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One of the commonly disputed topics in society and politics is whether a nation should seek to...
"level the playing field"
"redistribute resources"
"mandate equality"
There are compelling reasons for and against both sides of this argument.
I think that the search for equality is diametrically opposed to the search for excellence. We just marvelled at the performance of the world's olympians. They are anything BUT examples of a society that promotes equality... they are examples of kids who were singled out at an early age as being DIFFERENT, and then those differences were cultivated into STRENGTHS.
On the other hand, the best example of achieving equality is mowing the lawn. THe only way to get all your grass at the same height is to penalize the fast growers. THat doesn't make the short grass higher, except by comparison.
What are your thoughts about the wisdom of a national policy of EQUALITY? Does it undermine excellence? When all kids get an A on their reports at school so nobody is discouraged, what is the net result of that? (I am sure they olympians are not treated that way as part of their rigorous training)
Thoughts?
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1. People are not born with the same 'qualities.'
2. People are not all driven the same way.
3. People do not have cookie cutter motivations.
4. Some people care what others think of them, others do not.
5. Some people have a different view of ethics.
The is no equality, except in the opportunity afforded each person in the same social economic scale in a given community where equal opportunity exists. Then given the environment the person develops in, affected by upbringing, you start changing what happens and how.
My son is his last months of a Phd in social anthropology. Don't talk to him about this, he's sort of Jesuit in his argumentation, and it would take about 40 hours just to touch on getting him to lead you in circles and make you dizzy. I've learned when to shut up. Marvelous education, so far it's cost 170,000 and here you earn your grants and bursaries, and so far he's spent about 18,000 of his own money, the rest was for always being around 98 percent. His prof. nominated him for a research grant last fall from the American Philosophical Society, and they sent him a cheque for 15,000 CDN out of the blue.
He grew up in Northern Canada, my ex wife went nuts and ran away with the boys, he's the oldest. They found me when he turned 13, and moved in with me. He quit high school to be a cowboy, move west and was allergic to everything. Moved back worked in a store, then a gas station. After 4 years he tells me his starting his 2nd year at University, got his Honours degree, then his Masters. He's 35 now, married and has a kid, a house and a new Hyundai van.
His brother on the other hand....quit grade 12, and..has no clue what to do, though he's had a few really good jobs, I just don't get it at all, I don't really know if he's working, and what he tells me I just try and pretend I think he's not lying.
So same start point, 1 year and a half apart. The older is quiet, introspective, and respectful. The younger is boastful, argumentative, and treats me like a moron.
You are going to see some crazy stuff. Some countries let you go to school and pay for it, and you can just keep plugging and everything they have you would consider extreme socialism.
And I think there is only 1 developed nation that believes basic health care is not a right. You might believe you have better rights, but to many of us, that's the most basic right.
If you examine Maslow's hierarchy of needs maybe you can sort out how a person can have any level of equality if a series of minor illnesses, that any of us are a slip or germ away from having, can take away your security, what you worked for, and your very existence.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Pat, If you think the gun issue was a minefield, then depending on whether or not people want to weigh in, you could have just opened a can of worms! LOL! We'll see. For now, I'll just sit back and see what happens. You asked 3 things. If you want to generate responses, it's better to ask just one thing. It will end up being 3 or 4 before it's over. If you decide to ask just one thing, I would start a new thread, but that's just me. I've "stirred the pot" more than once on here. Usually by accident, but you start to see a trend. Bob 
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Hold on there, the mandate that all men are created equal is derived from The Creator and therefore cannot be mandated by humans for it is already in existence. See "Second Amendment to the US Constitution" for details on the enforcement of said policy.
--Mac
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OK... as Pat said ... "a can of worms", but here I foolishly go.
I don't think "the mandate that all men are created equal is derived from The Creator". Instead it is an ever-evolving mandate made by man to guarantee civil liberties and equal opportunities for all the citizens of those countries which have a common history of liberty and equality.
JBlatz
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One needs to deeply understand the era of 1700 to 1800.
Not US history, European. That was the beginnings of equality.
Here I urge the study of the lives and works of 2 musicians, W. Mozart, and Robert Burns.
From a society where privilege and class ensured that even a musician was not allowed to sit at the table with society, to one where they became the equal of others, the beginnings of the movement towards equality were so ingrained in one organization that many countries banned the assembly of men of all classes, who met behind closed door, and who's purpose it to ensure the equality of all men, all religions, and all people.
Many men who made up part of this group were founders of the USA, and much of the wording was borrowed from that group.
The age of enlightenment. Where the church started to lose it's hold on education, and could no longer keep the populace from learning the liberal arts and sciences.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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All men are created equal.
Where it goes from there, is on the individual.
Health care is a commodity.
It is bought & sold.
