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Here is why I record DAWLESS with BIAB.

Last edited by Jackdogdude; 08/26/24 03:12 PM.

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There is no right or wrong way to make music. One must find a workflow that works for them and stay with it.

I agree listening is more important than watching wavs. If using a DAW just close your eyes and listen, something I try to do every time.

Good video.


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I'm a user who hardly ever uses a DAW. I do 99% of my music inside BIAB. So I guess I'm DAWLESS also wink

As mentioned, use whatever fits best for your own circumstances.


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Originally Posted by AudioTrack
I'm a user who hardly ever uses a DAW. I do 99% of my music inside BIAB. So I guess I'm DAWLESS also wink

As mentioned, use whatever fits best for your own circumstances.

I agree. I think the bulk of the work takes place in BIAB.

Thanks for watching and commenting.

Regards
Brian.


Songwriting punctuates our lives. It is alchemy, turning pain into gold.
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Originally Posted by MarioD
There is no right or wrong way to make music. One must find a workflow that works for them and stay with it.

I agree listening is more important than watching wavs. If using a DAW just close your eyes and listen, something I try to do every time.

Good video.
Hey MarioD.

I think for me, I get overwhelmed when using a DAW. BIAB has so much to offer, I don't feel the need for all those extra tools.

Thanks for watching
Regards
Brian


Songwriting punctuates our lives. It is alchemy, turning pain into gold.
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What do you do in your PC DAW to "Top and Tail" it? I'm sure you mean adding finishing touches, but what are these finishing touches? I'm curious if "Top and Tail" is possible within the BIAB program.

Regarding DAWless recording, hardware recorders are quite useful but the BIAB Mixer should not be overlooked.

There are unique advantages to composing, arranging and staying in the BIAB program rather than exporting tracks to a DAW.
Using tools, features and processes that are fully available only in the flagship, stand alone version of the BIAB suite of programs, it should be obvious to remain in BIAB in order to have access and take advantage of these tools. The Songform feature and MultiStyles are examples. Some others are activated by how a user constructs their song project. Cross-fades, fade-in, fade-out, seamless changes between RealTrack instruments, overdubs/punch-in, and the ACW are examples.

The BIAB Mixer is designed to emulate hardware analog and digital mixers. BIAB can also emulate live session musicians in a recording session. DAW's do not emulate live session musicians the same or similar to BIAB.

Some tools that facilitate recording in BIAB that there's little to no discussion here in the forum, may help some people that currently don't use BIAB's advanced features.

. The Artist Performance File - These are audio files created by users and are a type of UserTrack but normally song specific.
. The RealTrack Medley Maker - This provides users access to a 10 channel sub-mixer for each of the 24 Tracks of the BIAB Mixer. Older versions have this also.
. MultiStyles - There are two types, one for an individual song and MultiStyles that can be used the same as normal Styles.
. Virtual Tracks - These are the same as found on many digital stand-alone multitrack recorders.
. BIAB has two audio editors.
. Every track can volume automate MIDI and audio.
. Commercial midi file channels or snippets for recognizable riffs, solo's, etc., can be imported onto a track and Playable RealTracks can be assigned.
. The Master Track can be volume automated.
. PG Music staff finalize every demo and lesson as a BIAB SGU file. They use DAWs in production but finalize the songs as SGU.

On older versions of BIAB before the introduction of Utility Tracks, the RealTrack Medley Maker could render 77 RealTracks in a single render. This has been expanded with the Mixer having 24 tracks to 264 instruments. A BIAB Mixer Track can select and load up to 11 different RealTracks onto each track.


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My point exactly Charlie. BIAB is already a one stop shop.
By "Top and tail", I mean scrub the count in and possibly fade the ending.

Regards
Brian

Last edited by Jackdogdude; 08/27/24 07:42 AM.

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Jackdogdude

kudos to you.

the situation from what i see is how willing people are to delve into all the vast number of features in bb.
(its the same in rb....vast feature set includeing some things bb cant do currently eg fractional temps and it looks like handle sound interfaces with multiple ouputs so tracks can be routed to a outboard audio mixer..)

often people are comfortable with their current music app they have used for ages. so they just want to use bb like a waiter in a restaurant quickly serving up in this case generated tracks to their favorite daw they are used to.

perfectly understandeable...just human nature.

for example its interesting that some pg users like myself and others that started with pg powertracks daw are now into rb.
whereas users that grew up with other daws never probably open up rb to see how it might fit their needs.

as others have said 'each to his own'.

nice breakdown Charlie.

happiness.

om

Last edited by justanoldmuso; 08/27/24 08:23 AM.

my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs
(90 songs created useing bb/rb)
(lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
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Brian, nice video, and you're right, your music DOES sound great. With the digital tools available to musicians today, there's no reason to NOT achieve commercial quality results IF you know how to listen. CONGRATULATIONS on finding the combination of technology and musicianship that works for you and your lifestyle. I use a DAW and almost certainly will until I hang up music for good. It's a workflow thing for me. But I really admire your creativity and talent. THANK YOU for posting the video. I was wondering how you pulled off your DAWless magic...


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Originally Posted by Jackdogdude
My point exactly Charlie. BIAB is already a one stop shop.
By "Top and tail", I mean scrub the count in and possibly fade the ending.

Regards
Brian
You can truly make BIAB a one stop shop. BIAB can scrub the count-in several ways and there are at least 3 ways to fade the ending.

BIAB can be directed to scrub the drums and count-in when the song is rendered
The beginning can be trimmed using the Audio Edit Window to highlight and delete the selection

Ways to Fade the final render:

Manually use the Mixer Track volume button while recording the song externally
Open the Song Settings (Ctrl-N) and set the number of bars to fade
Open the Audio Edit Window and select the Master Track and use volume automation to fade the ending

Using the Audio Edit Window, there will not be a visible WAV form for the Master Track regardless if the track is MIDI or audio. Volume automation still works normally, Simply note the numbers for the first and last bars you want to fade - in a 32 bar song that would be bars 29-31

From the Master Track in the Audio Edit Window, automate a volume fade beginning at bar 29 and end the fade at bar 31.

Attached Files (Click to download or enlarge) (Only available when you are logged in)
Chord Sheet.png (224.16 KB, 119 downloads)
Master Channel Fade-out .png (218.76 KB, 119 downloads)
Trim Beginning.png (22.19 KB, 119 downloads)

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Hi Charlie.

Thanks for the tips. I am aware of the techniques you shared even though I am still a relative newbie to biab.
I really need to learn more about Realband when I can get around to it.

I usually leave the count in on the production when I move it across to my stand alone device. This leaves me more options
to add new instruments easily at a later date. That's why I remove it later in Audacity.
I sometimes (rarely) need to fade out a song that has vocals singing the song out while it fades. I do this with Audacity too.

Thanks for talking the time to make an in depth response.

Regards
Brian.


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Using a DAW, I can edit for feel in ways that are not possible inside BIAB. It's easy and I've never felt that BIAB needed to add that level of complexity.

Before that, I was cutting tape with a razor blade. Never again.


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Hi Ron.

Thanks for watching. I am attempting to document my biab journey on Youtube.
I enjoy the process of making the videos, It keeps me busy and motivates me to
be musically creative. Coming up with new content each week is challenging and rewarding
when I get feedback.

Respect
Brian


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Originally Posted by Mike Halloran
Using a DAW, I can edit for feel in ways that are not possible inside BIAB. It's easy and I've never felt that BIAB needed to add that level of complexity.

Before that, I was cutting tape with a razor blade. Never again.

Hi Mike.

The level of complexity in biab is exactly what enables me to make high end quality, full band arrangements without a DAW.
I know how it was slicing tape back in the day, I did my fair share of that too.

Happy recording and best wishes

Brian.


Songwriting punctuates our lives. It is alchemy, turning pain into gold.
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Hi OM,

Thanks for watching and commenting.

I have been on such a steep learning curve over the last 4 months learning biab, (Yes I'm a newbie) that I haven't
looked seriously at Realband yet. My first thought was that it was simply a DAW, apparently I was wrong.
Are you aware of any good learning resources for the software? Is it intuitive and user friendly? I suspect it is full of
hidden features just like biab.

Regards

Brian


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Jackdogdude

re RB....my reply.

1..in the spirit of being unbiased...every year
i check out lots of music apps and daws.
ive done this recently. but...i still get dragged back
to rb because i would miss some feature(s) or other that
rb provides. what i found recently was some fabulous daws
with tons of great features. but...missing features i
have in rb.

2..in many respects rb will reward the user that (like bb)
is willing to 'dig into' its vast number of features.
and let me say imho the biggest catch 22 for daw developers
or any software engineering group is that, in order to
satisfy users often they put soo many features into a app
there is no getting round the fact that this means learning
cycles for new users.
(i would like a buck for every time i saw this unsolveable
problem when i worked in tech.)
in summary pg is in this catch 22 situation like any developer.
so like bb... rb has a huge number of deep features.
and some new nice features have been added like comping
i use for my vocals and chords displayed in the tracks view
timeline and other aspects.

3..some people view rb as an 'ugly duckling' on the surface.
however like a lot of things in life there is often beauty underneath.
once again ya gotta be willing to delve. ive developed
various rb tricks over the years also re workflow.

4..re training resources. there are various faq's and vids on the
pg site plus you tube and independent tips done by users etc etc.
but...in the end...nothing beats getting 'down and dirty'
with any app. also notice in rb there is a tips feature
plus of course the manual.

