cards and which can achieve throughput many times faster than SATA but these are even more prohibitively expensive than the one you quoted. Given that they are basically built around silicon, Moores Law should mean that they will come down in price pretty rapidly over the next 3 or 4 years so to the point where we could maybe afford them as our dedicated BIAB server drives.
I have previously suggested to PG that they should consider distributing the audiophile version in the 'Lossless WMA' format. This will only give around a 2 to 1 compression ratio but right now that would mean that we could fit the audiophile version on to 600GB instead of 1.2 terabytes. If they did this then maybe BIAB could meet SSD drives a year or two sooner down the price performance curve. (Which would be nice!)
For people who are happy with the WMA version of realtracks an SSD may be an affordable option right now - you can pick up a Samsung 256GB SSD for around £500 in the UK (The way the exchange rate is going that will probably translate to $500 pretty soon!). This is still not pocket money cheap but you get a lot of bang for your buck.
Meanwhile I am thinking about installing a Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB drive as my internal BIAB drive. This is a 7,200 RPM drive which uses clever technology to deliver performance which beats even the 10,000RPM Velociraptor drives. This costs around £200. Together with the faster realtrack generation times in BIAB 2010 this should give awesome (if not quite SSD) performance.
Regards, Aubrey
If I hadn't seen such riches I could live with being poor.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574 |
Fascinating being on the cutting edge. Let us know how it works out.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Band-in-a-Box for Windows
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 20
Enthusiast
|
|
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 20 |
Before buying a SSD here's a link to some interesting information about these little beasties. There seems to be two different grades and the consumer grade has some undesirable artifacts as per this quote: "The consumer grade drives (the Adaptec, Apricorn, Dot Hill and Ritek systems) showed dramatic variations in response times (latency) under sustained write conditions, which some vendors are calling the 'write cliff'." The link to the article is here: http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/CDN/News.asp?id=57255For us folks that use BIAB on laptops the USB drive is a necessity but the fans on the unit enclosure supplied are pretty loud and distracting. If you have "golden ears" the whine of the drive can still be pretty annoying even without the fans. (I disconnected mine and have been monitoring the heat but there have been no issues or heat generation of any significance so far.) I have ordered a new HDD enclosure to try out and will report here if it makes a significant difference. I hope so! Otherwise, I can't say enough good things about the new BIAB audiophile version. I've waited for many years for something like this and feel it is absolutely outstanding. Highly recommended.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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
Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
If you're already using RealBand 2026 for Windows, download build 10 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® users: Build 1237 is now available!
Already a Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows user? Stay up to date and download the build 1237 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums57
Topics86,225
Posts802,111
Members40,072
| |
Most Online64,515
Apr 8th, 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean