My Grand-Neice, CeCi, has been making up and singing songs since she was a toddler. She is now 9 years old. It does amaze me how strong her melodies are considering she doesn't have any training and doesn't play an instrument (although she is just starting to learn piano, but is not using it for songwriting, at least not yet).
I put together a video of our work flow... She sings/records her song into an iPhone and emails it to me. I then come up with the accompaniment using the BIAB DAW plugin inside of Reaper. And, next time she is in town, we record her vocal with the accompaniment in my home studio.
Pretty cool, it's never too early to start making music.!
PS: love your high-end studio monitor stands
Ha ha, I've had that for so long I don't think of it any more. I believe they were from a printer paper purchase, the boxes are solid enough to hold the monitors and I believe dampen well. And aesthetically, well they fit into my sense of aesthetics.
Originally Posted By: Guitarhacker
Learn-um young.
Yes, she's lucky to have been drawn to it so young. Neither parent plays an instrument or sings, but she seems to have been born with it. She's always had really good pitch.
That was interesting. Not the easy way or the way a youngster or this oldster may have done it, but it works well. Have you tried via the chord wizard etc just to explore whether it would head in a different direction?
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
That was interesting. Not the easy way or the way a youngster or this oldster may have done it, but it works well. Have you tried via the chord wizard etc just to explore whether it would head in a different direction?
Thanks for checking it out.
I wasn't aware there was a tool in BIAB to write a chord progression to fit a pre-existing melody. I'll have to look for that.
But, I like coming up with chord progressions on my own. That's one of my hobbies.
Thanks for posting that. I found it very interesting. I use Protools, so I'm unfamiliar with the Reaper program, and I don't know how to use Biab cord finder either. This sounds like a wonderful way to spend quality time with your Grandniece. I'd love to hear the finished product, or even see the look in her eyes when she hears it for the first time. Great idea, and she's got a great voice!
Thanks for posting that. I found it very interesting. I use Protools, so I'm unfamiliar with the Reaper program, and I don't know how to use Biab cord finder either. This sounds like a wonderful way to spend quality time with your Grandniece. I'd love to hear the finished product, or even see the look in her eyes when she hears it for the first time. Great idea, and she's got a great voice!
Brad, thanks for checking it out.
My Grandniece lives in the San Francisco area and only makes it down to San Diego a couple times a year to visit the grandparents (my brother and his wife). So it may be a while before I'm able to record her vocal. When I do I'll post it in the Showcase section of this forum.
They have a large screen at her school auditorium. I put together a video to play as the backing track. So I do have a finished version of that. I did a piano intro, some song structure changes, changed the drums with EZDrummer3, and a touch of mixing, and a visual abstraction light show kind of thing.
Here is a draft of that but this includes the melody played on the piano instead of her voice. I've heard she loves the music and video.
(Protools or Reaper, they do the same things more or less. I used Protools in the past, it's a bit too expensive, at least for me.)
Great sounding backing track. I'm sure your Grand-Niece will appreciate the video too. That's pretty good merging the keyboard display and motion background.
Great sounding backing track. I'm sure your Grand-Niece will appreciate the video too. That's pretty good merging the keyboard display and motion background.
Thanks Jim,
I use the video editor VSDC. The light show bit is called a video abstraction and the piano playing is a video recording of me recording that bit, then cropped and then applying a certain level of transparency in the video editor software.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
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Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
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All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 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 21 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.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 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.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 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 Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 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 21 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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