Dan. A further thought that might save the expense of a new machine. (but maybe you want one anyway.) Let me explain....and bear in mind when i7 was the only beast around/game in town big studios were getting impressive performance i understand.
A lot of studios using sample libs run at least 3 drives. One for win, one to record/playback multitrack, and one for sample storage. (Some big studios of course have huge rigs.)
Where sometimes one can get a performance hit IS if win is on same drive as One is recording to. and/or putting massive sample libs on same drive one is using To record/playback etc. Now with coming of ssd’s its alleviated the contention syndrome somewhat…Depends on the pc config.
THUS if your not running the above 3 drive set up ,ie 2 , i would try a third drive solely for big sample libs and see how much that affects performance via testing in reaps which has all sorts of performance stats built in.
To go further it might be best to get info on how your drives are set up now. ..WIN on its own drive ? ..Seperate drive for reaps recording/playback ie the tracks. ? ..Seperate drive for sample libs ?? ..where do the biab real traks reside ? assuming you use them ?? ..just midi with plug ins ?? most pc’s will eat midi alive…with light plug ins.
Heres another vendor of custom pc’s i found on reaps forums. Notice the testimonials at bottom…
Personally i really like the rack mount powerhouses that many big studios use. Absolutely massive track and plug in counts…but often expensive. If you go on gearspace or reaps youll see lots of high performance stats quoted.
Happiness.
om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 04/22/2204:48 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
Dan, I loved the icon display. I think you missed one, though.
For anyone in general, I have a folder named Downloads. In it are folders for each application. In each application folder are at least two or three files:
The install EXE file A text file with registration codes and account info Any tutorials, links, instructions, tips etc.
Any files in this Downloads folder are copied each time it is changed, to another computer and to a traveling hard drive.
I’m sure everyone has a similar system, and it’s critical when you need to reinstall.
Matt, I do the exact same thing. I store that data on external HDs, including the one in my bank's safe deposit box.
Back in my day the only time we started panic buying was when the bartender shouted "last call"!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Yes, the sub-folders in my separately 'saved downloads' \Music\ folder on a separate drive, includes 40 main sub-folders which include IK Multimedia, Focusrite, BiaB (every version / release / patch / update since 2012), Native Instruments, Melodyne, M-Audio, Roland, Session Keys, Sonar and more currently consists of: 2,366 files, 345 folders, and takes 310Gb or storage (and many of these are just the licenses to download the full products)
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
Dan, I loved the icon display. I think you missed one, though.
For anyone in general, I have a folder named Downloads. In it are folders for each application. In each application folder are at least two or three files:
The install EXE file A text file with registration codes and account info Any tutorials, links, instructions, tips etc.
Any files in this Downloads folder are copied each time it is changed, to another computer and to a traveling hard drive.
I’m sure everyone has a similar system, and it’s critical when you need to reinstall.
+1 to this. It is vital to keep the important stuff!
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
I generallly have the original downloads for everything, until I go looking and can't find something. Otherwise, Regarding HDD Space, not something I currently have a shortage of. But I am looking forward to the SSD in the future.
For backup of my downloaded installation files, I actually prefer using a hard disk to an SSD. I think it might be more likely to last longer with failing. That could be wrong.
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; Presonus Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
For backup of my downloaded installation files, I actually prefer using a hard disk to an SSD. I think it might be more likely to last longer with failing. That could be wrong.
I had a non-boot SSD for data some years back. It Failed! Today I have the 6TB HDD - with USB 3.1 Type-C port for external backup. Provides data transfer speeds up to 10 Gbps. Nevertheless, I am planning on a SSD boot drive and hoping things have gotten better.
Our license states that you can only have Band-in-a-Box installed on one computer at a time. However, we understand that customers often have multiple computers, get new machines, or need to travel, so your activation code is good for installation on three personal computers. If you want to free up an activation, we recommend releasing it from the old machine if you won't own it or use it anymore.
As a general rule of thumb, I don't typically recommend copying any program directory to a new location. For a lot of programs, that won't work, as there's usually files stored elsewhere on your computer that tell the program its a legitimate install, but also files or aspects of a program may get installed to different paths or locations that you may not always know where to look for. Some programs even have protection against copying things to prevent sharing it with friends who haven't paid.
In our case, files get installed into different locations, so to ensure that you have a complete and proper install, it's best to install from your original media, be it downloads or a physical copy like a harddrive or flash USB stick. That way you know everything is where it should be.
Years ago, I did an upgrade on my business computer. I used cloning software and to my surprise, almost everything came up running nicely. One or two programs required me to reinstall or reactivate with my serial number key.
As with Band in a Box.... quite a few software programs allow you to have only a certain number of activations at a given time. Several other programs I have are similar. You have to go in and manually release the activation in order to reinstall and activate it on a new machine. I forget which program it was but due to issues I was having, I had uninstalled it a reinstalled it several times and I ran out of activations. I had to contact that company and they were able to reset my activations to zero so I could install it and get it running.
It's always best to do clean installs and enter the activation key. If you're over the limit, you can always go back on the original older machine and release that activation cleanly.
Good luck.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
If you move your NI libraries to an external drive, the Native Access app has a very nice feature that allows you to find your libraries if you move to a new machine. It saves a lot of download time.
If you move your NI libraries to an external drive, the Native Access app has a very nice feature that allows you to find your libraries if you move to a new machine. It saves a lot of download time.
Thanks for that info. I do believe I have seen that option in the past if I tried to move a library. Good to know it may be my best option come the big transfer.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
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There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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