Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,689
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,689
Hymn to Ka-Ching

Being the conclusion of the project started here.

Words by Ray Cochrane
Music by moi (distantly based on Gustav Holst's "Thaxted")

Constructed in Logic Pro / Vocal by Synthesizer V

Try as I might (and I did try!) I could not fit any BIAB parts into this piece


All hail oh gracious commerce
Accept the coin we bring
That we who buy our favour
May serve the great Ka-Ching
Now weather kills tomorrows
Wind blows no good, just ill
We satiate thirst great
Ignoring bitter pill
We satiate a thirst so great
Ignoring bitter pill

Each one on Earth reviewing
What we create today
We set the Earth a-blazing
As profit's hand won't stay
For we may freely plunder
For 'tis the gift might sends
We take rape and plunder
For ours is but to rend
We take rape and plunder
For ours is but to rend

The life on Earth's lost splendor
Is certain now to die
Its weakened grip surrendered
To those who sell and buy
Now taken from the future
Bathwater and baby thrown
Earth's wounds beyond suture
The passive masses grown
Earth's wounds beyond suture
The passive masses groan


Last edited by Mark Hayes; 03/29/22 01:45 PM.
User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,264
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,264
Nice one Mark, thank you.


Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,417
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,417
Very cool colab... Love the intriguing Lyrics and Vox.
Cool how the drums come in, but I wish the drummer was playing more of a 6/8 feel.
I'm listening to "Onyx" now and it's blowing my mind......


Bandcamp
Win-11; BiaB-2026 Audiophile (latest version)
Cakewalk Sonar; Melodyne-5; Scaler 3; NI Komplete:
Focusrite Scarlett 18i20



User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,689
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,689
Originally Posted By: bloc-head
Very cool colab... Love the intriguing Lyrics and Vox.
Cool how the drums come in, but I wish the drummer was playing more of a 6/8 feel.
I'm listening to "Onyx" now and it's blowing my mind......

Thanks and thanks... I don't hear the 6/8 (2*3 vs. 3*1) but I appreciate the time taken and thought given.

As for "Onyx", I didn't know anyone would see that without being pointed to it! I do have it teed up for "release" but I hesitate to post too much too frequently, plus it also is non-BIAB. But thanks thanks thanks!!! If I were posting it, here's what I would say:

"A while ago, I watched a movie of Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock – where I saw him close up, in 1969, right at the foot of the stage, with a warm beer in my hand (no I am not in the movie) – and, inspired, made a recording of myself noodling on my guitar. Later, I took that audio recording and pitch-analyzed and MIDI-replicated it to include a number of voices, all different renderings of the original performance. This is just that one session of guitar noodling, turned completely out of hand in the 21st Century."

https://soundcloud.com/mark_hayes/onyx

Last edited by Mark Hayes; 03/29/22 12:48 PM.
User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,417
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,417
Regarding "Onyx" (sorry for spilling da beans), I thought it was very interesting and creative... I know what you mean about posting "too much too frequently" a conundrum.

Back to the OP, I still think you should experiment with some different drum grooves... Still, very cool... You and Ray make quite a pair.


Bandcamp
Win-11; BiaB-2026 Audiophile (latest version)
Cakewalk Sonar; Melodyne-5; Scaler 3; NI Komplete:
Focusrite Scarlett 18i20



User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,696
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,696
Nice!

Good AI vocal with some very interesting lyrics

Very good blend

Two thumbs up


OK, a random thought;
Why does toilet paper need a commercial? Who's not buying it?

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,696
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,696
Mark, I really liked that free form Onyx!

Very creative and some excellent chops

Two big thumbs up


OK, a random thought;
Why does toilet paper need a commercial? Who's not buying it?

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,689
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,689
Originally Posted By: bloc-head
Back to the OP, I still think you should experiment with some different drum grooves...

Oh, listening again I can definitely hear a need for improvement there, if not in those terms. As Captain Beefheart would say, "The music was... thud-like." I now hear the drums starting to sound unpleasantly repetitive pretty quickly, so thanks again. If it were a quick fix I'd do it right now but I'm not sure how that will go, I don't really know my way around Logic's Drummer all that well.

I used to fiddle with my back feet.
Music for a black onyx.

My tar room absorbed every echo.


The music was… thud-like.
The music was… thud-like.

I usually played such things as rough-neck and thug.

Opaque melodies that would bug most people.

Last edited by Mark Hayes; 03/29/22 03:52 PM.
User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,689
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,689
Originally Posted By: MarioD
Nice!
Good AI vocal with some very interesting lyrics
Very good blend
Two thumbs up
Originally Posted By: MarioD
Mark, I really liked that free form Onyx!
Very creative and some excellent chops
Two big thumbs up

Big thanks to you both, all four[?] thumbs! =8^)

Last edited by Mark Hayes; 03/29/22 01:28 PM.
User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,196
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,196
Interesting and musical! laugh

The lyric "We satiate thirst great" seems to be needlessly hard to parse. I know you're going for a particular flavor of language, but this only serves to make the lyric harder to understand... and as a lazy listener, I hate to work. wink

As for the drums, adding some flams and drags might help a bit.

Have you played with the latest release of SynthV? I haven't had a chance to try it out, but there's now support for styles ("whispered", "belt") that could help with adding some contrast.

I like your new avatar!


-- David Cuny

My virtual singer development blog
Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?

BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,689
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,689
Originally Posted By: dcuny
Interesting and musical! laugh

The lyric "We satiate thirst great" seems to be needlessly hard to parse. I know you're going for a particular flavor of language, but this only serves to make the lyric harder to understand... and as a lazy listener, I hate to work. wink

As for the drums, adding some flams and drags might help a bit.

Have you played with the latest release of SynthV? I haven't had a chance to try it out, but there's now support for styles ("whispered", "belt") that could help with adding some contrast.

I like your new avatar!

Thanks, David.

For the record, Ray wrote "satiate a thirst so great" and I collapsed it a la Emily Dickinson. Point taken, though; if one didn't have the lyrics to read it would be near impossible to decode a line like this just by hearing it.

Full Discloser: I don't know what flams and drags are. I'll look it up. This is what happens when you give non-drummers drum software and they think that makes them drummers.

I have not played with any new features in Synth V, will see what I have.

PS – I cannot get the avatar function to work reliably, last night I changed it to pug but didn't see that 'til this morning. Now I tried to change it to a different pug and it's Ukraine again. I have no idea what out of the 4 possibilities I'll see when I submit this...

Last edited by Mark Hayes; 03/30/22 04:26 AM.
User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,196
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,196
Originally Posted By: Mark Hayes

Full Discloser: I don't know what flams and drags are. I'll look it up. This is what happens when you give non-drummers drum software and they think that makes them drummers.

Sorry... think of these like rapid trills, or a really short drum roll fit into a quarter note beat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY2lF31WM8M

You can do this in MIDI by putting 32nd notes in at very low velocities on the snare. Too high velocity it'll sound like a roll, but at low velocities it's subtle buzz stroke. In any event, it's a different tone color you can get from the drum.


-- David Cuny

My virtual singer development blog
Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?

BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
User Showcase
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,067
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,067
Cool song Mark!
The vocal sounds so real.
Very special music.

Rob and Anne-Marie


We are Rob Meulman and Anne-Marie Bovenkamp from The Netherlands.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1gsdNLE7_Gy8qavoOplQow/videos
http://rnam.net/


User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8,974
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8,974
Mark / Ray,

Very nice collaboration. A good mix and haunting sound...

Bob

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 8,330
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 8,330
This is a very cool song. The vox really suits this song. Has the feel of a 15th century tune with a modern instrumentation. Excellent lyric as well. Very well done.


Scott Collingwood
https://soundcloud.com/scottt709
https://soundcloud.com/spiritlevel-ca
https://www.youtube.com/@SpiritLevel-ge3hm/
User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,689
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,689
Thank you RnAM, rsdean, Scott C!

And again, thanks for Ray for this time in the collaboratorium.

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 16,132
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 16,132
The church organ sound with the cold synthesized vocal are a perfect match for this hymn to the almighty dollar.

Excellent write and great collaboration Ray and Mark!

J&B


Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more.
If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks!
Our Videos
User Showcase
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 1,572
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 1,572
Hi Mark,

I liked the use of the organ fading out to make room for the piano and other musical instruments. It's very well done and the lyrics well written.

Kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash


Kindly regards
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash
User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,689
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,689
Originally Posted By: Janice & Bud
The church organ sound with the cold synthesized vocal are a perfect match for this hymn to the almighty dollar. Excellent write and great collaboration Ray and Mark!
Originally Posted By: Derochette
I liked the use of the organ fading out to make room for the piano and other musical instruments. It's very well done and the lyrics well written.

Many thanks, folks. I'm feeling short on inspiration at the moment, this helps. Be well.

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

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.

PG Music News
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.

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics86,191
Posts801,765
Members40,063
Most Online64,515
Apr 8th, 2026
Newest Members
GlennMans, François Sohm, Armando D'Errico, PhilinPhil, RBDavis1957
40,063 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 126
zedd 109
DC Ron 102
rsdean 101
Noel96 84
Today's Birthdays
jazzkeith, Mavrick20002, Pain-Driven, rolfie, Roycol
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5