|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574
Veteran
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574 |
I'm experimenting with a small Intel SSD boot drive. The installation of 64-bit Windows 7 went very quickly, and the installation of individual applications is incredibly faster than with a normal hard drive. Applications load much faster. BIAB runs fine. So far, knock on wood, no glitches or driver problems. And NO SOUND at all from the drive, even with the case open.
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199 |
Matt,
Because of pricing issues and storage space issuse, SSD's aren't in my budget, or plans yet. When I can get an SSD drive comparable in space and pricing for a standard SATA drive, which when you think about it is a lot more complex than an SSD, I'll start buying them.
Gary
I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574 |
I agree. I had a credit that was expiring, so it was an opportunity to experiment. The future looks good!
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502 |
I've had experience with SS drives for over a decade at the day job, we started using them in certain applications where vibration, dust, etc. was not the best thing for the mechanical disk drives.
They are indeed FAST at everything, as you note.
BTW -- the Failure Mode is another thing that is extremely fast. We haven't experienced a lot of it, but in those instances where the SS drive fails in the field, there is no warning, no funny noises at bootup or spinup (because there isn't any spinup), the things just fail at the speed of solid state devices. Nanoseconds. Poof. All gone. This is not a fault of the drives. Everyone should make backups in digital storage, regardless of the platform technology.
It is good to see them getting into the mass-production arena now, with prices starting to come in line such that the things may get a foothold in the consumer marketplace.
Still, I intend to wait for the prices to come down a bit more before going ahead and installing on one of my personal machines. But the plans for my next DAW include an i7 processor and may just include a SS drive or two...
--Mac
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,199 |
Prices for a 500GB SSD are still above $1,400. I remember my first 1GB drive, at $1,000. That was back in the early 90's. I hope that it won't take that long to see pricing come down to a reasonable level.
I think we can expect to see 500GB SSDs at a 'reasonable' level inside of 5 years. But, that's my opinion, nothing else.
Gary
I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,439
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,439 |
Quote:
I think we can expect to see 500GB SSDs at a 'reasonable' level inside of 5 years. But, that's my opinion, nothing else.
It may well be much sooner. There are a lot of consumer electronics out there these says that use HDD's and where the noise of a spinning HDD is undesireable - Video cameras, Digital Video Recorders, Digital Audio recorders and the like. Demand will create economies of scale that should reduce the prices fairly quickly.
--=-- My credo: If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing - just ask my missus, she'll tell ya  --=--You're only paranoid if you're wrong!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574 |
Well, no way would I put $1,000 or more into a hard drive. You can get by with a boot drive of 120GB just fine, maybe even as small as 60 GB if you install some apps on other drives in your system.
Anyway, after a day, I'm really liking the speed.
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 3,820
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 3,820 |
I had wondered off'n'on about a RAID of pretty high-capacity SD cards. RAID 10 maybe, to avoid data loss if an SD goes bad. Just plug in a replacement and keep on going. Raid 10 is both striped for speed and also mirrored for security, with auto-rebuilding if a drive goes bad. Googled it today, and the idea has been discussed for years, generally discounted as not fast enough and too fragile with too-few write cycles before failure. But then discovered the Panasonic P2 video storage card format (released 2004) which is a RAID of SD cards sturdily sealed up inside a PCMCIA format memory card. Betcha they are expensive though. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P2_(storage_media)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,126
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,126 |
Yes, Matt.
About a year, now, with a little Asus "EEE PC 8g". 8 gigabyte flash memory storage, 1 gig of memory. With optional SD card storage for a bigger operating system, or just more data. Solid and reliable. Memory upgradeable to 2 gigs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Off-Topic
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 27,574 |
Things are still going quite well with the SSD.
Along with the SSD, I installed Windows 7 64-bit. This is my first foray into 64-bit.
I had been running BIAB from the external drive. I just installed it to the SSD boot drive (option 2, program only) and pointed the Real Tracks and Real Drums back to the external drive. The program loads faster than I've ever seen it.
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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
Topics86,223
Posts802,079
Members40,071
| |
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