This is a song I have recorded several different ways with several different meanings. This version is about a man on death row, the night before his sentence is to be carried out, having an imaginary conversation with an imaginary girlfriend about their future plans. All instrumentation was done with BIAB and transferred to Reaper for production. I perform all vocals except the backing Oohs and Aahs. This is one of my earliest BIAB tunes and I was still pretty green but the song turned out fairly well. I hope you enjoy your listen.
Hello Honey words and music Jim Gear
Hello honey I got Something on my mind Ain't got no money, honey So let's spend my time
Cause I just want Someone to talk to And I just want To spend some time with you
Can you hear the thunder Don't it make you wonder Did the weather man get it wrong
We'll hide away From the storming
Can you see the lightning Don't let it get you frightened Dry your eyes it won't be long
I'm leaving In the morning
We'll sail across the balmy seas On the gentle breeze
This story Is the last goodbye from me
Hello honey I got Something on my mind
You and me When our back's against the wall You and me We might tumble and fall You and me
Title: Hello Honey File:Hello Honey.SGU Key=G , Tempo 85, Length (m:s)=2:40 4 bar intro, 49 bar chorus, from bar 5 to bar 53. Repeat x1 chorus Melody has 815 notes, Melody harmony is < no harmony >(0) Soloist track has 801 notes, Soloist harmony is < no harmony >(0) Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0, Style is _POPH085.STY (Slow Guitar Ballad)
RealTracks in style: ~518:Bass, Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 085 RealTracks in style: ~365:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 085 RealTracks in style: ~362:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 085 RealTracks in style: ~542:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Dreamy Ev 085 RealTracks in song: 1422:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm PopCalypso Ev 100 RealTracks in song: 1422:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm PopCalypso Ev 100 RealTracks in song: 2543:Pedal Steel, Background ModernCrossover Sw16 090 RealTracks in song: 2666:Pedal Steel, Rhythm LushChordsSlow Ev 075 RealTracks in song: 2855:Harmonica, Background CountrySwingJellyRoll Sw 120 RealTracks in song: 3027:Vocal Oohs, Background Pop3-part Ev 085 RealTracks in song: 3020:Vocal Aahs, Background Pop3-part Ev 085 RealTracks in song: 2976:Vocal Oohs-Aahs, Background Pop3-part Ev 085 RealDrums in style:NashvilleEven8^1-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride
Jim, well, this DID turn out very well indeed. Nice opening steel guitar, and super vocals, harmonies and background vocals. Interesting death row context, since it's not revealed by the lyrics. But I totally get it and use similar devices to provide lyrical background to the music. Anyway...great job!
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
Nice song - pleasant and relaxing. Early or not, still a good tune.
Of course, that's in contrast to the setting you laid out, but since none of that is actually in the song, I can ignore that part, just like the narrator.
Love the instrumentation in this song. Excellent vocals too,
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.
Good tune, Jim. Good simple lyric that could relate to any romantic situation no matter what the back story is. My only suggestions would be to take cut or turn down an instrument or two that are clashing with each other and the vocal. The first "Hello honey I got something on my mind" lines sound a little harsh so I would turn down the harmony part a little there or even cut it out of the whole verse. Good one. Vic
Thanks for the suggestions. I agree 100%. This was my second attempt using BIAB. I recorded it in January. I was also brand new to using Reaper as my DAW so I was overloaded with new tech and just trying to get a new production process down. I have since produced another five recordings with each one being a little tighter than the previous. I will probably go back and polish on this one in the future. Thanks for taking the time to listen and comment.
Jim, you said you were "pretty green" but I think this is golden! Great mix, super vocal and lyrics. It must have been hard mixing all of those instruments and getting them to blend so well.
PS - you can drop that green part now!
Dad, how will I know when I've become an adult.
When your day is ruined because they rearranged the grocery store.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Ah, green has a lot of blue in it and yelllow is added for the warm sunshine. Yep, in that way you may have been green, Jim, but you are a true artist who turns it into gold. Musical alchemy at it's best. Very pleasing production with a pleasingly smooth vocal.
Enjoy whatever happens! marty
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@babumusic51 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/marty-straub Band in a Box, Reaper, Cakewalk, Ozone 12, EZDrummer
Thank you for your inspirational insights. I really appreciate it. And, thanks for taking the time to have a listen and leave a comment. They are very helpful.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
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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!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
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!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
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.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
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.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
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-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
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)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
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)
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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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