The Ghoul (Youtube)The Ghoul (Soundcloud) Hello BIAB community, First things first, apologies for not being around the last couple of weeks, but there’s been one or two things happening that have distracted me from the community. I will get back to listening and reviewing songs in the near future. I’ve also been trying to work the latest group song task and getting this ready also. So the task was, to come up with a nonsensical song, comic or humourous, along the lines of “The Streak”, “Monster Mash” or “If I told you, you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me”, that sort of humorous song. So I opted to write a song about a PC Game character called the Ghoul, from the game and subsequent TV series “Fallout”. Check it out on a streaming service near you, the soundtrack is brilliant. So this isn’t the greatest song, structure wise, in fact it’s pretty straight forward standard fayre. And I must apologise because I haven’t played a single instrument. By the time I’d got the style and real tracks sorted, I felt that by adding an additional instrument it would have got too crowded and the end result would have suffered. Anyhow, all vocal is mine….as you can tell. This will be my last offering for a little while. I’m off to do a world tour at the end of the month…. I wish! No, just travelling to the UK to see rellies, and I don’t have anything in the can to offer in the interim. I will be listening and commenting to you guys whilst over there…. I understand the internet is available in the UK!! Much love guys, I’ll be back to normal later in the year. Have fun and keep on keeping on! Key=Am , Tempo 120, Length (m:s)=4:54 Style is _LOITER.STY (Loiter Quarter Kick Rock Shuffle) RealTracks in style: 2749:Bass, Electric, RockShuffleHardDoug Sw 120 RealTracks in style: 2752:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm RockHeavyShuffleChopMurray Sw 120 RealTracks in song: 3266:Cello, Rhythm CelticJigChoppingSyncNatalie Sw 110 RealDrums in style:RockShuffleQuarterKick^03-a:Open Hat, Snare , b:Toms, Snare THE GHOUL (A theme for the PC Game “Fallout”) INTRO: Am / / / Am / / / Am / / / E7 / / / VERSE 1 Am I am a ghoul, wandering through… Dm Am … California wasteland, gunslinging’s what I do. Em Dm I’ve been burnt by the old world. Em Dm7 G# G G Under a mushroom sky I was left to die. Am / / / Am / / / Am / / / E7 / / / VERSE 2 Am Dogmeat follows me through the Mojave. Dm Am Sniffing out a mole-rat for another Stim-Pak. Em Dm He ain’t no feral freak, no runt of the litter. Em Dm7 G# G G A radioactive desert makes you die for a nuclear winter. CHORUS C But I’m swinging through the apocalypse. F C High plains drifting through the apocalypse. G C Uranium cell decay, inhale “the fix” everyday. G C Rad-Ex makes me feel okay, with my cranium cell decay. Am / / / Am / / / Am / / / E7 / / / VERSE 3 Am Vault thirty-one, what have you done? Dm Am To the overseer and the experiments that you run. Em Dm Bud’s buds on dry ice, a cryogenic spouse sounds nice. Em Dm7 G# G G Two hundred years in the making, their rad-free balls must be aching. Am / / / Am / / / Am / / / E7 / / / VERSE 4 Am I am an abomination, absorbing background radiation. Dm Am Dropping fingers and toes, sneezed, whoops, lost my nose. Em Dm I don’t miss necrosis, gangrene or a dental abscess. Em Dm7 G# G G Any form of infection, hastens my date with natural selection. CHORUS C But I’m swinging through the apocalypse. F C High plains drifting through the apocalypse. G C Uranium cell decay, inhale “the fix” everyday. G C Rad-Ex makes me feel okay, with my cranium cell decay….. C’mon… CHORUS C But I’m slinging through the apocalypse. F C Wandering alone through the apocalypse. G C Uranium cell decay, inhale “the fix” everyday. G C Rad-Ex makes me feel okay, with my cranium cell decay. OUTRO Am / / / Am / / / Am / / / E7 / / / Am / / / Am / / / Am / / / E7 / / / Am
Gordon, In the update testing forum, Andrew has acknowledged the problem and there is a fix that is currently being tested. I think that this means the thread is resolved --Noel
I just had a listen. The style _sparkle works really well and behaves much better. I like it. I'm glad that we managed to get somewhere that works for you. From the perspective of the thread's subject, this is definitely resolved because the tag ending works properly. This seems to be a style-related problem that only Team PG Music can fix. In relation to the sustained note that the pad sound plays with held chords, this is something that I've come across before with MIDI sounds that cut off rather than fade out (this is common in MIDI). One thing that can be done to overcome this is to use the Audio Edit on that track and add a volume envelope to create a fade out. This is easy to do and would work fine. --Noel