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness cannot be bought & sold.
Some may argue differently, but the way it is meant in our constitution, for our country, they cannot be bought or sold. (some) Americans believe that we are endowed by our creator with these rights.
If men or governments are giving these rights...they can also take them away.
My rights come from God. And you cannot take them. Not as long as I have a second amendment.
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The Bill of Rights did not create rights. It acknowledged them.
The document that codifies the US Citizen's rights as mentioned above is the Declaration of Independence, which includes the following wonderful lines:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
I'm with Mick on this one.
Oh, and I might add,
You want my guns?
Come and get them.
--Mac
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Quote:
And I think there is only 1 developed nation that believes basic health care is not a right. You might believe you have better rights, but to many of us, that's the most basic right.
If you examine Maslow's hierarchy of needs maybe you can sort out how a person can have any level of equality if a series of minor illnesses, that any of us are a slip or germ away from having, can take away your security, what you worked for, and your very existence.
I actually agree with this John, the problem is how do we pay for it? After following the health care debate pretty closely here, I can see that you guys up there are to a certain extent getting a free ride from us similar to your national defense. You don't have to spend a good percentage of your GDP on defense because you know if push comes to shove we will protect you and you're right, we would. I'm a financial type and while I'm not a Phd in Economics I have quite a bit of education in financial things.
Drugs are expensive to develop. Very expensive. The drug companies have to make a certain return on equity or investment or it's not worth it just like you do if you put a grand in a savings account. In spite of what you read about record profits and all that, the ROE for the drug companies is pretty low overall. Canadians are justifiably proud of your government for negotiating very tough drug pricing to the extent that we now are aware of big differences in costs. The reason for that is volume production. The companies are willing to eat that reduced profit to keep the production at a high level because they know that what they lose by selling to you they can make up with higher prices here so they went along. But, with the spotlight on that right now, if a health care bill finally makes it way through congress it will include reduced drug costs because how can it be that the prices are so much lower in Canada for the same American developed drug? That will mean higher costs for you guys up there because if the companies are not making it up by higher prices here, why should they continue to sell to you at a reduced price? The answer is they won't. What will happen is the prices will be the same on both sides of the border. Our drug costs will come down somewhat and yours will go up somewhat until they find equilibrium. Basic economics. Oh, the same goes for all the medical devices and high tech equipment that is developed here and sold there. In order for us to have what you consider the same basic rights you have, you will wind up paying for some of it. Thanks.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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OK, two questions whose answers may change my point of view.
Can someone show me a scripture which says "God created all men equal?" I'm not trying to be rude, but I can neither remember reading such a scripture nor can I see the evidential results of such a statement in the real world surrounding me and that is why I made the comment I did earlier in this thread.
Secondly, how and why does the concept of equality or inequality evoke immediate references to the 2nd Amendment and guns. I must admit I gave up reading the "Lock and Load" thread back before page 3 was generated, so if this is a carry-over from that discussion, I guess I missed it.
JBlatz
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Quote:
only 1 developed nation that believes basic health care is not a right. You might believe you have better rights, but to many of us, that's the most basic right.
True rights exist simultaneously among people; hence, exercise of a right by one person does not diminish those held by others. My free-speech rights, for example, or my right to travel wherever I wish impose no obligations whatsoever on anyone else -- no obligation except not to interfere.
If we extrapolate the conceit in the quote above to my right of free speech, government would then be obligated to provide me with an auditorium or perhaps even television and radio air time. My right to travel freely would require government-subsidized airfare and hotel accommodations.
For the government to guarantee a right to health care -- or any other good or service -- whether a person can afford it or not, it must diminish someone else's rights, namely the rights to the fruits of their labors.
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And when the founding fathers of America penned whatever words, slavery still existed. That's equality? I'm not saying our record is a whole lot better, but we were smaller.
They did not put equality of people of colour in your beloved constitution.
As to health care, despite all the numbers, we pay less per capita for health care. If you think we are ripping of big pharma sorry. It's not happening. You can keep your patent for 6 years, after that, it's fair game.
You really believe health care is a commodity like a bushel of corn? We have set prices for doctor's visits, free flu shots because it's cheaper than putting people in hospitals, and free pneumonia shots. I had the latter every fall for decades.
I'm going to a rhumeatoligist, (however you spell that..) on Tuesday. Got a CD with all my Xrays, bone scans, cat scans etc. Got copies of all my relevant medical records from my doc. They phoned me and said the appointment will be 1.5 hours. How much is that chez vous??? The records and the visit for me costs someone, but not me. I pay taxes.
I bet I couldn't afford it in the US.
I never heard the Hippocratic oath said I'll treat only people with the cash to pay me.
I'm sure no one who lost their house, their savings, and everything they own will say, I'm glad I spent my last dollar trying to live. That's wrong.
