Last year, my New Year's resolution was to try and record 1 song per week. I'm happy to announce that I was able to get that done.
I'm gonna keep it going in 2026.
This week... "Donut of Misery", composed by me, Steve Mohacey.
Military humor is unmatched when it comes to coping with stress. During OIF 5-7 at the 4th Infantry Division headquarters, someone created an Excel sheet with a donut graph to count down our days left in theater.
The catch? There was no fixed return date. Everything depended on the mission. The date moved forward and backward constantly. One day you were weeks away; the next, you were months away. Naturally, the tracker became known as the "Donut of Misery".
Shoutout to whoever made the "Donut of Misery" Excel sheet. The goalposts moved so much that the graph became a psychological hazard.
So... I wrote a song about it. The 4ID jazz band, "Groove Coalition", performed it during our deployment. Be sure to watch all the way to the end for an example of the "Donut of Misery" graph. I hope you enjoy it.
The improvised solo section in the middle is ALL BIAB. You guys ROCK!
Memo: This modern reggaeton style has a layered beat, synthesizer sub bass, percussive synthesizer, and wah-wah electric guitar. -Examples: D√°kiti, Haw√°i, Genre "Intensity" Score=70/100 _CHAVOS.STY. Chavos Modern Reggaeton Beat All RealTracks. Sextet. Tempo=90 (80-105) Instruments: Syn.Bass, Multi-Drums, Synth, Loop, El.Guitar, Drums RD: DancehallClassicWes^1-a:SyncSnare, Kick , b:SyncSnare, SyncKick :Wes Little Multi-DrumsDancehall Classic w Ribbon Crasher RT2969: Bass, Synth, DancehallSync Ev16 085 , Ed (Great Oz) Clare RT2973: Synth, Rhythm DancehallPercussive Ev16 085 , Ed (Great Oz) Clare Loop:House-Techno-Trance\House - main_room_128_drum_loop_c_sharp_minor ev16.wav RT2525: Guitar, Electric, Rhythm FunkWahWahChords Ev16 100 , Greg Moore
I used finale to create some midi files of the bass line on the "head". These were imported into Logic and I used the Apple sounds and some loops on the "head" of the song. I used my Asturia Keylab Essential 61 to play the grand piano sounds (from Logic) on the "crunchy" chords in the head (they represent the frustration of watching that graph move).
The saxophones were recorded using a Sennheiser 441 with the "FETHEAD" to boost the gain. The Sennheiser 441 is a dynamic mic. The Fethead gives it a 27db bump via the pre-amp built into my Focusrite Clarett++ 2pre. Dynamic mics do not require phantom power. The FETHEAD uses phantom power to boost the gain and just plugs into the XLR out on my mic.
Backing tracks via Band In A Box 2026 Ultrapak Plus for Mac and Apple Loops in Logic Pro 11. Grand Piano crunch chords performed on Arturia Keylab Essential 61 midi controller and the grand piano patch in Logic Pro 11.
Recorded in Logic Pro 11.
Selmer Reference 54 Tenor Sax. Mouthpiece- Dave Guardala handmade MB1
Tenor Sax- Boston Sax Shop Black Box 3.5 reeds (the BEST REEDS EVER!)
Selmer Series III Soprano Sax. Mouthpiece- Dukoff D8
Soprano Sax- Boston Sax Shop Black Box 3 (did I mention that they are the BEST REEDS EVER!)
Love the sax duet! I envy your ability to find humor amidst the darkness of combat. I was a "collector of information" in Berlin following the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in '68. We were a little short on humor.
ThinkPad i9 32GB RAM 7TB SSD; Win11 Pro; RME Fireface UCX II; BiaB 2026 Ultra Studio Pro 8; Tonalic Studio 1; Reaper v7; Bitwig Studio 6; Melodyne Studio 5 Gig Performer 5; NI S61 MK3; Focal Shape 65; Beyerdynamic DT 880 & 770
Oh, good gods!! This is fabulous, Steve. Quite the story, too. Baritone/Tenor/Alto/Soprano. Phil Woods was always a favorite of mine (and of course, Charlie Parker), but man, i thoroughly enjoy your YT channel. What a gret piece this is, and you ilustrate the frustration and the donut hole perfectly. Much enjoyed!
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
Hi Steve! It’s always good to watch your videos of you playing, and in this case, a split screen. I wondered what the song title meant at first glance. The music does represent the chaotic backwards and forwards of decision-making about the completion of duties. It goes to show the value of the arts to help with morale and provide at outlet. As a former accountant, I can see the thought that has gone into the design and construction of the Excel sheet. Well done. Andrew
Great composition, very mideastern sound to my ears. A very unsettling mood that was perfect for your description of the donut. Great use of BIAB and other sources. First call work, I'm ready for more!
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
Love the sax duet! I envy your ability to find humor amidst the darkness of combat. I was a "collector of information" in Berlin following the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in '68. We were a little short on humor.
Thanks for giving it a listen! My wife was in the Air Force, stationed in Berlin in the late 80's/early 90's at Tempelhof. She was there when the wall came down (we have a piece of the wall on our mantle).
Oh, good gods!! This is fabulous, Steve. Quite the story, too. Baritone/Tenor/Alto/Soprano. Phil Woods was always a favorite of mine (and of course, Charlie Parker), but man, i thoroughly enjoy your YT channel. What a gret piece this is, and you ilustrate the frustration and the donut hole perfectly. Much enjoyed!
BabuMusic- this is the last of my "Baghdad" period songs. I'm glad you enjoyed it. The part the tenor was playing was written for guitar (but I just could not find a good guitar sound) or I'd have tried to cover it on my EWI (electronic wind instrument).
Hi Steve! It’s always good to watch your videos of you playing, and in this case, a split screen. I wondered what the song title meant at first glance. The music does represent the chaotic backwards and forwards of decision-making about the completion of duties. It goes to show the value of the arts to help with morale and provide at outlet. As a former accountant, I can see the thought that has gone into the design and construction of the Excel sheet. Well done. Andrew
Andrew- Thank you for watching and listening to my song. As far as the design of the Excel sheet goes... that was an unknown person, wanting to do a good deed. And we all know what happens: "No good deeds go unpunished"! LOL.
There’s a lot of tonal movement going on there, and I think that captures the chaotic nature of the theme. It has, at times, an Egyptian feel . Such a creative piece and instrument mastery clearly on show.
Great creativity and playing from you. Kind regards.
Great composition, very mideastern sound to my ears. A very unsettling mood that was perfect for your description of the donut. Great use of BIAB and other sources. First call work, I'm ready for more!
TuneMonger-
I am grateful that you listened to my song, and better yet, left some comments. Much appreciated!
That story about the "Donut of Misery" took shape more and more while listening to your song. Especially in the recurring opening theme. Besides the saxophones, I particularly liked the sound of the bass. And also the fact that it came back well at key moments, almost as a solo instrument.
There’s a lot of tonal movement going on there, and I think that captures the chaotic nature of the theme. It has, at times, an Egyptian feel . Such a creative piece and instrument mastery clearly on show.
Great creativity and playing from you. Kind regards.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
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XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
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Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
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Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 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.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 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!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 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.
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
Special thanks to the team at zplane for their continued support.
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
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!
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