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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333 |
Having taken some 60,000 lines of code and ported it from system to system I can attest to the fact it's no mean feat.
You cannot compare apples to oranges here, for you don't know what computer language Band in a Box was written in, nor do you know the history of compilers made available when the o/s changed.
Certainly if you wrote software BEFORE the days of windows, in a 'mathematical' language, which is what music really is, you might have a struggle to find a compiler. That was, and remains the case, lack of a compiler. Given the tiny market share, and the mentality that all things Mac are free, any software developer has to assign resources where they generate revenue, not to please a few people who might buy the software.
Anyone with a head on their shoulders would understand that if there were no huge issues, and if the process was easy, you'd just take you code and load it and hit the button and end up with a finished product. It just does not work that way.
I took 200,000 lines of Cobol from an IBM mainframe at Bell 25 years ago and replaced it with 500 lines of code and a database manager. From punch cards to data entry by exception. From Mainframe to Unix. It was open to every Bell based business in North America, and I got $200 per install from Newfoundland to Texas. They tried, whined, cried, and did everything but threaten me in some jurisdictions when I refused to assist in writing it for Dos. They paid for Unix, it had shell scripts and AWK commands and filters and pipes. Still can't do that in 'Dos/Windows'. Nor can you call up the network at 2 a.m. and run software on distributed machines, collect the results, filter them, batch print them, and mail the results to 200 managers. Easily done in Unix.
I just don't get the point of assuming that Pgmusic is at fault for not providing the same programs on Mac.
Remember my video editing experience. There was no company locally with 30 employees who sold and trained AVID on Macs. But there was one using HP computers and a turnkey AVID solution with Sony camera support for DV. And I've been retired for 9 years now, and that project started 5 years before I retired. I lead it. I think we were leery of the fact that Mac's were promising the ability to write DVD's but in our decision flow chart that was the #1 requirement, to make training DVD's for 12 to 14 fire stations and eliminate the need to take them out of service and move to our training facility. I got the tour of all the leading video production facilities in our area, and the top Mac dealer showed me 2 places doing wedding videos on Macs.
I have no idea of the current state of affairs. I have one PC/Win 7 system, and now 3 Ubuntu based machines networked. Is the Win7 machine for pinnicle, which is close enough to Avid I didn't need to learn much, and to run Band in a Box. All other tasks have been on Ubuntu, including all internet stuff except to download updates to Band in a Box and transfer video between systems.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 116
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 116 |
Awesome! A flame war in the mac forum! We're got like 3 dudes arguing! hahaha. Anyways, I was playing around with the PC version of BIAB... and I say, MEH.
On the mac side, I would quit my moaning if I could just know what chorus I'm on! Geeze! Don't talk to me about switching to notation view. That view SUCKS.
Seriously, how much programming would that take? Add the stupid number to the chord view! YARG!
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 265
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 265 |
While I liked Macs, I switched to Windows systems about 15 years ago because "not available for Mac" was happening too often - and PCs were generally much cheaper.
Tough to be a continual BIAB stepchild. :-)
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 59
Enthusiast
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Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 59 |
Quote:
While I liked Macs, I switched to Windows systems about 15 years ago because "not available for Mac" was happening too often - and PCs were generally much cheaper.
Tough to be a continual BIAB stepchild. :-)
Hi you all
Well Sam, I kind of went on the same path but in a different way. It went : PC-MAC-PC (15 years) and 1 year ago back to MAC. I still own a portable PC. I really don't want to put down the Windows OS. It worked fine for me and Windows 7 is even better. But, from my very modest stand point, having went through a lot of PCs (also in maintenance) I think machine wise, MACs are more stable and reliable. I also got fed up, choosing between a zillion manufactures each time I wanted a new PC. Prices have gone down in the MAC world, I think now you can find a machine that suits your needs at a decent price. But then again this all personal.
I must admit that what made me come back to MAC though, is that I could find the same notation program I use and of course BIAB. For other PC programs, if you try and find an identical twin on MAC, well yeah, maybe you get the "not available for Mac" message. But you can always find something else which is as efficient. But I can understand that maybe for people like you Sam, that are in the professional musical world, studio work etc... It's more difficult and high priced in a MAC environment.
Since my work needs with BIAB are very basic, maybe I'm not a good example, but I don't think that we are less considered by PG. It's true, having worked with both PC and MAC versions, differences do exist. But for what I have to do with BIAB these differences don't affect my work. Not to the point where I would consider running BIAB in a windows environment on a MAC. And let's face it, I'm no commercial expert, but the market is much wider for PCs. Me, I'm just glad there's BIAB for MAC. One thing I hope though, is that John is wrong when he says who knows if the next MAC OS would support BIAB... You seem knowledgeable in that field John, but I do hope you're wrong on that one ! 
I've only been using BIAB for 6 years but like you Sam, be it PC or MAC BIAB does it for me. Anyway if someone decides to go back to MAC, as I did, you know what your getting into. I don't regret my choice.
Last edited by Pierre Julien; 01/07/11 03:40 PM.
Best of all and hope your day is a nice one
Pierre
IMac OSX 10.6.5 / latest BIAB
vista BIAB 2008
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,439
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,439 |
Actually, I think there are interesting possibilities here.
The Mac version requires OSX which is a Posix compliant OS and since v10.5 is in fact a certified unix OS when running on intel. This suggests that a port of the Mac version of BIAB to linux may not be an unreasonable hope.
I imagine the biggest hurdle may be the gui API's - is the OSX gui X Windows?
--=-- My credo: If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing - just ask my missus, she'll tell ya  --=--You're only paranoid if you're wrong!
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Band-in-a-Box for Macintosh
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 344
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 344 |
My humble opinion is that less is better, often  I've been using the program since version 10 for windows, than switched to mac 6 years ago. Last year was the most important, because i used Binab with real tracks for live performances, in addition to the usual work of making backing tracks. Can't say now how many gigs i did with it, not few though, well i can say i had very very very few problems with it. I mean i don't regret the hundreds of functions i don't have in the mac version, as long as i got a light, reliable program. Besides i am convinced that what mac version really needs from win version for being "perfect" is 4 maybe 5 things, not more. Perhaps in 2011... 
Macbook M2 Pro 32 GB ram | OSX 13.6 | BinaB 2023 | Logic Studio XI |
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
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Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
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Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
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