You have been fed BS by the lobbies, the insurance companies, and the politicians who take millions from all the companies who give millions or maybe billions to brain wash you.
The biggest laugh is watching a commercial for something on our Tv, then yours.
Ours says, got pain try this.
Your commercial for the same thing says "may cause deafness, exploding head syndrome, you legs to fall off..." reminds of the old Ktel commercials..50 bad things in 20 seconds. We don't have that, because we don't let lawyers run our country.
I'm not saying we are right, but think outside the box, or the lower 48.
If you get sick, remember, it's probably cheaper to come here. We don't count qtips, band aids, or stitches. You have to pay, but about 1/2. And yes our rich people run down there and find some hot shot doc so like one of our politicians who has a condo in Miami, said he could only get the heart surgery in the US, the liar was exposed, most major hospitals here do it for free, but he didn't have the Miami condo in Toronto and it was snowing, and he's called Danny Millions so guess what, he's a moron.
The health care argument boils down to one thing. The USA is the only developing nation thinks so ill of the people that if you don't have the cash, go ahead and become bankrupt trying to live.
The whole American military taking care of Canada is BS. We've been in Afghanistan for years. We've been in wars years before the US. We had the 3rd largest navy in the world. When the call comes, we go.
Who took care of your people on planes after 9 11? Mexico? Right.
Anyone wants to critisise our military can head to Kandahar and stand in front of them.
Over 150 Canadians have been killed there. And if I remember right 900 Americans. With 10 times the population, you are about 600 behind.
Oh, and we have marines here guarding defense plants. We make some nice military gear up the road.
I do not understand how a discussion on equality leads to attacks on Canada and the fact we are some 90 pound weakling, with bad military, bad health care, and again some inferior nation.
That won't wash with me. Nor any of my fellow Canadians. We have done our jobs, fought valiantly, and won our wars. We'd be American, but if you know the history, you made too many mistakes in 1812, and, well, ran home. Sorry. That's reality.
Bring it on. Next whoever it was wrote those words that we are commies can come back out of the woodwork, because if that's true, go ahead. I'm too proud of my country, it's contribution, and it's history to let someone trash it. And no one is taking my guns either. Who suggested that? We never had to give them up.
I'm proud of what and who we are. And the diversity.
I live in the best country in the world and if I didn't think that you don't think I'd have taken my cash, invested it south of the border and got citizenship. Easy to do. It wouldn't take more than a few months. I know for a fact if I put 500k into the Michigan economy I'd be courted, kissed, blessed and taken in. Not happening.
Oh Canada eh? Home of Pgmusic.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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@ JBlatz:
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).
@ John, there was this small matter of the American Civil War...
It was indeed the practitioners of that faith who were at the forefront of the abolitionist and civil rights movements.
Gee, such a sin, I love Jesus and I also love "my" constitution.
And with damn good reason.
--Mac
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I have recently gotten to know a “cyber friend” better lately through a series of fairly in depth phone conversations, and we were having a discussion that kind of touched on this subject in a general way. I stated that “there are only two kinds of people in this world, regardless of nationality, color, race, creed or religion………………. 1: Pretty decent people……... 2: A**holes.” I went on to explain that the beauty of my system was that each person got to choose which category they would be in, simply by their actions, words and deeds. My friend told me I needed to add one more category. I, of course, asked what that new category was. My friend said, “Pretty decent a**holes”. I have a wise friend! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bob
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I love my country and still say it's the best country, warts and all.
And many americans. But you have the right to differ. I will give that quarter.
One needs to examine their opinions, their ideals, and how their system works. And then work to improve it.
I know a lot of you pray a lot. Jesus will fix it. As I said before, show me a church that prays and people live longer than the national average and I'm joining the next day. But we all know that won't happen. Sorry.
I believe in God. Very strongly.
I lost my 'evangelical bapitst church' because I let a deacon smoke and wear sinful wire rim glasses.' I was the pastor. I was one of the biggest greek experts on Hebrews. Wrote a thesis.
Now I am a deist. God is in the forest, the sunrise, the mountains.
And equality is a principal that says if I'm equal to YOU, we deserve the same health care, the same affordability to live despite illness. If you don't agree, fine by me. The greatest gift I have is music and the ability to fix things others cannot. I'm retiring from the latter. And working hard at the former.
When can some admit that there are differences? Even those of you who were oppressed, seem to think that those who sanctioned that, or ignored it, think those people are some kinds of heroes. Well......
Good will to all.
And may the Great Architect of the Universe give you wisdom, even if he does not come down and cure your baldness, or liver disease, or diabetes. Do your best, treat all men equal, and obey the laws of the country that afford you its protection.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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I think equality should be mandated by law. All of you turkeys that play and sing that much better than me will have to decrease the quality of your performances until you reach the gutter that is roost of my sounds.