… What Ron said: Ha! This sounds like a lost track from the Kink's (very awesome) Arthur album. You really upped your game with this one. Nicely done! i really like your backing tracks - great selection and mix! And your vocal really shine on this one. I've mentioned to you in the past that I had a friend (now deceased) from Adelaide. I think of him (not musically - you're a far better vocalist and a better creator) when I listen to you. I enjoyed this a lot! great listen! Best to you, …
Thanks Alan! After Ron’s comment, I listened to that Kinks album - I like it a lot! Thank you for your kind comments about my vocals - I’m not a good singer and can sometimes be pitchy, but I love being able to sing my songs as a form of expression and also to illustrate the musical ideas I have - the must be a saying along the lines of … “Get in, get out, and do as little damage as possible along the way”. A friend in Adelaide - one wonders how you met. Thanks for listening and commenting! Andrew
I picture Steamboat Willy, laughing while being chased by some oafish villian
Yeah, I can hear that, although this was 190 BPM! I did play to an old cartoon once, the link is here: (I used BIAB, of course, and the cartoon itself is in the public domain)
Hi Alan! I like the way you’ve mixed the guitar lead so prominently. It feels like I’m standing a metre away from them, watching and hearing very closely. Marvellous! The chord movement is interesting, and long with some decent interval leaps, this makes the melody very captivating. Oh, by the way, I love swing tunes. I’d listen to this again and again. Andrew
Nice one, Alan! This brought to mind Woody Allen's movie "Sweet and Lowdown," about a guitar player who idolized Django. The role was acted by Sean Penn, but all the guitar work was done by jazz great Howard Alden. Brent Mason certainly holds forth well here. Well done.
Alan, This is beautiful... Love the gentle nature of this piece. The guitars and drums sound just great. A stellar mix. Nice to hear you making music again. Bob
Oh wow, the concussion does sound frightening - however, as you say, you're here to talk about it, and that's the best thing about such things. I'm so glad you're in one piece! . Thank you so much for your kind words! Take good care of yourself, too!!!
OK, well my solution/workaround is to swap to the style _SPARKLE, which suits the song possibly better and doesn't exhibit the quirks of the style _BULB. I'm not sure whether that means this is resolved. I have a solution for me, but I presume the real quirk still needs resolving.
Really beautiful, a tad wistful, too. I just sat back, relaxed, and let it take me on a wonderfully pleasant and mellow journey. Bravo, Alan, really, really well done. Hope you're ok now, health-wise!
Hi! So good to hear from you! Glad you liked it. It's not one of mt favorites I've done, but I didn't have anything new to post at the time, so I went with this one. I just wanted to reiterate how much i enjoyed your children's song. That was marvelous! Thanks for the listen and, as always, kind words. I'm doing better. I had a severe concussion that knocked me out due to a really frightening fall. The physical pain is pretty much gone, but I still experience a ot of brain fog that makes complex issues difficult. But I'm here to talk about it, so that's good! Take care, my friend, Alan
B.D. ... Thanks for the listen and really nice comments. i could probably write a decent lyric for it, but I'd have to go with an AI vocalist. I have many songs with AI vocalists, but haven't posted any here. About 20 of them have BIAB tracks remaining in them. Maybe I'll post one. Since my wife passed away last year, I don't have a female vocalist to sing my songs written for a female vpoice. I appreciate your listen very much. Take care, Alan
Andrew, What Ron said: Ha! This sounds like a lost track from the Kink's (very awesome) Arthur album. You really upped your game with this one. Nicely done! i really like your backing tracks - great selection and mix! And your vocal really shine on this one. I've mentioned to you in the past that I had a friend (now deceased) from Adelaide. I think of him (not musically - you're a far better vocalist and a better creator) when I listen to you. I enjoyed this a lot! great listen! Best to you, Alan
I remember this song so well. Floyd sang the melody one, on the first iteration, I believe? I remember the song well, but my memory may be playing tricks on me, as to who sang the melody ... argh. Anyway: Janice sings superbly, here, the star of the show. The mix is excellent, although, if I'm to be 100% honest, I would have personally liked Janice's voice just a tad more "strong" (is that the technical word? haha), so it stood out, rather than sitting in the mix. But that's maybe just me. In any case: the songwriting is excellent, the lyrics likewise, the rendition wonderful ... you always have a high standard for all of your songs, but this one nevertheless is one of my favourites, from you. Can't pin down exactly why, there are so many little things which make it stand out for me, which defy explanation. So: congratulations!
