There are three CLA (Chris Lord Alge) that I love using: CLA Guitars, CLA Vocals, CLA Mixdown. Much of the time the Band in the Box doesn't need mixing tricks as they are performed so well. The Mixdown plug-in does add some sweetness and clarity that I like. Waves Vocal Rider is a really easy way to match vocals to the instruments. The L3 UltraMaximizer limiter is wonderfully easy to use. So is the Renaissance Reverb. I'll add one that is not Waves: Gilder Vox, developed by Joe Gilder who is a spokesperson for Studio One, now Fender Pro. Gilder Vox is quite easy to use for polishing vocals. John
Glad that helped If you have a recent version (and really want to hard write an effect, which I don't recommend) there is an entry in the list called '64 bit DX/VST FX' (or close). That will let you hard write a section using the real-time plugins. But why do that? // I made my FX button that blue light color that you see on some equipment, looks pretty cool that way
Thanks for the info, I was wondering what that was for. But, no hard writing for me, I'm as happy as a clam with the FX button on the tracks window. That's perfection IMO. Thanks again!
Hey, Marty. I thought I'd give this a listen before I wash dishes. Now I'm going to dance with that music in my head while doing the dishes and hopefully none will fall on the floor! That's really different...a Tex Mex groove! I hadn't heard that done before. Your vocals are superb on it. The minor keys really give it the mood. I enjoyed it! Very well done! John
Oooo...I have a lot to respond to here. First of all thank you very much to all of you who have responded! Andrew: Yep, the middle part...you're on the dance floor dancing like a chimpanzee on a hot skillet when suddenly the tempo slows half speed. What do you do now? Well, that's what the Bee Gees did with "Night's on Broadway." When I heard that I thought that's genius! It really adds an unexpected surprise and interest in the melody! I decided to do that on "You Can Feel It." I forgot to add that I played the midi strings. I also used Waves Flow Motion Stereo and selected I Feel Love from the Melodic Sequence section on the menu. DC Ron: The vocals are Cooper Moss, who is on FiveRR and Airgigs. He's from Scotland and moved to Nashville, a good friend of Robert Quigley who finished the lyrics on this song. He said he was up for doing something different. Thank you on the "super tune" comment! It was one of those tunes that I instantly knew was a catchy one. It's one of two wild rides I've done. My other is a Twisted Sister influenced one called, "Ride the Wave." Marty: I'm not a good dancer either. My coordination sucks. After 50 years of playing guitar, I'm still a novice! I just use it for composing songs. That's why I was excited about finding Band in a Box! I took the time to teach myself how to read music when I was in my 30s which is useful for using Band in a Box. To learn how to read music as easily as I could, I went to the childrens section of the library. In an hour I was actually reading "The Mickey Mouse March." That was actually a big start and the rest fell into place easily. I have to listen to my doctors, too. I use a walking stick to get around since my flat feet have peripheral neuropathy. Bob: I'm surprised at the mix. I was still in my first year of trying to learn how to mix. That was in 2022. It took several tries to get it. I think I went about it the way most people who are curious do it. First it was using online mastering. After a year I dove into the plethora of crazy stuff like EQ, compression, limiters, and so on. I bought a lot of plug-ins that I hardly use. It takes me longer than most people to get the hang of things but once I do it's there solid. Mario: I'm thrilled you like it so well! It's probably the most exciting one I've done. It's all downhill from here! Hahaha! The best to all of you! John
Andrew, here's a second response based on what I observe my lyricist doing... The inspiration can be literally anything. He wrote a song about a calendar I had hanging on our shared bedroom wall in 1975. He wrote another song about a girl I dated exactly once in high school, who he never met. Wrote another about a trip I made to Manhattan without knowing anything about the trip other than it lasted five days. The launch point can be whatever he hears that grabs his imagination. And imagination, is, I believe, the key. He's an accomplished "method actor" with regard to inhabiting the story he wishes to tell. For example, we had a stupidly idyllic childhood, but he can write a breathtaking lyric about abusive parents. And he's been married for over 40 years, but has been writing songs about breaking up for...over 50 years. So "write what you know" is good advice indeed. But learning how to write beyond what you know and about WHAT INSPIRES YOU is perhaps next level stuff. Jimmy Webb was not a lineman, but wrote one of the most beloved (and recorded) songs of all time about the longing of a lineman. But for sure, it's a journey, not a destination...
Hi Ron! Please respond as often as you like - you've always got an interesting insight - and because we both come from different starting points, you'll see and experience something that I might not. Those points above are really good angles to approach from. I'm going to summarise key points from posters' responses and blu-tak it to my desk - just to give me a mental nudge every so often. I think I was getting anxious when I posted this thread because (IMHO) I have a potentially good song, was bereft of ideas at the time, and didn't want the words to stuff it up, despite being a person that tends to under-value the lyrics-side of songwriting. I've amazed myself a few (emphasis - FEW) times over my songwriting years with good lyrics, and like all things, I think one gets better with more practice and intentional skill-stretching. Andrew
I Still Love You ! Hello, this is a live busking track with me singing and playing lead guitar with the BiaB soundtrack. I have the BiaB song uploaded but I have lost the Style somehow. Ha, I found it, it was saved under another name. ****** Song Summary ************* Title: I Still Love You File:I Still Love You.SGU Key=G , Tempo 104, Length (m:s)=2:55 No intro. 72 bar chorus, from bar 1 to bar 72. Repeat x1 chorus No Melody No Soloist track. Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0, Style is _SNAPPER.STY (Snapper Spacey Jam Rock) RealTracks in style: 1255:Bass, Electric, PopShiningA-B Ev 120 RealTracks in style: 3710:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm 90sJamRockFunky Ev16 110 RealTracks in style: 3711:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm 90sJamRockGroovin16ths Ev16 110 RealTracks in style: 2650:Guitar, Electric, Background DreamyPopBalladFillsBrent Ev 085 RealDrums in style:PopRock16ths^01-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride
Cool rocker. Loved the groove. Excellent guitar, vocal and backtrack. Really nice mix. Well done..
Thanks Scott!
Originally Posted by Floyd jane
Andrew, Good stuff!!! Good write. Love your vocals on this. And BGVs... Cool guitar. Cool production. Again - VERY Neil Young-ish. Sounds like it came right off the On The Beach album. Really. Digging your posts...
Thanks Floyd! I'm unfamiliar with that album so I'll check it out. Andrew
DC Ron, What are you here for? BIAB? We can absolutely discuss that. Identifying / solving issues, workflow, tricks, ideas, usage? I am up for it. There is a recent post by a very dedicated member that talks about deeper issues within BIAB that need to be solved ASAP. Please join the discussion: https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=878138#Post878138 I have enormous respect for the OP, as BIAB would be much "less" without him.
I'll keep this brief as I'm recuperating from surgery. Thanks to everyone showing an interest.... FYI the original rough demo of white Corvette done in a studio is on my SoundCloud in my signature White Corvette. Vocals Etc were all one take. Free studio time.. lol. you guys are fantastic and thanks once again. Om
Hi there Marty, hope you’re doing well. Thank you for your kind words. I hadn’t thought about the vocals being akin to PMac, but now that you mention it, I could imagine him singing it…..certainly now that he can’t sing anymore! …..Ooooh, Controversial! The vocals scrubbed up well with extra reverb. You can hear in the original that my voice was starting to crack in places, but the reverb has levelled a lot of that out. Quite willing to lend the song out for child development groups and psyche groups… for a modest fee of course! Cheers Marty, appreciate your kind words as always. Respect.
I hear about all this political news on the tube, but I cannot see it here, if anything people are closer than ever, but a nice write and mix, I like your low male voice for sure. I didn't go to war for America just to abandon it when comfortable, fix it and move on. Donny G
Arri, IMHO this is your best to date. Great rendition of this old classic. Thanx for the history lesson also; I knew Jimmy Rogers didn't write it but I didn't know the history prior to his version. You do so well on these oldies but goodies.
Hi Mario! The choir and the orchestra certainly sounded like the heavenly realms were playing. I pray the peace reflected in your music is the peace that you and your family experience. Andrew
Thanx so much Andrew. I especially like the blending of various string, orchestra, and choir programs. I thought they came out extremely well. Thanx for noticing.
… Do you have song examples that show minor-ish vs non minor-ish where each contain minor chords? …
Hi BT This is just a random selection without any in-depth research. The first two songs have a verse chord progression of E - F#m - G#m, and the ii and iii do not sound minor to me. Maybe it’s the harmonic context or maybe some chord extensions or the bass line? How to make gravy (Covid lock-in version)Goldenhorse - Maybe tomorrow The next two examples are songs that have both the minor and major chord (e.g. Am and Amaj) in the same song The Beatles - While my guitar gently weeps To me, the major chorus even sounds sad. Squeeze - Is that love? In this song, I can hear the shift from minor to major, so each retains their ‘nature’. Listening to these songs made me think …
The context and instrumentation influences the sound
The impact of chord extensions and bass notes used
My perception or preconceived notions of whether the chords should sound sad or happy
Forte Notation seems to have put all their effort into their Scanscore product. In addition to Forte, they released a product called Bandora (which I bought and the later confirmed from the developer was they had obtained rights to the old Jammer Pro program, which if folks remember was similar to the MIDI-only version of Band-in-a-Box), with a fresh new look, but was clearly Jammer (which I had a paid version of also until they stopped supporting it). In fact, Forte includes a Bandora module that allows generating arrangements that then appear as Forte notation (much like BIAB MIDI can do). It looks like bandora.com has also been shut down also.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
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Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows 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!
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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)
Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
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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)
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