Kevin
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John, Don't you think you're taking this a little farther than intended? Pat, I warned you about opening a can of worms! Of course some folks can find "worms" in a plate of pasta. Even with meatballs, parmesan and extra marinara suace. John is always one of those people. I guess it depends on what you're lookin' for. Bob
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i normally dont comment on political aspects.
cos often there arent perfect solutions..
and the arguments just go round n round.
particularly related to social services//welfare support
and health care.
all i can relate is when i was young growing up in england what my gran
once told me.
viz..before social services and health care was implemented
in the uk..the poor lived in terrible circumstances often.
often in poorhouses or workhouses as they were called.
really times were appalling for lots of people in
the victorian era for example.
britain realised a long time ago for example..
if govt cuts income support for people on welfare with kids
often the crime rate goes up cos desperate people do desperate things.
in the past the poor just often died either thru malnutrition or
thru no access to good health care cos no money.
thus britain implemented various income support n health care programs.
and also various programs for the elderly.
is it perfect ?? nope.
never will be...but at least the dreadfull conditions for the poor
of the victorian era dont exist.
(for example ponder this...in the victorian era many women
had to go "on the game" to feed themselves. cos no money.
happens today too. very sad imho.)
ive had many americans as friends and have always respected
the usa..particularly as they helped england so much in ww2.
(and canada also helped of course.)..but it has concerned me in the
past as an inhabitant of this crazy planet how one finds in some places
huge mansions then a few miles away social problems n poverty.
a social diachotemy.
pertaining to this thread only the other day i was talking to
a wealthy person i met by chance.
a strident capitalist. who believed in...
"the market..may the best man/woman win and tough luck on the losers".
till i politely pointed out ...
"what if it was your great grand child in the future that needed
a leg up or help or whatever ??". this made him think.
he had no answer. particularly at the prospect that in
the future a member of a future generation in his family might have to go
"on the game" cos they were in dire straits.
often wealthy people can only relate in this fashion.
no matter how many posts in this thread n differing opinions ,
strong or otherwise //pro's n cons etc...
there are many problems in this world with no perfect solutions.
cos its like sealing a balloon at one point to solve a problem only
to have a leak occur in another part of the social balloon.
some of the best minds in england have attempted to solve these deep societal problems..
so i will be interested if this thread can.
all i pray for , is, somehow.. everyone one day in the world will be happy.
but then i'm a romantic..lol.
retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.
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Quote:
And equality is a principal that says if I'm equal to YOU, we deserve the same health care, the same affordability to live despite illness.
It does not say that you are equal to any one else. It says we were created equal. There's no mention of "deserving". If you can afford health care...you deserve it. If I can't, I don't want a government to force you to pay for it. If you choose to do so...God bless you.
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Manning, Quote:
the other day i was talking to
a wealthy person i met by chance.
a strident capitalist. who believed in...
"the market..may the best man/woman win and tough luck on the losers".
till i politely pointed out ...
"what if it was your great grand child in the future that needed
a leg up or help or whatever ??". this made him think.
he had no answer. particularly at the prospect that in
the future a member of a future generation in his family might have to go
"on the game" cos they were in dire straits.
often wealthy people can only relate in this fashion.
Do you give us your word of honor that this is a true story? It sounds like something out of Oliver Twist!
"May I have some more please?"
LOL. I'm not a "wealthy" person. I'm unemployed. I don't have any health insurance. I do need it. But do I expect the government to step up and take care of it? No.
I expect, and hope, to find a job so I can provide for my family. I really hope I don't find myself "on the game", because if I do, I'll probably starve to death! LOL.
Bob
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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.
Get Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: 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 because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Don’t miss this chance to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box setup—at a great price!
Mac 2025 Special Upgrade Offers Extended Until August 15th!
It's not too late to upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® and save! We've extended our special until August 15, 2025!
We've added many major new features to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, including advanced AI tools like the amazing BB Stem Splitter and AI Lyrics Generator, as well as VST3 plugin support, and Equalize Temp. Plus, there’s a new one-stop MIDI Patches Picker with over 1,100 MIDI patches to choose from, all neatly categorized by GM numbers. The MultiPicker Library is enhanced with tabs for the SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles Browser, and the tabs are organized into logical groups. The Audiophile Edition is enhanced with FLAC files , which are 60% smaller than AIFF files while maintaining identical audio quality, and now ships on a fast 1TB SSD, and much more!
Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:
Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana, Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes, MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano, Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7, Playable RealTracks Set 4, RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark, and more!
Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!
New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!
Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 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 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
- Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
- Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
- Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
- Playable RealTracks Set 4
- RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
- SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
- 128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
- Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
- Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
- RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
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.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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