At any time I usually have in progress 1-3 slowly evolving chord structure experiments in BiaB and this track resulted from a marriage of one such experiment plus trying to improve the structure of the now 100% deleted "The Hectic Life of Orla Swoon", which though gaining more positive responses on this forum than I expected was always my least favourite composed-in-BiaB track. In the end only 16 bars of the latter survived, but as a result of the experiment I've come up with a very positively vibed new instrumental, "A New Day", which positive vibe-wise could be a part of a trilogy along with "Flying Free" & "Spring Forward".
This instrumental has 3 choruses of 48 bars and the 1st chorus is purely dedicated to introducing the 12 rhythm section stems in 4 bar steps. The 2nd chorus is shared by the piano and tenor sax solos; and the final chorus by the organ and guitar solos.
Cast in order of appearance: 1st Drums: Cay Island Steel Drum Soloist ~ Wes Little 2nd Drums: Seek Smooth Panpie ~ Wes Little Bass: Bash Happy Pop Country ~ Mark Hill 3rd Drums: Dreamy Pop Quintet ~ Brian Fullen Kalimba: World Beat 2 - South African Dan ~ uncredited Marimba: Cay Island Steel Drum Soloist ~ Todd London Acoustic Guitar: Dreamy Pop Quintet ~ Jason Roller Vihuela: Draw Low Key Western ~ Ranon Stagnaro 1st Organ: Giddy Up Country Ballad w Organ ~ Blair Masters Harps 1&2: Heaven Blissful Celtic Harps Pop ~ Sharlene Wallace Charango: Andes Huayno Quartet w A-B Bass ~ Ranon Stagnaro 2nd Organ: Country Rock Guitar Solo Pop Ba ~ Gene Rabbai Piano Solo: Giggle Rumba Pop Ac Piano Solo ~ John Jarvis Tenor Sax Solo: Verdite Light Soul Pop Sax Solo ~ Mark Douthit Organ Solo: Scroll Funky Blues Organ ~ Charles Treadway Guitar Solo: Nashville Radio Power Bal Solo ~ Danny Rader
I did a lot of editing of the 3 drums tracks, including creating hybrid samples, but I made too many notes to paste here.
The Giggle Piano solo is a hybrid of 2 samples.
The Verdite Tenor Sax solo is a hybrid of 5 samples.
The Scroll Organ solo was mastered in Soren in order to even out low to high volume phrases, plus I fiddled with it in other ways to get what I wanted.
The Nashville Radio Guitar solo is a hybrid of 4 samples, but it took me hours to create and place each section as whenever I created new regenerations the most interesting and exciting playing was in the bars preceding the ones where the solo starts. So I had to create lots and lots of regenerations until I had enough of the most interesting sections before putting together a hybrid solo of my favourite 4 parts, but I had oodles of fun doing it!
Key A ~ 115 bpm ~ 144 bars ~ 5:10
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.
Cool, Chay. Heard this a couple days ago when YT sent me a Don't-Miss-This-Gem notification. I didn't.
Now it's special coming here to read how the song came about and how it developed over time. You are the master of creating and trading solos. I especially enjoyed that organ solo. Good feel throughout.
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
Chay, great intro. Loved that marimba. The steel drums were icing on the cake. I really like the groove on this one. Super instrumentation. You are a master of blending various RTs and RD's into a perfect song. Loved it
Waitress "How did you find your steak sir"?
Me "I just looked next to the potatoes and there it was"!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Chay, Fun and happy fast pace tune. So many diverse instruments, but unexpectedly they work well together, especially that Nashville solo guitar. I would suggest percussion variation(s) from time to time. Good mix. Thank you for sharing, Misha.
Another remarkable mashup of genre tracks and an amazing mix. Complexity to the max from our humble perspective!
We agree with Misha on how well that guitar solo worked.
Those BiaB session guys certainly listen to their producer ... it's all very cohesive.
Nice audio and supporting vid!
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
Chay, super job creating a long but seamlessly cohesive song despite the production challenges. Cool how the feel of the song evolved (to my ears) from an island style dance tune to an upbeat pop rock jam. My reference points may be imprecise, but whatever you were going for, I think you got there. Nice mix and master as always.
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
Chay, A really nice song that moves right along. Even though the percussive elements were basically the same throughout the song, they didn't become boring. The beginning of the song was rather long before a lead instrument made its appearance. Other than that, it's all good. Actually, it's a VERY good! Alan
Thanks, Alan! One of the limitations with BiaB is that one can't vary the percussion as much as one would like and as I recently mentioned to Bob Dean one hardly ever hears cymbal crashes in the drums samples. In this track 2 are actually audible, 1 at 18 seconds and the other at 35, but in all of the other samples I've used I've never consciously heard one! I used 3 drum tracks in this instrumental as it was the closest I could get to a Santana-like sound.
