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I'd like to make one last point. In my mind it's more important to learn how to use the tools you have than acquire more tools. You can have access to the most expensive and best sounding recording equipment available but non of that counts for much until you learn to use it.
Record with what you have! Have fun! Make mistakes! You haven't experienced recording until you recorded the perfect track ... and then accidentally erased it! I've heard recordings on the internet that were recorded with a media player (MP3 player) that sound better than anything I'll ever record. But these people have spent hours learning the limitations of their equipment and how to use the equipment to their best advantage.
Record and share the joy with us!
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Howdy Cathie....But, I think it's prudent in the long run to exceed that 2 input perception if it's within one's budget.
...It's a bottomless abyss of learning but has many rewards for those that stick with it.
Good luck on your quest.
Hi chulaivet, thank you! I appreciate your encouragement. Had to laugh at your comment about the bottomless abyss! It does feel that way some days.
Love is always worth the risk.
HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.
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I'd like to make one last point. In my mind it's more important to learn how to use the tools you have than acquire more tools. You can have access to the most expensive and best sounding recording equipment available but non of that counts for much until you learn to use it.
Record with what you have! Have fun! Make mistakes! You haven't experienced recording until you recorded the perfect track ... and then accidentally erased it! I've heard recordings on the internet that were recorded with a media player (MP3 player) that sound better than anything I'll ever record. But these people have spent hours learning the limitations of their equipment and how to use the equipment to their best advantage.
Record and share the joy with us! Now, Jim, I can't begin to tell you what this means to me. All this ongoing frustration has taken the joy of music out of my life. I was listening to a song I recorded in 2015, just me and Gizmo the keyboard in the dining room, and it's not perfect by any means and certainly not professional, but nothing to be embarrassed about either--and hey, it's done, it exists, and I can listen to it! And when I finished recording it, I was on fire to do more... but these days when I finally give up on a song I'm ready to tear my hair out and walk away from music forever. Definitely need to change that energy and get back the flow and love! Having all these songs waiting, waiting, waiting for me to be able to get them to work just feels stagnant to me. I want to get them in, get them done, and go on to the next one--not that I'm not willing to put in the time to make them sound good; I truly am. But I never seem to get that far. You definitely have my deep sympathies on that erased track!!! I had to do all my songs in one track before because I didn't know how to splice takes together, so the thing which got me was finally doing a perfect take and the cat meowed loudly in the last bar. **headdesk** I learned pretty fast to record at night with the air conditioner off and all the critters locked into a bedroom!! Thanks again for your encouragement. I'll keep going.
Love is always worth the risk.
HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.
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Hi chulaivet, thank you! I appreciate your encouragement. Had to laugh at your comment about the bottomless abyss! It does feel that way some days. You're welcome. Regarding the 'abyss'  ....I'm 74, been doing this for 40 years and I still haven't landed on the bottom. (isn't that a reassuring thought for you ) The more I learn the less I seem to know....the irony. Have a good one.... (EDIT: and Jim is correct. Learn to get the best out of the tools you have before. Great recordings have been done on MOR gear. )
Last edited by chulaivet1966; 06/02/21 01:39 PM.
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Regarding the 'abyss' ....I'm 74, been doing this for 40 years and I still haven't landed on the bottom. (isn't that a reassuring thought for you ) LOL... um... ever so reassuring? Ah well. A lifetime of learning is a good challenge to accept. I **haven't** been doing this for most of my life--dropped out of college--you might remember when they started firing music teachers wholesale and then shutting down the grade schools because "the baby boom was over"? There went MY career up in smoke. Spent the next 37 years silent inside, and the music only came back 7 years ago. It's been a challenge every step of the way, not least because my mental image of myself as a musician was a 19 year old multi-instrumentalist with speedy fingers and an impeccable sense of rhythm. OY that did not carry over! Beyond rusty!! OY! But I kept at it. After a couple years I went back to school (theory made my soul sing) and probably would have graduated and gone on for my master's but I got cancer and had to drop out again. I had expected BIAB would let me pick up where I left off but sheesh, was I wrong. Still, I think I will eventually get it. Last night I tried the song I started this thread about with a different style (Drama Pop with Thump, lol) and was just utterly blown away by how right it was and how good it sounded. Now we're back to the weak link: I still have to sing it. A person should not have to deal with stage fright in her own dining room, but yanno... microphone. **eyeroll** But I'll get there. I have tons of help from everyone here. It's going to work, maybe not on my timetable, but eventually, it's going to work.
Love is always worth the risk.
HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.
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Yes, you will get it to work. If I can do it anyone can!
It sounds like you have BiaB down when it come be adding chords and picking a style. That's great! Just remember baby steps. Don't try to accomplish everything a once as that is a road to total failure.
Don't feel to embarrassed as I also have in my room stage fright when it comes to a mic!
I arrived early to a restaurant.
The manager asks, "do you mind waiting a bit?"
I said no.
"Good", he said. "Take these drinks to table 3"
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Thank you, Mario!
I'm working on bar and chord settings now. Bar settings seem pretty straightforward, but oy, chord settings... they don't work and for the life of me I can't figure out why. It seems like a no-brainer to set shots or held chords, but so far they have zero effect.... oh, wait a minute, I'm wondering now if that's because I froze the tracks once I got a good sound? Maybe chord settings doesn't work on frozen tracks?
I made myself sing today, warmed up and everything... it was awful, really truly awful. Sheesh. My fingers are crossed it's because I put the recorder in a different place--the keyboard is usually between the recorder and me--evidently having it closer made a bigger impact than I expected, and in the opposite direction than I expected! But the good thing is that I managed to listen through the headphones while I was recording, so I had something to sing with.
And THEN (good grief, this DAY! This crazy day!) Audacity wouldn't accept the files because I brought them in the way I always do, pulled the card out of the recorder and used the card reader. So I put them on the desktop, discovered how harsh my voice sounded, and decided to check out the rest of the files on the recorder before I gave up for the day.... only to be most emphatically told multiple times that the rest of my files couldn't be moved because my desktop doesn't exist!!! This DAY... OY.
Love is always worth the risk.
HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.
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Yes, if a track is frozen then you can't add or delete anything. A frozen track is set in concrete, well the kind of concrete that when unfrozen turns into mud again  Just hang in there! Some days are diamonds and some days are stone, hey that may make a great song  I have had a lot of stoned days, er days of stoned, oh hell some really bad days!
I arrived early to a restaurant.
The manager asks, "do you mind waiting a bit?"
I said no.
"Good", he said. "Take these drinks to table 3"
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Ha! You're making me laugh, Mario! Okay, I'll unfreeze the tracks, make my changes, and refreeze them--crossin' my fingers that's the right way to do it. And today when I sing, I'll set the recorder like I do when I'm playing Gizmo. Got my fingers crossed that'll be enough to give me back my voice, sheesh... really hate to think it's actually changed. Really hope that mic placement is everything!!
Although I confess, "Rock... it's not pretty or sweet" DID cross my mind... I haven't forgotten Herb telling me it's in the attitude. I just didn't expect my attitude to be a washed-up hard-bitten country waitress with throat damage from a lifetime of smoking. **big eyes** (Never smoked a day in my life, lol!)
I really like that image, "Diamonds and Stone." It could go a lot of ways. Got lyrics? This is what I pulled from your post.
"Some days are diamond, some days are stone
Some days I'm down in the mud
Some days are concrete, I'm frozen alone
Ain't nothing flowing, no song in my blood"
I can hear a chorus coming...
Love is always worth the risk.
HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.
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......................
I really like that image, "Diamonds and Stone." It could go a lot of ways. Got lyrics? This is what I pulled from your post.
"Some days are diamond, some days are stone
Some days I'm down in the mud
Some days are concrete, I'm frozen alone
Ain't nothing flowing, no song in my blood"
I can hear a chorus coming... Actually I got that from a John Denver song: http://www.songlyrics.com/john-denver/some-days-are-diamonds-lyrics/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUt2zDrddIQ
I arrived early to a restaurant.
The manager asks, "do you mind waiting a bit?"
I said no.
"Good", he said. "Take these drinks to table 3"
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Actually I got that from a John Denver song: **laughing** Well, then. **harrumph** Dagnabble it.
Love is always worth the risk.
HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.
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[quote=chulaivet1966]LOL... um... ever so reassuring? Ah well. A lifetime of learning is a good challenge to accept. Agreed....that's what I was emphasizing. I was a music/geology major and glad to have some theory under my belt. That was a while back. Yep....lots of knowledgeable people here. I've had BIAB since 2012 and I've only scratched it's surface compared to others here. Have a great day....
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Gosh Cathie, All that music theory locked inside for all that time. I'm glad you now have the opportunity to seek your passion. I lucked up. I received the Band-in-a-Box ProPAK as a gift. Receiving the smallest content package forced me to concentrate on learning how to use the capabilities of Band-in-a-Box and RealBand. It took me two years to save up the money to advance to the UltraPAK; by then I had a better than average understanding of both programs. Every now and then you'll come across a forum post by a user with an older version of the programs. Generally speaking follow the links in their signature and listen to songs they've posted and I think you'll agree the tools they have they've learned to use well. One part of audio has drastically changed over the years; that is the transition from analog to digital. You also need to spend time learning how digital audio works; it differs significantly from audio. +++ Home Recording for Dummies +++ does an EXCELLENT job of presenting the basic building blocks of digital audio and home recording. One reason I suggest this book for beginners is it has been constantly updated. Edition six was released November, 2020.
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…
One part of audio has drastically changed over the years; that is the transition from analog to digital. You also need to spend time learning how digital audio works; it differs significantly from audio.
