When I first created the chord structure for this instrumental my plan was to compose a sequel to my "Quan Yin", but while the idea worked it lacked any oomph, so I abandoned that plan and decided to use totally different instrumentation and make a solid rock track dedicated to my CGI/3D character, Zuzu, as my other favourites, Deya, Venus and Aya have all had titles named after them. Once I had a very solid rhythm section arranged with a total of 6 rhythm guitars in the mix by the time it plays through to the 3rd of 3 cycles I intended to use 3 completely different solo instruments, but just to see how the original 3 from the no-oomph original mix worked - tin whistle, tenor sax and dizi flute - I tried them and to my total surprise they worked perfectly, so I've left them in. Though I've also created a 2nd version with more traditional rock instrument solos and I'll likely post that in a couple of weeks.
Re the video, I've reused images featuring Zuzu from my "Agent o-oh-Oh-OH=wAo=!" and "Aurora V1: Night Turns Into Gold" instrumentals, though it starts with some never previously used ones.
1st & 2nd rhythm guitars: Jovian Divine Alt Rock Soloing ~ Mike Durham Organ: Country Rock Guitar Solo, Pop Ba ~ Gene Rabbai Enya & Sirius Warm Pads & Strings hybrid mix Drums: Nashville Radio Power Bal Solo ~ Miles McPherson Bass Guitar: Bricks Indie Rock w Guitar Solo ~ Tobin Frank Tin Whistle: Tin Whistle Light Folk Pop ~ Geoffrey Kelly Tenor Saxophone: Slow Country Pop w/ Tenor Solo ~ Mark Douthit 3rd rhythm guitar: Country Rock Guitar Solo, Pop Ba ~ Darin Favorite 4th rhythm guitar: Centaur Gtr Solo Hard Rock Bal ~ Darin Favorite 5th & 6th rhythm guitars: Nashville Radio Power Bal Solo ~ Danny Rader Dizi Flute: Silk Smooth World Groove ~ Charlie Lui
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
Chay, I am really diggin' this word of magicial music you are creating. I don't understand how you are making the imags for your video, but there's no doubt it takes large amounts of creative effort. The changes are fun, and that sax solo was very well done. Sounds like the same guy also playing the tin whistle, or they at least learned to the same teacher. Very well crafted all around.
Chay, I am really diggin' this word of magicial music you are creating. I don't understand how you are making the imags for your video, but there's no doubt it takes large amounts of creative effort. The changes are fun, and that sax solo was very well done. Sounds like the same guy also playing the tin whistle, or they at least learned to the same teacher. Very well crafted all around.
Thanks, Marty! Re the images, depending on the scene they can take anything from a few hours to well over a week to put together. One of the big difficulties is that when one is composing a scene there are no shadows and colours look different to when it's finally rendered, plus as all surfaces are virtual there are places where 2 surfaces fuse into each other, which can't be seen until a full scale render is made. The viewport I build in is actually quite tiny, while my full scale UHD renders are mostly 4000 x 2,500 pixels (10 million pixels total) and the rendering image is so big it doesn't even fit a large monitor, but that makes it easy to see discrepancies, so the renders are often stopped part way through so errors can be corrected and sometimes that can go on for hours. A really basic image can complete in just a few minutes, but the more details and textures there are can make a single render take oodles of hours. There are 2 different render engines I use and the record longest time for a render using the fastest one is 1 day 4 hours 24 minutes 45 seconds! The record for the other engine is way worse at 41 hours, but that didn't even complete as I had to switch my laptop off in case it overheated! I use 4,000 x 2,500 pixels as I print my best images, that ratio being 8:5 as it's the closest I can get to the golden ratio in even figures, so I don't often do 16:9 which is what YT prefers. In the above video the 1st cyberpunk Zuzu image is complete and was made for print, but the following cropped images were never finalised as they weren't for print, so in that 1st image the flower stands are gold, there are plants either side of the water fountain on the right, and the table is different to in the cropped images, plus the chair is shaded (coloured) differently. In the cropped images the stands are white and there are no plants either side of the water fountain. Like composing in BiaB it's really hard work, but it's a joy at the same time.
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
Chay, really appreciate the unique musical and virtual universe you've created. It's really not like anything else we're seeing/hearing around here, or maybe anywhere, and it's a blast. This is a real snappy tune with your usual expert instrument choices and mix. It sounds GREAT!
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One StudioCat DAW dual screen Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
Wow ... a dozen tracks yet it has an open airy feel (our favorite). The sign of a good mix in our book.
Great use of the RT's and in particular the solos. Sounds like a well honed studio group.
Enjoyed the vid also and your response to Marty on the contruction of it was very interesting.
Well done!
J&B
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 are here on our website.
Chay, this sounds great. That tin whistle sounds great as was the flute. The sax was OK but I liked the others a lot better; just my opinion Super backing band.
I got banned from Weight Watchers for dropping a bag of M&Ms on the floor. It was the best game of Hungry Hippos I've ever seen!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
You put together some incredibly epic music. Love the production on this piece.
Keep making this great music.
Bob
Thanks for that, Bob! I shall obey your command.
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
Chay, really appreciate the unique musical and virtual universe you've created. It's really not like anything else we're seeing/hearing around here, or maybe anywhere, and it's a blast. This is a real snappy tune with your usual expert instrument choices and mix. It sounds GREAT!
Thanks for listening and commenting, Ron! I'll try to stay original, but I always feel close to running out of ideas!
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
Wow ... a dozen tracks yet it has an open airy feel (our favorite). The sign of a good mix in our book.
Great use of the RT's and in particular the solos. Sounds like a well honed studio group.
Enjoyed the vid also and your response to Marty on the contruction of it was very interesting.
Well done!
J&B
Thanks for the great response J&B! I only wish I had a band line-up like these session guys, then I could say "Don't do this, do that! Don't repeat that phrase, try something different." But they's probably rebel and defect to you guys!
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
Chay, this sounds great. That tin whistle sounds great as was the flute. The sax was OK but I liked the others a lot better; just my opinion Super backing band.
Thanks Mario, I agree. I particularly like that transition in the final 1/3 from dizi flute back to tin whistle as the latter gives it that needed boost to finalise the peice, plus it ends as it began.
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
You have a great knack for creating excellent arrangements, fine mixes as first-class productions. I thoroughly enjoyed the audio-visual journey you took me on. As J&B have mentioned, you had such a lot of instruments to work with, but at no time did the arrangement sound cluttered. That's an amazing accomplishment!
It takes a whole lot of processing to do those images. The melody really sounds ready for words. I liked everything but the sax solo - it seemed out of place to my ears. Cool stuff.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
You have incorporated many sounds into this fine production that all seem to flow seamlessly together without interfering with each other! I especially like the use of the whistle and flute sounds! Nice video production!
Many thanks, Noel, Ray, Floyd and Torrey for listening and for your positive comments. My next post will be the sequel, "Zuzu Two Too", which has the same rhythm section with only one channel swap in it, but with 3 much more rocky solo instruments used which make the whole piece sound very different. I'll be interested to know which version most prefer.
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
Nice instrumental, it's amazing what BIAB could do in the hands of someone like you. I like the pan flute sound in the beginning and then the sax solo. Nice melody
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!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
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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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!
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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.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac 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.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
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