I've been eyeing a desktop with a ryzen 5 and 12gb of ram I mainly want Biab to make jazz backing tracks and record myself over them without a lot tracks
I already have a audio interface and I've had some jbl 305p's studio monitors that I really didn't like to play backing tracks with they sounded really weak
My budget is $2200ish for Biab a pc and speakers
Mainly want to jam over them with my twin reverb set around 2.5 or it might be 4.0 had to send it for repair so not sure
If it's US$2,200 then you should definitely be able to deliver something reasonable.
I just purchased something different (different for me anyway, as I always build my own systems).
It's a Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 3 All-In-One. It has an optical drive, plenty of USB ports, wireless keyboard and mouse, 16Gb RAM, Ryzen 7 5700U processor, Bluetooth, WiFi, both Wireless and Wired LAN, 512Gb SSD. 24" monitor, Windows 11. I'm more impressed with it than I thought I would be.
Nica. with a budget that nice i would contact companies that specialise in building turnkey computers for recording studios before making a final decision.. they even install the audio interface.and see what they can do for you. (go on gearspace.com << lots of builders names) eg....
i recommend at least 2 ssd's starting out. i highly recommend not recording onto the drive that win resides on. use a seperate one for recording/playback//daw.
alternative i'm a big fan of cheap under 600 buk off lease pc desktops.
eg google >> "refurb ssd hp z workstation" or lenovo or dell workstation...get a 1 yr warranty. lots of people use refurbs as recording rigs. once again if you dont believe moi start a thread on gesarspace "recommended pc refurbs for music production'.
just some ideas. om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 07/19/2212:33 PM.
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.)
Sounds like you have the PC side set up. I am an instrumental guitar player. I make backing tracks for jazz and popular (at least to me) music. I play in my studio, living room and sometimes in the backyard I also gig in restaurants and bars.
I have a set of jbl 305's. They are not enough to get a band like sound while playing guitar and amp.
A twin reverb is a lot of gas. Better keep it on 2.
Anyway, one of the rigs I use for tracks amplification is a Turbosound Inspire 300 Its a line array PA that has enough bass to handle the drums and bass in the arrangements. It costs $450+-. Hard to beat. Much better than the Bose S1Pro. If you ever plan to gig out its a great small room rig. Sometime I practice and/or gig with it as my only amplification. I run tracks and my guitar with a direct box (Quilter Superblock,FlyRig,Pod, etc) on it. Its got direct connects and bluetooth. Check it out.
biab2025(Mac) Latest Build Mac OS (Latest) Apple Mac Mini M2 pro 32GB Ram Logic Pro 11.2.2 Irwin Vice Grip Fencing Pliers
5" woofers will sound anaemic in the bottom end though JBLs are voiced to be pleasing rather than neutral and neutral is the aim for mixing. I've been researching for a monitor upgrade and in the 7 - 8" woofer range there're some contenders...the ADAMS TV7s are good value & sound the TV8s are even better for AUS$200 a pair extra. The Yamaha 8s are nice, the JBLs 8s are, to my ears, voiced/hyped a little in the mids and are popular as speakers for TVs and book shelf sound systems. There're a lot out there and the prices are reasobnable - yet the quality of sound is quite good even at the prices. Be cautious about front ported monitors as they can cause a narrow cancellation effect.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
I personally have a Ryzen 5 (6 core 12 thread) and 16 gig RAM for home use .. runs my stuff fine and doesn't show any signs of stress even with large files (20+ tracks with FX). In the studio we doubled the RAM, not sure it was needed. 12 gig RAM seems an odd choice .. I'd likely opt for 16 gig and two matching sticks if needed. Probably minimal cost difference.
For monitors I think the 8" does make a difference as noted above. Monitors are one of those things that until you hear it in your target room, you are guessing. My BX8a's sounded dull in the next room over, but are MUCH more accurate in this room. (sadly, I do not think you can find these monitors anymore) It wasn't because they weren't loud enough for the other room, just that they didn't match the room. Monitors are hard to recommend for this reason.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Sounds like you have the PC side set up. I am an instrumental guitar player. I make backing tracks for jazz and popular (at least to me) music. I play in my studio, living room and sometimes in the backyard I also gig in restaurants and bars.
I have a set of jbl 305's. They are not enough to get a band like sound while playing guitar and amp.
A twin reverb is a lot of gas. Better keep it on 2.
Anyway, one of the rigs I use for tracks amplification is a Turbosound Inspire 300 Its a line array PA that has enough bass to handle the drums and bass in the arrangements. It costs $450+-. Hard to beat. Much better than the Bose S1Pro. If you ever plan to gig out its a great small room rig. Sometime I practice and/or gig with it as my only amplification. I run tracks and my guitar with a direct box (Quilter Superblock,FlyRig,Pod, etc) on it. Its got direct connects and bluetooth. Check it out.
I've always wondered about those array speakers do they sound mono-is? If you only have one of them and it's a GB twin and channel 1 isn't as hot as 2 probably why I have it on 4 my dB meter measures around 70
Actually, one might be surprised how well they do sound. They're not just speakers, they are Active Powered Monitors, and have plenty of drive and a great sound throughout their entire range. I play an 88-key grand piano VSTi through them (Synthogy Ivory - certainly not an 'entry-level' product) and the drive is brilliant, especially at the bottom end. Anaemic? No way.
BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
To add, my choice of the powered speaker system I chose had evolved over a serious practical evaluation of many different monitor speaker systems, which included brand names, sizes, varying music styles and more. It involved hours of listening, comparisons and discussions with knowledgeable experts.
It's important that you undertake your own practical evaluation in your decision process, and don't just rely on comments made in this forum.
BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
Also, I can mix with my Yamaha NS40M Monitors, which are still up there as reference monitors. They are unbelievably realistic, with absolutely no added color, variation, emphasis or added dynamics. Just perfect clean sound.
If the mix sounds good on NS40M's, then it's going to sound great on just about everything else you can put in front of it.
That's not what you need, but I make the reference because this is why the big studios studios regularly include these types of monitors in their mixing line-up.
BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
I'm using a home built computer.... with a Focusrite Saffire interface and a pair of Mackie MR-5 speakers. For my guitar rig, I have a Spark 40 modeling amp that is run directly into the audio input on the Saffire coming off the Spark headphone jack. This is one amazing sounding rig. Well, let me say this.... it works well for me. I've had a few other guitar players here in my studio who were also very impressed with the sound quality.
The speakers you have look to be similar. If they are trying to keep up with the volume of the amp, well, they probably will have a difficult time doing that. However, if you can get that signal to a line level and input it into the interface, that whole picture changes. The only way I could run my Mesa boogie along with the music projects I was working on was to use noise isolation cans and mike the guitar to put it into the mix and even then, I had to run the cans a bit louder than I really wanted to stay above the room volume of the amp. Getting that signal into the DAW is the best way.... that way you can monitor the guitar in the mix at a very respectable level.
Your budget is a nice starting point for doing it RIGHT.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 07/20/2204:23 AM.
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.
I totally agree Herb, there's certainly nothing wrong with the Mackie MR5 speakers. Another great sounding and highly respected 5" Studio Monitor. Great accuracy and excellent clarity. Definitely worthy of consideration.
BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
As in my signature, I'm using 5" Adam monitors and an Adam subwoofer in my small production studio. For playing along, though, I use two KRK 8" monitors in a bigger room. No subwoofer needed.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
PC yep Audio interface yep Speakers yep ones that won't be drowned by your amp and won't strain to be heard. Isolation pads for the speakers? Biab yep yep Mics...but which? A condenser for vocals and a 57 or e609 for guitar amp? Cables...to & from the computer interface wise from interface to speakers TRS or? with graphite bead shielding? Mic cables - length, shielding? Monitor...yep...though I use an old TV screen so I can read it from a distance when tracking & following the chord sheet. Good seat for extended sitting - reduce DVT exposure. Pop filter if recording vocals.Mic stand for vocals & another for the amp...I use two on an amp a 57 & an e609 - then blend to taste so two short stands. A latency setting that works for you. Power strip that's surge protected and reasonably "clean". Wireless mouse n keyboard maybe to allow you to sit back n play yet still manipulate the comp. I use an old R16 as a control surface with a long USB cable so I can work away from the comp. Oh, if you'll be using pedals look at a discrete power supply and maybe something to break a ground loop if it occurs.
Last edited by rayc; 07/20/2211:30 PM.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Nice list Ray. The one thing that I would change would be to use an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) in place of a surge protector. Brown outs can cause a lot of damage and a UPS can protect against them as well as being a surge protector. YMMV
XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
The XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs special offers are now available until August 31st at 11:59pm PDT!
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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 1-9 includes 900 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). With over 3,500 styles (and 35 MIDI styles) included in Xtra Styles PAKs 1-20, the possibilities are endless!
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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.
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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!
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!
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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
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!
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!
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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
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!
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!
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!
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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