…
Home Recording for Dummies… Oh yea, When I think that my first AAW (analog audio workstation) was an Akai R-R with 'sound-on-sound' in 1968, things have come a long way. When I first recorded to an Ampex 300-4 with Sel Sync (1970?), I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Being a high school kid, I couldn't afford one of my own but my dad worked there so I had access. My basement has become the place where analog goes to die with a quartet of 4-tracks, a couple 8-tracks and over a half dozen 2-tracks of various formats. Some get dragged out to convert analog to digital. Otherwise, if I never take a razor blade to a piece of tape again, it will be way too soon. Digital is certainly different but it's skill like any other. I'll restate the recommendation I made earlier: Learn the one thing you need to know right now. Then learn the next, then the following… At some point, you'll realize that you've learned quite a bit. I'll make another. Stop reading this thread. Look at the videos, play with the demos. Heck, read the pages in the book that Jim recommends that apply to what you need to know right now. Have some fun, make some music and you'll be surprised by what you learn.
BIAB 2026 Audiophile Mac
24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia/Tahoe, M1 & M5 MBAir, 2012 MBP
Digital Performer11, Logic, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScore/Notion/Overture
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Gosh Cathie, All that music theory locked inside for all that time. I'm glad you now have the opportunity to seek your passion. Thank you! Already had carpal tunnel syndrome when the music came back, so I had to find a different focus than playing. I've had a lot of fun learning songwriting. I suspect once I figure out how BIAB "thinks"--so that it's not such a struggle for me to find even basic info--I'll have a lot of fun learning music production, too. Thank you for the book recommendation!
Love is always worth the risk.
HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.
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OH MY GOSH GUYS!!! I got a vocal track in!!!!
This song's real obviously a freshaman effort and I can tell I need to remix it and maybe even change some instruments out (or add more) but I DID IT!!!!! I started with chords and a style, brought in two MIDI tracks that I wrote myself, added a RT rhythm guitar, used the bar settings to mute and unmute, and then brought in a vocal recording!!! I did it I did it!!!!
Thank you so much for all your help!!!! Woooohoooo!!!!!
Love is always worth the risk.
HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.
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OH MY GOSH GUYS!!! I got a vocal track in!!!!
This song's real obviously a freshaman effort and I can tell I need to remix it and maybe even change some instruments out (or add more) but I DID IT!!!!! I started with chords and a style, brought in two MIDI tracks that I wrote myself, added a RT rhythm guitar, used the bar settings to mute and unmute, and then brought in a vocal recording!!! I did it I did it!!!!
Thank you so much for all your help!!!! Woooohoooo!!!!! Congratulations. I'm impressed with how you stuck with it and worked your way through it all. Wonderful journey following along with you.
BIAB 2026:RB 2026, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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Fantastic! This is good news. I am also impressed with how you stuck with it. I am also impressed that you asked for help along the way and didn't start complaining about how bad or difficult working with BiaB can be. I know from personal experience that most all of the difficulties I have had with BiaB were directly caused by the idiot that is typing this message
I arrived early to a restaurant.
The manager asks, "do you mind waiting a bit?"
I said no.
"Good", he said. "Take these drinks to table 3"
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Way to stick to it! I hope you'll post a link to it in the User Showcase.
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Thank you, guys!!! GOSH I aprreciate your support!!
I'm disappointed to tell you the vocals just aren't up to snuff. My rhythm's off just enough to make it sound out of sync. So this time I've made myself a new MuseScore with a piano and without the Ah Choir and the guitar part. (The Ah Choir was really tripping me up. Guess that just isn't a clean enough sound to sing to. 'Nuther lesson learned, eh?) I'll be able to stay in rhythm with a piano, and hopefully my pitch will be better as well----and once I've got the vocals recorded, I can rewrite that track for rhythm, bring it in as a MIDI to augment or replace the RT Piano in the style (which doesn't quite fit the mood of my song). And now I'm seriously considering using violins instead of background vocals because I like the sound better and the vocals are a little high for me. Hmmm... might even bump them up another octave!
Mario, I knew it had to be operator error because sometimes things worked right and sometimes they didn't. I just didn't understand that BIAB requires a certain order in the workflow--for instance, having to make shots and held chords before you freeze the tracks--and I didn't know to look for things being checked off by accident, like the MIDI drums being forced. My guess is that nearly all of what frustrated me so badly in the beginning was due to my not understanding the order BIAB requires.
Guys, the manual still reads like Greek to me so I'm just working my way through this OJT as best I can with all ya'lls help. **grin** I know I have a long way to go. Learning the techniques and how BIAB thinks is only the first step. Then I have to learn to mix and sheesh, I think that's gonna take some practice to train my ears to hear what fits and what doesn't. I know my song is too full right now; it should start fairly low key with a steady build to the coda but I'm already at full bore by the first chorus and it doesn't drop back as effectively as I want it to on the next verse. But then, I can fix that with a new piano part... and by dropping that rhythm guitar I was so thrilled with, shoot. Like the RT piano, it just doesn't quite fit. But that's okay, I can work around it.
Still so chuffed that I actually did it, start to finish. First draft! Now for some serious editing and revisions, and we'll see if I can come back all excited again with something you can listen to. **grin**
Love is always worth the risk.
HP laptop; Windows 10 Home 64 bit; core i5; 2.40 Ghz; 8 GB RAM; 256 GB hard drive; BIAB 2021 Build 835.
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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.
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