Those sonic textures here are remarkable. Every track you played is standout. And that violin? Wow! But then there's the soprano and more and more. If we could sit down and do 1/4 of that we'd be thrilled. Mesmerizing can be overused but it is applicable here in the absolute best sense. We enjoyed it indeed. J&B
Mario, Your title sums up what we've had here in Northern Alabama this year. I've been here almost 13 years and have never seen so much rain as we've had over the past four months. When I go to look at the forecast, I don't check if it's gonna rain - just how much and in what part of the day/night. I'd be a lot happier if I were a duck. Nice work on all sounds. You're the best with these ethereal and ambient themes. You do it better than anyone I've heard. Really nice, Mario. Still smiling gently as I type. Best to you, Alan
Really beautiful, a tad wistful, too. I just sat back, relaxed, and let it take me on a wonderfully pleasant and mellow journey. Bravo, Alan, really, really well done. Hope you're ok now, health-wise!
The video you added is pretty good and interesting. But to be honest, neither the video nor the song gives me any clue as to what the song is about. Still, it's a beautiful song
B.D, There is so much fun and happiness in this song. The Reggae sound is a perfect fit for this. (Ich habe es gern!). You create great music that's always worth the time to listen. Loved this one! Alan
A new song, from me - perhaps the last one in a while, since I have increasingly less and less time to devote to writing songs (which I'm not at all happy about, but what can one do?). Nevertheless ... here is this one. Written in Musecore (melody) and Band-in-a-Box (backing tracks), mixed in Mixcraft Pro Studio 10, then put through Suno. I hope you enjoy; in any case, however, all feedback is very much welcome! Thank you so much for listening! In My Heart THE LYRICS: I never could just say goodbye, Back when you smiled and left my life, Although, with tears, my voice did crack Your mind was made; no going back. You know, sometimes it's just the time, When God calls us, we hear the chime, And, though our worlds be far apart, Until next time, you're in my heart ... Until next time, you're in my heart. The door has closed, and thus you left, Leaving me here alone, bereft, I wish I'd hear your voice, again, However much I wish in vain ... But I can feel you are still here, However far, ever so near, Though I can't see, a thought away, Guiding me each and every day ... And next to me, in every way. I never knew it was the end, Not even when you said: "goodbye, my friend", You smiled and stepped to eternity, Leaving behind just, only me ... You know, sometimes it's just the time, When God calls us, we hear the chime, And, though our worlds be far apart, Until next time, you're in my heart ... Until next time, you're in my heart. *** THE ORIGINAL, Band-in-a-Box BAND: ****** Song Summary ************* Title: In My Heart - 3 July 2026 File:In My Heart - 3 July 2026.SGU Key=D , Tempo 75, Length (m:s)=4:12 No intro. 75 bar chorus, from bar 1 to bar 75. Repeat x1 chorus No Melody No Soloist track. Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0, Song is saved with bar changes for Key Signature, Style is _QUOTE.STY (Quote Singer-Songwriter Piano) RealTracks in style: 3121:Bass, Acoustic, PopHalfNotesPush Ev 085 RealTracks in style: 4811:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm SongwriterAlternating ev16 075 RealDrums in style:NashvilleBrushesCountryPopEv16: a: Sidestick, Brushes b: Brushes ******************* Melody written in MuseScore, backing tracks in Band-in-a-Box. Mixed in Mixcraft Pro Studio 10, then fed into Suno.
Joliz and Bob, You guys are masters of creativity. And, Bob, you can lyric a lyric like no one else. why do I say that? Because I've not heard anyone else who can create and tell a story like you. I think you know I'm an author with novels Amazon. I've always said a good lyrical song is a novel in 100 words or less. You prove my point every time I hear one of your songs. joliz is anchoring that bv perfectly. It was a near-magical listen. Alan
Our fav lines: 😊 “But if the whole world breaks in two I’ll be fine because I’m with you” You have certainly lost nothing in your mixing skills, Andi. This has excellent dynamics that set a great soundstage. Each track has its own little niche yet works weil with all the other tracks. Everyone here is at the top of their game. What a great return to the forum for y’all! J&B
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 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®.
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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.
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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
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SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
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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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