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I started working on this song back in February, finally managed to get it finished! The video was made using images generated via Co-pilot AI and royalty free video clips from pixabay.com. Turned out pretty good I think, but I also added an audio only link at the end for those that don't like videos. The Band:892:Piano, Acoustic, Solo-Accompaniment PopLiverpool Ev 065 (A-simple) 893:Piano, Acoustic, Solo-Accompaniment PopLiverpool Ev 065 (B-energetic) 1543:Synth Pad, PopBelieve Ev16 065 Marty Straub (BabuMusic) is on bass guitar. Check how he changes his part based on the song dynamic, and especially what he did during the last verse right after the guitar solo. Awesome! Chris Spruit is on vocals (six tracks!), and she also did the vocal arrangement. I play the lead guitar part, added a BGV, and built the drums and tambourine tracks using EZDrummer3. Mixed in Reaper using plugins from Waves and iZotope, mastered with Ozone 11. In the Beginning (2024, Dave Bell)Verse 1:
In the beginning, the world was a canvas to create,
Just like brushes, rivers paint the land, fabricate.
Life danced in oceans, in the skies took to wing,
In peace and harmony, the creatures of Earth would sing.
Verse 2:
Trees grew tall and proud, reaching for the sky,
Animals roamed the land, and flowers beautify.
Balance was rhythm, in nature's subtle dance
Every creature, great and small, had an equal chance.
Verse 3:
Then came man, with a mind to invent,
Changing gods plan, with every good intent.
The harmony wavered, the canvas it was torn,
Man's reshaped the world, since the day he was born.
Verse 4:
In the beginning, life's symphony was pure,
A melody of nature, so innocent and sure.
But with every step man took upon the land,
The song grew fainter, slipping away like sand.The song is also available on ReverbNation, here: In the Beginning All comments welcome!
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Dave, Chris & Marty,
That is one powerful song & video. Really spectacular.
Chris really knows how to vocally drive a song. Love all the highs / lows and different shades that she creates.
Dave, those are some immense guitar lines - that solo really takes off. Yeah, love Marty's bass - he always adds just the right foundation and texture.
The production is superb. A big epic mix. Loved all of it!
Bob
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Chris, Marty, and Dave this is absolutely brilliant
An outstanding song in every possible aspect
Outstanding everything, vocal, bass, guitar, backing tracks, lyrics, mix etc
IMHO this is your best to date.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Yep, that is really nice. Tasty playing on both the guitar and the bass. It shows you both know your craft. And yep, that last segment after the solo is especially refreshing on the bass.
And lets not forget the vocals. Well done.
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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Hi Dave, Chris & Marty,
Boy you guys certainly put a lot of work into this song - and it's paid off big time.
Excellent vocals, bass and guitar and well mixed.
Congratulations.
Best Regards
Nigel
Nigel Spiers
Christchurch, New Zealand
info@nzacoustics.com
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Kudos to all involved.
What stood out to me was
1. Chris's vocals and in particular how she handled the last 3 or 4 words of each verse, there is some serious tradecraft there
2. Marty's bass line, I think his best to-date, imho
3. And of course Dave's guitar work
Very pro all the way.
And a solid write, unfortunately we'll do the same to Mars when we are able.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677BiaB 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.
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Dave, Marty and Chris,
This is awesome work! When Chris joins the team you often transition from blues to classic rock!
Your work here is tops from beginning to end!
Great choice Dave with those pianos and your guitar is smokin' hot again!
Marty you are kind of out of the spotlight here, but I know that doesn't bother you, you do such fine work making the cake (bass work) while Dave and Chris provide the icing!
Speaking of Chris, she is an absolute pro! What an awesome vocal
I'm proud to know you guys, keep up the good work! TB
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Epic! Super tune, and super performances by all three of you. I'll single out the percussion track, as it sounds very cool and compliments the song and human performances perfectly. But everything on here is perfect. Just...perfect!
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
Presonus Studio One
ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM
Presonus Faderport 16
Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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Awesome Rock.
On your game.
Nice use of the piano.
Love that Bass.
Chris sings Rock Ballads with the Best Of Them.
Solid Guitar (cool tone).
Damn Good Rock.
fj
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Really great man! Quite an epic production!
Sounds like an Bohemian Rhapsody style operatic classic from the golden age of epic!
Very Brian May on the guitars there man!
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Brilliant song, arrangement and production. The piano selections are perfectly chosen, the guitar solos as always superb and the vocals well express the very relatable-to lyrics.
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.
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Dave, Chris & Marty,
That is one powerful song & video. Really spectacular.
Chris really knows how to vocally drive a song. Love all the highs / lows and different shades that she creates.
Dave, those are some immense guitar lines - that solo really takes off. Yeah, love Marty's bass - he always adds just the right foundation and texture.
The production is superb. A big epic mix. Loved all of it!
Bob Yeah, hard to go wrong with Marty and Chris in the mix! Thanks, Bob!
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Chris, Marty, and Dave this is absolutely brilliant
An outstanding song in every possible aspect
Outstanding everything, vocal, bass, guitar, backing tracks, lyrics, mix etc
IMHO this is your best to date. We spent many hours over many weeks working on this one, Mario, so very happy you liked it! 
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Dave, Chris & Marty
Superb work in all aspects of the song, great playing and singing.
Stunning really.
Peter
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Dave...this is a masterpiece! everything about this is epic...I love big songs and man this is big!! Chris is exquisite...her vocals are just killer...Marty really nailed the bass part...when it was the piano and bass...that was so good...and Dave you are a master on the guitar...your leads are always perfect fits for the song and your production on this is really good...the drums sound like canons going off...it was rock ballad at its finest...one of your best IMHO!
www.soundclick.com/firesongBiaB 2024, Steinberg Cubase Pro 13, Wavelab 11.2, SpetraLayers Pro 10, Audacity, Steinberg UR44 Interface, Yamaha Genos, Roland FP60 and FP10, Windows 10 You are who you are because you do what you do because of what you believe.
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Yep, that is really nice. Tasty playing on both the guitar and the bass. It shows you both know your craft. And yep, that last segment after the solo is especially refreshing on the bass.
And lets not forget the vocals. Well done. Appreciate that, Herb!
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Hi, Chris, Marty, and Dave. Epic, Big scope, big sound. Everything about this sounds great.
-- David Cuny My virtual singer development blogVocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
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Love it, Dave. Man. working with you two is a bright highlight in my life. I only wish we got to play these out --not so much to play on stage, but all about getting to play these gems you write more than once.
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Hi Dave, Chris & Marty,
Boy you guys certainly put a lot of work into this song - and it's paid off big time.
Excellent vocals, bass and guitar and well mixed.
Congratulations.
Best Regards
Nigel Thanks, Nigel!
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Kudos to all involved.
What stood out to me was
1. Chris's vocals and in particular how she handled the last 3 or 4 words of each verse, there is some serious tradecraft there
2. Marty's bass line, I think his best to-date, imho
3. And of course Dave's guitar work
Very pro all the way.
And a solid write, unfortunately we'll do the same to Mars when we are able. Hi Steve, Yeah, Chris and Marty are both pros and I'm fortunate to be able to work with them. Thanks for the great review, very much appreciated!
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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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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
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There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
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Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
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Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
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Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
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- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
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- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
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Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
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