5..in the pg tips forum ive posted various tips for rb.
includeing free fx plugins that i feel rival very expensive
outboard units i once used in commercial studios imho.

all the best and remember the old gold miners adage...
'theres gold in those hills...but to get to it...its work'...lol.

happiness.

om


my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs
(90 songs created useing bb/rb)
(lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
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Hey Om.

I'm going to dig into rb . biab has been such a surprising piece of software, why wouldn't rb be the same? I will look into it and think it's another opportunity for me to document my learning curve and share my results. Thanks om. I appreciate your input.

Regards
Brian


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BIAB is my source of instruments/parts that I can't play myself. The rest I do in Reaper.
Nuanced aspects like reverb, bussing fx and editing, (I often find there's plenty of editing of BIAB Real Tracks because of the stitching or timing), are easier to achieve in a DAW.
Real Band is a DAW and one that works well with BIAB/RealTracks but isn't much of a DAW outside of that. If you're DAWless don't enter that world via RB. There are a few who are apocalyptically evangelical about the thing but I suggest, as I do to anyone when they seek advice, check out the end result of the advice as used by the adviser before diving in. Listen to their songs/works as uploaded and presented by them and decide if the things they espouse are evident in their work - taste their pudding before trying their recipe.
I've been DAWless - Yamaha four track cassette, Roland CDx and an Zoom R16 ...I still have the machines and use them for bits n pieces - particularly the preamps in the four track and the R16 as a control surface or when I need extra ins, but the limitations are exactly that & I no longer have the discipline to think that far ahead in a writing/recording sense.
Reaper is as cheap as chips.

Last edited by rayc; 10/17/24 02:20 PM.

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Yeah.... RB is a very basic DAW and will work for most folks.

However, I have been a long time user of Cakewalk in it's various forms. RB has a number of limitations that for me, impede the work flow and make things harder to accomplish. I really don't even use a lot of the features in Cakewalk, preferring to stay on the basics that I need and use. Automation of the volume and panning, using busses for "like kind" instruments and voices, Splitting, cutting, copying, and pasting audio clips, midi recording, and so many more things are just easier in Cake. I did try, and successfully used RB but it became quickly apparent the deficiencies and shortcomings vs using a full featured DAW.

It's been discussed before, but why should PGM waste time reinventing the wheel? Personally, I think they should essentially leave RB as it is.... and focus on the new styles and tracks and making the older tracks sound better in BB.

Of course, this is simply the opinion of one person....me.


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Herb, Rayc, i always respect you guys opinion. I too as you remember came from a cakewalk background and always found it fairly easy to use. I also have used Reaper for years. However, i wonder if that is not just familiarity more than capabilities. I have used RB extensively over the years and while veered away for a while i am slowly coming back. I find RB more capable than most give it credit for. Like JAOM likes to say get under the hood. I find it handles some things differently, but just as efficiently if you really learn it. I have used and completed projects with Studio one, Reaper, Harrison Mixbus, Multitrackstudios, and Cake/Sonar. I have done head to head comparisions with many of them. By starting and completing a test project in each. I can say without reservation RB holds its own. Still, that may be me and the needs i have. Everyone has their own workflow, and a program they are familiar with.

Sometimes i feel that folks dismiss RB a bit too quickly because it approaches a function differently. Over a full year's time I literally took 100 midi files i found on the internet and reworked them in RB. It has very deep midi capabilities. I then added RTs and personally recorded tracks to the mix. Mixed them down. Then used RB to play them live for shows and parties. it performed flawlessly. I could not do that with Reaper, or Cakewalk/Sonar. It even scrolled the lyrics and chords for me.

Aside from that on several occasions i complained to PG (Jeff Yankauer specifically) about some perceived weakness in RB only to find out i was wrong. In the last two years it has had several upgrades that helped create a more user friendly feature set.

I guess my point is that If someone likes Cake better or Reaper better because it does what they like or are super comfortable with it. Great! That doesn't particularly mean it is superior to another DAW. To someone just coming into the BiaB world I doubt RB would be lacking anything. In fact it most like would be very familiar to the BiaB user. Especially if they have little or no DAW experience. I have watched for the past 20 year users steer users to the DAW of their personal choice not because it is better but because they personally are comfortable with it's workflow. Reaper users can't say Reaper is better than Cubase, or Sonar, or Studio One, all they can say is it is better for them because they are more familiar or comfortable with it. The same goes for Cake, or Studio one, or Cubase, or Logic users.

I guess i just feel it is a bit unfair to label RB as "basic" or inferior just because we might not be as comfortable with it as we are with the DAW we cut our teeth on. Nor to discourage BiaB users to try something else when they ask questions about programs here. We are here on PGMs site. Just my views and your milage may vary.

Last edited by Rob Helms; 10/19/24 04:31 PM.

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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!

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.

Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!

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. -For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -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)

Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!

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