Technicals: Song Form: A-A-B-A-A-B-A-A-Outro Tempo: 70 BPM Key: Em
BiaB: Style MIDI Instruments are : Acoustic Piano (1), Acoustic Guitar (26), Voice Oohs (54), RealTracks in song: 1856:Cello, Background PopCountry Ev 085 MIDI Drums :1 Standard Drum Kit (1) RealDrums will be substituted :RockEven16: a: Snare, HiHat b: Snare, Ride
Me: Bass Guitar Korg: “Infinite Voices” Open Source Audio
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's briefing on 2/24/2022
Recorded and mixed in Studio One. Listening and commenting are much appreciated.
Edit: Warning: This is not a 3 minute arrangement and may not be suitable for those with short attention spans. I consider this a “docu-song”; an arrangement not meant for short term entertainment purposes but rather one that attempts to educate, enlighten, inspire and capture historically meaningful content.
Last edited by Bass Thumper; 11/08/2207:10 AM.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
That crying baby really got to me. The NATO guy, OTOH, got a little tedious. I wasn't expecting him to be the focus of a seven minute song. It was fine otherwise.
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
That crying baby really got to me. The NATO guy, OTOH, got a little tedious. I wasn't expecting him to be the focus of a seven minute song. It was fine otherwise.
I'm sorry you found this tedious. It is intentional that "the NATO guy" is the focus, that is the point of the song.
I edited my post to warn others that are similar.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
This is a pretty good song, I love how you put all the individual parts together into one cohesive song. It's a bit too long for my taste though.
Thanks for the listen and comment. Putting the individual parts together stretched my mixing skills to their limit but was worth the learning experience. Yes, this is not a 3 minute song . . . intentionally.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
A dramatic piece - thanks for your support of Ukraine.
Best Regards Nigel
Hey Nigel, thanks for the listen. Some may not have heard the briefing in its entirety. So my goal was for it to be dramatic and to capture the entire briefing.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Personally liked yours better but I thought you might be interested in hearing it.
Hey Mario, "brilliant", "super", "liked yours better" . . . all I can say is WOW ! (and thanks). I'm glad you get what I tried to accomplish.
I really struggled with the mix. Did I want the baby to be featured? Yes The bombing? Yes Jens? Yes Cello? Yes Female vox at the end? Yes Everything else? Not so much. It was a challenge but my new headphones helped tremendously and Studio One is amazing.
And thanks for the 7 O'clock News video. Somehow I never heard that before . . . "Hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again"
I wonder if there are other songs in the vein of voice-overs out there.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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
Much appreciated guys. The good news is that Ukrainian forces have entered Kherson, hopefully the tide will continue to turn in favor of the freedom-loving Ukrainian people and that they won't suffer very much this Winter.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Very impressive! As a matter of fact this music needs a video. Then it will become a real documentary.
Great work!
Rob and Anne-Marie
Rob & Anne-Marie, thanks so much for the kind words and the idea to add a video, what a great idea. If you know a creative person with video skills that would like to collab on this, let me know. --Steve
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Really sad song, feels like the final news broadcast in an apocalyptic movie but unfortunately, it's all happening in our real world. You have captured that sadness in the excellent backing track, cello, bass and drums work hauntingly together and those choir voices are served suitably.
Really sad song, feels like the final news broadcast in an apocalyptic movie but unfortunately, it's all happening in our real world. You have captured that sadness in the excellent backing track, cello, bass and drums work hauntingly together and those choir voices are served suitably.
Janne
Many thanks for the listen and feedback. You're right, there is nothing Hollywood about this, it's as real as real can get. We're in the 21st century and still witnessing war crimes. Calling Putin barbaric is an understatement and we can hope he will be brought to justice in a criminal court. So many innocent lives lost but one day Ukraine will be a part of NATO and the Ukrainian people and culture will not vanish.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Really well done. The music supports the speech perfectly. Quite effective. Dramatic. Nice job on the Bass.
An Excellent mix.
fj
Hey fj, many thanks. The mix was challenging, especially at my skill level.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Yes it is long, but I'd not heard this speech before and I thought your backing of it made it all that more powerful. I thought it was great.
Hey Brad thanks for the listen.
You put your finger on something that was on my mind while designing this arrangement. Like you, not everyone has heard this breifing in its entirety and so making the trade-off between a lengthy "song" vs a snipet of the briefing seemed to make sense to not truncate it. Not everyone will agree, hence the warning.
Hopefully, for most people this will be a positive use of some of their life-minutes.
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!
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.
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.
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.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean