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Down That Long Roadmy daddy worked in these appalachian mines
same as his daddy did before
but now the mines are empty
and so are all the stores
nobody's workin' anymore
their jobs have gone away
down that long road
daddy dug up coal for cheap electric power
made those northern generators turn
but when natural gas was cheaper for those power plants to burn
the bottom line's "financial return"
so they wrote us off to go
down that long road
i never dreamed of leaving daddy on his own
but i can't wait around watching him die
corporate vultures stripped us to the bone
bought up the land and bled it dry
'till there was nothing to go
down that long road
[instrumental]
early morning woke me from my sleep
looking around my lover's gone
he heard the raven calling from the tree
he slipped away first light of dawn
following that damned crow
down the long road
[verse 5]
i feel the soft tears fallin' down my cheek
i know it's time to for me leave
i hear the raven calling out to me
he knows there's nothing left for me
it's time for me to go
down that long roadInstruments~592:Bass, Acoustic Bluegrass Doc Ev 100 ~593:Fiddle, Rhythm Bluegrass Doc Ev 100 ~597:Guitar, Acoustic, Soloist Bluegrass Doc Ev 100 ~598:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Bluegrass Doc Ev 100 ~599:Mandolin, Rhythm Bluegrass Doc Ev 100 ~596:Fiddle, Soloist Bluegrass Doc Ev 100 2545:Banjo, Clawhammer, Rhythm OldTime Ev16 110 3385:Fiddle, BackgroundSoloist OldTimeBonfireAndy Ev16 110 VocalsLead Vocal: SynthesizerV (Solaria II) Backing Vocal: SynthesizerV (Quing Su 2, Felicia 2) FX ChainMix Buss: Curves AQ, Lurssen Mastering Console (Americana Loose, Warmer), Kramer Tape Stereo Lead Vocal: HorNEt The Normalizer, Curves Equator, Curves AQ, Room 360, Leapwing Al Schmidt (Modern Vocal) Vocal FX: LX480 Essentials (Vocal Plate Medium) Backing Vocals: Waves Vocal Rider, Izotope Doubler, Room360, Al Schmitt (50s vocal) All Other Tracks: Room360 The Short StoryI wrote a song. Feel free to listen and comment, or whatever.  The Long Story - But Shorter Than Usual  I found a style I hadn't used before, BGS_FGS.STY (Bluegrass Quartet w/ Guitar). I played around with the chords, but intentionally kept it simple. The verses are in Dm, and the instrumental is in F for some contrast. The instrumental was originally going to be a long chorus, but things change. I rendered out a backing track, and imported it into SynthesizerV, where I worked out a melody. There's a spinoff forum from VI-Control called Songwriter and Producer that is just getting started, so I figured I'd use the song as a sort of guinea pig. You can find that thread here. I'll summarize it here so you don't need to click the link.  I wasn't sure (as usual) what direction the song would go. The verses were dark and brooding, so that suggested a classic murder ballad. The chorus was bright and cheery, with a sort of gospel feel. The two parts didn't fit together at all. It was suggested that I write a goal for the song instead of my usual blind fumbling, so I went with: "A traditional bluegrass song using classic archetypes evoking a sense of loss in the verses, but despite that - or because of that - a stoic optimism in the chorus."I then started doing some research on the Appalachian region, and ran across this tidbit: Community members regularly experienced punishment as a reprisal for speaking out against their employers. In his study of culture and poverty in Appalachia, Dwight Billings suggests that this has resulted in a fatalistic attitude in the Appalachian people, based on a history of political corruption and disenfranchisement, leading to a sense of powerlessness.So much for "stoic optimism". Coal had been a major industry in the region, and was used primarily as a power source for generating electricity. but with the advent of fracking, natural gas became a cheaper source of fuel. This led to an increase in poverty and the flight of people from the region, going elsewhere looking for jobs. Now there was enough material for the song, along with an inciting incident. But that caused a bunch of problems for the narrative - mainly, how to present the story without it becoming an information dump. Long story short, I ended up with this version after many iterations and helpful suggestions from forum members. The poor raven was originally the title of the song, then virtually disappeared from the drafts, and then found its way back in again, but now as a once-titular character. I then added the harmonies because harmonies are fun. Again the suggestion of forum members fixed those harmonies from cool and dissonant to hopefully something that is more appropriate to bluegrass. The mix went through a bunch of iterations as well. I'd been using a bunch of effects trying to get a vintage sound, but there was a complaint that the instruments sounded like they were in different spaces. I had bought the Room360 plugin recently, so I pulled it up and put all the tracks in that. That simplified the FX on the tracks, as I wanted to stay with a fairly unprocessed and natural sound. At the last minute, I did some due diligence to see if the ch in "Appalachia" was being pronounced correctly, and read that the local dialect pronounced it "Appa-latch-ia", so I hopefully got that right.  As always, comments of any sort are appreciated! 
Last edited by dcuny; Yesterday at 05:33 PM.
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David, masterful in all respects. Thanks so much for all the background info, it's always enlightening and helpful for learning and growth.
Loved the style and feel, and the lyric/song was great...kudos for working the pronunciation--that really makes it extra cool.
Also loved how you used the RT's, both solo and background.
My only comment would be that I would like the ending to be taken out with the drive and rhythm of the bluegrass band.
Thanks for posting!
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Hi David. This is very impressive. I also enjoyed reading through your notes. You've really put your heart and soul into this one. I don't know too much about the Bluegrass genre but what you have done kept me thoroughly entertained. As I was listening, I could hear that the song was in one of the minor modes and I was going for D Dorian. So I was pleased to dicover that it was actually in D minor. Being half-right made me smile Did you use the natural minor (i.e. Aeolian mode)? That's quite a story that you've told through these lyrics. Stories of the impact of capitalism and industrial greed on ordinary people are always worth telling. Hopefully, one day enough people will listen. I found your work thought-provoking. --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Nicely done, David. Cool story and authentic sounding (to me) Appalachian-style arrangement. Particularly love the dramatic build and the role of the vocal harmony arrangement. Your descriptions often READ like the song should sound tortured, but they never do. This is very slick and enjoyable end-to-end. So...kudos!
DC Ron
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Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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David,
Wow, this is great! The story and production are outstanding. The vocals here are also excellent. I could easily hear Emmylou Harris or Dolly Parton covering this one.
Beautifully done...
Bob
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Hi David!
I find your write-ups *almost* as entertaining as your songs. So informative about your process.
Good storytelling! I didn’t notice the switch to major for the solo, but once I knew, it felt like a guilty pleasure in amongst a tale of sadness and woe. At least the fiddler had a good time!
Good song and choice of voice.
Andrew
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Inspiring. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this has real listening power.
Great choice of, well, everything. The vocals and the sublime backings just deliver. The choice of style is superb, but the thing that stands out the most is that you have put significant effort into perfecting this creation.
Thanks also for the detail on your creativity.
Top job, no question
BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
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Hi, David,
One word summary, WOW!
Love how your build the track, starting off basic and slowly adding instruments.
Vocals are pretty good, especially when you bring in the harmonies, and they sound fabulous through the 'phones.
Good choice of instruments and mix.
Good write, I enjoyed the story of the appalachian miners.
Listened a few times. Really well done in all aspects, my new favorite from you.
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That is a very solid write and mix..
The story flows well and there are several lyrical gems!
The instrumental in F major feels little out of place to me, nevertheless it's all very well done and I really like the song!
Last edited by Scott H. Olson; 6 hours ago.
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David - very impressive, a highly sophisticated and complex project!
Can't quite relate to this degree of computer and BB mastery, way
over my head - but a great write with fantastic sounds & mix!
Carl
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Hi David,
It's always a pleasure to listen to your songs and read those incredible stories about how you conceived them and how they came to be.
This song is no exception, although the melody is almost the happiest song in your oeuvre.
It's a very sweet/sad song; the melody sounds cheerful, but the lyrics aren't (well... sort of).
I recently saw a few videos on YouTube, all about Appalachia.
I've never really cared about that region, but in the videos, as you said, the people were stoic. I didn't detect any optimism; the videos were all about murders somewhere in the mountains, and no one seemed to care, except for one journalist.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the vocal harmonies (very good). I found the lead singer's voice a bit too sharp/harsh for my ears, but it did fit the story very well, especially in relation to those YouTube videos.
Well done,
Hans
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Well done, David. It's a beautiful piece in your style, and your singers are very good.
Laurent
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Hi, Tom. David, masterful in all respects. Thanks so much for all the background info, it's always enlightening and helpful for learning and growth. Thanks! It was humbling when I put something out and think I did a pretty good job, only to have people point out flaws they wouldn't let stand. It turns out that real songwriters don't settle for "good enough" as often as I do. Loved the style and feel, and the lyric/song was great...kudos for working the pronunciation--that really makes it extra cool. I have great respect for people who work in styles and formats that aren't native to them - especially for those who's native language isn't English. Also loved how you used the RT's, both solo and background. There are a lot of really nice RTs that aren't in styles I work with often. It's a treat to be able to use them. My only comment would be that I would like the ending to be taken out with the drive and rhythm of the bluegrass band. The original version had an extended fade, which I really liked. But the consensus is that the song needed finality, so I changed the ending appropriately. I figured that if I was going to ask for suggestions, I should at least try it out! Thanks, I really appreciate your kind comments!
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Hi, Noel. This is very impressive. I also enjoyed reading through your notes. You've really put your heart and soul into this one. I appreciate the comment, but on this I tried not to feel like I personally owned it. I didn't go into it with a plan to tell a particular story, and if someone said that something needed changes, I tried to make the change. In some places - like the harmonies - I could hear what they were talking about. In others, like some of the guitar bits - I couldn't hear the issues. You can't fix something that you can't hear, and so I had to accept that and move on. I don't know too much about the Bluegrass genre but what you have done kept me thoroughly entertained. I'm not deep into the genre, but there are others here that are. I'm sure they'll have something useful to say! One of the notes I got back on an initial mix was how there was way too much overlap between the instruments, instead of proper trading off of parts. I conceptually knew that, but some of instrumentalists in BiaB aren't good in trading off because they don't put in pauses unless you write them in. So I sort of cheated. For example, the fiddle gets the entire solo, because he didn't pause for any other instruments. I could have gone back and written some holds so that happened, but he did such a nice job, I figured I'd just give give it to him anyway. As I was listening, I could hear that the song was in one of the minor modes and I was going for D Dorian. So I was pleased to discover that it was actually in D minor. Being half-right made me smile Did you use the natural minor (i.e. Aeolian mode)? Yes, that's plain old natural minor. That probably should have been the harmonic minor, which was probably what someone was complaining about the guitarist not doing. (Yes, I should have chosen the "only chordal notes" option for him). That's quite a story that you've told through these lyrics. Stories of the impact of capitalism and industrial greed on ordinary people are always worth telling. Hopefully, one day enough people will listen. I love your optimism, but it seems that the pendulum is currently swinging in the other direction, with those voiced being silenced through threats and defunding. A lot of the regulations that were put in place were simply ignored. One of the coal companies had thousands of violations, and they got swept under the rug. There were all sorts of hyper-destructive mining techniques used in coal mining, and they're still a lingering issue. But coal had played a huge part in the region, and the rhetoric of "green" energy against coal has set a lot of those in Appalachia as seeing green energy as the enemy, not coal. There's also regional pride in having supplied energy to the nation, and a feel of betrayal of coal then being demonized and abandoned. Obviously, locals have different opinions, but this seems to be the general feeling. But I'm obviously not an expert on any of this. I found your work thought-provoking. I didn't come into this with any agenda, and while songs are good at preaching to the converted, they're often not good at changing people's minds. It just felt like without the background, the story didn't make much sense. I'll confess, though - I was sad when I finally dropped the word fracking from the lyrics. It needed to go because there was already too much information, and since it's an unusual word there was a problem with confusing it with something else. But still... Thanks again for listening and your thoughtful comments!
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Hi, Ron. Nicely done, David. Cool story and authentic sounding (to me) Appalachian-style arrangement. Thanks! The nice thing about this forum is that if there's major issues, someone will tell me. And with synth vocals, it's not difficult to make corrections. Particularly love the dramatic build and the role of the vocal harmony arrangement. The truth is I'll generally write harmonies for the entire song, whether they'll be used or not. It's tedious, but fun to hear, especially since I'm not good at singing harmonies - I'm easily swayed by the main melody. But hearing and being able to sing simple intervals is something I want to work on. Then I have to scale the harmonies way back, because - to my ear - they sound so cool, I'll often overuse them. I went through a lot of iterations, each one with less and less harmony, because it makes them that much more effective when they finally do come in. Your descriptions often READ like the song should sound tortured, but they never do. This is very slick and enjoyable end-to-end. So...kudos! I'm glad the song didn't reflect the process - it shouldn't. It's like those musicians that make it so easy when they play those arpeggios across the keyboards. It looks so easy! I guess that's why guitarists make those weird faces when they're playing those solos. Thanks for stopping to listen and comment!
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Hi, Bob. Wow, this is great! The story and production are outstanding. Coming from you, that's high praise!  The vocals here are also excellent. I could easily hear Emmylou Harris or Dolly Parton covering this one. Thanks! These synth vocals fall short, but hopefully they convey the song without being too much of a distraction. I'd started with a different synthetic voice, but she wasn't a native English voice, and one of the commenters found the accent really distracting. Emma's got a strong American accent, so that wasn't a problem. But she doesn't have that twang, and I'm not clever enough to figure out how to make that happen. I ran the song through Suno, which created a much more convincing vocal. But it also insisted on adding harmonies. Because I don't have the paid version, it also deviated from the melody. And the fact that Suno is stealing people's voices without attribution or compensation is also a bit of a problem.  But I'm happy to have tools that let me create a vocal that's closer than using my own voice to demo the song. Thanks for your kind comments, I appreciate them.
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Hi, Andrew. I find your write-ups *almost* as entertaining as your songs. So informative about your process. I'm glad you enjoyed it. This is really far outside of my wheelhouse! I knew what needed to be said, I just didn't know how to do it, despite hearing it done by so many great artists. Weird. Which was all the more reason why it was good to do. I didn’t notice the switch to major for the solo, but once I knew, it felt like a guilty pleasure in amongst a tale of sadness and woe. At least the fiddler had a good time! That was originally planned as an uplifting, gospel-inspired bit, along the lines of "When we meet on that golden shore..." kind of write. That original story went out of the window once I starting reading about the contemporary situation in Appalachia. But yes - the fiddler is pretty impressive. It only required some minor edits to get some of the phrasing to smoothly join. Once I found the right soloist, that was the easiest part of the song. Good song and choice of voice. Well... stupidly, it wasn't my first choice. I stuck with vocalists that weren't native English speakers for a while, because I liked the quality of their voice. But I got enough complaints about the accent - something I'd learned to ignore - that I overlooked "Emma", who was a native English speaker. Her voice is a bit harsh, but I don't have the skills to shape it quite like I'd like to. But she was a much better fit. It just took a while to figure it out. Thanks for listening and commenting!
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Hi, Trevor. Inspiring. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this has real listening power. Wow - thanks! Great choice of, well, everything. The vocals and the sublime backings just deliver. The choice of style is superb, but the thing that stands out the most is that you have put significant effort into perfecting this creation. I'll confess, the credit there goes to the folk on the Songwriter and Producer forum - Nekujak in particular - for helping me with this. It took some arm twisting to make that happen, because people are generally hesitant to be too critical. And that's great, because it helps make a welcoming environment. That's one of the things I love about this forum. For most of us, this is our main outlet and audience, and it getting kudos for our songs helps keep us going. I've been studying songwriting for a while, and it's easy to figure out who the pros are. I'm not one of them. There are a number of them here - you can hear it in their output. But it's also apparent in what they are able to hear. It's just a different level, and one I haven't experienced much. I know this is short in a number of areas. For example, I still put the vocal too far forward, and don't know how to get it to sit in the mix properly. And that's pretty basic stuff, right? But I'm working on it! Thanks also for the detail on your creativity. Doesn't everyone go through some sort of process like this? Maybe I am a masochist when it comes to songwriting. Thanks again for your kind words!
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Hi, Dave. One emoji reaction: Love how your build the track, starting off basic and slowly adding instruments. Thanks! It never ceases to amaze me how I can't imagine the section without some instrument. Then I remove it, and it invariably sounds better, because it's not distracting the listener from where they should really be listening. Vocals are pretty good, especially when you bring in the harmonies, and they sound fabulous through the 'phones. Heh. Harmonies cover up a multitude of sins, especially with synthetic vocals. Good write, I enjoyed the story of the appalachian miners. Thanks, I'm glad I was able to beat those lyrics into telling a coherent story. Listened a few times. Really well done in all aspects, my new favorite from you. Thanks again, I appreciate your positive comments!
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Hi, Scott. That is a very solid write and mix.. Thanks! The story flows well and there are several lyrical gems! Really, that's all I can hope for from a song. The instrumental in F major feels little out of place to me, nevertheless it's all very well done and I really like the song! Yeah, it's perhaps a bit too much of a contrast. If I'd used it as some sort of a bridge, it might have made more sense. But since the song needed some contrast to the repetition of the verses - in my mind, anyway - I kept it in. Live and learn. Thanks for stopping to listen and comment!
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Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:
Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, 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, and more!
Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!
New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
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
Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)
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!
The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!
Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!
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!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
- 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
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!
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!
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!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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.
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