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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 2,935
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Joined: May 2012
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Someone has probably mentioned this in one of the comments above... I didn't read them all. There are several folks with sites online that have already taken the time to create MGU and SGU files of quite a few of the hits from the past. That will certainly save you a lot of time and effort if the songs you want are in the list. And with time being equal to money.... it might actually be cheaper to buy them if they are not too overly expensive. At the risk of being shot down for unsolicited self promo (but really trying to be helpful) I have a membership site with currently 285 backing tracks. New ones are added every week. https://www.band-in-a-box-files.com/Here are some free ones you can download https://joannecooper.co.za/files/403221/all-band-in-a-box-sgus.zip
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Joined: Jul 2000
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When I make my backing tracks, I use my experience to try to anticipate what will work best for my typical audience. Try is the most important word. Sometimes I nail it, sometimes it's a learning experience.
Being that it's a business, it's more important to me to do it the way the bulk of the audience wants to hear it than how I might want to play it. If they are into the music, I'm having fun.
Sometimes that means making the track as close to the famous version of the song as I can. There is no shame in that, after all, I've played Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and The Beatles note-for-note in my lifetime. Some songs are so etched in the audience's mind, that changing them will result in a significant part of the audience disturbed.
Sometimes my backing tracks will have significant elements like a guitar figure or brass stabs like the original, but otherwise be more our interpretation than a note-for-note copy.
Other times I might drastically change the song, make a rock song Reggae, another Latin American, another Swing Jazz, or whatever.
There are many right ways to do this. I've played in cover bands that tried to do everything note-for-note and jazz bands that did nothing note-for-note like any recording.
Some musicians don't want to play songs like the record. Others strive to make it as close as they can. Either way is fine as long as what they are doing goes over with the audience they are targeting.
If the audience is enjoying what you are doing, you are doing the right thing. After all, music without a listener isn't complete.
I've been a live performer since I was in junior high school, and many decades later, I'm still learning what my audience wants to hear, and how they want it presented. As time changes, the tastes of my targeted audience changes, and it's my job to adapt. That is, if I want to gig and buy groceries next week.
Insights and incites by Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 12,911
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Joined: Dec 2002
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If you interested in full MIDI arrangements for popular songs then https://www.midi.com.au/signin.aspis a great source. Cost is ~10 USD, but these guys are pros and arrangments are as close to note for note as you can get.
BIAB – 2026, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, Motu Audio Express 6x6 - My SoundCloud.
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,818
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Joined: Apr 2009
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If you want instant results, buy the files. If you want to learn something and put your touch on it in the process, roll your own songs.
I've told this story before in these forums....This is what it used to be like creating your song covers in the days before BB made it a simple process accessible to all with a modicum of musical ability.
So... It had to be 40 years ago now.... I was on a staff retreat with the company that employed me at the time... In Myrtle Beach SC. The swanky place we were staying had a bar and the bar had a band. The band was 2 guys. One on bass and one on guitar and both sang. They had a full band behind them that I thought initially, was tape, including background vocal harmonies.
On their break, I talked for a bit with the guitarist who showed me they were running one of the earliest versions of Cakewalk sequencer. Everything was midi going to synth sound modules. Drums, piano, strings, guitar switching from rhythm to lead, vocal harmonies were all midi controlled, and even the lights were controlled by midi. All running from a 286 DOS machine. State of the art at the time.
In talking with the guitarist, I asked how long it took them to sequence a song. He said depending on the song, it could be a week or more. They were both studio musicians and highly proficient at their job.
Point being, it takes about an hour or so to set up a song in BB for a cover.... and we're complaining about how long it takes and how much work is involved. Give me a break. We have it so easy compared to what used to be involved in creating covers and original songs that sound professional.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 07/14/23 03:38 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd 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.
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,494
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Yes, using BiaB will get the job done quickly. However, using BiaB in many cases will not get you the best backing track, depending on the song, and how close to a famous recording you might want to play. For me, there is room for more than one approach. - Completely Band-in-a-Box. In the arrangement I want, and if there is an appropriate style, I can make a backing track quickly
- Band-in-a-Box plus. I can make a MIDI Band-in-a Box arrangement, export it, then import it into a MIDI sequencer or DAW and then change instruments, add song specific licks, and edit to my heart's content. I can even make an into and ending with the same MIDI instruments that I choose for the rest of the song.
- Partial BiaB. I can make a BiaB track, export MIDI, import into a DAW or sequencer and use the BiaB parts as “comp” parts while I build the song around it recording directly into the sequencer/DAW
- From scratch. Sometimes BiaB, as versatile as it is, won't do justice to a song the way I want to do it, so I do the entire thing in a MIDI sequencer/DAW playing the parts in, one at a time. This is time-consuming, but worth it.
There is more than one right way to do it, and sometimes a different song requires a different approach. I play music for a living, so my tracks can't be “just good enough” they have to be the absolute best that I can make them. A good customer requested a Metallica song, so we did “Nothing Else Matters”. Absolutely impossible in BiaB, it took 2 or 3 days to get it right, and it goes over phenomenally. Worth the time and effort. Another asked for the Commodores' “Night Shift” which only took one day (with the sheet music). Also, not a BiaB style matches, so I did it from scratch. Someone else asked for the old standard “Near You”, it was their wedding song. BiaB to the rescue. Found a good style, exported MIDI to Master Tracks Pro, played the song figure on another track, added an intro and was done. It's nice to have more than one tool in your digital tool box. Insights and incites by Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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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.
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Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
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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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Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!
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