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, That is an amazing blend of instruments / tracks. A great upbeat sound & feel and a great mix. As always, extremely nice work. Bob
Thanks, Bob! Forever appreciated - and wishing you many new days!
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.
Cool, Chay. Heard this a couple days ago when YT sent me a Don't-Miss-This-Gem notification. I didn't. Now it's special coming here to read how the song came about and how it developed over time. You are the master of creating and trading solos. I especially enjoyed that organ solo. Good feel throughout.
Thanks, Marty! I've only got 2 instrumentals in my backlog, both created before "Rachael's Theme" which had to be posted this September. I don't know yet if the 1st of the 2 recent new tracks will be posted as while it works as an instrumental it's really meant to be part instrumental and part sung song, but I'm working with Lucy for vocals and that project's been delayed as she needs a demo for where to sing. But I rarely get the opportunity to record as besides having a never-goes-out neighbour on the other side of plasterboard walls we also get contractors coming in for repairs and their repairs often cause damage in the neighbouring property due to the daft build of the place! I've sung the lyrics to the song quite a few times in hushed tones and I've always been in the zone and on key, but when the only time a chance arose to record the demo I could neither get into the zone for it or even sing in the correct key as I was always waiting for hammering to begin or bangings on my wall! It's just 100% not the right environment. One option is to do a karaoke version with the lyrics in the video, but the sung version really needs to precede that. The back story of how the song came about is really interesting, then that led to my 2nd backlog instrumental, which then led to "Rachael's Theme", which is my most recent composition. Other than those I have 3 BiaB experiments in progress, but 2 of them are problematic as I keep on hearing the same chord changes I've previously used and I don't want that. IE: I listen to a new chord structure, then in the middle I hear just 1 chord change that appears in a previous track. Then X bars later on I hear another chord change I use in a different track. It's not always the same key or tempo, but the 'phrase' still sounds the same. More and more I just want to do songs, but my environment makes such virtually impossible. I'd write a blues song about it, but I'd never get to record it!
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, great intro. Loved that marimba. The steel drums were icing on the cake. I really like the groove on this one. Super instrumentation. You are a master of blending various RTs and RD's into a perfect song. Loved it
Thanks, Mario. Though you made the same mistake as you made re and old post of mine: there aren't any steel drums in the piece, just kalimba and then marimba. I've tried to include steel drums a few times, but they always come across as too clangy.
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, Fun and happy fast pace tune. So many diverse instruments, but unexpectedly they work well together, especially that Nashville solo guitar. I would suggest percussion variation(s) from time to time. Good mix. Thank you for sharing, Misha.
Thanks, Misha. As I wrote to Alan (I think ) above, there's not a lot one can do with BiaB drum samples. On a couple of recent posts I increased the volume of the drum rolls as to me they never sound as loud as on albums I play, plus it's rare to even hear a cymbal crash. I've not touched a set of drums for over 4 decades now, but I miss the sound of a riveted ride cymbal.
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.
Another remarkable mashup of genre tracks and an amazing mix. Complexity to the max from our humble perspective! We agree with Misha on how well that guitar solo worked. Those BiaB session guys certainly listen to their producer ... it's all very cohesive. Nice audio and supporting vid! J&B
Thanks, J & B! Yes, that final guitar solo is my favourite part of the whole track, but although it's short it took hours to find the right sample segments to piece together. Though as said in the blurb, it was a lot of fun doing it!
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, super job creating a long but seamlessly cohesive song despite the production challenges. Cool how the feel of the song evolved (to my ears) from an island style dance tune to an upbeat pop rock jam. My reference points may be imprecise, but whatever you were going for, I think you got there. Nice mix and master as always.
Thanks, Ron! For me it's one of those instrumentals that demands that I get up and dance as soon as it starts.I really enjoy combining instruments you'd not usually hear in the same piece, but I really, really, really want balalaikas, preferably an ensemble, some Arabic instruments, plus also oboes and bassoons. Just last night I began working on a new experiment to produce a Romanian doina, but such really needs a balalaika ensemble.
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, Terrific rhythm section. Love the Bass. Nice attention to detail in the solos. Good organ sound. Solid mix. fj
Appreciated, Floyd!
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.
I like that percussion opening that immerses us immediately into the groove. You bring in all the different parts in so smoothly that there is no delineation between the parts.
I like that percussion opening that immerses us immediately into the groove. You bring in all the different parts in so smoothly that there is no delineation between the parts.
Thanks Eze-S! Wishing you a new day and with no delineations!
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.
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!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. 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, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PDT on May 31st, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
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!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
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.
-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)
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.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
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.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
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